MacOS application developer introduced a gaming console with a mechanical handle

The Oregon company Panic is known not only asapplication developer for macOS, but also as publisher of the acclaimed indie game Firewatch. As it turned out, very diverse people were sitting in the development team - after the game was published, the company decided to release a full-fledged game console, and introduced a device called Playdate. In form, it is very similar to the classic Gameboy, but it has a big and very strange difference - there is a mechanical handle on its side. Does it really need to charge the battery?

No, this spinning element is the same.a control tool like the D-pad switch and two other compact keys. According to the developers, in some of the available games it will play a key role, so players will have to actively turn it back and forth. In addition to the controls, the console is equipped with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth modules, as well as a USB-C connector and a 3.5 mm headphone port.

The handle will be located on the side of the squarebody with a size of 74 by 76 millimeters and a thickness equal to 9 millimeters. The diagonal of the black and white display will be 2.7 inches with a resolution of 400 × 240 pixels - the developers claim that this is quite enough to demonstrate a clear picture. It is also interesting that the screen does not require backlighting at all, but how to play with it in the dark is not yet clear.

Playdate will support 12 games, butplay all at once will not work. The company came up with an interesting scheme to keep the players' attention - the games will be delivered to consoles via Wi-Fi gradually, one per week. On the availability of new items will notify the indicator on the top of the case. However, the essence of the portable set-top box is reflected in the very name of “Playdate” - they say, play only on certain days.

For the development of exclusive games the company involvedcreators of famous indie projects. For example, the first game available on the console, Crankin’s Time Travel Adventure, was created by designer Keith Takahashi, who is the author of the Katamari Damacy video game series. Also among the free games will be the works of Zack Gage (Really Bad Chess), Bennett Foddy (VVVVVV) and Shawn Inman (The Last Rocket).

The cost of the game console Playdate will be 149dollars - for a unique toy is, perhaps, a very adequate price tag. All games will be delivered free of charge for 12 weeks, but whether they will be developed and supplied further depends on the popularity of the device. Start of sales is scheduled for 2020.

What do you think of Playdate? Would you buy yourself such a toy? Feel free to share your opinion in the comments, or join the discussion in our Telegram-chat.