Back in May, software developer Panic, Inc. sort of broke the internet when they unveiled a quirky new handheld gaming system called the Playdate. Since Panic is a software company they actually teamed up with Swedish consumer electronics company Teenage Engineering to produce this bit of hardware, and boy to they have some different ideas. The one that’s front and center is that the Playdate features a tiny crank which can be used for gameplay in addition to its d-pad and two face buttons. The way games will be released for the system, at least at first, is also rather unique. There will be 12 games in the first “season" of releases that come included with the price of the handheld itself, and they’ll be slowly released each week over the course of about 3 months. While several of these games have been announced already, many more of them are a complete surprise and will remain that way until they release. I never thought I could be excited about a game release strategy, but here we are.
Panic has also courted an absolute superstar list of some of the most revered game developers in the industry to create quirky little experiences for Playdate. People like Zach Gage, Bennett Foddy, and Shaun Inman all have titles in the works, as does Keita Takahashi, the creator of Katamari Damacy. It’s Takahashi’s game Crankin’s Time Travel Adventure that was on display here at PAX West 2019, and it was an awful lot of fun. You use the crank to control time for the main character Crankin, but it doesn’t control time for the rest of the world, so you use this to your advantage to try and avoid obstacles and hazards. It’s tricky to explain but makes sense when you see the game in action in our hands-on time with the Playdate below. Pre-orders for the Playdate should be going live sometime before the end of the year, with a release planned for early next year, and in the meantime you can get notified about any news regarding the system by signing up for their mailing list on their official website.
I’m intrigued by the little Playdate unit! I’m wondering, though, if it has to be connected to the wire all the time or no? If it does, I don’t really like that. But if you can charge it, or if it has batteries and you can keep it in your pocket and play on the go, I’m in! That’s a deal-breaker for me. Also, when you get games for it, how do you install them and keep them in your little library? I didn’t see a slot to stick ‘em in. Lotta stuff I need to find out about this cute little sucker!
From what I’ve gathered: no, it’s not wired, that’s just to keep the unit charged at the show (plus the security tether). The battery should last a decent amount of time since the LCD is grayscale only, and not backlit. The games arrive over WIFI, and though one early idea was to store just one game per season (so everyone was playing the same game), that was an idea they backed off, so there will be multiple games allowed. I have no idea about file management though, or whether there will be a companion app for mobile/computer.
I don't see the need for a machine like this when there are already many platforms to release games on. The crank looks very gimmicky, and the price is way out of my budget. I'm obvious not the customer for something like this.
Lower this thing to maybe $30 and that could be an impulse buy for a stocking stuffer this Christmas.
I hear that! It does seem gimmicky, and the thing will simply be an afterthought if it doesn’t come with at least a few games with the promise of a slew of games soon after, and down the line! And they gotta be good! The game mechanics are different though, and almost on a serious note, it will give young kids more exercise than they’ve ever had before, since the only exercise they get these days is with their thumbs!!! 😂 I’ll never forget the Neo Geo Pocket Color! It was arguably the best little piece of hardware in its day in terms of a handheld, and I LOVED it! Thing is, they never got it together for whatever reason, and never made hardly any games for it and it died soon after. I was very disappointed, as at the time I thought it was awesome and had much potential! I still think fondly of that one and what could have been. If it’s not marketed right, I’m afraid this will only be an impulse-buy as a stocking stuffer like you said, if that...😞
Well, it comes with 12 games included, so if you look at the games being $10 each then the device itself would be $30. Quality wise though it feels like something that costs much more than that. I initially thought the price was on the high side but given the included games and the potential if the developer community takes off similar to Pico 8 or something I think it's probably about right.
Very good point, it does come with a lot of games which adds value to the machine.
It would be rad if they released a new version every year that featured a new gimmick. Year 1 is the crank, Year 2 could be a plunger or something, etc. If I had the money I could see myself collecting them every year.