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Playdate: A new handheld console- with a crank?


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3 hours ago, Bill Loguidice said:

It has no backlight. And to be fair, that hasn't been acceptable in a portable device for a lot longer than 2021.

What's interesting is that for whatever reason this device is appealing to people who normally wouldn't be interested in such devices. The hook(s) they have are working. However, that's a double-edged sword I think. While that audience may be intrigued by it, I also don't think they can appreciate how some of the purposeful design decisions may affect the actual user experience. In other words, things like the lack of a backlight (as just one example) can have the potential for real frustration in actual usage, but it's not something the average person can appreciate because they haven't had exposure to such devices in a very long time, if ever.

I suspect this may be one of those devices that does well out of the gate, but once it's out in the real world and people actually use the thing (and the reviews hit), the various quirks will irritate and sales will slow to a crawl. We'll see, though.

Yes and to be fair, they are clearly a niche product and always cool to see something uniquely innovative.  As weird as that crank looks, it is at least something that has not been done before.

 

I don't even care that the screen is not color. Have an optional backlit version even if it costs more and I am in all the way.

 

Hopefully they will upgrade it and release a future version with a backlight but that would surely piss off people who bought the 1st model.

 

I just remember my frustrations with the first GBA that was not backlit. It was the worst fooling with the light bulb attachments and they never worked good.

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24 minutes ago, MrBeefy said:

B-b-but after they reviewed the VCS and Amico I was told they have zero integrity and are worthless and incorrect 24/7! How can this be so?

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1 minute ago, Cebus Capucinis said:

B-b-but after they reviewed the VCS and Amico I was told they have zero integrity and are worthless and incorrect 24/7! How can this be so?

Well at least one of those doesn't have hardware to send them for hands on play, without having people hover over you.

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34 minutes ago, MrBeefy said:

The battery life is brutal (on a relative basis) if the roughly 6 hours is accurate. This should be in the 10+ hours range without breaking a sweat, and frankly with the screen, processor, etc., that it has, it should be considerably more than even that. Such an odd duck.

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5 minutes ago, Bill Loguidice said:

The battery life is brutal (on a relative basis) if the roughly 6 hours is accurate. This should be in the 10+ hours range without breaking a sweat, and frankly with the screen, processor, etc., that it has, it should be considerably more than even that. Such an odd duck.

You saying that based on how big they've said their battery is or just on how long a handheld should last?

 

It is an odd duck.

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1 minute ago, MrBeefy said:

You saying that based on how big they've said their battery is or just on how long a handheld should last?

 

It is an odd duck.

Putting aside battery size/specs, I'm just saying that in general you would think that in 2021 a handheld with such modest specs and throwback screen would have as one of its features a battery life that exceeds something like a Nintendo Switch. Maybe one of the reasons there isn't a backlight is it would have cut that already overly modest battery life in half or something. Some things like that just aren't adding up for me. I know they're not and there are people legitimately excited about the thing for reasons of their own, but it's almost like we're being trolled with this system.

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17 minutes ago, Bill Loguidice said:

Putting aside battery size/specs, I'm just saying that in general you would think that in 2021 a handheld with such modest specs and throwback screen would have as one of its features a battery life that exceeds something like a Nintendo Switch. Maybe one of the reasons there isn't a backlight is it would have cut that already overly modest battery life in half or something. Some things like that just aren't adding up for me. I know they're not and there are people legitimately excited about the thing for reasons of their own, but it's almost like we're being trolled with this system.

Maybe the low battery life is because it's secretly mining crypto for its creators?   ?

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33 minutes ago, Bill Loguidice said:

Putting aside battery size/specs, I'm just saying that in general you would think that in 2021 a handheld with such modest specs and throwback screen would have as one of its features a battery life that exceeds something like a Nintendo Switch. Maybe one of the reasons there isn't a backlight is it would have cut that already overly modest battery life in half or something. Some things like that just aren't adding up for me. I know they're not and there are people legitimately excited about the thing for reasons of their own, but it's almost like we're being trolled with this system.

Yeah it seems fairly small so I wonder if it isn't a very big battery.

 

We might be getting trolled. I know they have me in their web and I'm interested in seeing more.

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4 minutes ago, roots.genoa said:

Actually shipping? An underrated feature these days...


They just put an email out that it will available for purchase Thursday July 29th at 10:00 AM PDT (no more than 2 to a person). They'll have about 20,000 shipping in late 2021, with the rest not hitting until 2022 and they'll "adjust production based on demand." Based on the shockingly positive buzz to date, I think that first 20,000 will be pretty coveted. 

(and yes, because I'm a maniac with a fascination with this kind of stuff, I'll likely try and get in on that first 20,000)

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2 minutes ago, Bill Loguidice said:


They just put an email out that it will available for purchase Thursday July 29th at 10:00 AM PDT (no more than 2 to a person). They'll have about 20,000 shipping in late 2021, with the rest not hitting until 2022 and they'll "adjust production based on demand." Based on the shockingly positive buzz to date, I think that first 20,000 will be pretty coveted. 

(and yes, because I'm a maniac with a fascination with this kind of stuff, I'll likely try and get in on that first 20,000)

I think they will sell through the first batch. Not sure how it would do after than.

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https://www.engadget.com/playdate-preview-170047433.html

 

This is from the article.

 

I should note that the Playdate does last a long time in between charges. I’ve left it unplugged for nearly two weeks now, and even though I’ve played a few hours every day, it still has over half of its battery life left.

 

I also noticed an “Upside Down” mode in the Settings menu, which turns the screen, well, upside down. When asked, Sasser said that this is an experimental mode for left-handed users who want to use the crank with their left hands. He did say, however, that this is feature is still subject to change.

Edited by Intellivision Master
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8 minutes ago, Intellivision Master said:

https://www.engadget.com/playdate-preview-170047433.html

 

This is from the article.

 

I should note that the Playdate does last a long time in between charges. I’ve left it unplugged for nearly two weeks now, and even though I’ve played a few hours every day, it still has over half of its battery life left.

 

I also noticed an “Upside Down” mode in the Settings menu, which turns the screen, well, upside down. When asked, Sasser said that this is an experimental mode for left-handed users who want to use the crank with their left hands. He did say, however, that this is feature is still subject to change.

Not sure it really needs the left flip but it is neat they are plying around with the idea.

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