Playdate launches curated on-device store, announces $20 price increase
Playdate — the dinky yellow gaming handheld with a crank and some nifty games — is getting an on-device store known as Catalog and an imminent $20 USD price increase.
Catalog, which Playdate creator Panic describes as a «boutique digital on-device and web based storefront», arrives today and marks something of a departure for the company, which has so far only distributed Playdate games through a seasonal release model.
With the arrival of Catalog, however, players can purchase individual titles on-demand either directly from their Playdate or via the Catalog website. 16 games and apps will be available at launch — 11 of which are brand-new — and Panic says it'll be expanding the curated selection over time. It also assures owners it'll remain possible to sideload and purchase Playdate games and apps from other storefronts such as Itch.io and Gumroad.
Catalog's launch games (listed in full below) vary dramatically in price, ranging from $1 to $15, but two — both developed by Sweet Baby Inc. — are free to download as bonuses to Playdate's current Season One. These are heist game Reel Steal and Recommendation Dog, an «adorable action-puzzle game about being a tiny dog with a very big job.»
Alongside today's storefront news, Panic has announced it'll be increasing the price of Playdate from $179 USD to $199 starting on 7th April. «That $20 delta,» the company explains, «is largely because our factory recently gave us the inevitable news that in 2023, the price of building a single Playdate is going up.»
Playdate — which has sold 25,000 units since its launch in April last year — can still only be purchased via a pre-order waiting list, but Panic says Playdate will remain available at its current price until 7th April. And
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