The Playdate Is Slated for a 2020 Launch
The Playdate is a yellow handheld console with black-and-white 2D graphics and a small crank control. But despite these old-school features, it’s not some weird experimental handheld console that launched in the 70s and is getting relaunched. Instead, it’s a new handheld console that costs $150 and will launch in early 2020.
Firewatch and Untitled Goose Game publisher Panic created Playdate in an attempt to branch out into the hardware business and the publisher mentioned during the handheld’s Wednesday reveal that it was being worked on for four years.
As for the crank, according to Panic, it doesn’t power the console, it’s actually a controller that can be used for select games.
“It’s a flip-out rotational controller that puts a fresh spin on fun,” the official Playdate Twitter account explained in a Twitter thread. “Some games use it exclusively, some use it with the d-pad, and some not at all.”
The Twitter account also said that a new game will be made available on the Playdate each week for several months and, going by the developers tagged in the thread, one should expect a lot of indie games. Apparently, these games are already included on the system but will be kept secret until its time for their reveal.
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