Do you see any other handheld gaming platform out there with a goddamn crank?
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
'Playdate' Handheld Game System Now Available for Pre-Order
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Do you see any other handheld gaming platform out there with a goddamn crank?
Price point feels a little high. I'm a huge handheld console fan, and still play on my Vita a few times a week. I've preordered the Steam Deck (256) for Dec 2021 shipping, but I think this one gets a pass from me for now.
I already have tons of retro emulation available on my hacked Vita, so I'll wait and see how this one develops.
I already have tons of retro emulation available on my hacked Vita, so I'll wait and see how this one develops.
I'm honestly a bit sick of playing games from 30 years ago at this point, and the last thing the world needs is yet another gadget solely dedicated for that purpose.
Ask yourself why that's your kneejerk reaction.
Whether games are fun or not is not determined by their graphics, as much as Microsoft, Sony, Nvidia, Alienware, and even Apple would like you to believe otherwise.
I personally am not interested at this time. I'd like to hear from reviewers about how fun the games are, how much lasting value they have (will the game be fun for 30 hours or will it get stale before then), and how well does the hardware hold up (does it seem likely the hardware will hold up to being used for an hour a day for 5 years?)
At a lower price, say $20, maybe I'd gamble on something so unknown. At $180, we're over halfway to being able to just buy a Switch, which is a much more known quantity.
I agree. They waste a lot of time unnecessarily. There are a lot of new games with old game feel that fix this, thankfully.
I believe only two games are pre-installed at launch, the rest are released 2 at a time on a weekly basis.
The hater parade on this is just fascinating. What a bunch of joykills.
Yes a bunch of creators we admire teamed up to make something cool and amazing. It's a little expensive because it turns out that making custom hardware is expensive. "It's not gonna compete with the Switch" no **** sherlock, they're only making twenty thousand this year.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO LIKE IT, IT'S NOT FOR YOU.
I got my order in, absolutely stoked. 💛💜💛
Can't wait to throw this in a drawer with my Google Glasses, Pebble Watch, HP Touchpad, and Microsoft Kin.
Send me $179 and I will send you a Pet Rock.
Same "fun" lifespan as the PlayDate.
Same "fun" lifespan as the PlayDate.
Ordered one for myself, and a game dev friend of mine ordered two. I'm honestly kind of laughing at everyone derisively panning the device just because it doesn't fit their personal market demographic for a games console or development platform.
You're not the target demo, and if today's pre-orders are any indicator, Panic will be more than fine. It's an opportunity for them to expand their company into new, lucrative markets that are presently underserved.
Cheers on them for a successful pre-order launch. A lot of eRetailers could take notes on how they corralled folks into an orderly queue, staggered checkout to prevent overloading the servers, capped orders at reasonable volumes, and are accepting backorders for subsequent shipments rather than simply cutting off entirely when the first shipment sold through (thus hurting the scalper market). I hear the only problem was their international shipping partner's plug-in falling over and causing some overseas orders to not be processed, but I trust Panic will try to find an amicable solution for those affected.
You're not the target demo, and if today's pre-orders are any indicator, Panic will be more than fine. It's an opportunity for them to expand their company into new, lucrative markets that are presently underserved.
Cheers on them for a successful pre-order launch. A lot of eRetailers could take notes on how they corralled folks into an orderly queue, staggered checkout to prevent overloading the servers, capped orders at reasonable volumes, and are accepting backorders for subsequent shipments rather than simply cutting off entirely when the first shipment sold through (thus hurting the scalper market). I hear the only problem was their international shipping partner's plug-in falling over and causing some overseas orders to not be processed, but I trust Panic will try to find an amicable solution for those affected.
I was interested in this device, but I've gone off it now and think I'll settle to upgrade to the Switch OLED and probably the Steam Deck which I have registered for. This device was kinda cool but a better device about to be crowd funded is the Ayn Odin, similar price to the PlayDate and case only it's an emulation powerhouse with a SnapDragon 855 in it:
Of course it entirely depends on what you want but for me it's a more interesting device then the PlayDate not least as you can see the screen in the dark! Almost tempted by it instead of upgrading my Switch actually.
It's great to see all these handhelds now, Nintendo certainly rejuvenated the market. I hope the PlayDate does well, it certainly seems like it will.
Man, anyone that is comparing the Playdate to the Steam Deck, the Nintendo Switch, or [Insert Retro/Android/Emulation Device Here] is really missing the point of this thing, and it's likely that it's just not for you.
Last edited:
This is a very tough sell when a Switch Lite doesn’t cost much more *and* has access to a catalog of thousands of games.
Good luck, Panic.
Good luck, Panic.
Something small, thin and with proper ports.
What a concept eh Cupertino?
What a concept eh Cupertino?
because Panic Software is a legendary Macintosh software firm. They've been around since 1996. They turned down the opportunity to get acquired by Apple and make iTunes. They're incredibly cool people with a long pedigree of making cool ****.
It is another thing. Also they wanted do create this game device for fun, the idea you receive the games via wireless as surprises is quite cool. I don‘t think this can fit any existing category, other than that the mission here is FUN no high end graphics or anything else. It is quite cool imho.
yes — whether or not it should exist at this price
They made Untitled Goose Game, so that's a buy from me. Anyone who thinks this will flop, they sold their first 20,000 in about 5 minutes, and they're already being scalped on ebay for 5 times the price.
Good thing that's not what this is...
I know that, but that's what ArPe, who I was responding to, wants it to be.
Oh nice, knew about the Playdate but didn’t research too much. Makes sense now
...but those quickly sold out... ehem really?