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Manipulation in downtown Seattle.
Sam Machkovech
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Rotate in the toy store.
Sam Machkovech
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Wrapping between two vinyl figurines that are made of a similar material as Playdate.
Sam Machkovech
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Rotate before a movie – and notice how readable the screen is thanks to the pre-movie lighting on top.
Sam Machkovech
The cute, portable and banana-yellow Playdate console for $ 179 is now shipped to its first batch of pre-ordered customers, so we’re free to check out the weirdest gaming system in years.
Due to the lack of chips and the general production chaos, buying Playdate is much less fun than using it. If you ordered the system in July 2021, after reading my hands-on review, great. However, if you’ve been waiting for a proper review like this, expect a queue for out-of-order orders of at least eight months. (At least Panic says it will make as many Playdates as people want to buy, instead of downloading NES Classic and limiting production.)
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The lock screen can be customized with an analog clock, a digital clock or this “Slovenian clock”.
Sam Machkovech
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3.5 mm headphone jack; USB Type-C jack for powering and transferring files to a computer.
Sam Machkovech
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The author plays with Playdate on a friend’s couch.
Dante Rambo
To those who have been optimistic about Playdate’s squat form factor, weird games, and unique crank management system, I’m happy to let you know that I haven’t let you down – as long as you’ve listened to my specific bias. . As I wrote in July:
I’m addicted to the experimental, fast-paced indie game that Playdate is clearly adapted to. This most often means lo-fi adventures with pointing and clicking, arcade result seekers and strange platformers – with or without a crank. If that sounds like a breath of fresh air – probably similar to the earliest days of developers using the latest touchscreens on the earliest iPhone or the original Nintendo DS – then Panic’s hardware and software ecosystem will withstand the end of the deal. to confirm your bias.
This preview came after testing only four of the games included in the system. This week, I can answer more fully what Playdate has to offer for $ 179, including a look at all 24 of its first-season games.
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Panic’s earliest Playdate presentation included a “surprise factor” from two new games that unlocked each week for 12 weeks. If you buy Playdate to enjoy the ritual of tearing up virtual wrapping paper and revealing surprises on a weekly basis, this review simply summarizes what you can expect from the games included in the system. Think of it as taking wrapped gifts and shaking them a few times.
If you prefer to know exactly what $ 179 is buying for you in 12 weeks, I’ve divided the game-specific mini-reviews into a separate report. This report also clarifies how many weeks you will have to wait to unlock each game.
I hope you get away with knowing if Playdate is your perfect boutique portable or if you’ll be happier investing $ 179 in something like Raspberry Pi, Analogue Pocket or Steam Deck.
Small, but still mostly excellent
As you read my mix of praise and criticism, keep in mind that I mean the ideal Playdate owner: open-minded, questioning the pre-teen world, eager for a variety of portable, affordable gaming experiences that combine classic gaming principles and silly text with reckless, charged with crank abandonment. (This may also be true for open eyes before teenagers in many of us.)
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Playdate compared to the Nintendo Switch.
Sam Machkovech
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It’s not even two-thirds the size of a Switch’s screen.
Sam Machkovech
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Banana Yellow may be inaccurate if you’re a Pantone purist, but here’s a comparison of banana size.
Sam Machkovech
Although this is a “final” review, it summarizes much of what I already wrote about the “near-final” hardware in July 2021. In terms of physical form factor and overall usability, then Playdate seems to be identical to Playdate now.
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Significance: I’ve never seen a lightweight gaming system with this combination of comfort, control precision and screen clarity that also manages to run smoothly simple games. His portable gaming skills are not surprising, as the music gadget wizards at Teenage Engineering are behind much of Playdate’s design. I agree with the trade-offs needed to squeeze so much into so little, but interested buyers need to keep those trade-offs in mind.
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Retail playback final date (left), preview hardware (right).
Sam Machkovech
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Retail playback final date (left), preview hardware (right). This image is the only one where you are likely to notice a significant difference. Tell me if you notice how they differ here.
Sam Machkovech …
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