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Playdate, the highly anticipated portable video game system from Portland-based technology company Panic, sold 20,000 of its initial production in just 20 minutes on Thursday.
Panic is taking orders for more devices at $ 179 but won’t ship them until next year.
Playdate is a throwback to the small portable video game systems of the 1980s. Instead of incorporating the latest graphics and crisp graphics, Panic has outfitted Playdate with an old-fashioned directional pad, black screen and white and a crank on the side.
It is both nostalgic and innovative. The game comes with 24 games, to be delivered over a dozen weeks as episodes of a television series.
The retro style of Playdate generated a lot of interest, but presented huge challenges for Panic, which is primarily a software company. It announced Playdate over two years ago and initially planned to start shipping the gadgets in early 2020.
The closure of a factory in Malaysia at the start of the pandemic sparked a succession of delays, but they apparently did not derail player interest in Playdate. Panic reported some issues with international orders on Thursday, but said these were now resolved.
– Mike Rogoway | [email protected] | Twitter: @rogoway | 503-294-7699
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