I find stories like these inspirational. They are poised for a big success. Even older companies can make a splash like a startup.
A two decade-year old software developer company called Panic has unveiled a new handheld video game system known as Playdate. It comes bundled with a hand crank that can be used as an option to play video games. Playdate is only available in yellow, is small enough to fit in your pocket, has a black and white screen and can play a variety of games. The handheld system will launch in 2020, priced at $150 USD, but there will be a limited supply of consoles. All 12 games in Season One will be included at that cost, and if the device is successful, the company may develop more seasons of games.
The Playdate gamine console will launch in 2020 with 12 games for its Season One release. (Image Credit: Panic)
Panic recently launched a publishing company, and some titles include Firewatch and Untitled Goose Game, which will be released soon. They also wanted to create more opportunities for gamers alike, so they created the handheld game system, Playdate. The company worked closely with independent video game designers Keita Takahashi, Bennett Foddy, Zach Gage and Shaun Inman to develop the system. "We showed them Playdate and asked, "Want to make a game for it?" Then we lost our minds when they said "Yeah!"" Playdate said.
The gaming company will also release 12 brand new games on a 12-week basis, one game per week. They also plan on keeping their releases a secret (apart from Crankin' Time Travel Adventures) so that it will come as a surprise. They only mentioned some of the games are short, others are long, some are traditional and some are experimental games. All of which are fun to play.
The crank works by rotating the analog and using it to play games that support the usability of it. Other games may not support it. (Image Credit: Panic)
Some feature of the console includes the famed hand crank, which is flipped out from the side, and will require some games to play on exclusively, while others won't need to use the rotating analog controller. It almost looks like a Game Boy system with its A and B buttons and the D-Pad. It contains Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support with a USB-C and headphone jack.
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