Playdate pre-orders are now live (Update)

Set the date for your Playdate

[Update: Pre-orders for the cranky handheld Playdate are now live on . Head on over there if you’re eager to grab one!]

The Playdate store is now open.

— Playdate (@playdate)

Our original story follows:

Playdate, the tiny handheld with a crank produced by Panic, will go liv♌e fo𓃲r pre-orders on July 29 at 10 a.m. PT.

The video game system will✨ be available for pre-order as either a standalone for $179, or bundled with the Playdate cover for $199. (The Playdate cover will also be available for pre-order at $29.) Pre-orders will go live on the .

Panic’s Playdate was announced a few years ago as a new handheld system with a special crank and selection of games arriving for it. Recently, the team announced a slew of games arriving on the handheld system, including titles from Keita Takahashi, Bennett Foddy, and Lucas Pope. Panic also confirmed it will be releasing a ster🅘eo dock for the Playdate as well, complete with a neat little pen and music app called P𝄹oolsuite FM.

Panic confirmed in a press release today that Playdate pre-orders will not sell out. The first batch of units will begin shipping towards the end of the year, with subsequent orders after selling 🧸through the initial allotment shipping in 2022 and production adjusted based on demand. Playdate pre-orders will require full payment up front, but can be cancelled at any time fꩲor a full refund.

There will also be a podcast series debuting next week called theꦚ , featuring behind-the-scenes interviews with game developers creating things for the Playdate.

The handheld, crank-utilizing Playdate certainly looks like an interesting piece of hardware. Alongside the system, Panic will be rolling out a season of games that will download directly to the Playdate, effectively making “play dates” out of update days. As someone who grew up carting around a Game Boy everywhere and who also digs bespoke, unique systems like this, I’ll probably set a few alarms.

Playꦇdate pre-ord🥀ers will go live on July 29 at 10 a.m. PT on the