While Google’s Stadia is definitely making waves within the gaming community, this tiny, analog, black-and-white gaming device is promising to deliver sweet nostalgia to all us 80s and 90s gamers. The Playdate (such an adorable name) comes from app-developing company Panic, with design assistance from our favorite retro-synth-design-outfit Teenage Engineering. The Playdate is Gameboy-esque, with its bright yellow hue and pocketable avatar. It comes with a b/w screen, controls, an A/B button, pause button, and (wait for it) a crank!! The crank, folded into the side of the controller, can be flipped outwards and used as an actual control, giving Playdate’s native games a different UX altogether, and bringing a literally revolutionary new interaction and dimension to games.
The device will come with games developed by Panic, along with other reputed designers like Bennet Foddy, and new games will be delivered over the air to each device, every week for 12 weeks. The new games will be an element of surprise, and Panic’s even built a ‘new game’ light into the Playdate that will flash to let you know that there’s a new adventure waiting out there for you… a feature that’s sure to pique one’s curiosity and leave you in sheer anticipation for a new game to drop, especially after GoT’s finally over!
Designed as Panic’s passion project, it’s truly wonderful to see people not just chasing nostalgia (which is truly a powerful emotion) but also breaking the mold to create truly desirable products and experiences!
Designer: Teenage Engineering & Panic
