TCL twisted out a few sparse details for a Rubik's Cube-like portable projector back in January, followed by more tantalizing drip feeds. Now the PlayCube has officially launched, with full specs, pricing and a promo video.
Boxy smart projectors are pretty common in today's marketplace, but the PlayCube puts a new twist on the familiar form factor. One of its boxes is home to the projection part of the puzzle and the other its sound system.
Both sections are hinged together, which means that projection angles can be adjusted over 90 degrees without need to employ a gimbal stand – giving it a toy-like vibe that's sure to be a talking point at setup time.
The DLP projector features a 0.33-inch DMD chip that enables 1080p visuals at up to 150 diagonal inches over a throw ratio of 1.21:1. Its Osram tri-color LED light source puts out 750 ISO lumens, which means that after-dark viewing parties will likely be on the cards – though the accompanying promo imagery does show it being used during the day.
The PlayCube's projection engine covers 124% of the Rec.709 color gamut, dynamic contrast comes in at a million:1, and the unit comes packing TCL's ImmersiColor technology, which tweaks the contrast, brightness and color reproduction for "comfortable, immersive viewing."
The system benefits from auto keystone correction and autofocus, along with resizing to avoid obstacles and snap to screen, for positioning ease. Google TV over Wi-Fi 5.0 provides the gateway to streaming entertainment, including Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video. Plus there's support for screen mirroring and voice search is on hand too. A single HDMI port sits to the rear for cabling in media devices.
TCL says that the onboard 5-W sound system is powered by Dolby Digital Plus for "immersive surround sound with enhanced clarity, spatial depth, and richer audio detail." Users can also fine-tune the listen to preference courtesy of four EQ presets.
The PlayCube's novel form factor has won its creators iF Design and Red Dot awards. And it's truly portable thanks to a built-in 66-Wh battery that's reckoned good for up to 3 hours of per-charge use, with fast-charging resulting in an hour of playtime from 30 minutes plugged in.
The fun-loving entertainment hub doesn't yet have a US product page, but is up for pre-order on Amazon for US$799 (though there is a promo coupon available at time of writing that knocks a few dollars off that ticket price). Shipping is due to start later this month.
Product page (global): TCL PlayCube
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