The PS5 Pro is coming, but I'd rather head outside with the Playdate than fiddle around with shiny graphics

Sony is about to release its most powerful system yet, but I couldn’t be less excited for the PS5 Pro. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of the PlayStation 5, and the modern tech that continues to keep some of my most beloved franchises alive. Yet the industry walks further up a path that demands realism, intricate lighting, and more informed performance choices than personally preferable. I honestly feel like switching the breaker, hitting airplane mode on my phone, and heading into the wilderness with the Playdate.

Okay, let me back up a little, as name-dropping niche gaming handhelds like the Playdate isn’t helpful. Developed by Panic, the folk behind the joyfully chaotic Untitled Goose Game and Northern English obscure odyssey Thank Goodness You’re Here, the device is effectively a modern Game Boy. Before you start rolling your eyes, I’m basing that on specs rather than vibes since it boasts just two buttons, a D-pad, and a monochrome screen. It spices things up by also including a crank, which mechanically influences its extensive library of 2-bit Indie games.

At this stage, you’re probably wondering what any of this has to do with the PS5 Pro. I’m also sure some of you will be already envisioning me as the kind of person who rides around on an antique bike with a Game Boy Color in my back pocket en route to order a sandwich served on a DVD case. I promise I’m not that much of a hipster, and what I’m really aiming to discuss is the idea of not being able to see the beautiful world of gaming from the ray-traced, AI-upscaled trees.

The element of low-spec surprise 

I come from a working-class family who tried their utmost to supply me with ‘90s gaming goodness, but as you’d perhaps expect, my debut into console gaming started with something other than one of the big dogs. It started with the TV Boy.

Best described as a knock-off Atari 2600 that you had to manually tune in, the TV Boy is anything but a good console. It felt like a cheap handheld that they forgot to add a screen and ran off batteries, but I’ve been chasing the thrill of playing random old games on the thing for years now. Yes, incredible systems like the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) and so on led me to where I am now, it’s just that the TV Boy was the first to ignite my curiosity. Looking back, I know what I was really playing was a pallet-swapped version of Adventure, but I was still on the edge of my seat wondering what was next.

Fast-forward to today, and it’s not the idea of playing Alan Wake 2 on the PS5 Pro with ridiculously detailed lighting that excites me – it’s getting to see what the next random Playdate game I download is all about. Naturally, there’s no one forcing me not to enjoy both, it’s more that one satiates my need for surprise more than the other. What genre will today’s pick be? How have the developers used the crank this time? Will I get to pour pints for a bear with Looney Tunes expressions? The latter is what I got to enjoy this morning while enjoying a coffee on my front step playing Root Bear, which doesn't make guessing what I'll play next any easier.

Of course, there’s a good reason the scene is embracing realism in games, and that’s down to the player’s thinking it’s neat. Cutting-edge graphics and frame rates can be exhilarating, and for what it’s worth, I share that same nerdy passion for tech. But if you sat a PS5 Pro and Playdate down on a table in a Morpheus style pick a pill scenario, it’s safe to say I’m guzzling down whatever color the latter ends up being.

A nice excuse for a technical time-out 

More and more often these days, I find myself craving a way to enjoy games without techy brain clutter. I play a lot of games on PC, and that has ultimately turned me into a bit of a frame rate, settings-tweaking fusspot. It’s for that reason I keep my toe in the proverbial modern console water since it used to mean thinking less about performance.

One upon a time, PlayStation would simply serve games that ran how they ran and that’s it. That sort of changed with the OG PS5 making me choose between performance and fidelity modes, and the Pro is about to exacerbate the dilemma with even more advanced settings and AI shenanigans. I’m not saying I’m unwilling to deal with any of that, but since I specifically need a way to enjoy games for a while without any of that nonsense, I feel like Playdate is the answer.

The wonderful thing about the Playdate is that it serves as a way to play new indie games on something that feels distinctly offline. Sure, the handheld can connect to Wi-Fi to fetch games, but the process feels more like loading up your iPod with music before heading out for the day. At least, that’s what my routine has shaped up like recently, and it has essentially created a gaming third place of sorts for me in between doing ridiculous things with an RTX 4090 PC and kicking back on the couch with the PS5.

I started walking a lot this year, and while sometimes I like to take a book with me or even the Steam Deck OLED when I’m feeling fancy, the Playdate pulls its weight as a travel companion. Again, I’m not saying monochrome indie romps are technically comparable to the might of a 4K ray-traced new release, but you can still play a diverse selection of games that aren’t just novel.

Games like Echo: The Oracle’s Scroll. A Metroidvania that places you in the pixellated boots of a kid on a delivery quest, Echo: The Oracle’s Soul is a testament to the Playdate as a platform. The technical limitations of the console pushed developer Bumbleborn to explore the concept of a traditional 2D adventure that embraces the same charm of peers like Celeste, which is extraordinary for a system this lo-fi. It even manages to include a Zelda: Wind Waker-inspired storyboard intro you can scroll through using the crank. C’mon, that’s pretty special.

Being able to fire up a Metroidvania like this on a handheld with bare minimum specs and a screen that doesn’t even light up feels like an answer to my prayers. You’re still getting to experience fresh capers while also having a break from the more complicated side of gaming, and that’s becoming a rarity. I mean, even OG retro consoles have become a bit convoluted thanks to fancy new scaling devices and HDMI versions of old systems, so I’m grateful that the Playdate can provide respite from the world the PS5 Pro is a part of.

Once again,the Playdate isn’t a PS5 Pro killer. That’s just silly, and I’m not trying to wish away the benefits that come with playing massive adventures on cutting-edge hardware. What I do know is that I’m already starting to feel burned out by the thought of $700 consoles that make me think more about specs and performance. Taking some time away to play low-key indie games instead might actually even help me feel even more enthusiastic about high-spec console gaming,

Ultimately, I’m still all about fuelling that curious ‘90s kid within me who used to lose their mind at cloned Atari games. The Playdate is absolutely igniting that spark, and for that reason, I’d choose it over a PS5 Pro. Hopefully, some of you can relate, but no judgment to the rest of you who’d rather mess with Sony’s PSSR AI upscaling than sit on a park bench with an oddball handheld.

Looking for something more old school? Swing by the best retro consoles for ways to play the classics.