NEC’s LaVie Mini concept device combines a laptop with a Nintendo Switch
Have you ever envisioned a hybrid device combining a PC and a gaming console? If yes, then you’re not the only one. This dream gadget may soon be a reality. Enter LaVie Mini, a delightful concept of a mashup of the Nintendo Switch and a laptop.
LaVie is a joint venture by consumer tech giant Lenovo and NEC. As such, LaVie typically has more artistic freedom when it comes to developing the designs of its devices. That’s why for CES 2021, the biggest annual convention for tech companies and tech enthusiasts alike, LaVie showcased its very steampunk-esque concept device.
The LaVie Mini concept is an 8-inch device, with a 1920 x 1200 display. At first glance, it looks like the type of device you would find lying around the room of the main character in a sci-fi movie. Its design stands out with a striking white and gold color scheme, and it has circular backlit keys, giving extra emphasis on its dual function as a laptop and a gaming console.
Although LaVie Mini is currently just a concept, the minds behind it say that the gadget will have pretty great specs. It will have an 11th-gen Intel Core i7 CPU coupled with Iris Xe graphics, 256GB of SSD storage, 16GB worth of RAM, and long battery life. While the device does not have much space to accommodate a touchpad, the LaVie Mini concept is designed to have a tiny nub and some mouse buttons to help users navigate.
On top of all that, LaVie Mini’s keyboard is foldable. In its place, users can attach a controller, letting the device seamlessly transition from a laptop to a gaming device. The controller has all of the standard buttons that you will find on a typical, run-of-the-mill controller. It even comes with its very own dock, which functions as both a charging station and a video output. The device could very well give a new meaning to the saying “work hard, play hard” because theoretically, you will be able to get all your work done and play your favorite game in one handy gadget.
Now, before we all get carried away with all of the things we can potentially do with such a device, it would do us well to remember that the LaVie Mini is currently just a concept. There are no plans as of yet to start production of the device, and no major consumer tech company has been able to discover how to perfectly execute the mashup.
That said, this isn’t the first time that such a device was conceptualized. Alienware had revealed its UFO concept just a year ago, but there has been no further news about it. We have yet to see other consumer tech companies rise to the challenge to develop their own versions, but with all the progress we’ve been making with technology, that scenario doesn’t seem unlikely. For now, we just have to be content with dreaming about a time when the LaVie Mini is finally a reality.
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