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Preorders for the Playdate will officially open in July, with the console being priced at $179. An exact date next month will be revealed, with manufacturer Panic confirming that units will ship out later this year. The console itself has a unique gimmick of a hand crank for playing games, which can be used to fire a gun in Doom as an example. The hardware on which games are played is done through a black and white LCD screen and it has 4GB of internal storage.
A number of games will be available in July, as well as the handheld’s first accessory, the Playdate Stereo Dock. This add-on serves as a charging port for the console, and can also be used as a Bluetooth stereo speaker. It even comes with a pen that can be stored at the top of the dock. Panic has partnered with Poolsuite FM on this accessory, to provide users with an online radio station that features curated Soundcloud playlists from the past and present.
If you’re more interested in protecting your Playdate, a $29 protective case will also be available. For a quick $10 saving, you can also grab the PlayDate bundled with the case for $199.
As for games, Panic has revealed 21 of them that will be included with Playdate as part of the Season One lineup. Playdate owners will receive two free games per week for 12 weeks when the first season begins.
Playdate Season One Games
Crankin’s Time Travel AdventureBattleship GodiosBoogie LoopsCasual BirderDemonQuest 85Echoic MemoryExecutive Golf DXFlipper LifterForrest Byrnes: Up in SmokeHyper MeteorLost Your MarblesOmazePick Pack PupQuesty ChessRatcheteerSasquatchersSnakSpellcorked!ZipperSaturday EditionWhitewater Wipeout
Beyond that line-up of initial games, future titles on the Playdate include After Midnight from Return of the Obra Dinn‘s Lucas Pope. Narrative development company Sweet Baby will guide and mentor two teams of up-and-coming developers on the games Recommendation Dog and Reel Steal, while the Playdate Developer Preview Program has a number of other titles in development.
