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Panic has announced its first ever Playdate Update video showcase for June 8. The 15-minute presentation airs on Panic’s YouTube channel at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET and will offer another look at the company’s intriguing new handheld, including information about when preorders will open as well as its Season 1 lineup of games.
Ahead of the showcase, Panic has confirmed that the Playdate handheld will retail for $179 USD when it launches. The company also announced it is doubling the number of games that will be included as part of Season 1, from 12 to 24, as well as increasing the handheld’s internal storage to 4 GB.
“We’ve all been quietly working nonstop to get all the complex pieces of the Playdate puzzle into place, and at last we’re ready to show you what we’ve been up to,” Panic co-founder Cabel Sasser said in a press release. “There’s a lot of amazing things being created here that will hopefully add a bit of joy to your life.”
The Playdate handheld was first revealed in 2019, with a planned launch in 2020. The system ultimately ended up being delayed, but Panic showed off a number of games in the works for it last summer, including a version of Doom that used the system’s hand crank to fire the chain gun. Panic noted that not all of the games demonstrated last year will necessarily end up shipping with the Playdate, but we’ll get a look at the full Season 1 lineup during the presentation, along with “more exciting surprises.”
It’s still a bit unclear exactly how Playdate’s seasons will work, but Panic says those will offer “brand-new games, delivered over time, directly to the device.” The video presentation arrives just ahead of E3 2021. While the show officially runs from June 12-15, many companies are holding presentations in the days leading up to it. You can see the full E3 2021 schedule here.
