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Introducing Playdate - A $179 black-and-white handheld with a dozen surprise games. Also, it has a crank.
- Thread starter Meg Cherry
- Start date
- Tech
Thank you! It's really hard to explain to people why the screen is good, especially when it has no backlight! It's still useless in a pitch black room, but everywhere else it's pretty amazing.
And we haven't announced this anywhere yet — ResetEra exclusive!! — but we'll be showing the system publicly for the first time at Pax West. I'm very excited for people to see it in person.
Dat screen. I cannot wait to get hold of one of these....
UK resident here. Right there with you. I thank the gods every day I didn't get stung with import fees on my Analogue Super NT.
This is one of those devices just like that. Something I just gotta have.
UK resident here. Right there with you. I thank the gods every day I didn't get stung with import fees on my Analogue Super NT.
This is one of those devices just like that. Something I just gotta have.
Literally too beautiful for words. I can't wait to get my preorder in.
Wow! That is stunning. I really hope I can get my hands on one here in New Zealand.
As someone who works on gameboys on a regular basis... I can't stand these not like for like shots... The Gameboy screen is in motion (a screen known for it's ghosting) while the Playdate is using a static screen.
Like, there is a 30 year difference, your screen is going to win. Why intentionally paint the GB screen in a worse light by comparing moving and static screens?
(edit) "How do you know the GB screen is in motion!?" You can see Mario in mid air, and you can see the right to left ghosting of all the pixels. As I said, their 30 year newer screen is going to win in these comparisons, so why intentionally make the older screen look even worse?
(edit 2) "What does it matter if the Playdate looks this good in motion as well as static?" because from what we've seen so far, it's not that good in motion.
Unless there has been fixes in the current or future models, it's still not exactly a perfect screen either. It's like when computer companies release misleading benchmarks despite having the faster hardware... Like you don't need to mislead to sell your product, especially since the OG gameboy isn't even your competition.
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Ha! Sorry about that, that was definitely not intentional! The demo just started while I was taking my photos, and naturally, the Gameboy screen is super blurry in motion.
And the point of the photo was mostly just to show our love for the Gameboy (and show how small Playdate is, people expect it to be much bigger!)
But anyway, here's a second photo just for you! Static screen and static screen! 😛
Do you want me to take one of motion vs. motion also?
It looks pretty gorgeous in motion. Unless you are talking about the flicker? Because that has less to do with the console and more to do with the device recording it.
Mmmrrm, been wrestling with my lust for this perfect mechanical object quite a bit over the last month. The game unlock concept is also appealing, zeitgeist wise. Just no way of knowing if the games are going to be meaty or mostly just proof of concepts. Would also help if the pound to dollar could recover and drag the price back closer to an impulse £99 buy.
It is going to be okay. The 118 million selling handheld can still sleep at night with its honour intact.
It is going to be okay. The 118 million selling handheld can still sleep at night with its honour intact.
My Barnes and Noble had a copy of Edge that had the feature on this in it. I'm pretty excited for this
Ok, that screen actually looks really snazzy. Was NOT expecting a non-lit display to be that easy on the eyes. 😱
From an artistic standpoint, a high-res 1-bit display honestly seems like a really fun limitation to work with. Looking forward to seeing what developers do with it.
Any info on how future "seasons" of games are gonna work? If this thing takes off, I would totally pay for more content, so long as I can play it without having to buy another PlayDate.
From an artistic standpoint, a high-res 1-bit display honestly seems like a really fun limitation to work with. Looking forward to seeing what developers do with it.
Any info on how future "seasons" of games are gonna work? If this thing takes off, I would totally pay for more content, so long as I can play it without having to buy another PlayDate.
It's all subject to change, but we're currently viewing future seasons as just "bundles" of games you buy for one fixed price, delivered over time. So Season Two isn't part of a subscription, but a specific purchase you make. And you definitely would not need to buy additional hardware. The question is what's a reasonable price for a second set of (12?) games…
Awesome, glad to hear it. Thanks for your answer, looking forward to getting my hands on it! 🙏
That's a Game Boy with a Link Cable sticking out. It's supposed to be reminiscent of the old Gen 1 trading screen.So I just passed by my living room where my son was watching Pokemon Sun and Moon and couldn't help but notice that there is a kid named Sophocles that wears a T-Shirt with a portable gaming console that looks like a playdate, coincidence or is it here where it all started?
I'm just happy we get a glimpse of the vat where you grow the systems
I'm actually interested in this. I love quirky well-made gadgets.
However, I am somewhat concerned about the games. The one "game" they've shown thus far doesn't seem like a game whatsoever. It just looks like the equivalent of a stop-motion animation that you can scrub back and forth through at whichever speed you want. Unless I'm missing something?
edit: ohhhhh, just watched a few minutes of gameplay and see now how there are moving obstacles that are outside of your time manipulation, and you go forward or back into certain action to avoid those moving obstacles. Okay, that's not bad. Can't imagine it would be more than a 10 or 15 minute game, but who knows.
However, I am somewhat concerned about the games. The one "game" they've shown thus far doesn't seem like a game whatsoever. It just looks like the equivalent of a stop-motion animation that you can scrub back and forth through at whichever speed you want. Unless I'm missing something?
edit: ohhhhh, just watched a few minutes of gameplay and see now how there are moving obstacles that are outside of your time manipulation, and you go forward or back into certain action to avoid those moving obstacles. Okay, that's not bad. Can't imagine it would be more than a 10 or 15 minute game, but who knows.
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The character animates with a set path and animations, which you move around on using the crank, but there are elements of the world that run on an independent timer, so you have to plan where you'll be and how you're posed to get past them. In the video above, there's little floating birds or bullets that need to be avoided.
I know the purpose of this post is to show how mediocre the Playdate screen is suppose to be... but that looks beautiful to me, flickering and all. What a nifty gadget. I know the post you had issues with show the gameboy in an unflattering way, but all it does really is alleviate my concerns about the unlit Playdate screen, not everything has to be a competition. The Playdate is an homage to the original GB, and the GB's legacy is set in stone, despite all the known flaws it has. No need to defend the legend we all know and love.
I am honestly terrified that this will happen. I signed up for the mailing list, but I never received a confirmation email or anything. It looks damn good and I want to buy one.
Can't find confirmation if the games are online-enabled? I'm in love with arcadey stuff, warioware-like and such, but I need highscores/online leaderboards (I know a friends list would be asking too much) otherwise I'd put it away after 20 minutes.
I played PlayDate at PAX. The screen is *sooo* good! And I really like the little crank-powered puzzle game, whomever came up with that idea is a genius.
Spin it any way you want to, but I doubt sales will go live 2019.
It's a lot of spin in here. Eventually it will circle back to the truth.
It's Mac-only at the moment, which stands to reason given Panic. I'm sure more OS support is coming.
that game at PAX is by Keita Takahashi, the project lead of Katamari Damaci and Noby Noby Boy.
That's wonderful to hear! I assume it's Crankin's Time Travel Adventure?
I love the developers this is attracting. The design of it just screams Keita Takahashi :)
Can't wait to see people get their hands on it at PAX!
