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Playdate: A new handheld console- with a crank?


Tupin

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https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/5/22/18628360/playdate-panic-teenage-engineering-qwop-katamari

 

So, this got announced today. It is a $150, black-and-white system with 12 games coming in a "season" with weekly releases. The craziest part? That crank doesn't provide power- it's a control input! Already has games announced from a few indie devs and the guy behind Katamari Damacy. What do you think?

 

Playdate_model_shot.0.jpg

 

0.gif

 

An example of how the crank works, with the game by the Katamari creator.

 

https://play.date/

Edited by Tupin
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I just found this, glad you're posting about it. Looks terrific, if a little pricey at $150. I might get one anyway.

I'm pretty excited about it, not just for the cool design but also the games and the homebrew potential. Reminds me of the Arduboy, though it does cost three times as much...

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Anything, Teenage Engineering has my attention!

The B/W screen and krank is interesting but not sure it's enough to be a thing.

 

I wonder what spec this thing has??

"Beefy" is the response in the FAQ, which I doubt but it doesn't really matter.

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This month's EDGE magazine has a cover story about the team and lots of pictures of the hardware. I want to quote the whole thing, but will hold back from doing so. It sounds simply delightful and I'll be a day one buyer.

 

The Malaysian factory that manufactures the devices recommended thorough environmental tests. “So we went up on the roof on a hot summer day, took a Tupperware bin, loaded it up with Playdates running a high- performance graphics test, and just let them bake in the sun,” Sasser laughs. “The most low- tech testing facility you can imagine. We went up at the end of the day, and all of them were operating perfectly after running at 30fps in 100-degree weather”

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This month's EDGE magazine has a cover story about the team and lots of pictures of the hardware. I want to quote the whole thing, but will hold back from doing so. It sounds simply delightful and I'll be a day one buyer.

 

Since when is 30fps "high performance?"

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Anything, Teenage Engineering has my attention!

The B/W screen and krank is interesting but not sure it's enough to be a thing.

 

I wonder what spec this thing has??

I thought it was being made by TE or at least a collab with them... I see they are getting into video games as well as the synthesizers... needs an antenna as well... lol. Edited by DragonGrafx-16
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This looks pretty useless to me. It's a low res black and white screen, which is bad enough, but using a crank as a controller is a bad idea. I guess their idea of fun is playing a game for 5 minutes until your hand falls off. Note to devs: the more moving parts you put on a console, especially a portable one, the more failure points it has.

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I'm trying to figure out the market for this, but can't quite get there. At $150 it's way too much for a novelty, but with the hardware limitations it also isn't a serious gaming contender.

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I'm trying to figure out the market for this, but can't quite get there. At $150 it's way too much for a novelty, but with the hardware limitations it also isn't a serious gaming contender.

 

I would think it appeals to wide range gaming collectors with plenty of disposable income. $150 is a decent amount but far from a fortune to spend on something that may or may not be considered a collectable in 10 years time.

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It makes it more toy-like, an adult version of a child's BusyBox, or a physical puzzle/toy like Rubik's Cube or Magic Snake. Same for the bright yellow case, and the relatively low resolution, non-backlit screen.

 

I find it very odd that I need to spell this out on a board full of people who love the physicality of cartridges, printed manuals, and cardboard boxes.

 

I'm more stoked for this than any next-gen videogame console. :lol:

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Flojo, really, do you think that device is marketed for adults? It's named Playdate for Pete's sake, along with everything else you described. I'm not disparaging the device, but am I missing something here?

 

'We' aren't really a target audience for any hardware anymore.

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It's $150 and it will come with a subscription for casual games by known indie darlings. Children don't deserve something this nice, but they're welcome to respectfully try mine out. Play Dates are very important in adult lives, even if they look like they are just for the kids. The story in EDGE is worth a read; this is a passion project for fun, not some corporate thing designed for maximum spread. Not everyone will get it. Look at the wacky shit that teenage engineering has done thus far.

 

It's not for you, and there's no "we" here. It's for ME!

 

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