The pocket-sized handheld console dubbed “Playdate” will open for preorders in July.
The designer responsible for this little handheld console is Panic and this will be their first attempt at producing hardware. The company made the announcement on Tuesday along with the release date and a few other details.
In the announcement, Panic stated: “It’s a new, tiny handheld game system with a bunch of brand-new games. We made Playdate just for fun.”
The console was originally announced in 2019 and will be released later this year. The Playdate will set you back about R2,400 and you will get the console along with 24 games that will be released over a 12 week period.
The Playdate will include a unique crank control and a black and white display and will include a USB-C port and headphone jack as well as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support.
The “Playdate Stereo Dock,” which will be its debut accessory, was also announced. The stereo dock will be a Bluetooth-enabled speaker that will store and charge the Playdate when it isn’t being used. It may also be used to store your pens and comes with a complimentary pen.
The little device will also come with a cover for the Playdate and its screen. If you preorder the bundle that includes the cover it will set you back about R2,700 or if you decide to buy the cover separately it will cost you about R400.
Panic announced 21 of the 24 games that will be released two at a time for twelve weeks once the Playdate has launched and they are as follows:
- Whitewater Wipeout by Chuhai Labs
- Zipper by Bennett Foddy
- Saturday Edition by Chris Makris, Gord McGladdery, and Alfonso Salinas
- Crankin’s Time Travel Adventure by uvula
- Battleship Godios by TPM.CO Soft Works
- Boogie Loops by May-Lie Khoe and Andy Matuschak
- Casual Birder by Diego Garcia and Max Coburn
- Lost Your Marbles by Sweet Baby Inc. & Friends
- DemonQuest 85 by Alex Ashby, Lawrence Bishop, Duncan Fyfe, Belinda Leung, and Jared Emerson-Johnson
- Hyper Meteor by Vertex Pop
- Echoic Memory by Samantha Kalma, Everest Pipkin, Carol Mertz, and Rachelle Viola
- Executive Golf DX by davemakes
- Flipper Lifter by Serenity Forge
- Forrest Byrnes: Up in Smoke by Nels Anderson and Christina “castpixel” Neofotistou
- Spellcorked! by Jada Gibbs, Nick Splendorr, Ryan Splendorr, Tony Ghostbrite, and Em Halberstadt
- Lost Your Marbles by Sweet Baby Inc. & Friends
- Omaze by Gregory Kogos
- Pick Pack Pup by Nic Magnier, Arthur Hamer, and Logan Gabriel
- Questy Chess by Dadako
- Ratcheteer by Shaun Inman, Matthew Grimm, and Charlie Davis
- Sasquatchers by Chuck Jordan
- Snak by Zach Gage and Neven Mrgan
There will also be a new game called “Mars after Midnight” produced for the Playdate by Lucas Pope who created such titles as Gearhead Garage, Re-mission, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Helsing’s Fire, and Return of the Obra Dinn among numerous others.
Panic also has a development kit called Pulp which developers can use to make and sell side-loaded games for the Playdate.
Co-founder of Panic Cael Sasser said in a statement:” “The sooner you order, the sooner you’ll get one, but we’re not going to close the door on you. “Hopefully it’s a pleasant experience. Although surely something will go wrong, so thanks for your patience with whatever that thing is.”
There are certain to be a few startup issues, but it appears that this tiny console might be rather popular among retro gamers, and we’ll be keeping a watch on this story for additional updates.