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Playdate Software Development Kit is now available for free to all

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Re: Playdate Software Development Kit is now available for free to all

#11

Post by Arnavion »

awill wrote: post #9

Does anyone care about this after the Analogue Pocket and the Steam Deck have launched (I get my Steam Deck next week). I get they're different devices, but I feel the Playdate had a bunch of hype, and then took way too long to ship, and has lost that initial interest.

I don't think it's comparable to the Steam Deck, in the sense that the Steam Deck has always been about playing existing games and the PlayDate has always been about completely new games for that hardware. They serve different use cases.

I don't have anything to say about the Analogue Pocket; your comment is the first I heard of it.

Re: Playdate Software Development Kit is now available for free to all

#12

Post by city41 »

awill wrote: post #9

Does anyone care about this after the Analogue Pocket and the Steam Deck have launched (I get my Steam Deck next week). I get they're different devices, but I feel the Playdate had a bunch of hype, and then took way too long to ship, and has lost that initial interest.

I always felt the Playdate was more competing with things like the Arduboy, Gamebuino, or even the Pico8. A new platform for brand new games that is perhaps retro inspired but not actually retro.

I don't really think many people are debating between the Playdate and the Analogue Pocket or Steam Deck.

Re: Playdate Software Development Kit is now available for free to all

#14

Post by wmf »

rideontime wrote: post #6
Jyaif wrote: post #4

> Most games will use Playdate’s Lua API Oh my sweet summer child. Reminds me of the Android documentation that said something along "Most apps shouldn't use the NDK".

Do most apps use the NDK?

AFAIK virtually all Android games use NDK because game engines like Unity are not written in Java.

Re: Playdate Software Development Kit is now available for free to all

#17

Post by caconym_ »

awill wrote: post #9

Does anyone care about this after the Analogue Pocket and the Steam Deck have launched (I get my Steam Deck next week). I get they're different devices, but I feel the Playdate had a bunch of hype, and then took way too long to ship, and has lost that initial interest.

Assuming Panic manages to ship their first run, tens of thousands of people who've already ordered are going to have Playdates in their hands sooner or later, and they will set the tone for its reception. It's not like the hardware is going to become obsolete; its appeal was always its simplicity and the "curated indie experience" on offer. Neither the Analogue Pocket nor the Steam Deck is really comparable in terms of capability or value proposition.

Re: Playdate Software Development Kit is now available for free to all

#18

Post by the_arun »

Initial thoughts:

1. From the video on the site, device looks simple & portable.

2. The crank on the side makes you think it can play only 2D games.

3. $199 (device+cover) feels little expensive.

4. Display seems black white

5. Wonder why this was not done as an accessory device for smartphones instead of a separate device

Re: Playdate Software Development Kit is now available for free to all

#19

Post by ngngngng »

pull_my_finger wrote: post #15

Can you disable the "seasons" feature? I don't love the idea of constant stream of random software getting loaded on there

This is a good question for the playdate discord where a few Panic employees hang out to answer questions. From their previous related answers I believe the playdate is extremely flexible.

Re: Playdate Software Development Kit is now available for free to all

#20

Post by Gigachad »

the_arun wrote: post #18

Initial thoughts: 1. From the video on the site, device looks simple & portable. 2. The crank on the side makes you think it can play only 2D games. 3. $199 (device+cover) feels little expensive. 4. Display seems black white 5. Wonder why this was not done as an accessory device for smartphones instead of a separate device

It's a fidget toy for people with lots of money rather than an actual gaming device. It all makes sense once you see it with that perspective.

It looks like a high quality build with a sharp oled screen and novel controls. A stick on crank for a phone would be silly and feel cheap.

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