Ayaneo, best known for its line of handheld gaming PCs and Androids, is having a go at the gaming phone scene.
Their new device, the Pocket Play, is on the horizon and it comes with a rather nostalgic trick: a slide-out controller. It’s a move that instantly calls to mind the classic Sony Ericsson Xperia Play, that beloved ‘PlayStation phone’ from back in 2011.
While Ayaneo is keeping the full specs and price under wraps for now, the Pocket Play certainly looks the part – premium and nicely finished. That slide-out panel packs a proper D-pad, the standard ABXY face buttons, and a pair of touchpads standing in for analogue joysticks. You also get a full suite of shoulder buttons (L1, L2, R1, R2) on the edges, dual rear cameras, stereo speakers, and a USB-C port.
It’ll be offered in classic black or white finishes and will almost certainly run Android. If you’re keen to get one, you’ll need to keep an eye on their Kickstarter campaign, which currently lists the Pocket Play as ‘coming soon’.