Panic’s Playdate handheld is now shipping, new Catalog app store coming soon
The Playdate, with its signature hand crank on the side of the device, is finally on its way. After a delay due to battery issues, Panic’s handheld has begun shipping to its first group of buyers.
The news comes alongside an Early 2022 Playdate Update video, which mostly focuses on the shipping announcement. However, there are some other key details in the showcase. Panic co-founder Cabel Sassel announced Catalog, an app store that will run natively on the Playdate, allowing creators to upload and sell their games directly. “Curated games” will be available on Catalog according to Sassel, implying that Panic will have some level of quality assurance for what’s offered. “We’ll keep you posted on Catalog when we have something more to talk about,” he adds.
Catalog’s announcement comes just a few months after the Playdate Pulp beta. The in-browser development tool allows anyone to create games for the Playdate and side-load them onto the handheld. The upcoming app store and work-in-progress dev tool certainly sound like a powerful pair for creators.
Today’s shipping announcement is for the first round of buyers, but Panic hasn’t forgotten about group two. Panic will “have more news in the future about estimates and details,” according to Twitter. For now, those in group one should be on the lookout for an email confirming their shipment.
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