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Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System

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Re: Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System

#51

Post by russellbeattie »

This is interesting, but I can think of lots of things I'd put on the side of the device to make it unique besides a crank. It's an oddly specific way to provide analog and/or constant input (if it does indeed crank 360 degrees) from the player. An actual analog stick? A dial? A trigger? A switch lever? A touch sensitive pad? A trackball?

Maybe these guys are really into fishing?

Re: Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System

#53

Post by barbecue_sauce »

krrishd wrote: post #14
filoleg wrote: post #4

Slightly off-topic, but the website design looks like a worse version of Teenage Engineering website ( https://teenage.engineering/products/po ) with larger font size (a bit too large imo). Not dissing the website though, it isn't that bad overall, just thought it was interesting, since I haven't seen many others attempting that. EDIT: after a closer look at the page, I realized that they explicitly mentioned partner…

It's funny, I was also going to comment on how this has a very Teenage Engineering vibe before I found out that they're affiliated :)

Was thinking "this looks like a teenage engineering product" right as "Teenage Engineering" came on screen.

Re: Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System

#54

Post by chaostheory »

stOneskull wrote: post #10
slantyyz wrote: post #2

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

that's what i thought it was for, and then maybe it could be used to charge something else with crank-power through usb

Yeah same here. I'm not sure I really buy it as control mechanism for playing though.

Re: Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System

#56

Post by _bxg1 »

segphault wrote: post #43
_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

Oh yeah, those were fantastic little devices. It's a shame that it wasn't popular enough to warrant successors. The OpenMoko people did some really innovative stuff back in the day, but hardware is tough.

The problem with single-purpose devices is they're a frivolous cost. When your phone can do everything, buying a separate dedicated device is inherently impractical. Of course, impracticality is also what tends to give things charm.

Put differently, limitations create interest, but they're also the opposite of cost-effective.

Re: Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System

#57

Post by soulofmischief »

p1necone wrote: post #20
chrisseaton wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you ever tried a hand-cranked radio or torch? They need a lot of cranking. I'm not sure it would be tractable.

This kinda looks like it has an epaper screen? Or at least a simple black and white lcd. Potentially uses a lot less power than a torch.

At that price, it likely wouldn't be e-ink. But even more so, the framerate of e-ink tech currently on the market isn't suitable for moving graphics. There are a few companies working on different ways to solve this problem but the existing e-ink patent is quite a thorn.

Re: Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System

#58

Post by CptFribble »

msvan wrote: post #11

I think it's cool. I'm not that old, but games these days mostly seem to be about squeezing every last dollar out of the consumer through shady means. I think this is part of why I don't play video games anymore. It's nice to see something different.

That's an interesting interpretation of "Season One is included free of charge."

Re: Playdate – A New Handheld Gaming System

#60

Post by seanmcdirmid »

nathancahill wrote: post #48
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #26

I'm wondering if that crank would work for a leftie?

About the same as Apple Watch for lefties right? (source: am leftie)

You mean this?

https://www.imore.com/how-set-apple-watch-left-handed-use

Sounds like Apple did the right thing in that case, but I'm not sure how one could move the crank over to the opposite side. Maybe by turning it upside down and having the controller buttons at the top?

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