AYANEO’s Pocket Play Pays Tribute to a Smartphone That Remembers How Games Used to Feel

Fourteen years ago, Sony’s Xperia Play phone attempted to blur the line between phone calls and game controllers. It slid open to show a series of buttons that made each thumb swipe feel like crossing the finish line. The device soon disappeared from memory, but AYANEO has brought the concept back to the forefront with the Pocket Play, their first smartphone.

AYANEO has carefully designed the Pocket Play around a simple concept: simply press the screen upwards, and the phone unfolds like a hidden chamber. Beneath that is a full gamepad configuration, all neatly inset and ready to go, with a D-pad for highly precise controls, ABXY buttons for rapid tapping, and two circular touchpads that essentially replace the analog sticks. These touchpads are more than simply touch-sensitive; they also respond to pressure / swipes and can be programmed to do anything the game requires, whether it’s emulators with fantastic joysticks or modern titles with custom shortcuts. Shoulder buttons are located on the borders, two on each side, allowing you to have triggers for all of your guns as well as fighter bumpers.

Everything builds on AYANEO’s experience making handheld consoles, so the feel is immediately familiar. Even when closed, those shoulder buttons are still accessible for on-the-go notifications or media skippers, allowing you to transform idle periods into opportunities to play. Power and volume controls are located in the center, while the base features a USB-C connector, speaker grille, and a SIM tray that allows you to utilize two cards at once. Of course, round out the rear with a couple of cameras, though we’ll have to wait and see what the megapixel count is.


Its hardware is still shrouded in secrecy, but we know enough to form an educated guess. The core is powered by a Snapdragon processor, which has been designed for silky smooth frame rates in demanding programs and long sessions with no hiccups. When open, the display spans to a respectable 7 inches, making it great for streaming or extended strategy sessions, and when closed, it simply shrinks to a clean tiny view for fast checks. The battery life appears to be adequate for the entire day, and fast charging aids in returning to the correct level. Storage options are abundant at first, but a microSD card slot allows you to store all of your ROMs or apps. AYANEO has even included a branded button that, when pressed, provides access to specific tools for tweaking performance on the fly, whether you’re running old classics or the most recent releases. There are two color options: matte black or pure white, and both come with a grip that moulds to the hand, allowing you to play for hours without your phone falling out of your fingers.


Android handles the software side of things, with AYANEO making some adjustments to get the gamepad mapping working straight away. Want to play an old Game Boy title? The controls are easily adaptable. Epics transmitted via the cloud? Same thing, the phone becomes an extension of you that just happens to fit perfectly in the moment, and it’s not just for gaming; the controls adapt well to everyday use as well, reply to texts with a flick on the D-pad, or explore a map by pressing a few keys, when touch isn’t accurate enough.

The Pocket Play will be available on Kickstarter in the coming weeks, with shipments expected in the spring. It will cost roughly $500 for early backers. That buys you the standard model, but if you want more RAM or a nicer finish, those options are also available. AYANEO is also including some sets with casings designed for both play modes and grips that simply make the slide seem more natural to handle.