Panic's Playdate handheld will now cost more and come with twice the games

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The Untitled Goose Game publisher shares an update on its honking adorable handheld

Playdate
(Image credit: Panic)

Playdate, the crank-operated handheld from Untitled Goose Game and Firewatch publisher Panic, will now cost a little bit more but come with twice the games and internal storage.

Panic took to Twitter Friday morning to share an update on its upcoming handheld. Instead of its previous $149 price tag, Playdate will now run you $179 at launch, but it'll also come with 24 games instead of 12 as originally planned. Likewise, the little tiny handheld's internal storage has been bumped from 2GB to 4GB.

The new information precedes Panic's first-ever video update on Playdate, which will include some new details on its first season of content, future games, pre-order info, as well as a few surprises. To catch the update live, just tune in to Panic's YouTube channel on Tuesday, June 8 at 9am PDT / 12pm EDT / 5pm BST.

If this is the first you've heard of Playdate or you need a refresher, it's a stylish retro handheld conceived by Panic and developed by renowned Swedish industrial design firm Teenage Engineering. The device will come packing an ever-expanding catalog of exclusive games, which will take advantage of a little crank that tucks into and pops out from the side. The Playdate's screen is black-and-white and doesn't have a backlight, but Panic says "it's super reflective" and "an aesthetic like no other."

Games will be released in seasons, with the current plan being a new game every week. Some of the developers working on Playdate games include Keita Takahashi of Katamari Damacy fame; Zach Gage, whose brainchildren include Spelltower and Flip Flop Solitaire; and Bennett Foddy, designer of QWOP and Getting Over It. Unlike some of the best retro consoles available now, the Playdate is designed to fill that "pick-up and play" space with high-quality bite-sized games you can play on-the-go instead of messing around on your phone.

Pre-orders for Playdate are on the way, but Panic says they definitely won't be going live immediately after the upcoming video update as you might expect. The company says it'll give us "plenty of warning before go time" for those who want to be first in line.

Cheers, The Verge.

For more on Playdate, check out Edge's hands-on impressions and interview with Panic Inc. co-founder Cabel Sasser on the teeny tiny handheld's conception.

Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.