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> 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

> 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.

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.