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

robertosh said:
I think that is a nice idea, but no backlit? Means that you can only play nicely on daylight? It used to be like that with the original Game boy, but nowadays this will reduce a lot the playability.
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Has something changed since Gameboy? Did the Earth spin off its axis so we now have no daylight? Did we all move to the North Pole and nobody told me? Was there a megacolossal volcanic eruption that has spewed so much ash into the sky that no sunlight will reach the earth for months?

How, exactly, does not being backlit effect playability more “nowadays” than it did when the Gameboy was the most popular thing on the planet?
 
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baryon said:
I think that beyond "looking cool" and "feeling retro" there is no actual point of a device like this. Back when you couldn't game on the go and color screens were expensive or non-existant, anything that would do the job (the original GamBoy) had huge charm and solved a real problem. Now though there is no need for such a device and as charming as it is, it's nothing more than a very niche product for people who have money to buy stuff they really, really don't need. Limitations are pointless if they are artificially imposed just for the sake of limitation.
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You could not be more wrong.
Do you not do anything for fun? Do you not do things because you enjoy them? That’s the purpose of the Playdate, it’s for having fun. Shocking as it may be for you one can have fun without utilizing the most cutting edge technology. In fact, sometimes keeping things simple allows one to enjoy things more. It’s why people still enjoy reading, even with the advent of movies. It’s why people still enjoy games like chess or go despite the existence of massively more complex strategy games on PCs.
The question that matters is this one: Is the Playdate fun?

If it doesn’t look fun to you, no problem, don’t get one. Do whatever else you do for fun. But I feel sad that you value high end specifications over joy. You’re missing out on a lot of what the world has to offer. Sometimes simple is best.
 
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Krizoitz said:
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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In a narcissistic society it's a requirement to slag on products that one is not interested in. "It doesn't interest me so therefore it should not exist so that no one else can buy it."

I am glad that there are companies that try to do things differently. The Playdate looks quirky and like it would be fun. Part of the value of the device will be software library. I don't buy products on the promise of something in the future, it must provide the value at time of purchase. At the moment, at the current price it's a "not yet" purchase for me.

I have a busy life but I want to play a video game from time to time. I don't want some long drawn out interactive story that requires a memory of what happened during the previous gameplay session. I don't want to be part of a "community". I don't want to pay extra to expand the in-game capabilities.

If I want to race, fight, solve puzzle, go on a short adventure, or whatever, I want to quickly get in, play for some time, and get out.

That was the beauty of those classic consoles. The Playdate might be a new spin on that.
 
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Wow... What a bunch of snarky, grumpy, entitled people. If you don't like it. Don't buy it. Move on. It's a niche product that those of us who ordered it are going to have fun with. Clearly, the majority of people here will not. It's not meant to be, it's not intended to be a mainstream product to set the world on fire.

It's mean to be a fun gadget, for again, a niche audience.

Calm down a touch, drink some decaf and move on.
 
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boss.king said:
So by your definition, nostalgia can only come from using/playing with something old from your past?
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I did not and do not limit my sense of nostalgia in the way you described.
I just have really never experienced it that way - at least not that I can recall.

It feels like you're taking my opinion personally or something?
I'm glad you're excited about the Playdate! No harm in that.

For me, it's really more trying to do something new with some imposed limitations.

Nothing wrong with that at all!
All good friend! - worry not about my opinion on it (or anyone else!)
 
turbineseaplane said:
Is it ok if we share opinions on the forum even if you don't like them?

The thread isn't required to be "only positive" about the Playdate is it?
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No, I'm just surprised at the level of snark and whatever the heck is wrong with people. Why spend the effort being this off-put by something that's clearly not made for you?

Personally, when I don't like something I don't expend the effort to crap on it for no good reason because "I don't agree with it! What year is this! Why would they do this! Etc, etc, etc."

It's very childish.
 
turbineseaplane said:
I did not and do not limit my sense of nostalgia in the way you described.
I just have really never experienced it that way - at least not that I can recall.

It feels like you're taking my opinion personally or something?
I'm glad you're excited about the Playdate! No harm in that.

For me, it's really more trying to do something new with some imposed limitations.

Nothing wrong with that at all!
All good friend! - worry not about my opinion on it (or anyone else!)
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Nothing personal about it, I don't even plan on getting one. I just found it weird that you don't think new things can bring feelings of nostalgia.
 
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GrumpyMom said:
It’s cute, but as far as nostalgia goes I still have all my stuff old stuff except the Nintendo clamshell that I gave to a neighbor’s kid. So of course that’s the one I miss the most. The only game that never gets old for me is Tetris.
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So ironic you say this.
For whatever reason the only three games I regularly go back to play for the nostalgia of it all are:

Gameboy Tetris
SNES Super Tennis
N64 Wave Race

Newer iterations of similar concepts (some even in the same franchise) have never captivated me in the same way.

Something about the original experience and how it makes me feel (and how it made me feel "back then" being re-evoked) is just irreplaceable.
 
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boss.king said:
Nothing personal about it, I don't even plan on getting one. I just found it weird that you don't think new things can bring feelings of nostalgia.
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I said for me, they've never done that, at least not that I can recall

Please respond to what I'm actually saying about my own feelings.

Is that fair?
 
canadianpj said:
No, I'm just surprised at the level of snark and whatever the heck is wrong with people. Why spend the effort being this off-put by something that's clearly not made for you?
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Just move right past those comments and pretend you didn't see them?
You don't need to respond to commentary you don't like, right?
 
boss.king said:
I did, but your point seems to be shifting with every post so maybe I'm just struggling to keep up.
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Nope - My point has been the same throughout...you just have to read it at face value and not inject feelings I didn't express.

Let's move on
 
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Starscape said:
Cute design with an interesting rotary controller, but its very basic basic controls hints at the more simplistic games this device will run. It’s also way, way too expensive. With mobile gaming approaching console fidelity now, the PlayDate device faces a really difficult sell, and there’s no idea what future software support will be. I wouldn’t invest in that thing.
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On the software side, they are releasing a SDK to allow developers to create titles for the system.

https://play.date/dev/
 
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turbineseaplane said:
Just move right past those comments and pretend you didn't see them?
You don't need to respond to commentary you don't like, right?
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<thumbs up>

Whatever. I forgot this is the Internet and its only purpose now is to crap on things, get into playschool fights and insult people, etc.

My bad. I'll move on.

You all continue being bitter, cranky, and such. There are more reasonable forums to visit for Play Date. <wave>
 
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canadianpj said:
<thumbs up>

Whatever. I forgot this is the Internet and its only purpose now is to crap on things, get into playschool fights and insult people, etc.

My bad. I'll move on.

You all continue being bitter, cranky, and such. There are more reasonable forums to visit for Play Date. <wave>
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That's a little dramatic, but fair enough.

:D:)

This is all just silly forum banter crap.
Don't worry about it man.
It's all good
 
Razorpit said:
At $179 the games are most certainly not free.

For an extra $5 you can purchase a Switch Lite and have hundreds of classic games available to you. Is it as niche as this? No, obviously not. But if you’re going to game don’t you want to have fun, and options rather than empty promises?
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How many of the first 20000 users do you think don’t already have a switch? I have one. Not many free games on it though. In fact switch games are pretty expensive.
 
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turbineseaplane said:
People love Panic (as they should - great people) and I think the demographic that follows and supports them simply has $180 to throw around just for the hell of it.

I really believe it's just nerds with loads of disposable income more than anything about the device itself.

This isn't some new Nintendo Switch competitor or anything.
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While I'm not going to disassociate myself from the type of demographic you described (ha), I am genuinely attracted to the device, and have been since I first read about it pre-Covid, when it was originally announced. I love retro games, pixel art, quirky fun design, simple games, mobile gaming, indy gaming, Teenage Engineering, Panic. Everything about it appeals to me, frankly.

I also have a Switch, and a PS4, and a gaming PC which I never use (NVIDIA 1070), and my Mac, and my iPhone, and my iPad, all of which have tons of games on them. I've been a (casual) gamer since the Commodore 64 era when I was maybe 7 years old, and the NES era when I was about 8. I have the Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch, and have the Legend of Zelda Game & Watch on pre-prder.

I love all of the above systems that I just mentioned, and various games on all of the platforms. None of them, not even the Game & Watch, are anything like the Play Date. As far as I'm concerned, that's what makes the Play Date genuinely attractive, fun, and interesting. I'm obviously not getting it to be able to play the same types of mobile games I can just play on the Switch I already own.
 
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