4 ms·

This isn't meant to compete or be "the best". I think your comment is entirely missing the point of what this is. This is more of a play on nostalgia and class

This isn't meant to compete or be "the best". I think your comment is entirely missing the point of what this is. This is more of a play on nostalgia and classic bulky simple handhelds. It would be in the same category as the NES Classic Edition or the Sega Genesis Mini. It's fun and almost a collectible honestly.

lostmymind66 7y ago
"It would be in the same category as the NES Classic Edition or the Sega Genesis Mini. It's fun and almost a collectible honestly" The NES class edition and Sega Genesis only work because of people that remember playing these games as a kid (like me). I have the NES classic edition and my teenage nephews were bored pretty quickly after they played it. Nostalgia isn't usually there for something new that looks like the games I used to play when I was younger.
- ehsankia 7y ago
  I don't fully agree, there are many games that manage to imitate the "old school" look and feel pretty well, I don't see why this couldn't pull that off too. But I could be wrong, we'll see how well it sells once it comes out. By referring to it as a collectible, I also meant that this will most likely not going to be a huge success, but more of a niche product. I see it as an indie hardware; the Cuphead of Gaming Systems if you will.
  - lostmymind66 7y ago
    If the game play is there and it's fun, it could be successful.
    - pushpop 7y ago
      It won’t be. The games industry is littered with hardware that flopped. Most indie games fail to turn a profit and even the likes of Sega and Nintendo have released hardware that has failed to sell. Apple couldn’t even make a successful console and they had tried. Yet this thing is weirder and significantly less appealing to the mainstream so they’re reliant entirely only a super niche crowd to turn a profit. While I’m sure they will sell some devices and they will likely become a collectors item in the future; I can’t see them selling enough to make this worthwhile nor keep people playing on it long enough to be considered anything more than an expensive yet short-lived novelty item. Hopefully I’m wrong, but as a collector of games consoles - including many of those that failed - I’m not filled with any confidence about the Playdate.
      - mcphage 7y ago
        > It won’t be. The games industry is littered with hardware that flopped. What do you think Panic means by successful? From the PlayDate's site: > Stock will be very limited. Sign up early. It doesn't sound like they're trying to take over the gaming industry here.
        pushpop 7y ago
        I wasn’t expecting that to be their mission with a device like this. What I mean by “successful” is two things: 1. Have any longevity beyond a novelty. By that I don’t mean hundreds of hours clocked up; I just mean people will use it for more than a couple of hours before putting it in a draw to never be seen again. 2. Make a profit. Obviously including all the time spent in design et al as well. Personally I can see this both being unsuccessful in terms engagement as well as financially unsuccessful.
  - Qwertystop 7y ago
    Cuphead was well after indie games had been well-established. Go back a decade and change -- if it does well, this could be hardware's Cave Story or Braid or Spelunky.

lostmymind66 7y ago

"It would be in the same category as the NES Classic Edition or the Sega Genesis Mini. It's fun and almost a collectible honestly" The NES class edition and Sega Genesis only work because of people that remember playing these games as a kid (like me). I have the NES classic edition and my teenage nephews were bored pretty quickly after they played it. Nostalgia isn't usually there for something new that looks like the games I used to play when I was younger.

ehsankia 7y ago
I don't fully agree, there are many games that manage to imitate the "old school" look and feel pretty well, I don't see why this couldn't pull that off too. But I could be wrong, we'll see how well it sells once it comes out. By referring to it as a collectible, I also meant that this will most likely not going to be a huge success, but more of a niche product. I see it as an indie hardware; the Cuphead of Gaming Systems if you will.
- lostmymind66 7y ago
  If the game play is there and it's fun, it could be successful.
  - pushpop 7y ago
    It won’t be. The games industry is littered with hardware that flopped. Most indie games fail to turn a profit and even the likes of Sega and Nintendo have released hardware that has failed to sell. Apple couldn’t even make a successful console and they had tried. Yet this thing is weirder and significantly less appealing to the mainstream so they’re reliant entirely only a super niche crowd to turn a profit. While I’m sure they will sell some devices and they will likely become a collectors item in the future; I can’t see them selling enough to make this worthwhile nor keep people playing on it long enough to be considered anything more than an expensive yet short-lived novelty item. Hopefully I’m wrong, but as a collector of games consoles - including many of those that failed - I’m not filled with any confidence about the Playdate.
    - mcphage 7y ago
      > It won’t be. The games industry is littered with hardware that flopped. What do you think Panic means by successful? From the PlayDate's site: > Stock will be very limited. Sign up early. It doesn't sound like they're trying to take over the gaming industry here.
      - pushpop 7y ago
        I wasn’t expecting that to be their mission with a device like this. What I mean by “successful” is two things: 1. Have any longevity beyond a novelty. By that I don’t mean hundreds of hours clocked up; I just mean people will use it for more than a couple of hours before putting it in a draw to never be seen again. 2. Make a profit. Obviously including all the time spent in design et al as well. Personally I can see this both being unsuccessful in terms engagement as well as financially unsuccessful.
- Qwertystop 7y ago
  Cuphead was well after indie games had been well-established. Go back a decade and change -- if it does well, this could be hardware's Cave Story or Braid or Spelunky.