I Love My Switch, but I Prefer This Handheld for Quick Gaming Sessions

howtogeek.com:

When I want to untether my long gaming sessions from a TV, it's hard to resist my Nintendo Switch. However, when I need a quick fix at home, the handheld I'm reaching for most often is one you might not have heard of: the Playdate.

What Is a Playdate?

Playdate is a nifty handheld released in 2022 by Panic Inc (the publisher of Untitled Goose Game and Firewatch). Its defining features are the crank-based control input and a hyper-sharp one-bit screen. It harkens back to the days of non-backlit Game Boys both in form factor and spirit, but with a fidelity those systems didn't offer. It's also become a haven for independent developers looking for a low-stakes environment to explore unique game design concepts, as well as upstarts who use its web-based game builder, Pulp.

Playdate is also noteworthy for its game distribution model. Every console comes with 24 games, doled out at a pace of two per week. These span the gamut of game genres, from puzzlers to RPGs to high-score chasers. Some were created by famous developers such as Bennett Foddy and Zack Gage exclusively for Playdate. Options beyond this "season one" collection include Panic's curated catalogue of games for purchase—the highest profile of which being Lucas Pope's Mars After Midnight—and sideloading games following support through the Playdate website.

This Charming Device Invites You to Play

It's hard not to notice a Playdate when one's in your eyeline, as the striking yellow casing (or an equally colorful protective case) pops off any desk. It's such an visual draw that some people even use it as a clock, a use-case for which Panic has announced a forthcoming dock. But more importantly, the Playdate screams "carefree fun" before you even pick it up, which in turn entices you to play with it.

The charm only increases after unlocking the device, a whimsical process itself that involves pressing the lock button twice, each click opening a sleeping eye displayed on the screen. Just like that, the