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Question for Playdate owners: How good is it as an actual game console instead of something to tinker with? I've been tempted to buy it, but I can see myself

by kaoD 3y ago

Question for Playdate owners: How good is it as an actual game console instead of something to tinker with? I've been tempted to buy it, but I can see myself just tinkering with its SDK, not playing that much. At this point I'm actually considering buying the Sharp transflective LCD that it uses[0] and just tinkering with it and an RP2040 instead. Is it worth to actually play outside? Say during commutes, long trips, etc. The form factor looks awful even for my not-that-big hands, and the crank looks a bit gimmicky, but the whole idea of it is sooo nice. [0] https://www.adafruit.com/product/4694 https://www.adafruit.com/product/4694

adamrezich 3y ago
at least in my experience, there's kind of a dearth of games that you would actually want to play over and over or for extended periods of time, as opposed to playing for a few minutes here and there as a novelty. this has nothing to do with the actual hardware itself and its capabilities, just where the software library is at presently. nevertheless it is very fun to develop for.
ecliptik 3y ago
If you want to try it without hardware, the SDK comes with a simulator [1] that runs on Mac/Linux/Windows. You can use a game controller with instead of the onscreen buttons, but afaik the crank is on-screen only. There are a good number of games that don't use the crank or use it in a limited function. Games purchased from Itch.io run without issue since they're DRM-free. It is almost an ideal game system to tinker with for game development. Panic (the company that makes it) is very supportive of the SDK and ecosystem, and they even made a web tool called Pulp [2] to make creating games for it as low-friction as possible. The community around it is outstanding and you can tell there's a lot of excitement that builds a culture of making fun and interesting games and apps. Textbook case of limitations breeds innovation. I recommend the Playdate Podcast to get an idea of the types of games it has and developers insight [2]. Hardware wise it feels like a dream, it is a bit small, but for 30min play sessions it doesn't feel cramped. The screen looks amazing, but like others have commented, it needs the right light, otherwise it's difficult to view at the correct angle. I actually think having a backlight might actually make it worse with how the screen tech works. 1. https://play.date/dev/ https://play.date/dev/ 2. https://podcast.play.date/ https://podcast.play.date/ 3. https://play.date/pulp/43718/edit/ https://play.date/pulp/43718/edit/
msephton 3y ago
It's great as a game console. The crank is a gimmick to a degree, but it's genuinely useful and fun for many games. Some games don't use it at all so it's easy to play as you wish. Personally I'd prefer a bigger version that I can see better as my years advance and my vision gets worse. But, regardless, it's home to some great games. The best thing about it from a developer point of view is the SDK. If you went the DIY route you'd have to start very low down the stack. I guess it's up to you: do you want to make a game or the scaffolding? Obligatory plug: my Playdate game YOYOZO made it onto Ars Technica list of Best Games of 2023. And other games like Direct Drive have won awards and nominations. I feel this means the platform can definitely be taken seriously.

by kaoD 3y ago

adamrezich 3y ago

at least in my experience, there's kind of a dearth of games that you would actually want to play over and over or for extended periods of time, as opposed to playing for a few minutes here and there as a novelty. this has nothing to do with the actual hardware itself and its capabilities, just where the software library is at presently. nevertheless it is very fun to develop for.

ecliptik 3y ago

If you want to try it without hardware, the SDK comes with a simulator [1] that runs on Mac/Linux/Windows. You can use a game controller with instead of the onscreen buttons, but afaik the crank is on-screen only. There are a good number of games that don't use the crank or use it in a limited function. Games purchased from Itch.io run without issue since they're DRM-free. It is almost an ideal game system to tinker with for game development. Panic (the company that makes it) is very supportive of the SDK and ecosystem, and they even made a web tool called Pulp [2] to make creating games for it as low-friction as possible. The community around it is outstanding and you can tell there's a lot of excitement that builds a culture of making fun and interesting games and apps. Textbook case of limitations breeds innovation. I recommend the Playdate Podcast to get an idea of the types of games it has and developers insight [2]. Hardware wise it feels like a dream, it is a bit small, but for 30min play sessions it doesn't feel cramped. The screen looks amazing, but like others have commented, it needs the right light, otherwise it's difficult to view at the correct angle. I actually think having a backlight might actually make it worse with how the screen tech works. 1. https://play.date/dev/ https://play.date/dev/ 2. https://podcast.play.date/ https://podcast.play.date/ 3. https://play.date/pulp/43718/edit/ https://play.date/pulp/43718/edit/

msephton 3y ago

It's great as a game console. The crank is a gimmick to a degree, but it's genuinely useful and fun for many games. Some games don't use it at all so it's easy to play as you wish. Personally I'd prefer a bigger version that I can see better as my years advance and my vision gets worse. But, regardless, it's home to some great games. The best thing about it from a developer point of view is the SDK. If you went the DIY route you'd have to start very low down the stack. I guess it's up to you: do you want to make a game or the scaffolding? Obligatory plug: my Playdate game YOYOZO made it onto Ars Technica list of Best Games of 2023. And other games like Direct Drive have won awards and nominations. I feel this means the platform can definitely be taken seriously.