Playdate

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About

Playdate is a handheld gaming console announced by Panic, the studio behind indie games Firewatch and the upcoming Untitled Goose Game. Unlike traditional gaming consoles, the Panic will be purchased with a "season pass" of games, where each week a new title created by an indie game developer will be downloaded to the hardware. Also, it featured a "crank" controller which a player spins, depending on the game, instead of a traditional joystick.

History

On May 22nd, Panic Studios announced the Playdate in a thread on Twitter.^[1] In the thread, they stated they wanted to branch into hardware and were able to do so with the help of the company Teenage Engineering. They also explained the game delivery system, wherein every week a new game would be available to play on the device. Explaining the "crank" controller, they stated some games will heavily feature the crank, and others not at all.

play Playdate date @playdate Follow Oh yeah, the crank! No, it doesn't power the device. It's a flip-out rotational controller that puts a fresh spin on fun. Some games use it exclusively, some use it with the d-pad, and some not at all. GIF

The as-yet unannounced games include titles from QWOP and Getting Over It director Bennett Foddy, Shaun Inman, and Zach Gage. The only announced game, Crankin’s Time Travel Adventure, will be the first game on the system and is designed by Katamari Damacy creator Keita Takahashi.

There is also a website^[2] containing much of the same information about Playdate, which the company says will ship in early 2020.

Online Presence

The announcement was covered by several news outlets, including Verge,^[3] Engadget,^[4] and Boing Boing.^[5] The announcement was met with enthusiasm from Twitter users who were excited about the console's premise. User and art director @Rob_Sheridan stated "I'm in" with regards to the console (shown below, left). Glitch CEO Anil Dash stated the enthusiasm came from support "of a broader, 20-year story of a community who still believe in the creative power of tech with a soul" (shown below, right).

Rob Sheridan Follow @robsheridan A weird little indie pocket game system with little surprise games by indie devs/artists that get delivered weekly to vour console. I'm in Playdate @playdate Introducing Playdate, a new handheld gaming system play from Panic. It fits in your pocket. It's got a black and white... Show this thread 10:54 PM- 22 May 2019

Anil Dash Follow @anildash Yes, @panic's upcoming @playdate promises to be a cool little gaming device. But that's not why so many are excited. It's because Playdate is part of a broader, 20-year story of a community who still believe in the creative power of tech with a soul

Search Interest

External References

^[1] Twitter – @playdate

^[2] Play.date

^[3] The Verge – Playdate is an adorable handheld with games from the creators of Qwop, Katamari, and more

^[4] Endgadget – The black-and-white portable console of the future

^[5] Boing Boing – Playdate, a tiny game console with a big pedigree

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Playdate Uploaded by C_Mill24	Playdate Uploaded by C_Mill24	Playdate Uploaded by Adam	Playdate Uploaded by Adam
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Top Comments

Merth

May 23, 2019 at 05:53PM EDT in reply to digital_m3m3

Ok so full disclosure: I think this is going to sell small amounts of units, mostly out of curiosity but nothing special, and then flop a few months down the line. That being said, it feels completely different than the Ouya did. The Ouya was a genuine attempt to break into the console industry, despite how sloppy of an attempt it may have been, where as this feels more like a weird art project that someone decided to sell to the public. I highly doubt that the playdate is intended to bust into the handheld gaming market and pose any kind of threat.

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