For the last few months I have been… playing with my new handheld system called the Playdate. The Playdate was made by the company Panic in partnership with Teenage Engineering (who also designed the upcoming Rabbit R1) that retails for $199. This handheld boasts a sleek and distinctive design, featuring a vibrant yellow color scheme and a unique crank mechanism that adds an unique interaction element to gameplay (for games that support it). The Playdate’s crank mechanism adds an intriguing twist to gameplay, offering a tactile and engaging way to interact with the games. The games themselves range from puzzle and adventure titles to action and strategy, showcasing the creativity and diversity of the development community.
The device is lightweight and comfortable to hold, with a sturdy construction that feels durable and well-made. The screen is clear but not backlit, which does mean you aren’t playing this in bed unless you have the lights on*. It does feature Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (in an upcoming update), and a built-in speaker when you don’t want to use the headphone jack which is a welcome addition in this wireless headphone age. The Playdate also has a stereo speaker dock coming out in 2024 which it attaches magnetically to using those cool metal circles on the corners.
One of the standout features of the Playdate is its curated game store. Rather than an overwhelming library of titles, the Playdate offers a limited selection of high-quality, bite-sized games that are released in “seasons” that are included in the price (at least season 1 was) Each season includes a carefully chosen collection of games, providing a sense of discovery and exclusivity. There are also a couple other ways to get games – they have a store that you can purchase games from with prices ranging from $2 to $15. There is also the ability to digitally “sideload” games from platforms such as itch.io, which also have games for purchase there. The games themselves range from puzzle and adventure titles to action and strategy, showcasing the creativity and diversity of the development community. You have the ability to mirror said games to a larger screen if you want and there is a web based editor if you want to create your own.
Is it worth it? I’ve been a fan so far. This isn’t a handheld like a Steam Deck – you won’t be playing this for hours (at least with my size hands). It’s great to pop into a pocket and bring you where you might have a few minutes to kill and you don’t want to get your phone out. The crank does add a fun element in games that support it as it is very precise. You can even use it as a MP3 player (with a program from their game store). It only has 4GB onboard memory so it won’t be a lot of songs. It seems like we are trending back to dedicated devices for specific games rather than a general device for everything (ala smartphone) and I am here for it.
*I’ve found that you need to tilt the device at an angle to see clearly which is a pain.
