Ayaneo Pocket Play is a 2026 Xperia Play We Never Got

Remember the Sony Xperia Play? The weird Android phone that slid open to reveal PlayStation-style controls? In 2026, that idea is suddenly back – but this time from AYANEO.

The company has dropped a teaser for the AYANEO Pocket Play, its first smartphone. From the short video, we see a sleek slider design, hidden physical controls, dual touchpads, and a very “AYANEO” metal-and-glass vibe. What we don’t see: any hard specs, pricing, or release dates.

So for now, Pocket Play is a mood more than a product sheet. But that mood is very “Xperia Play, if it had been designed in 2026 instead of 2011”.

AYANEO Pocket Play: a modern Xperia Play-style slider

AYANEO isn’t calling this an Xperia Play replacement, but the inspiration is hard to miss. This is a phone that slides up to reveal a full gamepad, not just RGB fans and shoulder triggers.

• Slider design with the screen on the top half and controls on the lower half
• Hidden gamepad revealed when you slide the display upwards
• Layout clearly aimed at proper games and emulation, not just tapping gacha banners
• First teaser focuses on hardware and vibe, not specs or benchmarks

The teaser shows the Pocket Play from every angle. Closed, it looks like a clean slab phone with dual rear cameras. Slide the display up and you get the full control deck. It’s a very deliberate throwback to the Xperia Play’s hybrid phone-console idea, just with modern industrial design and AYANEO’s retro-obsessed branding.

Hidden controls with dual “Smart Dual-Mode” touchpads

AYANEO already knows how to do handheld controls thanks to devices like the Pocket DMG and Pocket Vert. Pocket Play borrows that DNA but squeezes it under a phone screen.

• Standard layout: ABXY, a D-pad, plus Start and Select
• Two built-in “Smart Dual-Mode Touchpads” under your thumbs
• Touchpads can switch between virtual joystick and trackpad modes
• Extra buttons including the usual AYANEO button and a mysterious red button on the left side

The headline feature is those dual touchpads. AYANEO calls them “Smart Dual-Mode Touchpads”, and they can work as either analogue sticks or a mouse-style surface, similar to how touchpads are used on the Pocket DMG and other AYANEO handhelds. That matters for PC streaming, emulation frontends, and games that still expect a cursor.

There’s also the brand’s trademark AYANEO button on the right, and a red button on the left between the D-pad and the touchpad. The teaser doesn’t say what it does, and AYANEO isn’t talking yet – it could be a capture key, a quick-launch for a game hub, or just a design flex. For now, we just know it looks important and very pressable.

Design and build: aluminium, glass, and sensible cameras

AYANEO doesn’t list materials, but if you’ve seen the Pocket DMG, Pocket DS, or Pocket S, you can guess the vibe: lots of metal, lots of glass, lots of “premium handheld” energy.

• Teaser shots strongly suggest a metal frame with glass front and back
• Camera module looks fine, but not flagship-phone aggressive
• Slider mechanism will likely make the phone thicker and heavier than a standard slab
• Overall look is closer to AYANEO’s handhelds than a typical gaming phone with RGB vents

The Retro Handhelds breakdown notes AYANEO’s usual mix of aluminium and glass, and the teaser supports that – this doesn’t look like a plastic toy. At the back, you get a simple dual-camera stack. The article even hints that the cameras are probably “nothing to write home about” and unlikely to match a Galaxy or iPhone. That’s almost refreshing: AYANEO seems more interested in clean design and controls than chasing 5× periscope zoom.

Of course, stuffing a full gamepad and slider rails into a phone means it won’t be as slim as your usual flagship. If you’ve handled devices like the Pocket DS or Pocket EVO, you already know AYANEO doesn’t shy away from chunky if it means better ergonomics.

What we don’t know yet: specs, price, and UAE availability

Here’s the important bit: AYANEO hasn’t confirmed any specs at all for Pocket Play. No chipset, no RAM, no storage tiers, nothing on battery size or display refresh rate. This is a teaser, not a launch.

• No confirmed SoC or GPU (Snapdragon? MediaTek? Custom? Unknown.)
• No details on RAM, storage, battery, or screen size/refresh rate
• Software is a question mark too – likely Android, but no version or custom launcher confirmed
• No word on price, regions, or release window, including the UAE

Historically, AYANEO hardware tends to launch via global crowdfunding or limited regional partners, then trickle into markets like the UAE through importers and big online sales. You can already see that pattern with Windows handhelds and Switch-adjacent gear getting spotlighted here – from Lenovo Legion Go coverage to local deals on Steam Deck OLED and other handhelds.

For UAE gamers, that likely means:

• Expect import pricing, at least at launch
• Don’t count on official Etisalat/du bundles anytime soon
• Pocket Play might sit alongside devices like ROG Ally, Legion Go and MSI Claw as a niche handheld choice rather than a mainstream phone you see in every mall.

Until AYANEO does a full reveal, all we can safely say is that Pocket Play exists, it slides, and it’s clearly targeting people who still miss physical buttons on their phone.

Where Pocket Play fits among handhelds and gaming phones

Even with no spec sheet, you can already see where Pocket Play might land in the current gaming landscape.

• Unlike Windows handheld PCs (ROG Ally, Legion Go, Steam Deck OLED), Pocket Play is a phone first, not a mini-laptop with sticks.
• Compared to gaming phones from Asus or RedMagic, this is the rare one with built-in physical controls, not bolt-on controllers.
• It slots neatly into AYANEO’s growing lineup of Pocket DMG, Pocket DS, Pocket EVO and Pocket Vert devices – all leaning hard into retro-inspired hardware with modern chips.

If AYANEO sticks to its usual approach, Pocket Play will probably be aimed at:

• Emulation fans (PSP, PS2, DS, maybe even Switch),
• Game streaming (Steam Link, Xbox, GeForce NOW), and
• People who want one device that can be a daily phone and a handheld console.

The big unknown is how far the hardware will go. AYANEO has already shown it can push high-end Android handhelds with cooling and serious chips. If Pocket Play inherits that side of the family, it could be the first slider phone in years that actually feels built for AAA-ish mobile gaming, not just novelty.

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