As promised, Panic has announced the official launch of their console one week in advance. Playdate, the handheld console with a crank, will be available for pre-order starting July 29 at 10am PST/1pm EST/6pm BST.
Last month, Panic released a video containing a series of announcements regarding Playdate's games, developers, and accessories. In the update, the publisher revealed 21 games in the console’s Season One collection, introduced the console’s first major accessory, a Bluetooth stereo dock, and announced the development of its free, browser-based game development tool, which will allow users to design and play their own games. In addition, it also went into great detail about its partnership with different game developers, in particular highlighting its mentorship of two teams of up-and-coming developers from marginalized communities.
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As part of its pre-order announcement, Panic included details about what we can expect from the launch. Playdate will be sold for $179, which includes the price of the full Season One of games. Fortunately, pre-orders will not ‘sell out’ as they do with other major consoles. Instead, orders will be fulfilled in the order they are received, and units will be limited to two per person. Although pre-orders require full payment, they can be canceled at any time. As for shipping details, the first batch of 22,000 consoles is scheduled to ship in late 2021, with additional orders arriving in 2022. Following its initial batch, Panic plans to adjust production based on demand.
At the moment, Playdate will be available in a limited number of countries, including the US and Canada, Japan, Australia, and various parts of Europe. This is due to the fact that Panic’s crew is relatively small, and navigating tax laws can be complex and costly. However, the company is committed to expanding this list in the future and is encouraging those from currently excluded regions to fill out a survey expressing their interest.
Whether Playdate will revolutionize the handheld gaming console or simply become a dust collector remains to be seen. Certainly the arrival of Switch OLED and Steam Deck could provide some major competition. On the other hand, Playdate’s mix of nostalgia and innovation might just be enough for the console to stand its ground.
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