by Dan Moren
Panic cranks out Playdate, a new handheld game console
After dropping some hints in the past day or so, Panic–maker of fine Mac and iOS software like Transmit, Coda, and Prompt–has announced that it’s getting into the games hardware business with a new handheld console called Playdate.
Panic, of course, is no stranger to the games market, having served as publisher for the popular game Firewatch in addition to the upcoming Untitled Goose Game.1 But hardware’s a new gig for the company, so it enlisted Sweden-based Teenage Engineering, who also came up with the innovative hand-crank control that will apparently be used in most if not all of the games.
Playdate will feature a dozen titles, released weekly after launch, from popular developers like Zach Gage, Shaun Inman, and Keita Takahashi.
To me, this is just incredible. Hardware always seems like such a different world from software, but Panic has passion and attention to detail that ought to serve them well here.
Playdate will cost $149 when it arrives next year; launch supplies are expected to be limited, so sign up to be notified.