Preorders for upcoming $179 handhold gaming console Playdate, created by iOS and macOS developer Panic, have officially opened.
Customers can preorder Playdate consoles as of 10 a.m. Pacific (1 p.m. Eastern) on Thursday, July 27. Consoles will cost $179, which includes the first season of 24 original games delivered weekly. Although game lengths vary, the catalog will range across a variety of genres.
The Playdate store is now open. https://t.co/CqQxx6o42l pic.twitter.com/rQjxW8byYD
— Playdate (@playdate) July 29, 2021
Announced in May 2019, Playdate attracted attention for its quirky, retro-inspired design. It features a 2.7-inch black-and-white display, a headphone jack, and a small crank that is used to control gameplay. Along with the retro touches, Playdate also includes modern features like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functionality, as well as a USB-C port.
In addition to Panic's own first-party games, the developer is also going to release an SDK allowing third parties to create their own titles for the platform.
Panic is a macOS and iOS developer known for games such as Transmit and Coda.