Compal’s Rover Play Gaming Laptop is a 2-in-1 tablet with controllers on the back

Mobile gaming presents a challenge, especially if you want to play games that were designed for controller input: most smartphones and tablets don’t have built-in controllers, so games and emulators resort to putting virtual buttons on the screen. But those virtual buttons cover a portion of the screen, and so do your thumbs when you press them.

One solution is to make controllers that clip onto the sides of your mobile device. Compal’s Rover Play Gaming Laptop takes another approach. It’s a 2-in-1 tablet with a detachable keyboard and game controllers on the back of the tablet, where they don’t interfere with the screen.

The Taiwanese equipment designer and manufacturer recently won an iF Design Guide award for the concept, but it’s unclear if it will ever come to market: a PC company would have to contract with Compal to actually mass produce the design so it could be sold under a different name.

But here’s the basic idea: the Rover Play has a set of “FlexiRear Controllers” that sit flush with the back of the tablet when you’re not using them. But when you’re ready to start gaming, you can slide open the flexible controllers and get “an ergonomic gaming console” with a set of grips on the back that feature ultrasonic sensors and “touch areas” for input.

You can also use these extended controllers as a sort of stand to position the tablet on a table, lap, or other surface so that the screen tilts slightly forward. Or you can position it on a stand or use a keyboard cover for a more traditional laptop experience.

There’s no word on what kind of hardware’s inside the tablet, because it appears to be little more than a concept design at this point. But it stands out from current-gen gaming laptops due to its compact design, and from gaming handhelds thanks to its unusual approach to the where-do-you-put-the-controllers question.