See how the Playdate cranks start in a new teardown

The Playdate has been one of the most interesting pieces of new gaming hardware in years, with a fun, colorful design that evokes old handhelds like the Game Boy and a unique crank handle for interacting with games.

And thanks to the good people of I fix it (to whom Panic sent a Playdate specifically for teardown purposes), now we have a good look at the upcoming handheld – and how that crank actually works.

Most of the internal parts are more or less what you’d expect from a small console: a 2.74 Wh battery (about a quarter the size of an iPhone 12), an LCD display, and an easily replaceable headphone jack. .

Photo: iFixit

But the star of the show is of course the crank, which uses a Hall effect sensor. The rotation of the crank in turn rotates a cylindrical magnet built into the shaft, whose magnetic field then activates the sensor as it rotates (thus providing input). This means there are no gears or traditional mechanical parts, which is interesting and should hopefully keep things from breaking down in the long run.

Despite the teardown, however, it looks like Panic would prefer users not to bust their Playdates; the warning sticker inside indicates that the rupture of internal parts voids the warranty. It’s probably best to be avoided, as shipping has slipped to 2022 for pre-ordering a replacement.

Photo: iFixit