Despite all doubts, mobile gaming has grown into a billion-dollar market and is expected to continue its upward trend in the years to come. Hence, Android OEMs are now catering to a lucrative segment by way of gaming-grade smartphones. Tablets, on the other hand, make up a small portion of the portable platforms, but the Rover Play hopes to change that.
This slate is still in the concept stages, but it gives us an idea of possible alternative control schemes. The most common input method used by gamers is capacitive touch via the display or specific section on the frame. Like they say, don’t fix what is not broken given the intuitive aspect of this setup. However, the system Compal proposes is intended for larger devices.
At first glance, the Rover Play resembles every other tablet. In some of the images provided by the company, there are accessories such as a magnetic kickstand and a keyboard cover. Although the latter can be used to interface with some games, it’s likely intended for productivity. Nonetheless, the unique selling point here is dubbed the FlexiRear Controllers.
Despite the name, this is not your typical gamepad layout. There are mechanical panels on the rear of the Rover Play that can pop up to function as grips. Not only are these for your hands to hold on to, but Compal says embedded ultrasonic sensors should register gestures and presses in context to the game.
It may seem too good to be true, yet we do hope something like the FlexiRear Controllers will make its way to commercial products later on. The Rover Play does not have a working prototype as of this writing, but it could inspire other brands to come up with a similar system or even a better one.
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Images courtesy of Compal
