this post was submitted on 22 Apr 2024
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Looks interesting , but it has a $200 price tag and while I love old school games, I can buy a $30 gadget that has hundreds of the old games I used to play.
Also, the crank should be able to charge it, that would help with the price tag, you could throw it in a bug out bag
I have a playdate and have seen this sentiment a lot.
Imo the charging mechanic would ruin the usability of the crank in many of the games. Some games require rapid cranking and having a charging mechanic would not only be another point of future mechanical failure, but also slow it down too much.
It's also worth noting that the device also has a gyroscope so it can detect tilting, shaking etc as well. It's very versatile for it's size. It's NOT an emulator (though it can run an emulator), it's a fully original handheld console.
$200 is a fair price because that includes something like 15-20 games. Every game for the playdate is original and hasn't existed before it came out.
The playdate is not meant to replace an emulator and buckets of roms. It's its own game console with lots of great new games made by passionate devs.
I've played more of the 24 pack-in games than I've ever spent time actually playing with the multiple emulator station consoles I've set up over the years. I love seeing what new games devs put out on the catalog, too. No in-app-purchases or any such BS, so devs just have to try and make a game that's worth your couple bucks up front.
The creative constraints of the 1-bit color and limited inputs push games in fun directions too. The crank is amazing as an analog rotation input, which has been missing from game consoles since the early 80s. Steering and aiming with the crank is so fluid and intuitive that it really adds to immersion.
It's not the kind of thing everyone's going to get $200 of value out of, but if it happens to be up your alley its truly incredible.
From my understanding, it's meant to be more like an art piece than a simple games emulator.