Background and Identification

Released in late 2021 with orders shipping in 2022, the Panic Playdate is marketed as a retro, tiny handheld game system, promising to feel familiar while offering something new. Sporting the usual A and B buttons and a D-pad, the Playdate also makes use of a unique side-mounted flip-out crank mechanism that expands the possibilities of in-game controls, allowing you to “precisely dial in the action.”

The Playdate includes 24 free black-and-white games, a 1-year warranty, a color-matched USB-C to USB-A charging cable, and starts at $179.

Developed by Panic in conjunction with Teenage Engineering, the Playdate has the model number PDU-Y-01.

Specifications

CPU: 180 MHz ARM Cortex M7F (with SDK support for Lua & C)

Memory: 16 MB, 32 KB L1 cache

Storage: 4 GB flash

Battery: 2.74 Wh (14 days on standby clock, 8 hours active)

Display: 2.7 inch, 400 x 200 1-bit black & white

Sound:

• Integrated mono speaker

• Condenser mic + TRRS mic in

Ports:

• 3.5 mm headphone jack

• USB-C power port

Connectivity: 802.11bgn 2.4 GHz W-Fi, Bluetooth

Inputs:

• A & B buttons

• D-pad

• Sleep & menu buttons

• Crank

Dimensions: 76 x 74 x 9 mm (2.99 x 2.91 x 0.35 in)

Misc. Features: 3-axis accelerometer

Additional Information

• Playdate: Homepage

• Playdate: Support

• Panic: Homepage

• Teenage Engineering: Homepage

• Wikipedia: Handheld game console