Panic’s retro-inspired laptop, Playdate, is finally shipping today, April 18, to first-round booking holders. The company announced the order of operations when it comes to bulk shipments.
“You will receive an email as soon as yours is sent. We will increase the volume of delivery every day to make sure that all our systems work smoothly, “Panic said in a tweet. “We think we can get Group 1 out of the door next month. And don’t forget that your gaming season starts when you set up your Playdate. “
The company did not specify how many units are in each order group, but followed by notifying Group II reservation holders to know that there will be future updates on the status of their orders. This comes after Playdate had to be sent back in late 2021 before a battery issue thwarted launch plans.
While Steam Deck is still a city theme, Playdate approaches hand games in a unique and refreshing way. Those who purchase Playdate get access to 24 games in a 12-week season. The season starts from the moment the player turns on Playdate, which means that not every player will participate in the same games. Each week, Panic will play two games on Playdate via WiFi. Players will also be able to display their Playdate on a larger display to take advantage of their other hardware.
In addition to its interesting approach to the game library, Panic also allows users to download games they have made using the company’s own software development kit (SDK) or a browser-based creation tool called Pulp, which is inspired by Bitsy . Pulp allows users without game development experience to make their own adventure and load it to Playdate.
If game development is not something that users love, then the Catalog can help fill the gap. The catalog announced in today’s Playdate update gives users a way to buy apps in addition to the game season. The Catalog app will be available directly on Playdate, but Panic has kept the details sparse in its update.
Pre-orders from Group 1 are shipped now. Those who order Playdate now are looking at a longer waiting period, which could last until 2023. However, Panic advises stakeholders to pre-order as soon as possible, as hard-to-find parts can delay delivery.
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