Thoughts on Panic's new Console

Recently, app-developer-turned-game-publisher Panic, the money behind both the indie hit Firewatch and the upcoming Untitled Goose Game, announced that they're adding another title to their wheelhouse: hardware developer.

Panic has teamed up with manufacturer Teenage Engineering to create something that's incredibly strange to see announced in the year 2019: a new handheld gaming console.

The Playdate is a bright yellow square with a low-res black and white screen, a d-pad, two buttons, and a crank. That's right, a crank. It folds out from the side of the console and you turn it to control various in-game elements, sort of like an analog stick. The thing is, it will cost $149, and it will only launch with one game. That being said, The Playdate is hands down the product I'm most excited to get my hands on at the moment. Let me explain.

The Playdate is a bright yellow square with a low-res black and white screen, a d-pad, two buttons, and a crank.

The major selling point of any new console is its game lineup, and the Playdate has one of the most unique ways of delivering that lineup I've ever seen. When you receive the console, one game will come predownloaded on the system. Then, once a week, you will receive an all-new game via Wi-Fi, free of charge, each new game being a complete mystery until you pick up the system.

This distribution will continue for 12 weeks, thus, 12 games, which Panic is calling a "season." The idea of receiving a brand new, never before seen mystery game every week is, at least to me, immediately engaging. But for $149, that's quite the gamble to make for 12 games of indeterminate quality. Or it would be, if Panic hadn't already announced a frankly incredible lineup of developers confirmed to be working on games for the Playdate.

Keita Takahashi, the creator of Katamari Damacy, Bennett Foddy of Getting Over It fame, and Zach Gage, creator of Ridiculous Fishing -- my absolute favorite mobile game -- are only a few of the developers with games slated to release on the system. These indie innovators are the perfect fit for this wacky little console, and with their inclusion, the goal of the Playdate begins to take shape.

The system comes equipped with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C, and a headphone jack.

As opposed to a project like the OUYA, with ambitions that far outweighed what the system could accomplish, the Playdate seems to know exactly what it is: a gadget made for indie game enthusiasts that are looking for a cute, unique gaming experience. Not everyone will enjoy the Playdate, and that's completely O.K., which is why it's being produced in such (currently unspecified) limited quantities. To me, the Playdate seems like a passion project through-and-through, created by people who simply love the weirdness of video games.

The compact form factor should fit neatly in your pocket.

The Playdate is set to release early 2020, with pre-orders opening late this year. For more info, visit the Playdate's official site.

For updates and more on the Playdate, keep it here on RED.