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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

#21

Post by HelixEndeavor »

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

The display is black and white, yes.

It's only expensive when compared to products churned out by massive megacorporation with economies of scale on their side. This device was made from scratch by a very small company.

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

#22

Post by HelixEndeavor »

Gigachad wrote: post #20
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.

It's not OLED. It's more like one of those LCD watch displays but massively technologically advanced forward.

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

#23

Post by tengbretson »

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.

The current price of GBA micros on eBay makes me think this will do just fine.

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

#24

Post by Gigachad »

HelixEndeavor wrote: post #22
Gigachad wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

It's not OLED. It's more like one of those LCD watch displays but massively technologically advanced forward.

Ah so it isn't. Still looks quite good in the images. High enough resolution to feel premium.

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

#26

Post by lamacase »

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

Re 2. I saw a tweet from a developer who ported Doom to the playdate. He made it so you could turn the crank to fire the chain gun.

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

#27

Post by roywiggins »

HelixEndeavor wrote: post #21
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

The display is black and white, yes. It's only expensive when compared to products churned out by massive megacorporation with economies of scale on their side. This device was made from scratch by a very small company.

The Arduboy is $60. I don't doubt this thing is more capable that the Arduboy, the hardware is probably nicer, but they're both tiny fidget toys for small games- and one is 4x pricier than the other. So it's not like cheaper indie handhelds can't exist.

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

#29

Post by Danieru »

roywiggins wrote: post #27
HelixEndeavor wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The display is black and white, yes. It's only expensive when compared to products churned out by massive megacorporation with economies of scale on their side. This device was made from scratch by a very small company.

The Arduboy is $60. I don't doubt this thing is more capable that the Arduboy, the hardware is probably nicer, but they're both tiny fidget toys for small games- and one is 4x pricier than the other. So it's not like cheaper indie handhelds can't exist.

The Arduboy is more powerful for sure.

I've made a game for the Playdate using the Pulp tool release last month. My summation is the device will be a neat toy for hobby gamedevs.

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

#30

Post by subb »

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 love letter to past times, with little extras. It's made in partnership with Teenage Engineering, which created all sorts of little (and bigger) devices like this, mostly for audio. https://teenage.engineering/
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