CES 2021: Lenovo’s New Concept Laptop Doubles as a Switch-like Console

With CES 2021 right around the corner, major tech companies are preparing to show off their latest and greatest creations. One of these companies is Lenovo, which is not at all unfamiliar with out-of-the-box computers. Earlier this week, Lenovo’s Japanese sub-brand, NEC unveiled what looks like a hybrid of a Switch console and a netbook-like laptop.

Dubbed as the “LaVie Mini”, this hybrid device is, as of now, only a concept on which Lenovo and NEC are working. So, there is no guarantee that this will ever make its way to the consumers. However, it is always good to see tech giants experiment with products like this, much like we saw with the world’s smallest gaming laptop.

Looks Like a Compact Laptop

Now, coming to the LaVie Mini, by looking at the pictures provided by Lenovo, it looks like a compact laptop at first glance. However, with the right accessories, the device is capable of serving as a portable gaming console or full-fledged PC to aid for 4K/ 60fps gaming on your TV set or an external monitor.

The actual device features an 8-inch touch-enabled display, an 11th-Gen Intel Core-i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of SSD storage. There are also an array of ports to connect various external devices, an optical touch sensor as a replacement for the trackpad, and white circular keys.

But Wait…It’s Also a Console

Now, if you like the idea of a Switch-style, portable gaming console running all the games in your Steam library, then you can convert the LaVie Mini into a similar device with a pair of additional wireless controllers. These external controllers attach to the sides of the device and are similar to the Xbox Gamepad in terms of button design and layout.

However, if you are a stay-at-home kind of gamer, then there is an additional dock for the LaVie Mini which comes with extra USB ports and an HDMI out port. So, users can attach the Mini to the dock and connect an external display to enjoy their games at 4K 60FPS.

Now, looking at the device on paper, it surely excites the tech enthusiast in me and I would definitely like to try out the device once. However, as it is a prototype device, chances are that it may never make it to the consumer market. Nonetheless, the LaVie Mini proves that the idea of a hybrid laptop-cum-gaming-console exists, and these might one day become all the rage in the market.