Playdate is a cute lil’ console with a… crank (?)

I love it when a bit of gear surprises me. And today? That surprise is the weirdly brilliant games console the Playdate.

This little handheld device (it measures 74mm × 76mm × 9mm) looks like a cross between the Pikachu GameBoy Color and GameBoy Advance, but with one major difference: it has a crank. Yes, a literal arm that you turn as though you’re operating an old school music box.

Have a look:

It has a D-Pad and two action buttons, so it’s nice and simple.

The Playdate’s screen is black-and-white (with no blacklight unfortunately) and it also has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C, and a headphone jack.

Design-wise, Panic, the company behind the Playdate, built it from the ground up. Excitingly for the music nerds among us, they also collaborated with Teenage Engineering, the business behind the awesome OP-1 and other synthesizers.

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But, more on the crank, because that’s why we’re here, right? Panic is working with a range of indie developers who will create games that use the crank. There’s a sneak preview of how this will work in an upcoming title for the Playdate, Crankin’s Time Travel Adventure, here:

About those games. We reached out to some of our favorite people, like @KeitaTakahash, @bfod, @helvetica, @shauninman, and many more.

Here’s a peek at one: Crankin’s Time Travel Adventure, from Keita. It’s fun and funny. pic.twitter.com/0Ibwqr5k3I

— Playdate (@playdate) May 22, 2019

Awesome, right? You’re basically using the crank to control time.

On the topic of games, Panic’s approach is badass. Rather than, you know, paying for titles like a chump, games are included with the purchase of a Playdate. Yep, every week for 12 weeks, you’ll get a selection of exclusive games delivered straight to the console. The company refers to this as a “season,” which suggests you’ll have to subscribe after the initial one, but, honestly, that seems fair enough.

The Playdate is priced at $149, which is very reasonable considering it’s an indie project. Panic says the games console will ship in 2020, with pre-orders becoming available later on in the year.

I, for one, can’t fucking wait.

Story by Callum Booth

Callum Booth is a freelance journalist with over a decade of experience. Previously, he was the Managing Editor of TNW, where his reporting (show all) Callum Booth is a freelance journalist with over a decade of experience. Previously, he was the Managing Editor of TNW, where his reporting was cited widely, including in VICE, the FT, and the BBC. Callum’s writing has appeared in The Verge, The Daily Telegraph, Time Out, and many more. He covers the full spectrum of technology, with a particular focus on how it shapes our daily lives. And a lot of regulation stuff too. Outside of work, Callum’s an avid bookworm, a Fisherman’s Friends addict, and resolutely unshaven. Follow him on Twitter @CallumBooth or visit www.callumbooth.net.