Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have practically dominated the video game console market for decades now, yet there is set to be a new competitor entering the fray...
Introducing the Playdate!
Panic is the software company behind the Playdate - its latest product of the company which is most-known for publishing the 2019 indie-hit game Untitled Goose Game. The console market marks Panic’s first venture into the gaming hardware business.
While the console seems to be reminiscent of Nintendo’s Game Boy, primarily for its square shape, A and B buttons, a D-pad, as well as a 400 x 240 pixel black and white screen that lacks backlighting, it can still be considered as something different from Nintendo’s successful console in plenty of ways.
While the console seems to be reminiscent of Nintendo’s Game Boy, primarily for its square shape, A and B buttons, a D-pad, as well as a 400 x 240 pixel black and white screen that lacks backlighting, it can still be considered as something different from Nintendo’s successful console in plenty of ways.
First of all, it features a crank, which doesn’t charge the console, but actually acts as an additional control input - Like seriously, who would have cranked that idea out? This allows for an added layer of interactivity.
Additionally, the console boasts Wi-Fi connectivity with Bluetooth coming later, along with a method of obtaining games to play. As soon as you boot up the Playdate, the console will download two new games each week for 12 weeks through Wi-Fi, with players not knowing what they’ll get until they actually receive the games - almost like a treasure hunt!
The games that are delivered to the console might not be the biggest indie games out there, but all of the games are made specifically for the console, from a wide array of genres.
The Playdate store is now open. https://t.co/CqQxx6o42l pic.twitter.com/rQjxW8byYD
— Playdate (@playdate) July 29, 2021
The fact that you won’t get bored with two new games for 12 consecutive weeks, together with the console’s sleek and small design, would almost make you want one right now. We can already imagine the Playdate being the perfect companion for all those times when you’re stuck waiting for the next bus home, or waiting your turn at the dentist!
Those interested in the guts of the device would appreciate to know that the Playdate has a 180 MHz ARM Cortex M7 processor with 16 MB of RAM, a 32 KB L1 Cache and also 4 GB of flash storage. You can skip this part if we had lost you at ‘Cortex M7’. The full list of specifications can be found on the Playdate website.
The console is still set to launch some time during 2022.
However preorders for the console are currently available for $179 (~€157), with a maximum of 2 orders per person being allowed. Additionally, one could also buy a magnetic closing cover made of synthetic leather for $29 (~€26), which is also limited to 2 orders per person.
Here are some of the various game titles that will be made available to play on the Playdate:
- Battleship Godios
- Boogie Loops
- Casual Birder
- Crankin's Time Travel Adventure
- Demon Quest '85
- Echoic Memory
- Executive Golf DX
- Flipper Lifter
- Forrest Byrnes: Up In Smoke
- HYPER METEOR
- Lost Your Marbles
- Omaze
- Pick Pack Pip
- Questy Chess
- The Racheteer
- Sasquatchers
- Saturday Edition
- Snak
- Spellcorked
- Whitewater Wipeout
- Zipper
As a console, it looks set to rival the Nintendo Switch, but it could also offer a way for Panic to make its way in the video game console industry, and possibly go beyond handheld consoles.
Panic does slide a mention of a ‘Playdate Stereo Dock’ on one of their help pages, which is set to be coming soon, and will be able to stream Bluetooth audio from the console itself. The future looks bright!
What do you think of the Playdate? Are you interested in ordering one?
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