diff --git a/packages/flutter_tools/lib/src/preview_device.dart b/packages/flutter_tools/lib/src/preview_device.dart
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..42edf5e353
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/flutter_tools/lib/src/preview_device.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,190 @@
+// Copyright 2014 The Flutter Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style license that can be
+// found in the LICENSE file.
+
+// @dart = 2.8
+
+import 'dart:async';
+
+import 'package:meta/meta.dart';
+import 'package:process/process.dart';
+
+import 'application_package.dart';
+import 'base/file_system.dart';
+import 'base/io.dart';
+import 'base/logger.dart';
+import 'base/platform.dart';
+import 'build_info.dart';
+import 'bundle_builder.dart';
+import 'cache.dart';
+import 'desktop_device.dart';
+import 'devfs.dart';
+import 'device.dart';
+import 'device_port_forwarder.dart';
+import 'project.dart';
+import 'protocol_discovery.dart';
+
+typedef BundleBuilderFactory = BundleBuilder Function();
+
+BundleBuilder _defaultBundleBuilder() {
+  return BundleBuilder();
+}
+
+/// A device type that runs a prebuilt desktop binary alongside a locally compiled kernel file.
+///
+/// This could be used to support debug local development without plugins on machines that
+/// have not completed the SDK setup. These features are not fully implemented and the
+/// device is not currently discoverable.
+class PreviewDevice extends Device {
+  PreviewDevice({
+    @required Platform platform,
+    @required ProcessManager processManager,
+    @required Logger logger,
+    @required FileSystem fileSystem,
+    @visibleForTesting BundleBuilderFactory builderFactory = _defaultBundleBuilder,
+  }) : _platform = platform,
+       _processManager = processManager,
+       _logger = logger,
+       _fileSystem = fileSystem,
+       _bundleBuilderFactory = builderFactory,
+       super('preview', ephemeral: false, category: Category.desktop, platformType: PlatformType.custom);
+
+  final Platform _platform;
+  final ProcessManager _processManager;
+  final Logger _logger;
+  final FileSystem _fileSystem;
+  final BundleBuilderFactory _bundleBuilderFactory;
+
+  @override
+  void clearLogs() { }
+
+  @override
+  Future<void> dispose() async { }
+
+  @override
+  Future<String> get emulatorId async => null;
+
+  final DesktopLogReader _logReader = DesktopLogReader();
+
+  @override
+  FutureOr<DeviceLogReader> getLogReader({covariant ApplicationPackage app, bool includePastLogs = false}) => _logReader;
+
+  @override
+  Future<bool> installApp(covariant ApplicationPackage app, {String userIdentifier}) async => true;
+
+  @override
+  Future<bool> isAppInstalled(covariant ApplicationPackage app, {String userIdentifier}) async => false;
+
+  @override
+  Future<bool> isLatestBuildInstalled(covariant ApplicationPackage app) async => false;
+
+  @override
+  Future<bool> get isLocalEmulator async => false;
+
+  @override
+  bool isSupported() => true;
+
+  @override
+  bool isSupportedForProject(FlutterProject flutterProject) => true;
+
+  @override
+  String get name => 'preview';
+
+  @override
+  DevicePortForwarder get portForwarder => const NoOpDevicePortForwarder();
+
+  @override
+  Future<String> get sdkNameAndVersion async => 'preview';
+
+  Process _process;
+  Directory _assetDirectory;
+
+  @override
+  Future<LaunchResult> startApp(covariant ApplicationPackage package, {
+    String mainPath,
+    String route,
+    @required DebuggingOptions debuggingOptions,
+    Map<String, dynamic> platformArgs,
+    bool prebuiltApplication = false,
+    bool ipv6 = false,
+    String userIdentifier,
+  }) async {
+    _assetDirectory = _fileSystem.systemTempDirectory
+      .createTempSync('flutter_preview.');
+
+    // Build assets and perform initial compilation.
+    Status status;
+    try {
+      status = _logger.startProgress('Compiling application for preview...');
+      await _bundleBuilderFactory().build(
+        buildInfo: debuggingOptions.buildInfo,
+        mainPath: mainPath,
+        platform: TargetPlatform.tester,
+        assetDirPath: getAssetBuildDirectory(),
+      );
+      copyDirectory(_fileSystem.directory(
+        getAssetBuildDirectory()),
+        _assetDirectory.childDirectory('data').childDirectory('flutter_assets'),
+      );
+    } finally {
+      status.stop();
+    }
+
+    // Merge with precompiled executable.
+    final Directory precompiledDirectory = _fileSystem.directory(_fileSystem.path.join(Cache.flutterRoot, 'artifacts_temp', 'Debug'));
+    copyDirectory(precompiledDirectory, _assetDirectory);
+
+    final Process process = await _processManager.start(
+      <String>[
+        _assetDirectory.childFile('splash').path,
+      ],
+    );
+    _process = process;
+    _logReader.initializeProcess(process);
+
+    final ProtocolDiscovery observatoryDiscovery = ProtocolDiscovery.observatory(_logReader,
+      devicePort: debuggingOptions?.deviceVmServicePort,
+      hostPort: debuggingOptions?.hostVmServicePort,
+      ipv6: ipv6,
+      logger: _logger,
+    );
+    try {
+      final Uri observatoryUri = await observatoryDiscovery.uri;
+      if (observatoryUri != null) {
+        return LaunchResult.succeeded(observatoryUri: observatoryUri);
+      }
+      _logger.printError(
+        'Error waiting for a debug connection: '
+        'The log reader stopped unexpectedly.',
+      );
+    } on Exception catch (error) {
+      _logger.printError('Error waiting for a debug connection: $error');
+    } finally {
+      await observatoryDiscovery.cancel();
+    }
+    return LaunchResult.failed();
+  }
+
+  @override
+  Future<bool> stopApp(covariant ApplicationPackage app, {String userIdentifier}) async {
+    return _process?.kill();
+  }
+
+  @override
+  Future<TargetPlatform> get targetPlatform async {
+    if (_platform.isWindows) {
+      return TargetPlatform.windows_x64;
+    }
+    return TargetPlatform.tester;
+  }
+
+  @override
+  Future<bool> uninstallApp(covariant ApplicationPackage app, {String userIdentifier}) async {
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  @override
+  DevFSWriter createDevFSWriter(covariant ApplicationPackage app, String userIdentifier) {
+    return LocalDevFSWriter(fileSystem: _fileSystem);
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/flutter_tools/test/general.shard/preview_device_test.dart b/packages/flutter_tools/test/general.shard/preview_device_test.dart
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8824ed7dae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/flutter_tools/test/general.shard/preview_device_test.dart
@@ -0,0 +1,113 @@
+// Copyright 2014 The Flutter Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style license that can be
+// found in the LICENSE file.
+
+// @dart = 2.8
+
+import 'dart:async';
+
+import 'package:file/memory.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_tools/src/application_package.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_tools/src/base/file_system.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_tools/src/base/logger.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_tools/src/base/platform.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_tools/src/build_info.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_tools/src/build_system/build_system.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_tools/src/bundle.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_tools/src/bundle_builder.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_tools/src/cache.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_tools/src/device.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_tools/src/preview_device.dart';
+import 'package:flutter_tools/src/project.dart';
+import 'package:meta/meta.dart';
+import 'package:test/fake.dart';
+
+import '../src/common.dart';
+import '../src/context.dart';
+import '../src/fake_process_manager.dart';
+
+void main() {
+  testWithoutContext('PreviewDevice defaults', () async {
+    final PreviewDevice device = PreviewDevice(
+      fileSystem: MemoryFileSystem.test(),
+      processManager: FakeProcessManager.any(),
+      logger: BufferLogger.test(),
+      platform: FakePlatform(),
+    );
+
+    expect(await device.isLocalEmulator, false);
+    expect(device.name, 'preview');
+    expect(await device.sdkNameAndVersion, 'preview');
+    expect(await device.targetPlatform, TargetPlatform.tester);
+    expect(device.category, Category.desktop);
+    expect(device.ephemeral, false);
+    expect(device.id, 'preview');
+
+    expect(device.isSupported(), true);
+    expect(device.isSupportedForProject(FakeFlutterProject()), true);
+    expect(await device.isLatestBuildInstalled(FakeApplicationPackage()), false);
+    expect(await device.isAppInstalled(FakeApplicationPackage()), false);
+    expect(await device.uninstallApp(FakeApplicationPackage()), true);
+  });
+
+  testUsingContext('Can build a simulator app', () async {
+    Cache.flutterRoot = '';
+    final Completer<void> completer = Completer<void>();
+    final FileSystem fileSystem = MemoryFileSystem.test();
+    final BufferLogger logger = BufferLogger.test();
+    final PreviewDevice device = PreviewDevice(
+      fileSystem: fileSystem,
+      processManager: FakeProcessManager.list(<FakeCommand>[
+        FakeCommand(
+          command: const <String>[
+            '/.tmp_rand0/flutter_preview.rand0/splash'
+          ],
+          stdout: 'Observatory listening on http://127.0.0.1:64494/fZ_B2N6JRwY=/\n',
+          completer: completer,
+        )
+      ]),
+      logger: logger,
+      platform: FakePlatform(),
+      builderFactory: () => FakeBundleBuilder(fileSystem),
+    );
+    fileSystem
+      .directory('artifacts_temp')
+      .childDirectory('Debug')
+      .createSync(recursive: true);
+
+    final LaunchResult result = await device.startApp(
+      FakeApplicationPackage(),
+      debuggingOptions: DebuggingOptions.enabled(BuildInfo.debug),
+    );
+
+    expect(result.started, true);
+    expect(result.observatoryUri, Uri.parse('http://127.0.0.1:64494/fZ_B2N6JRwY=/'));
+  });
+}
+
+class FakeFlutterProject extends Fake implements FlutterProject {}
+class FakeApplicationPackage extends Fake implements ApplicationPackage {}
+class FakeBundleBuilder extends Fake implements BundleBuilder {
+  FakeBundleBuilder(this.fileSystem);
+
+  final FileSystem fileSystem;
+
+  @override
+  Future<void> build({
+    @required TargetPlatform platform,
+    @required BuildInfo buildInfo,
+    FlutterProject project,
+    String mainPath,
+    String manifestPath = defaultManifestPath,
+    String applicationKernelFilePath,
+    String depfilePath,
+    String assetDirPath,
+    @visibleForTesting BuildSystem buildSystem
+  }) async {
+    final Directory assetDirectory = fileSystem
+      .directory(assetDirPath)
+      .childDirectory('flutter_assets')
+      ..createSync(recursive: true);
+    assetDirectory.childFile('kernel_blob.bin').createSync();
+  }
+}