4 ms·

This is for the PlayDate [1], which is a fantastic handheld gaming system. Aesthetics really hit a lot of Monument Valley notes and would pair well with the sy

This is for the PlayDate [1], which is a fantastic handheld gaming system. Aesthetics really hit a lot of Monument Valley notes and would pair well with the systems crank to rotate the world. After reading the devlog and rest of the site I'm not entirely sure what the gameplay is, but looking forward to seeing more. 1. https://play.date/ https://play.date/

msephton 3y ago
As far as I know it's a puzzle adventure game.
ilaksh 3y ago
What is fantastic about it? It looks cheap and has a low resolution black & white display. Sure, the screen is reflective, but so what? As far as I can tell, what this project has going for it is just slick marketing. But for me the marketing video is over-produced, form-over-substance, and I can't stand the voiceover or overall tone. It's saccharine. I see some Cortex-M7 SBCs on AliExpress for $5. Add the rest of it and it's probably like $20 worth of hardware/enclosure and $5 for assembly labor. They are selling it for $200. So it's like a 700% markup.
- jkubicek 3y ago
  > What is fantastic about it? * The screen is crisp and clear and especially playable in bright light * The crank is nifty and enables a lot of player interactions that you don't see anywhere else * The device itself is a design delight. It doesn't feel premium, so much as just the right amount of quality and playfullness. It's cute and fun. * Panic created an IDE that makes developing games for the Playdate super easy and fun. I've built a few (terrible) games and it was a blast * Panic is throwing a lot of weight behind game development for this. You get a ton of great games for free with the device, plus access to a storefront that's filled with so many other games of all genres * I think games are being priced sustainably. They aren't expensive, but they also aren't so cheap that the designers need to rely on ads or donations. I don't know if it'll last, but they're certainly heading in a good direction.
  - charcircuit 3y ago
    >The screen is crisp and clear Most reviews I see do not like the displays because they are not clear due to their not being a back light or even a front light. The screen holds the device back needlessly.
    - chaostheory 3y ago
      The display is fine assuming that you have a decent external light source. It is pretty crisp.
  - Q6T46nT668w6i3m 3y ago
    I like the PlayDate but the display is horrible.
- omoikane 3y ago
  The most notable feature is the crank, which enables some games that are quite unique, but it really takes some hands-on experience to appreciate how smooth it is. I also like the "new games every Monday for 12 weeks" experience, which is a great way to keep the console feeling fresh. I have been trying to make games for it while waiting for new games to arrive, and that has been a rewarding experience as well.
  - aerique 3y ago
    I wonder how well the crank works for left handed people.
    - toinebeg 3y ago
      There is an option to flip the screen upside down. I currently have a tendinitis on my right wrists so I use it a lot depending on the game and it work well.
- msephton 3y ago
  I believe the screen is relatively expensive, and the crank and many other parts are custom.
- chaostheory 3y ago
  Part of the cost is that it comes with about 24 game season where 2 of them are released each week. These are original games and not pirated games from either Nintendo or Sony consoles The build quality is also better than the random junk that you’ll find on eBay, ali express,or Amazon. Plenty of people have cracked cheap screens on their ambernic portables
- bowsamic 3y ago
  > But for me the marketing video is over-produced, form-over-substance, and I can't stand the voiceover or overall tone. It's saccharine. Wow I just watched it and it's hilariously outdated. I feel like it would be a satirical one in the TV show Silicon Valley or something. Very early 2010s
  - jkubicek 3y ago
    That video was created by Sandwich[0]; Adam was hugely influential in early 2010 startup advertisements[1], so your comment makes sense. Personally, I love his style. It's fun. 0: https://sandwich.co https://sandwich.co 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Lisagor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Lisagor
- tobr 3y ago
  It’s a delightful product with attention to detail you don’t tend to see other places. You don’t get that by buying the parts from AliExpress.
smusamashah 3y ago
If you are interested in retro game consoles, search for Miyoo Mini Plus or Anbernic. These consoles cost only £50 - £90 and allow lot more customizations and roms etc. Playdate on the other hand is an expensive device. I learned about these consoles very recently and waiting for Miyoo to arrive.
- msephton 3y ago
  Sadly these don't run Playdate games.
ddtaylor 3y ago
The PlayDate is actually pretty terrible. I got one as a gift so I didn't even have to pay the absurd price for it. The game selection is very poor and the crank gimmick is lame. In general there is no reason for me to mess with it and it sits in a drawer. That's pretty bad considering I have other handheld consoles I happily pull out and play regularly, some decades older but with a lot more interesting games!
- Doxin 3y ago
  The playdate is very well made actually. It's just also (intentionally) very niche, so it's no surprise it doesn't click for everyone.
  - ddtaylor 3y ago
    Have you played any of the games for it?
    - Doxin 3y ago
      Yes. In case it's not obvious from my previous comment, I own a playdate.
invalidusernam3 3y ago
I see it was designed in conjunction with Teenage Engineering which explains the look of it. They're famous in the music world for making quirky and interesting synths and music equipment: https://teenage.engineering/ https://teenage.engineering/ Which explains the fairly steep price, Teenage Engineering is also famous for being quite expensive.
- cptcobalt 3y ago
  It also effectively bakes in the cost of several games for the season one set.

msephton 3y ago

As far as I know it's a puzzle adventure game.

ilaksh 3y ago

What is fantastic about it? It looks cheap and has a low resolution black & white display. Sure, the screen is reflective, but so what? As far as I can tell, what this project has going for it is just slick marketing. But for me the marketing video is over-produced, form-over-substance, and I can't stand the voiceover or overall tone. It's saccharine. I see some Cortex-M7 SBCs on AliExpress for $5. Add the rest of it and it's probably like $20 worth of hardware/enclosure and $5 for assembly labor. They are selling it for $200. So it's like a 700% markup.

jkubicek 3y ago
> What is fantastic about it? * The screen is crisp and clear and especially playable in bright light * The crank is nifty and enables a lot of player interactions that you don't see anywhere else * The device itself is a design delight. It doesn't feel premium, so much as just the right amount of quality and playfullness. It's cute and fun. * Panic created an IDE that makes developing games for the Playdate super easy and fun. I've built a few (terrible) games and it was a blast * Panic is throwing a lot of weight behind game development for this. You get a ton of great games for free with the device, plus access to a storefront that's filled with so many other games of all genres * I think games are being priced sustainably. They aren't expensive, but they also aren't so cheap that the designers need to rely on ads or donations. I don't know if it'll last, but they're certainly heading in a good direction.
- charcircuit 3y ago
  >The screen is crisp and clear Most reviews I see do not like the displays because they are not clear due to their not being a back light or even a front light. The screen holds the device back needlessly.
  - chaostheory 3y ago
    The display is fine assuming that you have a decent external light source. It is pretty crisp.
- Q6T46nT668w6i3m 3y ago
  I like the PlayDate but the display is horrible.
omoikane 3y ago
The most notable feature is the crank, which enables some games that are quite unique, but it really takes some hands-on experience to appreciate how smooth it is. I also like the "new games every Monday for 12 weeks" experience, which is a great way to keep the console feeling fresh. I have been trying to make games for it while waiting for new games to arrive, and that has been a rewarding experience as well.
- aerique 3y ago
  I wonder how well the crank works for left handed people.
  - toinebeg 3y ago
    There is an option to flip the screen upside down. I currently have a tendinitis on my right wrists so I use it a lot depending on the game and it work well.
msephton 3y ago
I believe the screen is relatively expensive, and the crank and many other parts are custom.
chaostheory 3y ago
Part of the cost is that it comes with about 24 game season where 2 of them are released each week. These are original games and not pirated games from either Nintendo or Sony consoles The build quality is also better than the random junk that you’ll find on eBay, ali express,or Amazon. Plenty of people have cracked cheap screens on their ambernic portables
bowsamic 3y ago
> But for me the marketing video is over-produced, form-over-substance, and I can't stand the voiceover or overall tone. It's saccharine. Wow I just watched it and it's hilariously outdated. I feel like it would be a satirical one in the TV show Silicon Valley or something. Very early 2010s
- jkubicek 3y ago
  That video was created by Sandwich[0]; Adam was hugely influential in early 2010 startup advertisements[1], so your comment makes sense. Personally, I love his style. It's fun. 0: https://sandwich.co https://sandwich.co 1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Lisagor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Lisagor
tobr 3y ago
It’s a delightful product with attention to detail you don’t tend to see other places. You don’t get that by buying the parts from AliExpress.

smusamashah 3y ago

If you are interested in retro game consoles, search for Miyoo Mini Plus or Anbernic. These consoles cost only £50 - £90 and allow lot more customizations and roms etc. Playdate on the other hand is an expensive device. I learned about these consoles very recently and waiting for Miyoo to arrive.

msephton 3y ago
Sadly these don't run Playdate games.

ddtaylor 3y ago

The PlayDate is actually pretty terrible. I got one as a gift so I didn't even have to pay the absurd price for it. The game selection is very poor and the crank gimmick is lame. In general there is no reason for me to mess with it and it sits in a drawer. That's pretty bad considering I have other handheld consoles I happily pull out and play regularly, some decades older but with a lot more interesting games!

Doxin 3y ago
The playdate is very well made actually. It's just also (intentionally) very niche, so it's no surprise it doesn't click for everyone.
- ddtaylor 3y ago
  Have you played any of the games for it?
  - Doxin 3y ago
    Yes. In case it's not obvious from my previous comment, I own a playdate.

invalidusernam3 3y ago

I see it was designed in conjunction with Teenage Engineering which explains the look of it. They're famous in the music world for making quirky and interesting synths and music equipment: https://teenage.engineering/ https://teenage.engineering/ Which explains the fairly steep price, Teenage Engineering is also famous for being quite expensive.

cptcobalt 3y ago
It also effectively bakes in the cost of several games for the season one set.