Getting a Playdate in 2025: the return of the portable handheld?

So how did we get here? I’m writing this in the month of the Switch 2 launch, seeing everyone including friends and family unbox their shiny new consoles, yet I do not own a Switch 2 nor am I here to talk about it. I have always yearned for the simpler times, when portables were ACTUALLY portable and it wasn’t all about chasing the newest specs, pixel counting and framerates. Because you see, back in the day they weren’t made for having trimmed down ports of console games but for experiences all of their own that could play to the strengths of the system. Games that spring to mind are the launch titles for Playstation Vita such as Wipeout 2048, Everybodys golf and Unit 13 which took the genre of game and focused it on either round based play or missions that could be done in a couple of mins. But here’s the brilliant thing, you still felt like you were getting a full experience. Although it was marketed as the first portable with console level visuals, it was still self aware enough to know it was a portable at the end of the day and had to deliver games to suit that.

So when each of these new handhelds comes out I can’t help but notice them getting bigger and bigger. For example a Switch 2 now clocks in at a mammoth 27cm wide and the other supposedly portable Steam Deck an eye watering 30cm. Compare that to a decade prior with the 3DS sitting at almost half that, a measly 14.4cm, I can tell you for certain which one I’d rather be taking with me out and about. In fact I was one of the rare people that was more interested in downgrading to a switch lite because that was the only one since that was just about able to fit into a jacket pocket. So when I say that just this month I have bought myself a new handheld console that although being both far less substantial in size and weight, might also be some of the most unique fun in gaming that I’ve had in quite a while.

The console in question is called the Playdate and for those unaware it is a 1-bit console almost smaller than a deck of cards, 7.6cm by 7.4cm, with a black and white screen and no backlight. It is essentially a glorified Gameboy, a console that released over 35 years ago. And while this initially may not sound all that appealing, a lot of innovations have happened since then which have allowed this tiny console to be able to accomplish some mighty cool things. Packed into this small form factor are but only two face buttons, a D-pad and its secret weapon; a side mounted crank. This crank can be utilized in most games for such actions as pulling pints, performing tricks on your surfboard or even controlling the flow of time as you guide your character from one end of a level to another. This turns it from a small but functional system into one bursting with fun and creativity.

What also helps things is that included with every system are 24 free pack-in games and experiences for you to try out. At the time of writing I am still yet to try even half of them due to the unique way of delivering them to you. You see instead of a regular console overwhelming you with new games begging for your attention the playdate is not meant for long playtimes, quite the opposite in fact. It wants you to take it all in and give everything a chance to stand on its own before you move onto the next one. You wont be finding any 30 hour RPGs but what you will find are fun games with a simple hook and usually a good amount of replay-ability. This is why you are only given two games a week, twice a week, until the season of games is over.

An additional season has since been released for $32 but this again includes another 24 bitesize games, including one made by FTL and into the breach developer Subset Games. Personally I think this is an excellent price if you think of it as almost a subscription service but I can see how a lump fee could seem daunting given the fact you only get two games from the offset. Of course if you so desire there is an additional storefront where new games can be purchased for a one off fee. Usually ranging from between $1-10, I’ve tried a couple of these and have been very impressed so far due to the publishers strict quality demands keeping the lower tier games off the platform store. There’s the most popular one called Root Bear where you have to use the crank to pour pints up to the desired level under a time limit. It is basically a quick high score chaser as you are given tips depending on how close to the line you get, its simple but very addictive and I’ve found myself coming back to it almost daily. Then there’s Hablet, an idle city builder where you are given the task of creating an empire over the weeks and months to follow. Each day you are given a new piece of architecture to place but beware, as fail to come back and your city will crumble back to dust. I think although light on gameplay, its a perfect fit as it uses the mission statement of the system to its advantage as it requires regular daily plays if only for a few minutes.

So I guess it all comes back around to do I recommend you go out and buy a Playdate and in all honesty probably not? But that’s also not really even the point I’m trying to make. I’ve had more fun on this dinky little device out and about in one week than I have from my dust covered switch all year. At the end of the day its about what you want and value from a console and if portability isn’t an issue then more power to you. I just think that nowadays everyone’s so caught up in the device that does everything, plays anything, no matter the form factor that takes. The people making the playdate are so ultra focussed on just doing this one thing really well and giving it to you in such a concise and considered package you cant help but appreciate. Its not a console that’s made for everyone’s sensibilities, however it is it a console that’s made for mine and it’ll be coming with me wherever I go from now on.