Playdate: The New Portable Handheld Coming In 2020
Misael Duran
A new handheld console is entering the console race; meet the Playdate.
Panic Inc. are the publishers of Firewatch and will publish the future most important game ever, the Untitled Goose Game. They partnered with Teenage Engineering to design a new handheld console.
This new handheld is called the Playdate. It is bright yellow, with a 400×240 black-and-white screen. There’s a d-pad with buttons that go up, down, left, and right. There are the typical A and B buttons next to the d-pad. The most interesting thing about the Playdate though is the fact that it has a crank on its side. The crank is a gameplay function for several games that will be available for the Playdate.
Introducing Playdate, a new handheld gaming system from Panic.
It fits in your pocket. It’s got a black and white screen. It includes a season of brand-new games from amazing creators. Oh and… there’s a crank???? https://t.co/WiIPUkpjSq
Yes. A thread… pic.twitter.com/47BwSOtiiP
— Playdate (@playdate) May 22, 2019
On the Play.date website, Panic showed off a demonstration in how the crank will work. On the site, there’s a video of one of their games that will require the crank. You play a robot that needs to meet their girlfriend at a specific time. You use the crank to move the robot forward and backwards in time.
You can also sign the email/waiting list to be informed when you can be one of the first to pre-order the Playdate.
The handheld is expected to be released in early 2020 and will sell for 149.99 USD. The game will come atomically with what Panic Inc. calls the first season of games. The first season is twelve games that you can play on the Playdate.
It is certainly surprising to see a new handheld coming to market, especially since its being made by a relatively small company. Panic Inc. has made good games, but they aren’t Nintendo or Sony. Nintendo has essentially been the kings of the handheld consoles since the Gameboy. Can the Playdate match that same success, especially since it will be competing against the Nintendo Switch, a handheld with the power of a home console?
It is too early to tell, though it is hard to imagine seeing any handheld beat Nintendo. Sony tried with the PSP and Vita, yet never could find the same level of success. With that said, the Playdate looks appealing. The crank gameplay is also an interesting gimmick that could be fun and may help differentiate the Playdate with past handhelds. We shall see in the end.
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