Playdate is the latest portable gaming device on the block and serves as the first portable device from Mac Panic software publisher. Panic is known for spreading games like fire control And most recently, darling indie Untitled goose game. Separate itself from retro emulation consoles and steam surface Imitators, the Black and White Screen Playdate uses two buttons, a directional pad, and a mechanical crank (yes, a crank) that serve as the main controls for most games. Karnak is a major selling point because it allows for different game mechanics – for example, a hunting game where you have to collect your catch.
As the name of the device suggests, Playdate will offer a weekly scheduled release of games developed by independent studios around the world. Among these developers is Diego Garcia (bird keel)And the catamare damassi Keita Takahashi (A time travel adventure in Cranken), and Bennett Foddy (Zipper), For example, but not limited.
These 24 games, published by Panic, are transmitted over Wi-Fi and packaged by seasons. As of now, the first season has released 10 games. Panic’s mission is to use the Playdate as a ship to some of the most innovative monochrome Indies. But you really have to love the independent spirit, the cute yellow body and the crank to justify the payment $179 For a black and white handheld device with a few games.
play date design
Playdate is a 2.99 x 2.91 x 0.35 inch (76 x 74 x 9 mm) yellow box with a directional pad, two A/B buttons, a Home button in the top left next to the screen, and a Lock button at the top. On the side is a unique crank, which also has a small pocket to pry its handle away. You rotate it in a 360-degree circular motion and it can serve a myriad of functions depending on the game you are playing. There’s a small silver monochrome speaker on the side below the home button that’s more powerful than you might expect, which is a good thing.
At the bottom of the unit is a USB-C charging port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The yellow USB-C to USB-A cord comes in the package.
There are three small holes in each corner but the top left, which can be used to loop something through and turn the Playdate into a cute keychain or wearable accessory.
Cute and pocket friendly play date. It weighs hardly anything at 0.18 pounds (86 grams), and as such, it’s a neat little gadget to use on your commute to work or school. I have giant gloves for hands and the corners of the Playdate are pretty sharp. So sometimes my grip wasn’t as secure or comfortable as I’d like when using it. When I played games that used the crank heavily, I sometimes couldn’t see the screen very clearly because the unit moved while rotating.
Playdate مواصفات Specifications
| CPU | Cortex M7 SDK (168MHz) |
| memory | 16 MB RAM |
| storage | 4GB flash storage |
| Show | 400 x 240, 1-bit monochrome, sharp memory display |
| Networks | 802.11bgn (2.4GHz) WiFi, Bluetooth 5.2 |
| ports | USB (Type C), 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Transducer | USB-C to USB-A cable |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 2.99 x 2.91 x 0.35 inches (76 x 74 x 9 mm) |
| Weight | 0.18 lb (86 g) |
| Price (depending on configuration) | $179.99 |
Show in Playdate
The Playdate has a 1-bit black and white 2.99 x 2.91 x 0.35 inches (76 x 74 x 9 mm), a sharp 173 ppi memory display with a resolution of 400 x 240, and a 5:3 aspect ratio. The screen provides great black-and-white images that use Frequency technology to achieve the appearance of grayscale. The sharp screen immediately hit me as soon as I turn the device on. When I started playing games, I couldn’t help but appreciate how clear the screen conveys the black and white retro art style of each title.
But after a while, I started noticing some defects in the device screen. There is a fair amount of bezel surrounding the screen which I question is necessary. It’s not like the edge will get in the way of any game or it will improve its gameplay in any way. But with such a small tool, any extra screen real estate is appreciated though.
But most importantly, this screen is in dire need of backlighting. The screen is great for outdoor use on a sunny day, but can hardly be seen in any dimly lit area. It’s a problem I haven’t had with a handheld gaming device since I was a little kid with the Gameboy Color. I constantly found myself having to tilt the Playdate slightly towards the light source in order to see what the screen was showing. Despite having a well-lit desk, my co-worker and I found ourselves having to sit directly under an overhead lamp to clearly see the games. I suspect it will affect the power of the Playdate, which meets its demands for 14 days of standby and 8 hours of active battery life.
Play in play history
There is a rather lengthy setup process for Playdate that forces you to add an email address to even activate the device, which I found a bit annoying and irritating. After charging it, waiting for updates, downloading games, and software updates for those games, you’ll finally be ready to play with Playdate.
I played a fair amount of most of the matches available in the first season, and I had a lot of fun with it. Almost all games try to use the forearm in some way. Some games excel at executing the crank in a creative way, such as keel birderAnd the OmazeAnd the Hyper Meteor. There are other games like Whitewater Wipeout And the time travel adventures Which is excessively dependent on the mechanic. Then there are a few who completely ignore the crank for better or for worse, and even find shallow reasons to separate it.
There is a mixture of casual and combo-based games on the device such as Lose your marbles And the echo memorybut keel birder This may be my favorite of the mixture. There isn’t a lot of dialogue or setting up for the narration and it keeps the story simple, yet interesting. You are the new kid (?) in a neighborhood obsessed with bird watching. Using the crank to focus the funny camera, you must line up a perfect shot of your prey as it flies around its terrain. It’s a unique mechanic for the crank and one of the best uses I’ve seen of it. You may get lost in collecting pictures for your scrapbook and will get some information about different birds over time.
Omaze It is another game that uses cranks well, but has the gameplay you’d expect to see from a mobile system that uses a crank as the main gimmick. A crank is used to turn a wheel that travels a small ball from point A to point B. It is a great game with straightforward mechanics.
Hyper Meteor It has similar gameplay, except that you control a spaceship floating in a zero-gravity space, and hit the meteors at specific places to survive. Both games are great, you can pick up and play them to enjoy on the go.
Then there are titles like Whitewater Wipeout And the time travel adventures Just use the crank in a way you don’t want to see it doing in public. The first sees you carefully controlling the surfer’s momentum, surfing, and doing flips for points. The latter sees a sad creature running for a date that he will never have as you control the speed of his movements across the crank and avoid obstacles in the way.
Animation can get turbulent in these games. And while the Playdate is an inconspicuous little device, you’ll look overly cranky in your public seat as these games require. In addition, both games lose their luster after a short time. The gameplay never really evolves after the first few minutes, it just gets more difficult and frustrating.
My favorite game on Playdate, fin lifter, just uses the crank to move the elevator up and down so the penguins run into the building, or wherever they go. Stirring can get frantic here too, especially as the number of penguins starts to affect how fast the elevator can move. But it’s such a unique crank experience that I don’t mind looking weird on the subway when I’m playing it.
games like Choose Backpack And the boogie loops Don’t even bother with the crank and using the studs and d-pad. boogie loops Nothing is lost by not using the crank, as it is basically a limited beat making program. But Choose Backpack It forces players to unlock the crank in order to advance through the scenes with no other use for them than that, which I found annoying. But other than that, it was one of my favorite games.
It’s also worth noting that a fair share of the games don’t come with any kind of gameplay instructions. For some games like Omaze, the mystical allure of its title card between the list of games to play and the way it drops you into action toward mysticism. But other games like Zipper, Turn-based samurai puzzles can really benefit from the instructions.
If you use Playdate’s charger to connect it to a computer and download Panic’s Mirror, you can play games on the big screen. The app simulates Playdate digitally and you can choose to use the mouse and keyboard for the movements. Or you can use a controller. But it doesn’t look natural, and I could only see it to show the tool online via a broadcast or to record demo footage.
minimum
The Panic Playdate is a great standalone mobile game console with quirky games from many unique developers I’ve never heard of. The inclusion of the crank elevates the device from being just a flash game console in general, and its approach to software release ensures that there will be new experiences to be had over time. It has a cute, yellow, compact design that makes it look like a modern accessory, and if it’s in the right lighting, its screen makes black and white art style for every game pop.
But $179 is a lot to pay for this kind of novelty. Handheld gamers might prefer spending an extra $40 on the Analogue Pocket, a Gameboy-compatible handheld device with a gorgeous color display. Or one can spend just $20 and get the Nintendo Switch Lite which has a huge ecosystem of highly advanced games.
Neither the pick-up-and-play casual titles nor the neatly balanced narrative titles have held my attention long enough to have invested that much money in them. Maybe if I were a fan of indie games and loved supporting indie developers and creators in this field, and wanted to support some people who are doing a good job, I would have invested.
But if I’m just a regular person on a budget who is looking for a mobile device to play games from time to time, I might be more concerned about the games I can play with and whether I want those games. With Playdate, you don’t know if you like their onboard games until you actually play them. And if you don’t, there’s another address on this device that you’ll ignore in favor of the few you love. This is a lot of money to rely only on goodwill, as you will probably enjoy the games for which it will be thrown. And for close to $200, the Playdate should have a backlight for that screen and possibly Bluetooth headphone support, if you’re picky.