Ayaneo is preparing to enter the smartphone market, and its first attempt already sets itself apart from the usual wave of gaming-focused devices.
The Pocket Play has been revealed with a slide-out controller, a design choice that immediately calls back to the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play from 2011, one of the most memorable and infamous experiments in mobile-console hybrids.
Ayaneo hasn’t shared core specs or pricing yet, but the early look at the hardware makes one thing clear: this isn’t a nostalgia gimmick. Or at least it doesn’t feel like it is.
The Pocket Play appears surprisingly premium, with a clean minimalist aesthetic and a mechanism that slides open to reveal a full gamepad. That includes a traditional D-pad, ABXY buttons, L1/L2 and R1/R2 shoulder buttons, and two smart touchpads standing in for thumbsticks, a layout far closer to a handheld console than a smartphone accessory.
The rest of the design leans into Ayaneo’s handheld DNA. The device features stereo speakers, dual rear cameras, a USB-C port, and finishes in black or white. The company hasn’t confirmed the chipset or battery details yet, but it’s safe to assume the Pocket Play will run Android, given Ayaneo’s positioning and its emphasis on mobile gaming ecosystems.
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For long-time Xperia Play fans, the concept feels almost like a reincarnation: a phone that doesn’t just support gaming, but is deliberately built around it. And with the recent resurgence of handheld gaming, from the Legion Go to the ROG Ally and Ayaneo’s own PC-based portables, the timing may be ideal for a hybrid device that fits somewhere between a smartphone and a dedicated compact console.
Ayaneo is keeping the finer details behind its Kickstarter campaign for now, though the listing has been updated to say the Pocket Play is “coming soon.” Price and release details are much MIA currently.
If the company can price it sensibly and deliver strong Android performance, the Pocket Play could mark the return of a form factor that many thought had disappeared for good.
