Remember the handcrank-boasting Playdate console with retro design sensibilities and a monochome LCD display? It’s almost here.
Like many systems over the past three or four years, the Playdate console was postponed due to supply chain issues/COVID/Brexit/Ever Given etc. But now, the consoles are heading into the wild, their first stop being with reviewers and early adopters. Game critic Janet Garcia tweeted a cool comparison video:
https://twitter.com/Gameonysus/status/1513577321256550401
There is also much to be said for the portability of the Playdate console.
https://twitter.com/Gameonysus/status/1513570208681627649
Squeezed into the literally pocket-sized Playdate is a 180MHz Cortex M7 CPU, 16MB of RAM, 32KB L1 Cache, and 4GB of Flash. It has a USB-C port, 802.11bgn 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and a 400×240 monochrome display. Audio is through a built-in mono speaker or TRRS headphone jack/mic-in port, and games are controlled using a D-Pad, A and B buttons, and the infamous 3-axis accelerometer crank.
The Playdate console also has a 14 day standby battery with 8 hours of active play.
@PocketTactics snapped the Playdate alongside other handheld consoles.
https://twitter.com/PocketTactics/status/1513578825392795649
Meanwhile, @KahliefAdams took some very nice snaps of the Playdate ahead of a review next week.
https://twitter.com/KahliefAdams/status/1513567227965976579
Sadly we were unable to get hold of a Playdate for review. But if you have one ordered, we hope you enjoy it!
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Christian Cawley is a writer and editor who covers consumer electronics, IT, and entertainment media. He has written for publications such as Computer Weekly, Linux Format, MakeUseOf.com, and Tech Radar.
He also produces podcasts, has a cigar box guitar, and of course, loves retro gaming.
