Upcoming specialty handheld game console Playdate recently went up for pre-order, with the entire initial production order selling out almost instantly.
The Playdate is a retro-inspired, indie handheld game console with very modest specs and a few modern upgrades. The device has clearly grabbed the attention of many gamers, selling out its primary order of 20,000 units in a single day when pre-orders first went up on July 29th. More units are planned to ship in 2022, with production numbers being adjusted for increasing demand.
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Retailing for $179 USD, the Playdate’s charming, colorful design is different than most handheld game consoles available today, such as the Nintendo Switch or upcoming Steam Deck. It looks most similar to the original Nintendo Game Boy released in 1989. In terms of specs, it has a 180 MHz Cortex M7 processor, 16MB RAM, and 4 GB of storage. The 400 x 240 black and white 1-bit display is not backlit but instead reflects ambient light to light up the display. Uniquely, there is also a crank attached to the device that can be used as a means of analog control as well. Some more modern features included are Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and an accelerometer. The Playdate really is tiny in size, measuring only 76 x 74 x 9 mm. It should easily fit in a pocket.
The Playdate is made in collaboration between Panic and Teenage Engineering. Panic has published video games such as Firewatch and Untitled Goose Game. Teenage Engineering, a Swedish consumer electronics company founded by former audio engineers at DICE, completed the hardware design for the Playdate. Their previous products were generally audio equipment such as synthesizers, modulators, and speakers.
Rather than play older games via emulators like many retro-styled handhelds, the Playdate instead is releasing original games made specifically for the hardware. Players can expect to receive two brand new games every week for 12 weeks after getting the device. Aspiring developers will also be able to create their own games for the Playdate, as there is a free Software Development Kit incoming that will run in a web browser.
While many handhelds struggle to be successful outside of Nintendo’s offerings, Panic is very obviously trying to take its own unique approach to both hardware and software with the Playdate to stand out from the crowd. The device's easily pocketable size and cute, eyecatching design is both fun and nostalgic. On a hardware front, the Playdate looks like it should be a success.
However, gaming platforms live and die by their available games and the quality of the Playdate’s library remains to be seen. With the Playdate having no emulator support like the Steam Deck, that means native titles, currently developed or not, are going to be the ones driving sales. Still, Playdate has clearly captured the imagination of players as shown by the handheld's strong initial sales. Whether or not Panic can maintain this initial momentum remains to be seen.
The Playdate is expected to ship initial orders at the end of 2021.
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Source: Playdate
