![]() While it’s nowhere near as bad as, say, the original Game Boy Advance, the Playdate does require decent lighting to play games comfortably. (For those curious, the hardware remains the same as it was when I previewed the Playdate last year.) My only real complaint is the lack of a backlight. Overall, aside from the slightly flimsy handle on the crank, it’s a solid, well-made device. It’s not a requirement for Playdate games, which is nice, but it does add something distinct to those that use it. ![]() One game utilizes the crank so you can stir up magical potions. ![]() Some use it to scroll through text others make it a way to control things like spaceships or surfboards. Basically, it’s another control option that can be used for, well, a variety of things depending on the game. It’s a little silver protrusion, about an inch long, that folds into the device when not in use. Oh yeah, and then there’s a crank on the side of it. (The Playdate comes with a USB-C cable, but you have to provide your own wall charger.) Inside, there’s a battery that, in my experience, gets about eight hours of playtime on a single charge. The body is a bright yellow plastic with a nice matte texture. Along the top edge is a sleep button, and the bottom has a USB-C port and headphone jack. Below the screen are a nice, clicky D-pad and two face buttons a home button rests beside the display. About half of that space is taken up by a 400 x 240, 1-bit display capable of outputting visuals in glorious black and white. It’s probably the cutest dedicated handheld since the Game Boy Micro. The Playdate measures in at a scant 76 × 74 × 9mm, a square about the size of a modern smartphone cut in half. And, much like with the DS and its contemporaries, those limitations and distinct features have inspired a library of games unlike anything I’ve ever played: everything from a strategy game about cryptid photography and a turn-based samurai adventure to a role-playing game where all you do is manage inventory.Īnd, just like with the DS, the best games are ones I couldn’t imagine existing anywhere else.įirst, the basics. It looks like a Game Boy from a parallel world. It’s a tiny yellow square, not much bigger than a credit card, with a black-and-white screen and a crank that juts out of its side. The Playdate, from first-time hardware maker Panic - best known for its Mac software and publishing games like Firewatch and Untitled Goose Game - takes this idea to the extreme. There’s something about the smaller scale of these games that often invites creativity from developers. Think of the Nintendo DS with its dual screens that helped inspire memorable games about walking dogs, doing surgery, and, well, whatever is going on in Electroplankton. While there have been some attempts at shrinking console gaming down into something that will fit in your hands, many of the best handheld experiences have been downright weird. Portable gaming has always been a little, let’s say, different.
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