Speed Philippines – July 2019

WORDS

PAT CALICA

GAMING

JULY 2019 35

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DINKY, CRANKY, QUIRKY—

WE LIKEY!

Panic Playdate

As the game industry moves forward,

it quickly leaves behind the world of bulky

consoles and boxy machines and inches

toward a cloud-based future and sleek,

minimal form factors. So, we cherish those

rare times when a new product brings back

the mechanical form factor and operation

that we’ve grown to love as kids.

Such is the Playdate, a dinky handheld

console with a very quirky personality

created by app developer and game

publisher Panic.

It’s a ray of sunshine. Bright and

loud, the Playdate greets you with its

very cheerful sunshine yellow finish. The

perfectly square but slim plastic shell

has a matte finish; it offers a certain

premiumness, significant weight, and

comfortable grip. Panic partnered with

Swedish electronics manufacturer

Teenage Engineering to create this little

gaming wonder.

Modern in essence. While Playdate

aims to evoke nostalgia with its

mechanical machinery, the console

is quite modern. There’s a 2.7-inch

black-and-white screen with 400 x

240 resolution; it’s not backlit but very

reflective so the visuals comes in sharp

and clear under harsh lighting. A tiny

built-in speaker with big sound sits

beside the display.

Chunky controls. Similar to the

Game Boy, Playdate boasts a D-pad

and two chunky buttons right below the

screen. A silver metal rod on the right-

hand side of the console transforms

into a small crank with a tug. This

specific anatomy of the machine gives a

different gameplay experience to users;

some games, like Crankin’s Time Travel

Adventure, can only be operated by

turning the crank.

It’s a date! Wonder why this

handheld gaming device is named

‘Playdate’? Every Monday, for 12 weeks,

the notification light on top of the case

will blink to signal the arrival of a new

game—consider it your regular playdate

of sorts. Users receive these games—

titles created by top indie game designers

such Bennet Foddy, Shaun Inman, Zach

Gage, and Katamari Damacy creator

Keita Takahashi—via Wi-Fi. The games,

according to Panic, can be short, long,

experimental, or traditional.

This quirky gaming device is arriving in early

2020. The Panic Playdate will cost $149, which
      already includes the console and 12 games.