4 ms·

Just a friendly post about if you're after what the kids are calling an SBC device, you can get much better performing handhelds for a fraction of the price tha

Just a friendly post about if you're after what the kids are calling an SBC device, you can get much better performing handhelds for a fraction of the price that support NES, SNES, PS1, etc. The Playdate is a niche.

msephton 3y ago
They are cool consumption devices, and I have one myself. But the important thing, at least for me, is they don't run Playdate games. And they don't have any easy way for developers like myself to make a living making games for them. I wish they did because there are a heck of a lot of them out there! You're right that the Playdate is a niche, but it's a nice one that I can make a living working on.
- max_ 3y ago
  How much money can one make from selling a playdate game?
  - msephton 3y ago
    Of course, it depends. Here's one take: https://www.reddit.com/r/PlaydateConsole/comments/17p8pdp/comment/k86easw/ https://www.reddit.com/r/PlaydateConsole/comments/17p8pdp/co...
    - jader201 3y ago
      Curious if you’re expecting to make a living solely off making Playdate games? It doesn’t seem like $30k is much, and unless you’re cranking out at least one or two of these every year (at minimum) — and that’s assuming the Playdate maintains its current momentum — it seems like you might need something else to augment the income you get from Playdate games. Of course, it could depend on your expectations and what you need to earn a living. Again, just curious, as I once considered/attempted to earn a living off of a side-gif, but there was no way it would’ve been enough, nor would it have sustained even if it reached enough in a single year.
      - msephton 3y ago
        Just to be clear the figures at the link are not mine. It's not my post. Anyway, I've been making Playdate stuff, on and off, for a few years at this point. And since April this year I've averaged one game every month or two. It's not my side-gig but my only gig, total focus. YOYOZO took me 3 weeks, and was waiting in the release queue for a longer period than it took me to develop it. You can read it's development timeline: https://discord.com/channels/675983554655551509/1149349471323426959 https://discord.com/channels/675983554655551509/114934947132... My next game releases on 5th December. Here's a blog post about how I created that in a week: https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2023/06/26/ball-und-panzer-golf-making-a-playdate-game-in-a-week/ https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2023/06/26/ball-und-panzer-g...

msephton 3y ago

They are cool consumption devices, and I have one myself. But the important thing, at least for me, is they don't run Playdate games. And they don't have any easy way for developers like myself to make a living making games for them. I wish they did because there are a heck of a lot of them out there! You're right that the Playdate is a niche, but it's a nice one that I can make a living working on.

max_ 3y ago
How much money can one make from selling a playdate game?
- msephton 3y ago
  Of course, it depends. Here's one take: https://www.reddit.com/r/PlaydateConsole/comments/17p8pdp/comment/k86easw/ https://www.reddit.com/r/PlaydateConsole/comments/17p8pdp/co...
  - jader201 3y ago
    Curious if you’re expecting to make a living solely off making Playdate games? It doesn’t seem like $30k is much, and unless you’re cranking out at least one or two of these every year (at minimum) — and that’s assuming the Playdate maintains its current momentum — it seems like you might need something else to augment the income you get from Playdate games. Of course, it could depend on your expectations and what you need to earn a living. Again, just curious, as I once considered/attempted to earn a living off of a side-gif, but there was no way it would’ve been enough, nor would it have sustained even if it reached enough in a single year.
    - msephton 3y ago
      Just to be clear the figures at the link are not mine. It's not my post. Anyway, I've been making Playdate stuff, on and off, for a few years at this point. And since April this year I've averaged one game every month or two. It's not my side-gig but my only gig, total focus. YOYOZO took me 3 weeks, and was waiting in the release queue for a longer period than it took me to develop it. You can read it's development timeline: https://discord.com/channels/675983554655551509/1149349471323426959 https://discord.com/channels/675983554655551509/114934947132... My next game releases on 5th December. Here's a blog post about how I created that in a week: https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2023/06/26/ball-und-panzer-golf-making-a-playdate-game-in-a-week/ https://blog.gingerbeardman.com/2023/06/26/ball-und-panzer-g...