The "Playdate Update" conference promises to share new details about the handheld gaming console with a hand crank. Additionally, we've learned the Playdate price and some of the specs.
If you haven't yet heard of the Playdate, it's an upcoming gaming console that's was revealed in mid-2019. It originally planned to launch sometime in 2020; unfortunately, it was delayed late last year like pretty much everything else in the gaming industry despite the company's best efforts.
Now, the "Playdate Update" conference has been announced via a press release. This video event will share "important new details" about the Playdate handheld console over 15 minutes including a first look at the Playdate Season One games, details on pre-orders, and a few surprises, too.
Handheld Specs Revealed Ahead of Playdate Update Conference
We already knew a bit about the Playdate specs since it was first announced, but today's press release announcing the Playdate Update conference had some nice surprises for people who have been following the console.
Let's start with the built-in storage — the console's creator Panic has announced that it has been doubled from 2 GB to 4 GB. I can't imagine that the games would be very large for this kind of console, but it's still nice to hear that you'll have even more space to store them.
That extra storage space will be put to good use — the number of Playdate Season One games has been expanded from 12 titles to 24 titles. All of these games will be included with your purchase of the console at no extra charge. The original plan was to release one game per week; it's unclear how doubling the number of titles will be handled by Panic, but I imagine that it will probably launch multiple games per week instead.
When is the Playdate Update Conference?
The Playdate Update conference will take place on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, at 12:00 PM Eastern. More details on the Playdate Season One games will be shared during that show, along with a few other surprises.
What is the Playdate Price?
Unfortunately, there's a little bit of bad news here — the Playdate price has been increased from an estimated $150 to $179. That said, doubling the storage and Season One games should take the sting off of the increase a bit.
When is the Playdate Release Date?
Unfortunately, the Playdate release date has not yet been announced. Hopefully, we'll get a firm confirmation about when we can pre-order this console and when it launches at the Playdate Update conference next week.
You can watch the Playdate Update conference on YouTube when it premieres early next week. If you'd like to learn more about this upcoming console with a crank, you can head on over to its official website play.date.
What do you think of the Playdate? Do you think this console will have enough longevity to be more than a novelty? Let us know in the comments below!
