Panic Inc. is a company based in Oregon, United States, founded in 1999 and that has spent the last twenty years developing different types of software with great success. Specializing in creations for Mac and iOS , many will know her from the web design editing program Coda or Transmit , for transferring files. Perhaps it was that long experience that encouraged them to launch their first video game in 2016 and now, going one step further, their first console : Playdate .
At first glance, and because of the tendency that human beings have to associate anything new with something already known , the exterior design of Playdate is reminiscent of that of portable consoles from the 80s and early 90s like the Game Boy. The small console, and when we say small it is for a reason (74mm x 76mm x 9mm) , has been designed and developed entirely by Panic . In addition to its striking yellow color, it stands out for its black and white screen without backlight that promises a good image definition , its cross-shaped pad and its A + B button system. Oh, and its crank .
A console with organ mode
In an attempt to break the norm and get something that, at the very least, would raise more than one eyebrow, Panic has collaborated with the Swedish company Teenage Engineering to add a crank to the right side of the console . It is not an extra without feet or head or a way to power the battery of the machine, but the rotary lever will be used in some of the games as controls . By making the crank forward or backward, we will interact with our characters and the history of the initial twelve games.
Because Panic’s project includes, when acquiring the console, the right to download at no extra cost twelve titles created ad hoc for Playdate by renowned developers such as Keita Takahashi, Bennett Foddy, Shaun Inman or Zach Gage . A new standalone video game will be released each week that, once downloaded through your WiFi system, can be played and kept forever. Panic has wanted to keep the secret so that the players are surprised but they promise games of all kinds (long, short, simple or complex) but always fun . Whether more titles are developed later or not will be decided by sales and public reception.
Firewatch , Panic’s first video game in collaboration with Campo Santo , has received very positive reviews and has shown that small studios can surprise and make great quality products . In 2019 Untitled Goose Game comes out which, due to the little that has been seen, promises to be a lot of fun. There are not many examples, but these two games serve as a precedent to give, at least, a vote of confidence to Panic .
What can we say?
The truth is that there is not much to say, since Panic is keeping all the information it can secret. It is clear that his first objective was to surprise and he has succeeded in spades. The console, within its limitations, seems to have quite powerful and reliable technology and support and its titles, which we do not yet know, are made by teams that have proven their worth and talent. Panic herself recognizes that it does not seek to compete with other larger consoles, but to become a complementary element. Its price will be US $ 149 and it will have a fairly limited edition, although there is always the option of expanding it if demand requires it.
Will it really be a surprise and will it offer enough quality to justify that price or will it remain a curious anecdote and a project full of illusion that was truncated? Neither they nor we know it, so we will have to wait .
