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$199 gets you a system with 24 games and plenty of indies to sideload.

A photo of the Playdate.

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The Playdate has been out since April 2022 — here’s how it’s going

In a time when video game consoles are becoming more powerful and more connected than ever and AAA games are massive, bloated endeavors, Untitled Goose Game publisher Panic decided to go back to basics with the now $199 Playdate: a minuscule yellow handheld about the size of a Post-it note with a non-backlit black-and-white screen and a fishing pole-style crank on one side in addition to a D-pad and three face buttons.
Its design looks like it could&rsquo;ve easily fit into Nintendo&rsquo;s or Sega&rsquo;s hardware stable in the early aughts, with games that similarly reflect some of the most fun, experimental games of the day.
That&rsquo;s fitting: early developers for the system are responsible for some of the most unique and indelible gaming experiences from that time, like Katamari Damacy and the ever-maddening QWOP. Its games are delivered in seasons (the first one&rsquo;s free), but users can also sideload community-made games if they want to.

A new season of Playdate games.

Panic is hosting a Playdate showcase tomorrow.

The tiniest MMO

A pint-sized MMO.

Playdate Catalog games can’t use generative AI for “art, audio, music, text, or dialog.”

Some fresh Playdate news.

Helloyellow brings voice messaging to the Playdate.

“Now with folders.”

The Playdate is getting folders.

Playdate’s second season sucked me back into the little yellow handheld

Another handheld to buy this week.

Playdate’s second season is off to a great (and very weird) start

That other big handheld launch.

Playdate’s second season of games starts in May

A playdate with Playdate.

The Playdate is about to get a price increase

Don’t Panic, the Playdate now has a matching power adapter.

Pinball’s coming to the Playdate.

Playdate is getting a second season of games in 2025

The Playdate Stereo Dock has been shelved

Don’t Panic.

Zero Zero: Perfect Stop turns the Playdate into a train simulator.

You can now camouflage your Playdate as a tiny pizza box.

The Playdate makes a surprisingly good e-reader

Flapping the bird with a Playdate.

Playdate has sold 150,000 games in the last year

The case of the missing $400,000 worth of cute hand-cranked game consoles.

Playdate, please.

You can finally buy a Playdate without waiting for months

Make a date with your Playdate.

Spice up your Playdate with a new cover.

Back to the future of handheld gaming.

Castlevania meets Playdate.

Playdate now has an MP3 player.

Make your Playdate more productive.

A light-gun shooter on your crank-powered handheld.

More Playdate games.

Panic says it’s sold more than 50,000 Playdate handhelds

Playdate is adding five new games to its Catalog.

You can now play Celeste on Playdate.

Today is the last day to order a Playdate before its $20 price increase

Playdate is bumping its price to $199 in April

Playdate’s new store launches today — here are some great games to check out

Playdate’s next showcase will focus on new games and its upcoming storefront

Playdate’s failure to launch in Malaysia

Time to dust off your PlayDate.

Even the Playdate Simulator can run on Steam Deck

The Playdate’s launch was a unique opportunity for small game developers

The playful Playdate gets serious as a personal organizer

Here are some great games to sideload onto your Playdate

Panic isn’t sure if people will like the Playdate’s seasonal model

You can now make a Playdate game right in your browser

Panic’s Playdate handheld delayed to early 2022

See how the Playdate’s crank cranks in new teardown

Here’s when and how you can preorder the Playdate handheld

Playdate hands-on: a Game Boy from a different dimension

Playdate preorders begin next month, and here are the first games

The tiny Playdate handheld gets a price bump but double the games

Panic’s Playdate handheld will be ready for streamers when it launches sometime this year

Playdate, the tiny handheld with a crank, is delayed to early 2021

Check out some wonderful Playdate game demos, including a low-fi Doom

Our first look at Playdate, the world’s cutest game console

Playdate is an adorable handheld with games from the creators of Qwop, Katamari, and more

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More from The Playdate has been out since April 2022 — here’s how it’s going

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More from The Playdate has been out since April 2022 — here’s how it’s going

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