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11 november 2020 – 15:00
Putting gaming devices on the market at a time when games are mainly played on smartphones is not without risk. Still, the Panic company takes the gamble. Their mini console can run black and white 2-bit games on a 2.7-inch unlit screen.
The launch of the Playdate was supposed to be earlier this year postponed because the Malaysian factory was closed due to local lockdowns.
Only a few hundred Playdates have been shipped to interested software developers, and each Playdate is also a so-called devkit. So everyone will be able to make their own games.
Orders for the Playdate are now scheduled for the beginning of 2021. The device will cost $ 149 and mass production will begin this month. Games haven’t been announced yet, except for Crankin’s Time Travel Adventure.
It will be a busy year for game consoles, because in addition to a new Playstation and XBox, the Atari VCS is expected, in addition to the Intellivision Amico in April, which can play classic games in addition to new games. And then there’s the Analogue Duo, inspired by the cult classic Turbo Duo console from the 1990s.
Panic was founded in 1997 as a software developer specializing in apps for iOS, including Transmit, Coda, and Audion. Since 2016, the company has also been developing video games, including the award-winning adventure game Firewatchuit 2016 and Untitled Goose Game.
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