This Playdate console doesn’t appear to be a joke


  • TECH
  • Sunday, 26 May 2019

Retro Game Boy styling meets wind-up toy in early 2020's Playdate console, which comes with a three-month Season Pass of videogames made by famous designers. 

With a miniature crank poking out of its side and a pocket-sized presence that makes it look like a slim, monochrome wide-screened, bright yellow Game Boy, the Playdate is a curious new console from an atypical manufacturer. 

Panic, Inc has its roots in Mac and iOS software design, but more recently got into videogame publishing via story-led nature reserve adventure Firewatch and the upcoming mischief maker Untitled Goose Game

It's come up with this limited stock, US$149 (RM624) odd-looking handheld because its staff "love videogames ... the places they take us and the feelings they give us". 

"It sounds silly, but they really mean a lot to us." 

As the play.date website explains, this tiny console is not just its unusual form, but also its line-up of game designers and seasonal subscription model. 

A three-month season pass is included with the Playdate, and Season One is to deliver one new game every week of that 12-week stretch. 

One game has been revealed in advance: Crankin's Time Travel Adventure by Keita Takahashi, a title that uses the crank to control the flow of time as stickman Crankin' tries to get to his date with Crankette. 

Though the Playdate's crank forms a focal point of the little machine's design, it still accommodates a directional pad, two face buttons, and a pause button, as well as WiFi and Bluetooth. 

Game designer Takahashi is known for his vibrant, playful style, creating the Katamari Damacy franchise, Noby Noby Boy, and 2019's upcoming Wattam

Three other designers have been named: Zach Gage, Bennett Foddy, and Shaun Inman. Together their past work may give some insight into what's coming down the seasonal Playdate pipe. 

Zach Gage is perhaps best known for his variations on traditional pastimes by way of mobile games Pocket-Run Pool, Flipflop Solitaire, Really Bad Chess and SpellTower

Bennett Foddy has a reputation for games that are both extremely challenging and embrace a slapstick humour, such as dexterity dashes QWOP, CLOP, GRIP and Poleriders, and ridiculous mountain ascent Getting Over It

Shaun Inman is known for retro-styled videogames The Last Rocket (iOS) and seven-game collection Retro Game Crunch (Mac, PC). – AFP Relaxnews

Article type: metered
User Type: anonymous web
User Status:
Campaign ID: 1
Cxense type: free
User access status: 0
Subscribe now to our Premium Plan for an ad-free and unlimited reading experience!
   

Next In Tech News

Woman hires AI to make photos of her – but something isn’t quite right, TikTok shows
‘I was bored.’ Teen tried store robbery after PS4 video game breaks, US cops say
This smart sock can sound the alarm before a fall
Going nowhere: These escooters won’t run with two riders
WhatsApp most used social media tool by M’sians last year, says Fahmi
This connected bandage could help wounds heal more quickly
TikTok, Snapchat growing in popularity among UK children, regulator data shows
UK broadcasters to stay prominent on smart TVs and speakers
Britain opts for 'adaptable' AI rules, with no single regulator
Memory chipmaker Micron expects revenue drop, expects AI to boost sales in 2025

Others Also Read