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'Playdate' Handheld Game System Now Available for Pre-Order

neoelectronaut said:
I know that, but that's that ArPe, who I was responding to, wants it to be.
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Sorry, should have kept better track of who was saying what. I've got a PiBoy DMG and love it, but the world is flooded with retro handhelds.

People don't seem to get that this has some great devs involved making software that can't be played elsewhere, and there's a free sdk!

To be honest though, I've not been on these forums for a long time, and I knew it would be full of killjoys.

Everyone that is buying a playdate, already has a Switch, guys...
 
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AngerDanger said:
This is one of those weird situations where a product is due to be released, and the knockoff manufacturers actually beat it to the market.

This video is from 9 months ago and is not a Playdate:

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I mean that's not terribly surprising. It was first announced/revealed in May 2019 and was originally intended to release last year before the world got turned upside down by COVID-19. That's a lot of time for folks to make knockoffs.
 
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JustinGN said:
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.
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Irony at its finest, lov it!
 
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AngerDanger said:
This is one of those weird situations where a product is due to be released, and the knockoff manufacturers actually beat it to the market.

This video is from 9 months ago and is not a Playdate:

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Interesting. I don't think unboxing the expensive original will excite me more.
The device will be 0.9 of the original, because it was preproduced in the same hall. A replica setup in a different production would be nonsensical. That's how China works.
And that's why Apple has to invest so much attention in its production facilities.
 
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This was totally unexpected. I love Panic apps and the company!

But rather than knee-jerk dissing it as so many here are (which is not unexpected), I'll dig a little deeper. Have a feeling it's going to be interesting.
 
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The problem here... is price, it's the same price as a Switch Lite.

Panic's manufacturing cost is $99, but that should have been the retail cost. Law of economics of scale, their factory couldn't get the price lower because their quantities are too small.

(Also read in the reviews that everyone's favorite game was the one without the crank... doesn't bode well for developers embracing it...)
 
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I've been very excited for the PlayDate ever since it was announced, and I hope to even try my hand at developing a game for it, whether it is using C, Lua, or Pulp. Some have commented about playing retro games (which I love, that's why I use DOSBox and ScummVM), but these are new games being developed for this system, which has that fun retro feel to it. I've even started researching 1-bit dithering algorithms because of this device.

This device will not be for everyone, and that is fine. Panic has been open about the price of this device, and the pandemic and parts shortages probably haven't helped. The PlayDate looks like a fun, simple device and I hope that it succeeds, both for Panic and for the game developers.
 
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edenwaith said:
I've been very excited for the PlayDate ever since it was announced, and I hope to even try my hand at developing a game for it, whether it is using C, Lua, or Pulp. Some have commented about playing retro games (which I love, that's why I use DOSBox and ScummVM), but these are new games being developed for this system, which has that fun retro feel to it. I've even started researching 1-bit dithering algorithms because of this device.

This device will not be for everyone, and that is fine. Panic has been open about the price of this device, and the pandemic and parts shortages probably haven't helped. The PlayDate looks like a fun, simple device and I hope that it succeeds, both for Panic and for the game developers.
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You already tried your hand?
 
ArPe said:
There is a big DIY retro scene who are making new consoles that play retro games

But this sucks

This is just electronic waste because it is too limited

If you make a retro device give it 4 to 6 buttons and longevity by making it emulate many systems. Then it won’t be electronic waste in 2 months.
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So you think it should be a completely different product than what it is? Rather odd suggestion.
 
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citysnaps said:
This was totally unexpected. I love Panic apps and the company!

But rather than knee-jerk dissing it as so many here are (which is not unexpected), I'll dig a little deeper. Have a feeling it's going to be interesting.
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How many stakeholders write here, and how many critics? 1:1?
 
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Amused at all the people who don’t seem to understand that fun is not defined by having the highest level of graphics, the fastest processors, the most configurable options.

All of you decrying the Playdate for not being the ultimate emulation device or a cutting edge Switch/Steam Deck competitor have missed the point entirely.

If it’s not for you, that’s ok! Not everything is for you! You’d think you’d have learned that lesson by now in life, but it’s never too late to grow.

It’s real simple, if you don’t want one, don’t buy it. But you don’t have to announce to the rest of us how everything that doesn’t cater to YOUR demands is terrible. Be ok with not being the center of the universe.
 
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