I ordered my Playdate last week, and it arrived today. I am having a blast with it so far. Highly recommend it. The build quality is really solid, and the software is snappy and fast. Seriously, get yourself one of these.
Link for reference. https://play.date/
Looks like a cool bit of fun. I’d buy one if it weren’t triple the price I’d pay.
To be fair the price includes 10 or so original indie titles which if you go by the store front’s average game pricetag ($5.36) that accounts for $53.6 worth. (And that’s really not fair to some of the games I’ve played)
Correction: The first season of games that come with the device total out at 24 so going off of that original 5.36 average you’d actually have about $129 give or take worth of game value, leaving the actual Playdate device at a $71 purchase for the device itself.
That is a fair point.
That’s… Odd to say the least. 8 hours active battery life doesn’t sound great and it seems kinda gimmicky in general. Can someone sell me on it? When would I want to play this?
It is quite a gimmick, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing tbh. Its neat if you’re a hobbyist dev in particular to expand the way you think about input vs in game design so that when faced with things such as analog triggers, gyro controls or touch surfaces you got a better intuitive thought process.
I will however say that to me, the main use ends there. A neat gimmick in particular for gamedevs.
It’s not a full dedicated gaming console that you’re spending hours and hours playing. It’s a toy that’s great for quick sessions and it’s really fun to develop games for. It’s very well made and the software is great.
It’s not a fair comparison to existing handhelds. It’s niche, and definitely not for everyone. Personally, I love it and think it’s just a unique toy that’s fun to show people. If you’d need to get X hours of gameplay to make it “worth” it to you, it probably isn’t your style.
8 hours active battery life doesn’t sound good?
Sounds like a lot, to me.
In between waiting for new games from season one, don’t forget to check out all the cool free games and ports you can sideload from itch.io! I love the port of the original Celeste.
I have that one already, and it’s great. But yeah, the Playdate category on itch.io has 900 entries. It’s a bit overwhelming, to be honest.
I can’t bring myself to spend 200$ on it, no matter how many praises I read. It doesn’t matter that they’re including 20 games, they’re all pretty short and switch lite costs 200$. I believe I’d buy one around 100$, if I ever see a 2nd hand for that price
It’s an enthusiast device. As a gamedev myself, it’s super fun to make little games for, and then you can easily show your friends/family. The limitations and unique input (the crank) lead to some awesome and interesting games.
I don’t really view it as a serious gaming device. It’s great for 5-20 minute sessions but it is basically a toy. I think if you’re interested in experimental indie games, it’s a great little device that’s absolutely worth it. It shouldn’t be directly compared to a “normal” game console because, frankly, it isn’t.
It’s an awesome little device! You’ve got plenty of games to work through, but if you feel like trying a side loaded one, give my game Pogo Arc a try: https://thesambassador.itch.io/pogo-arc
Thanks! I’m sideloading it now. I’ll let you know what I think of it.
The season is really fun, enjoy!
Panic Software used to sell a cool tshirt with their logo. It was one of my favorite shirts but shrunk before I knew how to do laundry correctly.
