AYANEO announced Pocket PLAY gaming smartphone
By ForGeeks
More than four months after its initial announcement, AYANEO has finally revealed the design of its new smartphone. As expected, the device is a modern interpretation of the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play — both in visual style and in name.
AYANEO Pocket PLAY has been given a classic slider design that immediately sends you back to 2011. Although devices with similar mechanisms — such as the ANBERNIC RG Slide or the MCON magnetic controller — have appeared on the market in recent years, the Pocket PLAY is the first gaming smartphone slider in almost 15 years.
Beneath the movable part hides a D-pad, a set of buttons and two touchpads. AYANEO calls them «smart touchpads» and plans to use similar technology in the upcoming Pocket VERT handheld console. The controller features AYANEO’s signature AYANEO button, indicating support for software features common to the brand’s gaming devices. Also visible is a button to invoke the application menu and another — with an unknown purpose. Its arrow is pointing down-right, which may hint at picture-in-picture mode.
Otherwise, it’s a minimalist but modern smartphone. On the back are two cameras with no protruding unit. On the top end — four shoulder buttons, with power and volume buttons in between. The USB-C port is located at the bottom, which can make it difficult to play with when plugging in charging.
The USB-C port is located at the bottom, which can complicate the game when connecting charging.
There are holes on either side of the case, presumably for stereo speakers, though they may be blocked by the palms of your hands during gaming. Another pair of holes indicates the presence of active cooling — extremely rare for smartphones.
Another pair of holes on either side of the case, probably for stereo speakers, although they may be blocked by the palms of your hands during gaming.
AYANEO CEO Arthur Zhang has previously hinted that the device won’t get a top chipset, which pretty much rules out Snapdragon 8 Elite and above. Full specs have yet to be revealed.
The video provided shows two colors: white and silver and black. The white model resembles the PSP Go, but retains AYANEO’s signature minimalist aesthetic. Pocket PLAY is part of the REMAKE Retro lineup, which combines modern technology with the design of classic devices.
The Pocket PLAY’s specifications, price and release date are not yet known. A pre-launch page on Kickstarter is open — those interested can sign up for notifications. This is the first time AYANEO is using Kickstarter instead of Indiegogo, likely due to recent policy changes by the latter that have delayed the delivery of a number of projects.
