Playdate (console)

Playdate is a handheld video game console developed by Panic. The device features a mechanical crank and a black-and-white screen.

The console was announced in May 2019 and was released in April 2022.

Hardware
The device is small, square, and yellow and features a black-and-white 1-bit display, a 4-way directional pad, two game buttons, and a mechanical crank, which can be tucked away when not in use.

It was designed in collaboration with Teenage Engineering, a Swedish consumer electronics company.

Playdate uses a Sharp Memory LCD screen visually similar to e-paper displays. Each pixel can remember its state (black/white) without needing to be refreshed, resulting in faster refreshing and lower power usage with a wide 170° viewing angle.

Whilst the device features the hardware necessary for Bluetooth audio, there is no support for it in current software revisions.

Accessories
Panic has announced two accessories for the device. A purple cover was released simultaneously with the device's 2022 launch, and later offered in an alternate aqua color. A yellow "stereo dock" that charges the Playdate and functions as a speaker and a penholder does not yet have a release date.

Distribution
Playdate comes with Season One: a collection of 24 games. Every week, two new games of Season One appear on the user's console. The price of Season One is included in the price of the console. The order of released games was unknown until the week they were released, and were revealed to players when they automatically downloaded. It's unclear if there will be a Season Two.

On 7 March 2023, the Catalog on-device and on-web store was added. Playdate owners can purchase and download games directly from the device.

Developers
Games for the Playdate have been produced by Panic as well as indie game developers such as Keita Takahashi, Zach Gage, Bennett Foddy, Lucas Pope, Shaun Inman, and Chuck Jordan. Panic stated that they were interested in games created by underrepresented developers and that there were games from women, queer, trans and non-binary developers in Playdate's first season.

Games are created using an openly available proprietary software development kit (SDK) that includes a simulator and debugger. The SDK is compatible with both C and Lua programming languages. It is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Simpler tile-based games can be created using Pulp, a more-approachable game development tool from Panic. The device is an open system and allows sideloading additional games that are not part of a season.

Pre-release
On May 22, 2019, Panic announced Playdate. Initial impressions were centered around how unusual the device was, from the crank, its 1-bit screen, and its odd method of delivering games to players. About the crank, TechCrunch noted, "It's not necessary for every game, though, so don't worry if it seems too weird."

A year before the Playdate announcement, Panic co-founder Cabel Sasser sent an email to an indie video game event, also named Playdate, suggesting that the organizers consider tweaking or changing its name to avoid future confusion. The following day, Sasser retracted the request, stating "My intention was always to find a way for our Playdates to co-exist [...] but we remain fine with you using the name Playdate." On January 29, 2020, the team behind the event (now named "Playdate Pop Up") announced that Panic was joining the event as a sponsor and would assist the event in petitioning for nonprofit status; however, the LA Zinefest event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Release
Playdate was initially set for release in early 2020, but preorders were delayed until July 29, 2021. Panic sold through its initial order of 20,000 units set to ship in 2021 within the first 20 minutes of its preorder. Playdates started shipping to customers on April 18, 2022.

Playdate was generally well-received upon its release, with criticism notably around the lack of a backlit screen and long shipping times. The Verge praised its initial library of games, stating "What's on offer in the initial batch of games is great," and "even in this crowded landscape, Playdate offers something entirely unique." IGN's review stated, "the screen's lack of a backlight can be a frustrating limitation. But you know what? The Playdate charmed me and I am now fully under its spell." Input Mag wrote, "It really seems like every opportunity Panic found to do something special, it took it."

On April 18, 2023, Panic confirmed to The Verge that the Playdate has sold more than 53,000 units to-date, with 27,000 of those units shipped. Panic expected fulfillment of their existing 26,000 preorders by the end of 2023.

On May 1, 2023, Panic announced via Twitter that 53,368 Playdates had been pre-ordered so far, with 20,000 games downloaded from their on-device store Catalog.

On February 13, 2024, Panic stated via Twitter that over 70,000 Playdates had been sold.