Though its novel twisty form is the Playcube’s most striking feature, it’s the integration of Gemini AI that’s the headliner here
TCL
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Though its novel twisty form is the Playcube’s most striking feature, it’s the integration of Gemini AI that’s the headliner here
TCL
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The custom Google TV interface integrates Gemini’s newly added features into a clean, four-part dashboard designed for quick voice-activated commands and summaries
TCL
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A 360-degree rotating hinge allows the projection block to tilt upward independently, casting a straight image even when placed on low outdoor tables
TCL
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Rated at 750 lumens, the compact cube uses TCL’s color engine to paint vibrant, wall-sized artwork directly from a central coffee table
TCL
The Playcube was already an unusual little projector: a palm-sized, Rubik’s Cube-like device with a 360-degree rotating design, built to throw a big image onto a wall, ceiling, or whatever flat surface you have nearby. Now, TCL is adding a new layer of interaction through Google’s Gemini AI.
This shifts the pitch beyond a simple portable projector. Instead of just moving the screen around the room, TCL wants the Playcube to serve as a conversational media companion – one that can search, explain, recap, recommend, and even generate visuals when you want them.
Underneath the AI update, the Playcube is still a portable projector first. It’s built around a 0.33-inch DMD chip for 1080p visuals, rated at 750 lumens, with TCL’s Immersive Color technology handling the image. A 66-Wh battery provides up to a claimed three hours of playback, while the compact body and 360-degree rotating design give you the freedom to cast media in any direction without being tethered to a traditional media stand.
This matters, because the Gemini addition only works if the projector itself is convenient enough to use around your home, in a bedroom, or when you’re traveling.
The most practical parts of the new AI suite sit under TCL’s Ask and Brief modes. Ask lets you speak more naturally to the Playcube, with Gemini interpreting what you’re looking for, balancing family preferences, and serving up the recommendations it deems most relevant. If it’s been a while since you last watched a particular series, Gemini can also answer questions like “What happened in the last episode I viewed?” with an instant recap.
Brief works more like a personalized content feed. It pulls together sports highlights, news summaries, favorite team updates, topics of interest, and YouTube Shorts on your home screen. This is the more grounded side of the update: using AI to reduce how much you need to search, menu-hop, and scroll endlessly.
TCL’s Learn and Create modes push the idea into more uncharted territory. Learn is meant to turn Gemini’s answers into wall-sized explanations, generating diagrams, visual breakdowns, immersive images, and narrated overviews for complex topics. In theory, you could make your ceiling or blank bedroom wall feel more useful than a regular TV screen for shared learning.
Create dives deeper into generative-AI territory. You can describe a scene, have Gemini produce custom visuals, then project them onto almost any surface. TCL also says the included Veo video generation tool can animate photos or artwork. This is where the Playcube starts to feel more distinct – though its real value will depend on how fast, polished, and genuinely helpful those generated visuals feel.
Gemini AI experiences are rolling out to the TCL Playcube starting now, and the company says it will continue working with Google to bring similar features across its wider display lineup.
Integrating Gemini directly into a portable projector feels like it makes more sense than embedding it into a fixed living room television. Portable beamers are fundamentally experimental, ad-hoc devices; this makes them uniquely suited for interactive, casual software experiences. The bigger question is whether people will actually keep using these features – or whether they become something many will try once, then mostly forget.
