My worry is that after a few days of playing around with it, it becomes a $200 paperweight. It’s a bit (and by that I mean at least 2x) too expensive for what it is.
I get that. But at the same time I have a bit of an obsession with handheld devices. And there’s enough of a cool indie scene that I think I’d use it quite a bit, and develop for it myself. UFO 50 is my goty and I feel that same sense of discovery and fun I could get out of a device like this
Nice! I havent used lua before but will look at it when my system arrives as I’d rather use that than C haha.
I saw someone started / did a wario ware style game for the playdate but I really want to try my hand at something like that. With the accelerometer, crank, buttons, etc it seems like the perfect device for quick micro games like that!
Yeah, being a niche product without the economies of scale elsewhere in gaming makes the price really awkward. My hope is that will improve over time if the install base keeps growing.
I use mine just about every day, I’ve been fully obsessed with a game on multiple occasions, and I’m excited every time there are new things in the catalog. Easily worth full game-console price for the joy I’ve gotten out of it. But, that doesn’t really help anybody else, I know.
It really is a lot less of a gimmick than it might seem. The final game of the first season is a shockingly polished gameboy-zelda-style adventure that I’ve played start-to-finish more than once.
Unfortunately it’s still ~$100 just to make the thing, so halving the price doesn’t sound likely. It’s definitely a device you have to use intentionally because of the screen, but I still play mine at least few times a week (and daily when I’m pomodoroing!)
Plus you get 3 months of included games! A bit harder to become ewaste so fast when you’re playing something new every week
