5 ms·

I like the comparison to the iPhone, because for all it's done, the iPhone has effectively likely annihilated a generation worth of fun gadgetry. Nearly literal

by jrm4 5y ago

I like the comparison to the iPhone, because for all it's done, the iPhone has effectively likely annihilated a generation worth of fun gadgetry. Nearly literally every available cell phone is an iPhone clone.

haswell 5y ago
> the iPhone has effectively likely annihilated a generation worth of fun gadgetry This just doesn’t ring true. It’s a golden age of fun gadgetry. It’s easier than ever before to combine off the shelf components (e.g. ESP8266) with a myriad of sensors and other devices. Can you expand on what you mean and what you’re referring yo? You seem to be implying that the Playdate will annihilate a generation of gaming gadgetry? I also don’t understand this when there’s a rich ecosystem of gadgetry all focused on various forms of gaming. Granted, most of those are focused on emulation, but the hardware is capable of more.
- xg15 5y ago
  Yes, it's easier than ever, but you'll also have fewer reasons than ever to actually do it, as most usecases for gadgets are already perfectly served by an off-the-shelf smartphone.
  - jrm4 5y ago
    "Perfectly?" Oh, HELL no. On a smaller level, quality suffers when you only have a brick and a touchscreen, too many activities are improved by better tactile controls. Also, quite a bit of those experiences are clunky due to intrusive software, notifications, etc. E.g. Personally I absolutely hate trying to listen to music on a cellphone, I don't want interruptions and I want to easily adjust song/volume without looking. Perhaps the biggest point: You can do NOTHING on a cellphone without being surveilled while doing it.
    - frosted-flakes 5y ago
      Regarding adjusting song/volume without looking, you can obviously adjust the volume with the volume buttons, but if you have an Android you can also change tracks with a long-press of the volume buttons, even when the screen is locked. I use a sideloaded app that uses an ADB-only permission that makes this possible (see link). I'm not sure why this isn't a native feature. https://github.com/Incineroar/skipTrackLongPressVolume https://github.com/Incineroar/skipTrackLongPressVolume
- tshaddox 5y ago
  It's easier than ever to experiment with off the shelf components if you're interested in that stuff for its own sake or you have very specific niche goals, but smartphones have annihilated the need for a generation worth of fun gadgetry. You don't need an MP3 player, a pager, a camcorder, a handheld video game console, a PDA, a voice recorder, a walkie talkie, a GPS device, a remote control, a calculator, etc. because your smartphone can do all of those things (and you're already carrying your smartphone anyway!). I think that's what people mean when people say "the iPhone annihilated a generation worth of fun gadgetry."
- jrm4 5y ago
  I didn't mean "the Playdate will do the same thing" but I stand by the thing you quoted; I was more interested in OPs excitement, as in: There's nothing exciting in gadgets anymore because of the iPhone, now there is.
johnnyanmac 5y ago
In all fairness, it's not like the handheld gadgetry from non-Nintendo in the 2000's/90's were some hidden gems. Sony had some quality systems (the Xperia Play not withstanding), but then there was "okay" stuff like the Neo Geo or the Sega Nomad that were neat but not very competitive. And then you get to the depressing tech like the Atari Lynx or the N-gage and understand exactly why a decent Smartphone can pretty much eclipse the market. The Steam Deck does give me hope of the next form of this market, however. The portable "gaming" PC. I've been invested in this market since the GPD Win and I hope Valve's iteration ushers a new age of handheld competition. Still won't compete with the Switch, but I'm fine being in a "niche" and catered to
- philistine 5y ago
  In terms of gaming, you've decided to highlight all the competitors to the champion: Nintendo. You want fun portable gaming, there's no other player. But I think OP was thinking more in terms of other things the iPhone destroyed, like camcorders, cameras, PDAs, GPS navigation systems, etc.

by jrm4 5y ago

haswell 5y ago

> the iPhone has effectively likely annihilated a generation worth of fun gadgetry This just doesn’t ring true. It’s a golden age of fun gadgetry. It’s easier than ever before to combine off the shelf components (e.g. ESP8266) with a myriad of sensors and other devices. Can you expand on what you mean and what you’re referring yo? You seem to be implying that the Playdate will annihilate a generation of gaming gadgetry? I also don’t understand this when there’s a rich ecosystem of gadgetry all focused on various forms of gaming. Granted, most of those are focused on emulation, but the hardware is capable of more.

xg15 5y ago
Yes, it's easier than ever, but you'll also have fewer reasons than ever to actually do it, as most usecases for gadgets are already perfectly served by an off-the-shelf smartphone.
- jrm4 5y ago
  "Perfectly?" Oh, HELL no. On a smaller level, quality suffers when you only have a brick and a touchscreen, too many activities are improved by better tactile controls. Also, quite a bit of those experiences are clunky due to intrusive software, notifications, etc. E.g. Personally I absolutely hate trying to listen to music on a cellphone, I don't want interruptions and I want to easily adjust song/volume without looking. Perhaps the biggest point: You can do NOTHING on a cellphone without being surveilled while doing it.
  - frosted-flakes 5y ago
    Regarding adjusting song/volume without looking, you can obviously adjust the volume with the volume buttons, but if you have an Android you can also change tracks with a long-press of the volume buttons, even when the screen is locked. I use a sideloaded app that uses an ADB-only permission that makes this possible (see link). I'm not sure why this isn't a native feature. https://github.com/Incineroar/skipTrackLongPressVolume https://github.com/Incineroar/skipTrackLongPressVolume
tshaddox 5y ago
It's easier than ever to experiment with off the shelf components if you're interested in that stuff for its own sake or you have very specific niche goals, but smartphones have annihilated the need for a generation worth of fun gadgetry. You don't need an MP3 player, a pager, a camcorder, a handheld video game console, a PDA, a voice recorder, a walkie talkie, a GPS device, a remote control, a calculator, etc. because your smartphone can do all of those things (and you're already carrying your smartphone anyway!). I think that's what people mean when people say "the iPhone annihilated a generation worth of fun gadgetry."
jrm4 5y ago
I didn't mean "the Playdate will do the same thing" but I stand by the thing you quoted; I was more interested in OPs excitement, as in: There's nothing exciting in gadgets anymore because of the iPhone, now there is.

johnnyanmac 5y ago

In all fairness, it's not like the handheld gadgetry from non-Nintendo in the 2000's/90's were some hidden gems. Sony had some quality systems (the Xperia Play not withstanding), but then there was "okay" stuff like the Neo Geo or the Sega Nomad that were neat but not very competitive. And then you get to the depressing tech like the Atari Lynx or the N-gage and understand exactly why a decent Smartphone can pretty much eclipse the market. The Steam Deck does give me hope of the next form of this market, however. The portable "gaming" PC. I've been invested in this market since the GPD Win and I hope Valve's iteration ushers a new age of handheld competition. Still won't compete with the Switch, but I'm fine being in a "niche" and catered to

philistine 5y ago
In terms of gaming, you've decided to highlight all the competitors to the champion: Nintendo. You want fun portable gaming, there's no other player. But I think OP was thinking more in terms of other things the iPhone destroyed, like camcorders, cameras, PDAs, GPS navigation systems, etc.