Respect for what they did and how far they've come with this device. Neat idea. But for what it is, and especially for that price, well, I'm out. More power to everyone who enjoys this.
Yeah, it's definitely not a product made for the budget conscious, although the games (included and aftermarket) offer pretty good economy after the initial investment. But it's weird for weird's sake, a min-max build that dumped all their points into charisma. It's not meant to compete with any existing platform which makes it inherently superfluous.
I’ve had mine for about a week and a half and I really like it. I enjoy the fact that the screen isn’t lit, in a weird way I feel like it doesn’t give me that sense of dopamine overload between a game and a bright screen. It’s way easier to whip out and play for 10 minutes vs any other handheld I have
@thomasbryans6547 so you think that might be the catch which Panic went for on not making it back-lit? So you could spend more time with your loved ones?
I like the concept of a kind of indie dev community and the crank thing is novel to be sure, but the fact that they actually went and RAISED the price of this thing just blows me away. It was a tough sell to begin with.
To me I already have enough gaming devices for something like a Steam Deck etc. So a pick up and play device that you can jump in and out of is great. This kind of niche weird and quirky console is totally up my alley. This kind of idea of an indie handheld that solely plays indie games is amazing to me. THat said this feels like only the beginning, a Playdate Advance would be phenomenal hit and extremely popular.
Very nice video. The only handheld I have is my Switch atm, I quit collecting and sold all I had(gaming since late 80’s). I am impressed by how much you have but also actually play John, keep it up! Very impressive what you are doing, don’t lose sight of your own needs though.
Using it to learning development with my kid. She gets a kick crating the music while I learn other aspects. Then sideloading it onto the play date is super easy and take it to go. It quick to iterate in the development. So from a development point of view of stripping it down so you can go straight into learning it’s way easier than anything else before with added benefit of having it physical on the go
@@marcwilliams9824 Android doesn't have physical buttons. Android has various screen sizes you have to deal with. Android has a very competitive ecosystem that will make your game look like peanuts - with the limitation of the hardware, people with interesting ideas can more easily make games that look good on the console.
unfortunately its that price tag that really turns me off the playdate and after living through the tiger electronics & og gameboy era that screen is brutal.
Having been through that era, I can say it might still bug you, but It's so much better than those screens, it's more reflective, really crisp, with a lot of contrast in the games. I play mine a lot at night. :) I have backlight handheld systems and I won't play them in pitch black, it's so bright. But with a small light source I will play the Playdate. I always want one more minute to play with it. Hopefully they make a backlit one so more people will get to enjoy it.
I get that, but when you can’t see what you are playing in certain lighting conditions it doesn’t matter. Also not being able to turn off the handheld is another silly overlook.
Ah, as a former Game Boy Color developer, the non-backlit screen really takes me back! The nostalgia is absolutely buzzing. Yet, considering our modern era, a backlit option would be a smashing idea, don’t you think? With my home’s dodgy lighting and that reflective screen, it’s a cute but slightly impractical trip down memory lane. Would adore having the choice ;)
"The craft beer of handhelds ..." Ha! Semi-related, I've been looking for tech marketing work recently, and I didn't know the company that made the Playdate is here in Portland.
Them raising that price is a bad choice. This is only for certain people. Personally I don't like it. The screen is an issue. size, lack of a backlight, and the fact it isn't in color. But it's cool that they are doing something different. And the game library is growing. Good for them.
I absolutely love my Playdate. I play it almost every day. It is especially great for subway rides since it fits in my pocket comfortably and doesn't need the internet or wifi to operate. Also a great conversation starter people are always asking me about it.
I love it conceptually but it’s in such a weird place cause of that price. It’s a platform for small games that will never be made for other systems. It’s a platform to make stuff “for fun” and to really creatively express yourself without worrying about making money … It’s an expensive device for playing cheap games.
I think with the system you know what type of games you will likely get that's a novelty device of a few minutes pic up and play games being the charm but no colour and especially backlight shows they went to far compromising style over functionality.
a fishing game with reddeadredemption2 fishing mechanics, or even a simpler one like, harvest fishing, would be good on this system. then a windup music box that plays midi files would awesome too. (is midi free licensing?)
I think that the playdate games could be more akin ( in time to come) to pop art. Pop art in the 1960s became a niche format. But the images lasted throughout the decades. The same could well be said about these playdate games too. The fact that we are able to use our imaginations to create beautiful works of digital game art with this system is fantastic. And those game images could be used in posters, t-shirts, cups, on walls or wherever else. One more thing. I think the point made that it was trying to be 'too artsy' is exactly my point. I feel that it was purposely made that way. And I love it exactly because of that. The lack of the backlight is not an issue for me. Simply because it brings back great memories for me of when I had my original black and white gameboy.
@JH I didn't buy the PlayDate to play classic games I own it to play the unusual and innovative games designed with the PlayDate in mind. In my opinion this system is not the one you want if you want to play the same old classic like games we all grew up with.
Maybe someone could mod one and add some kind of back light like they do for the og Gameboy? I don't know about that price tag. Like you said you could get a switch light for that price and get a lot of 1st party games.
Valve did right with the Steam Deck and using Steam to offset the price of the console. I'm baffled that Panic isn't doing the same with Playdate. Very weird.
I’d love to offer my perspective of the play date, but I ordered in august 2021, and still have not received it. I see anyone who orders today can expect to get theirs within a month or two. Frustrating.
@@johnhancockretro I received an email yesterday to confirm my address. They are shipping in the coming weeks. I had no idea in the beginning I’d be waiting this long.
I was trying to buy playdate since it was released but they were not shipping to Portugal for no reason, now that they do they ask $200 that's crazy expensive
Great video, thank you! I'm in my 40s and love retro games, but the play date looks as appealing to me as watching paint dry in the dark. To each, their own!
I appreciate the simplicity of the games. In a world of super complicated games that feel like almost like a job it’s sort of refreshing. I don’t even mind the price (although I wish it were cheaper for most people). But no backlight is a miss. It would have been so sick if it had a throwback indiglo blue/green backlight you don’t see anymore. Maybe in a future version.
I get silly posts like this from time to time. I use the name to distinguish myself from John Hancock, as it was on RUclips before me. Most people understand that but thanks for singling that issue out and feeling the need to post about it.
I mean.. I was joking lol I just thought it was funny because you don't actually have immortal in your youtube handle, and this being the first vid of yours I watched I wouldn't know that context. I have been tempted to get the playdate but kind of hoping they'll come out with a backlit version at some point. Maybe not likely but I grew up playing on original gameboy color, I don't wanna go back to no backlit screen. Glad to see it's still getting content though.
For black and white graphics some of the games look pretty nice, but this isn’t for me. It’s too expensive and there is too much other stuff on other systems to play. It almost seems like the system is about $150 too much for what it is.
Something I like about the Playdate is how compact and portable it is, you can keep it in your pocket for random tinkering. I'll note that for the same price one can purchase a Nintendo DS / 2DS / 3DS, which with the R4 cartridge means hundreds of free games.
Not interested, way to expensive, no backlight, some nice games, but not worth it to me. Got a switch, nintendo ds, psp, ps vita etc. This does not bring me enough to make that price valid. Worth about 80 bucks to me.
Game guys, game friends. Let's all deeply pray, fast and deeply hope, like the Playdate, TiltFive and Amico will also be not Ouyas and will be successful even if the success is not as big as the top 4 big gaming companies. God bless, Rev. 21:4
Respect for what they did and how far they've come with this device. Neat idea. But for what it is, and especially for that price, well, I'm out. More power to everyone who enjoys this.
Yeah, it's definitely not a product made for the budget conscious, although the games (included and aftermarket) offer pretty good economy after the initial investment. But it's weird for weird's sake, a min-max build that dumped all their points into charisma. It's not meant to compete with any existing platform which makes it inherently superfluous.
I’ve had mine for about a week and a half and I really like it. I enjoy the fact that the screen isn’t lit, in a weird way I feel like it doesn’t give me that sense of dopamine overload between a game and a bright screen. It’s way easier to whip out and play for 10 minutes vs any other handheld I have
Have you bought one now ?
@thomasbryans6547 so you think that might be the catch which Panic went for on not making it back-lit?
So you could spend more time with your loved ones?
I like the concept of a kind of indie dev community and the crank thing is novel to be sure, but the fact that they actually went and RAISED the price of this thing just blows me away. It was a tough sell to begin with.
To me I already have enough gaming devices for something like a Steam Deck etc. So a pick up and play device that you can jump in and out of is great. This kind of niche weird and quirky console is totally up my alley. This kind of idea of an indie handheld that solely plays indie games is amazing to me. THat said this feels like only the beginning, a Playdate Advance would be phenomenal hit and extremely popular.
Agreed. The system is super cool, but I can't stand the lack of lighting on the screen
Very nice video. The only handheld I have is my Switch atm, I quit collecting and sold all I had(gaming since late 80’s). I am impressed by how much you have but also actually play John, keep it up! Very impressive what you are doing, don’t lose sight of your own needs though.
Using it to learning development with my kid. She gets a kick crating the music while I learn other aspects. Then sideloading it onto the play date is super easy and take it to go. It quick to iterate in the development. So from a development point of view of stripping it down so you can go straight into learning it’s way easier than anything else before with added benefit of having it physical on the go
Developing something to play on an Android device is easy. Android Studio is free.
You nailed a huge part of the purchase people are ignoring.
The gameDev box it provides for next to nothing
That’s so cool! I would love to get playdate one day
@@marcwilliams9824 Android doesn't have physical buttons. Android has various screen sizes you have to deal with. Android has a very competitive ecosystem that will make your game look like peanuts - with the limitation of the hardware, people with interesting ideas can more easily make games that look good on the console.
unfortunately its that price tag that really turns me off the playdate and after living through the tiger electronics & og gameboy era that screen is brutal.
Having been through that era, I can say it might still bug you, but It's so much better than those screens, it's more reflective, really crisp, with a lot of contrast in the games. I play mine a lot at night. :)
I have backlight handheld systems and I won't play them in pitch black, it's so bright. But with a small light source I will play the Playdate. I always want one more minute to play with it. Hopefully they make a backlit one so more people will get to enjoy it.
OG game boy cost $220 in today’s dollars. Not saying you’re wrong just some context.
The screen isn't a bug it's a feature. No, for real, it's an amazing thing. This tech is uber power efficient and that's the point.
I get that, but when you can’t see what you are playing in certain lighting conditions it doesn’t matter. Also not being able to turn off the handheld is another silly overlook.
Ah, as a former Game Boy Color developer, the non-backlit screen really takes me back! The nostalgia is absolutely buzzing. Yet, considering our modern era, a backlit option would be a smashing idea, don’t you think? With my home’s dodgy lighting and that reflective screen, it’s a cute but slightly impractical trip down memory lane. Would adore having the choice ;)
The option to turn the screen light off is a feature. Not including one at all is a bug.
Had zero interest in a play date but now I’m intrigued! Great video!!
Be good if you did a similar update video for the Quest 2.
Got in the mood to try it out again recently after leaving it untouched for a few months.
"The craft beer of handhelds ..." Ha!
Semi-related, I've been looking for tech marketing work recently, and I didn't know the company that made the Playdate is here in Portland.
One year later! Where’s mine!! I paid for this sucker like everyone else and I still don’t have it.
I would contact them with your order number.
They're slowly rolling them out. I got a bunch of email notifications prior to getting mine this past weekend.
Cool video, and good to highlight some of the games. I do love the 1-bit style, but there's still a long wait to get the console.
Them raising that price is a bad choice. This is only for certain people. Personally I don't like it. The screen is an issue. size, lack of a backlight, and the fact it isn't in color. But it's cool that they are doing something different. And the game library is growing. Good for them.
Grabbed my popcorn
Eh, Steve!
A year later, and I can still cannot pre order one (NZ still not on the "we can ship to these countries" list).
I'm in NZ and you can sign up for youshop on the post website. However, there is a fee for this.
I absolutely love my Playdate. I play it almost every day. It is especially great for subway rides since it fits in my pocket comfortably and doesn't need the internet or wifi to operate. Also a great conversation starter people are always asking me about it.
I love it conceptually but it’s in such a weird place cause of that price. It’s a platform for small games that will never be made for other systems. It’s a platform to make stuff “for fun” and to really creatively express yourself without worrying about making money …
It’s an expensive device for playing cheap games.
I think with the system you know what type of games you will likely get that's a novelty device of a few minutes pic up and play games being the charm but no colour and especially backlight shows they went to far compromising style over functionality.
Great video man. I will have to check it out
a fishing game with reddeadredemption2 fishing mechanics, or even a simpler one like, harvest fishing, would be good on this system.
then a windup music box that plays midi files would awesome too. (is midi free licensing?)
Its kind of like gaming on your graphing calculator in math class, but for the price of a switch lite
Do you own a PlayDate?
Celeste was actually a port of the pico-8 version, the original celeste made for a game jam.
Cool but niche
I think that the playdate games could be more akin ( in time to come) to pop art. Pop art in the 1960s became a niche format. But the images lasted throughout the decades. The same could well be said about these playdate games too. The fact that we are able to use our imaginations to create beautiful works of digital game art with this system is fantastic. And those game images could be used in posters, t-shirts, cups, on walls or wherever else. One more thing. I think the point made that it was trying to be 'too artsy' is exactly my point. I feel that it was purposely made that way. And I love it exactly because of that. The lack of the backlight is not an issue for me. Simply because it brings back great memories for me of when I had my original black and white gameboy.
Love the playdate but a light would be so good. Playdate light would be a great second console
Nice vid John 👍🏻
How tf can they justify the same price of a switch lite for a non-backlit screen with no power?
maybe because they are a small compagny and not Nintendo? :D easy answer
@@pommedapi3847 it’s still not worth $200. It can’t even emulate gb games well
Another great video immortal 👍
* No backlit
* No color
* Awkward controls
* Lame games
* Expensive price tag
pretty bad for 2023
You forgot and $200 smh
You forgot "over 12 months to ship (according to many comments on this video)"
dude, the zipper game is my favorite game ever now
Cool review John 👌👌
@JH I didn't buy the PlayDate to play classic games I own it to play the unusual and innovative games designed with the PlayDate in mind. In my opinion this system is not the one you want if you want to play the same old classic like games we all grew up with.
Sideloading can now be done via the website which is nice
still waiting .... summer or fall for me.... at least i got the cheaper price...
"amazing" might be pushing it for these types of games
It looks cool but definitely very niche. Not worth the money for most of us.
I can literally get a small handheld device from a claw machine at Dave and Busters for 1$ with every 8 and 16 bit game ever made.
I’ll buy one when they release a game called “Crankin’ It”
that is a tough price,,,,$200 not sure why they get a free pass with that it's the price of switch lite
Maybe someone could mod one and add some kind of back light like they do for the og Gameboy? I don't know about that price tag. Like you said you could get a switch light for that price and get a lot of 1st party games.
I kind of understand the price bump though. I look at it more like: "Early adopters got a discount."
I live where I only use internet once per week (minus my cellphone) they told me it would be fine, but I’m not so sure.
Valve did right with the Steam Deck and using Steam to offset the price of the console. I'm baffled that Panic isn't doing the same with Playdate. Very weird.
I’d love to offer my perspective of the play date, but I ordered in august 2021, and still have not received it. I see anyone who orders today can expect to get theirs within a month or two. Frustrating.
Have you reached out to them? Also would try their social media contacts as well.
@@johnhancockretro I received an email yesterday to confirm my address. They are shipping in the coming weeks. I had no idea in the beginning I’d be waiting this long.
@@joshmiller887 did you get it?
@@edfl497 I did!!! It arrived on Thursday!
Just 2 weeks shy of 2 years since I preordered.
I was trying to buy playdate since it was released but they were not shipping to Portugal for no reason, now that they do they ask $200 that's crazy expensive
It’s expensive in my country too unfortunately
Great video, thank you! I'm in my 40s and love retro games, but the play date looks as appealing to me as watching paint dry in the dark.
To each, their own!
I still have gotten mine yet. It’s been almost 2 years since my preorder.
Wow
Wait what? Seriously? The orders now (even though expensive) shipped pretty fast.
I appreciate the simplicity of the games. In a world of super complicated games that feel like almost like a job it’s sort of refreshing. I don’t even mind the price (although I wish it were cheaper for most people). But no backlight is a miss. It would have been so sick if it had a throwback indiglo blue/green backlight you don’t see anymore. Maybe in a future version.
Just attach a portable torch to the system. Issue over
Noob question, what is HIO?
Too expensive for a non backlit handheld. The handle is the seller but is still a gimmick. This handheld should be $100 dollar at most.
Google recognize the playdate site as unsafe. Anyone else got this problem?
$200 is way too much for this thing. I’d be interested in it but only if it was around $50 at most. The black and white screen really hurt it’s appeal
I think the high price is due to the fact that the company get no money from games, all revenue goes 100% to the developers. But still 200$ is a lot.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you're not immortal
I get silly posts like this from time to time. I use the name to distinguish myself from
John Hancock, as it was on RUclips before me. Most people understand that but thanks for singling that issue out and feeling the need to post about it.
I mean.. I was joking lol I just thought it was funny because you don't actually have immortal in your youtube handle, and this being the first vid of yours I watched I wouldn't know that context. I have been tempted to get the playdate but kind of hoping they'll come out with a backlit version at some point. Maybe not likely but I grew up playing on original gameboy color, I don't wanna go back to no backlit screen. Glad to see it's still getting content though.
Honestly, the price is what gets me... A handheld in 2023 with no light up screen.
I bet sorting through all the trash games is a nightmare.
$200 and no back lit screen? Nope.
Im from the UK and looked into getting one as I like the concept. But with shipping and taxes it would cost me $300. I could buy a Series S for that.
200 dollars for that gameboy is a bit over the top
For black and white graphics some of the games look pretty nice, but this isn’t for me. It’s too expensive and there is too much other stuff on other systems to play. It almost seems like the system is about $150 too much for what it is.
$199,99. Sorry but nope. It isn't that cool.
Too rich for me, I'll wait till TEMU gets a Pulahdhat for 20 bucks.
Still a hard pass for me. Thanks for the update, though!
Something I like about the Playdate is how compact and portable it is, you can keep it in your pocket for random tinkering. I'll note that for the same price one can purchase a Nintendo DS / 2DS / 3DS, which with the R4 cartridge means hundreds of free games.
You could buy like 3 3ds for that price
👍
haircut time, lol
Not interested, way to expensive, no backlight, some nice games, but not worth it to me. Got a switch, nintendo ds, psp, ps vita etc. This does not bring me enough to make that price valid. Worth about 80 bucks to me.
not for $200 i pass
Game guys, game friends.
Let's all deeply pray, fast and deeply hope, like the Playdate, TiltFive and Amico will also be not Ouyas and will be successful even if the success is not as big as the top 4 big gaming companies.
God bless, Rev. 21:4
This is something that looks like $10 at most. I wouldn't even buy this. Games don't look that great.
Theres no way anyone can justify the 200 hundred price tag. Even if you have the money to burn.
Way overpriced.
For 200 ? Nope thank you, the game is cool and all but if I choose between this and Modded GBA with Everdrive, I will choose GBA.
This thing sucks 😂
lol the hipsters tried sooooooo hard to make the playdate a thing. 😂
навеное единственный человек который показал разнообразие игр!😊