Playdate, a Handheld Console by Panic, is Available to Preorder in July with 21 Game Titles Now Included

Sophie Webster, Tech Times 08 June 2021, 02:06 pm

Playdate by Panic is getting ready for its launch. The handheld console will be available to preorder in July, with shipping starting later this year.

Panic did not give a specific date yet, but the company stated that it would provide at least a week's notice before the orders open again. Playdate will cost $179, and it is equipped with a crank and a black-and-white screen.

Playdate's Game Titles

Panic is doing its best to avoid a situation wherein they will have less supply than the demand, which is the dilemma that Sony's PS5 is facing.

Cabel Sasser, the co-founder of Panic, said that the sooner that people order Playdate, the sooner that they will get one, and they do not want to close the door on anyone who can't preorder the console, according to Engadget.

The company is also announcing a stereo dock accessory for the Playdate console, which makes it look like an old TV and works as both a Bluetooth speaker and a pen holder. Panic has announced the price and the release information of the stereo dock yet.

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Panic has also announced the 21 titles that will be featured in the Playdate's first season. The other details are intentionally being kept secret until each game is automatically downloaded onto the console; owners will get two games a week over the course of 12 weeks, according to The Verge.

Some of the game titles are "Crankin's Time Travel Adventure," "Battleship Godios," "Casual Birder," "DemonQuest 85," "Echoic Memory," "Executive Golf DX," "Flipper Lifter," "Forrest Byrnes: Up in Smoke," "Hyper Meteor," "Lost Your Marbles," and "Omaze."

The Playdate console took years before it was finalized. It was first announced in May 2019.

Playdate Specifications

Playdate is a retro-styled handheld console that is running old-fashioned 2-bit black-and-white games on a 2.7-inch screen.

Panic, the creator of the console, makes applications for iOS and started publishing video games. Its second famous release, "Untitled Goose Game." came out in September 2020 to universal acclaim, according to CNET.

The console has a little processor, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and a loudspeaker. When the user is not using it, the screen does not turn off; it becomes a low-power clock.

The console also has its own crank; it is an analog controller that flips out from the side, allowing users to precisely dial in action.

Playdate stressed on its official Twitter that it would explain its production timeline. The Playdate console might not have the power to compete with Nintendo Switch and other consoles, but it still has its own set of fans.

According to Greg Maletic, Panic's director of special projects told Engadget in 2020 that the Playdate is supposed to be a spiritual successor to Nintendo's Game & Watch devices.

The console is technologically limited, but it forces developers to get creative. Now that Panic has announced a preorder month for Playdate, it is predicted that it will roll out before Analogue's Pocket handheld console, a modernized Game Boy that has numerous game cartridges. It was supposed to come out in 2020 but was pushed back to 2021.