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This company seems well aware they aren't a match for Nintendo. Based on the comments, Hacker News does not seem very aware. Much like how Teenage Engineering'

This company seems well aware they aren't a match for Nintendo. Based on the comments, Hacker News does not seem very aware. Much like how Teenage Engineering's OP-1 is not competitively priced. This is another example of an insightfully designed, well built product for adults. Older millenials looking for a sentimental package so they can feel like it's their 8th birthday again. They are reunboxing a gameboy color. Their goal isn't to revitalize the dying, Nintendo/Smartphone dominated scene of handheld gaming. Just a small company releasing a niche product in a low quantity for a low risk profit. No different than a craft brew or a local farmers market.

madrox 7y ago
This is the best take, and I'm excited to live in a world where hardware entertainment devices don't require mass market appeal and can be "artisanal." In many ways, I think this is the antidote to a lot of the bad behaviors Silicon Valley has developed in the last several years. Sometimes not achieving hyperscale is OK.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
cormacrelf 7y ago
Not competitively priced? Yes it costs a lot, but it's pretty easy to drop a grand on music equipment. You could buy a decent guitar, a vintage synth, half of a small Nord 4 piano, or a drum kit. It's dead on midrange for an instrument of that calibre, which it absolutely is. It seems expensive because its popularity and apparent ability to turn anyone into a musician make it appeal to the amateur market, who would normally buy a Squier strat or a practice drum off Craigslist. TE caters to these folks with less ambitious products. The OP-1 only really competes in the sense that these folks just save up for longer, because it really is worth that much. Whether or not it's accurate for the OP-1, I think your analysis applies perfectly to the Playdate.
dbish 7y ago
Agreed. I've been thinking about a market for small batch or boutique electronics in various markets for a while. There is boutique furniture, small batch alcohol, all sorts of small runs that would never compete with the big guys but still make money and are fun for people to buy. More people should get into it. The biggest barrier to entry may be that you have to self fund for these smaller attempts.
- MegaButts 7y ago
  There's also the fact that making consumer electronics is incredibly hard, and even when talented engineers attempt to fulfill their overfunded kickstarters they often fail. I'm not saying I don't love the idea of boutique electronics. I'm just saying it's not really for the faint of heart.
- jdietrich 7y ago
  There's a huge number of boutique products in music technology, particularly synth modules and guitar effects pedals. They're relatively simple analog products, so it's entirely feasible for one person to design and manufacture a small batch in their bedroom without a big investment. https://www.modulargrid.net/e/modules/browser https://www.modulargrid.net/e/modules/browser
- RugnirViking 7y ago
  I feel like with electronics, its so complicated to make it durable and long-lasting while also being very good in function that if it's worth making at all, its worth making well - in a way with mass-market appeal. That's not to say that spending loads on marketing is a requirement. Stuff like the original few OnePlus phones for example prove that if (at least in some sectors) tech is good and cheap, people will spread the word
bubblewrap 7y ago
Absolutely. I never had a Gameboy, so now I hope I can kind of make up for the missed experiences with this gadget.
- Veedrac 7y ago
  Just buy a Gameboy. Good games are timeless.
  - bubblewrap 7y ago
    Which one should I buy? I don't really know the Nintendo world.
    - mastrsushi 7y ago
      If you're not concerned with retro aesthetic, get a Game Boy Advance. It's compatible with the entire back catalog.
    - Veedrac 7y ago
      I'd recommend a Gameboy Advance SP, because the older, non-backlit, screens were genuinely poor under some non-ideal lighting situations, and you still get support for older generation games. But a standard Gameboy Advance or even Gameboy Color is still good. I'd avoid things prior to the Color personally.
    - imtringued 7y ago
      GBA SP: Play Summon Night Swordcraft Story, SRW Original Generation 1+2, Castlevania Aria of Sorrow, Yggdra Union (Warning: extremely difficult), Harvest Moon, Riviera (I played the PSP version) NDS: Ghost Trick, The World Ends With You, Ragnarock DS, Devil Survivor, 999, Rune Factory 3, Disgaea DS
  - i_am_nomad 7y ago
    I’d pay a lot to play one more game of “Nobunaga’s Ambition.”

madrox 7y ago

This is the best take, and I'm excited to live in a world where hardware entertainment devices don't require mass market appeal and can be "artisanal." In many ways, I think this is the antidote to a lot of the bad behaviors Silicon Valley has developed in the last several years. Sometimes not achieving hyperscale is OK.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

cormacrelf 7y ago

Not competitively priced? Yes it costs a lot, but it's pretty easy to drop a grand on music equipment. You could buy a decent guitar, a vintage synth, half of a small Nord 4 piano, or a drum kit. It's dead on midrange for an instrument of that calibre, which it absolutely is. It seems expensive because its popularity and apparent ability to turn anyone into a musician make it appeal to the amateur market, who would normally buy a Squier strat or a practice drum off Craigslist. TE caters to these folks with less ambitious products. The OP-1 only really competes in the sense that these folks just save up for longer, because it really is worth that much. Whether or not it's accurate for the OP-1, I think your analysis applies perfectly to the Playdate.

dbish 7y ago

Agreed. I've been thinking about a market for small batch or boutique electronics in various markets for a while. There is boutique furniture, small batch alcohol, all sorts of small runs that would never compete with the big guys but still make money and are fun for people to buy. More people should get into it. The biggest barrier to entry may be that you have to self fund for these smaller attempts.

MegaButts 7y ago
There's also the fact that making consumer electronics is incredibly hard, and even when talented engineers attempt to fulfill their overfunded kickstarters they often fail. I'm not saying I don't love the idea of boutique electronics. I'm just saying it's not really for the faint of heart.
jdietrich 7y ago
There's a huge number of boutique products in music technology, particularly synth modules and guitar effects pedals. They're relatively simple analog products, so it's entirely feasible for one person to design and manufacture a small batch in their bedroom without a big investment. https://www.modulargrid.net/e/modules/browser https://www.modulargrid.net/e/modules/browser
RugnirViking 7y ago
I feel like with electronics, its so complicated to make it durable and long-lasting while also being very good in function that if it's worth making at all, its worth making well - in a way with mass-market appeal. That's not to say that spending loads on marketing is a requirement. Stuff like the original few OnePlus phones for example prove that if (at least in some sectors) tech is good and cheap, people will spread the word

bubblewrap 7y ago

Absolutely. I never had a Gameboy, so now I hope I can kind of make up for the missed experiences with this gadget.

Veedrac 7y ago
Just buy a Gameboy. Good games are timeless.
- bubblewrap 7y ago
  Which one should I buy? I don't really know the Nintendo world.
  - mastrsushi 7y ago
    If you're not concerned with retro aesthetic, get a Game Boy Advance. It's compatible with the entire back catalog.
  - Veedrac 7y ago
    I'd recommend a Gameboy Advance SP, because the older, non-backlit, screens were genuinely poor under some non-ideal lighting situations, and you still get support for older generation games. But a standard Gameboy Advance or even Gameboy Color is still good. I'd avoid things prior to the Color personally.
  - imtringued 7y ago
    GBA SP: Play Summon Night Swordcraft Story, SRW Original Generation 1+2, Castlevania Aria of Sorrow, Yggdra Union (Warning: extremely difficult), Harvest Moon, Riviera (I played the PSP version) NDS: Ghost Trick, The World Ends With You, Ragnarock DS, Devil Survivor, 999, Rune Factory 3, Disgaea DS
- i_am_nomad 7y ago
  I’d pay a lot to play one more game of “Nobunaga’s Ambition.”