The 2021 batch of 20,000 Playdate pre-orders have sold out in less than an hour, but some people had a problem getting one after international shipping faced some serious technical issues.
Back in 2019, software company Panic introduced the Playdate handheld console. This adorable little gaming device featured a D-Pad, a couple of face buttons, and one particularly interesting feature: a hand crank. As we later learned, the Playdate is launching with 24 games for the first "season" that all purchasers get for free with their initial purchase.
It's certainly an odd little device, but it oozes charm and it's picked up interest from a bunch of indie game developers. So many people wanted to get one, in fact, that it sold out all 20,000 Playdate pre-orders earmarked for 2021 in less than an hour. However, some international customers faced some technical issues that prevented them from buying one at all.
What Happened with International Playdate Pre-Orders?
Naturally, a whole bunch of people rushed to purchase one of these weird handhelds when the Playdate pre-orders opened up at around 1:00 PM Eastern Time. Unfortunately, international customers who should have been able to purchase one weren't able to do so.
Panic had previously warned that this console wouldn't be available to every country around the world. However, an error highlighted on Twitter by Super Rare Games' Ryan Brown prevented some people from purchasing one. Panic quickly recognized the problem, explained the situation, and went about fixing it.
"If you don't see your country when checking out, and it's one of our shipping countries, please wait a moment and try again," read a tweet from the official Playdate account. "Our international shipping system is a little bit overloaded."
"Our most sincere apologies to any international customers who had difficulty checking out this morning," read a follow-up tweet. "Our international shipping provider’s plug-in fell over under heavy load (despite our many warnings). Many orders went through, but many didn’t. We’re investigating options."
Can You Still Pre-Order a Playdate?
On the upside, Playdate pre-orders are still open at the time of writing. The full batch of 20,000 that are intended for shipping out in 2021 are all sold out, but you can still buy one — you're just going to have to wait until next year to get your hands on it.
You can pre-order the Playdate handheld console via its official website starting at $179 or your regional equivalent.
Did you pre-order a Playdate? Do you think this handheld console will have a long life? Let us know in the comments below!
