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Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System

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Re: Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System

#101

Post by new4thaccount »

tein wrote: post #98

I dont know how much it costs to make specialized hardware. But i think there was a missed oportunity in cartridge based handhelds. There were a couple of games for GB,GBA and DS that had gimmicky controls that came from the cartridge. As the gyroscope for Yoshi Tipsy Turvy, Wario Ware Twisted and Kirby Tilt n Tumble. Another one was Guitar Hero for the DS and i think there was one with a light sensor for the GB? Thi…

Don't forget "Boktai The Sun is in Your Hands" for GBA.

It came with a solar sensor on the cartridge that required the gamer to go outside to charge their solar gun in order to kill vampires. Very cool, but it grew annoying fast.

Re: Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System

#102

Post by gameswithgo »

jonshariat wrote: post #55
slantyyz wrote: post #2

It would be cool if the crank was also used to charge the device's battery.

Ditto. Missed opportunity to charge while you interact. Imagine if the buttons also squeezed out charge as you hit them. Would be a fun concept.

it wouldn't be a meaningful amount of charge. same with solar panels on electric cars.

Re: Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System

#104

Post by simongr3dal »

stackzero wrote: post #74

Why the name playdate?

It's part of the "gimmick".

After the device is released and is available for sale, a new game will be released for it and downloaded automatically each week for the first 12 weeks, when downloaded a little light will light up and you can have small play date with the Playdate.

Re: Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System

#105

Post by rossy »

dstaley wrote: post #69
Reedx wrote: post #61

This looks really cool and would be great for a fishing game. I wonder about the lack of backlighting though? Hopefully the screen is much better in this regard than the original non-backlit GBA, which was difficult to see in low light conditions. It was tricky getting light to hit the screen in just the right way: https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2001/06/13/lame-boy-advan...

They're using a transflective LCD, so it should be plenty visible even in lower-ambient light conditions. Nothing like the original Gameboy.

Doesn't a transflective LCD have a backlight? The media/FAQ page says pretty clearly that the device has a reflective LCD with no backlight, same as the GBA, which the parent comment was referring to.

Re: Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System

#106

Post by new4thaccount »

_bxg1 wrote: post #3

I personally love weird single-purpose hardware. Unfortunately it tends not to do very well commercially. Anybody remember this guy? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WikiReader

I've never heard of that, but would've loved one. Kinda useless with cellphones, but I could see that being nice for backpacking if the battery lasts long enough.

Re: Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System

#107

Post by closetohome »

lostgame wrote: post #86
keyle wrote: post #80

Panic never stops surprising me. You'd think you had them figured out, they keep jumping onto another shelf. It must be fun to work at Panic. It reminds me of how tech companies were in the 90s. Clear mission, but open horizon.

I've been using their software for easily 14 years. It's really cool to see them expanding like this.

It says something that their primary product is a $50 FTP client and I actually don't mind paying for it.

Re: Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System

#108

Post by liquidzoot »

bduerst wrote: post #62
liquidzoot wrote: post #45

Personally the association with Teenage Engineering makes me more concerned that this will not be as exciting as it sounds. TE's Op-1 is a fine piece of kit, but their recent offerings have been very underwhelming. Also the placement of the crank and the form factor look very un-ergonomic.

Can you comment on the Op-1 and what makes it great?

Not from personal experience, but it seems that it's an all around decent synth/sequencer/sampler that makes a good musical scratchpad. People like it, and if I had a g to spare, I might join in.

Re: Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System

#110

Post by johnhenry »

asciimo wrote: post #93
Reedx wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That was my first thought as well. But would it actually be practical? Anyone have an educated guess as to how much cranking it'd take to get 30 minutes of play time?

Optional power drill adapter.

Though, if the drill isn't gas-powered, this would be kind of silly.
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