The Playdate

[biggytitbo]

What's the purpose of a black and white screen in 2019? Is that actually more expensive than color to make these days? It just seems a perverse choice for something that's quite expensive - if stylistically you wanted to make your game black and white then you could still do that with a color screen.

[lazarou]

Yes, but a crank is too specific. Which they obviously found out since they said SOME OF THEIR TWELVE GAMES DO NOT EVEN USE THE GOD DAMNED CRANK

If they were interested in alternate control methods they could've put a spinner/paddle controller on there, which is a genuinely great control system that's been largely lying dormant for decades waiting for a revival. Would've genuinely loved to see that.

That said it's a cute little thing and I was definitely interested in playing around with it from a developer point of view until I checked their FAQ and of course their dev tools are mac only. (Steve Jobs') Grave.

[Twed]

I am just being sassy and I am glad this exists and I'd buy it if I hadn't just spent $250 on a MIDI controller designed to replicate a penny whistle, but when you put out a hipster console with a fucking hand crank on it you're inviting this kind of banter. It's practically part of the development process.

[The Boston Crab]

To be honest, I think it's a great little thing to release and a unique experience in this world of homogeneous mulch. I want one and best of all, I'll get one because my synchronously shitting wife will never imagine that it costs any more than a tenner. Can't wait to get my crank on.

[Thursday]

This looks cool and interesting and clever, but I also could not give less of a fuck.

[Twed]

If there isn't a game where you hold it by the crank and swing the unit itself around like one of those football noise maker things then they've missed a trick.

[lazarou]

What's the purpose of a black and white screen in 2019? Is that actually more expensive than color to make these days? It just seems a perverse choice for something that's quite expensive - if stylistically you wanted to make your game black and white then you could still do that with a color screen.

I actually like the restriction of a pin-sharp monochrome screen, it'll certainly give the games their own distinct style. The stranger choice for me is the lack of a backlight. I know screens are a lot better than they used to be, but that might be an affectation too far. I can't even imagine using a kindle without at least the option of a backlight these days.

[Beagle 2]

A spinner or a paddle wouldn't work as well because you have to take your hand off it to keep it going, so you can't do long smooth movements also neither of those words rhyme with wank.

[Noonling]

I quite like the crank. Something new. Other than the crank it looks horribly uncomfortable to play though.

Its a cute little thing designed for very specific games, and it will be a commercial disaster.

[Kelvin]

The kind of game's system Nathan Barley would play.

I kid. I kid. I'm sure the games will all be great. Games played with a crank always are.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

It's just a wind up.

[St_Eddie]

I actually like the restriction of a pin-sharp monochrome screen, it'll certainly give the games their own distinct style.

I agree 100%.  It's like how the colour clash of the ZX Spectrum gave its games their own unique aesthetic.  People asking why the don't use a colour screen and simply have some of the games be in black and white are missing the point entirely.  You're going to be able to look at a screenshot of one of the games and immediately say "that's a Playdate game".  That appeals hugely to me.

The stranger choice for me is the lack of a backlight. I know screens are a lot better than they used to be, but that might be an affectation too far. I can't even imagine using a kindle without at least the option of a backlight these days.

Now this on the other hand, is a problem for me.  Damn.  I don't know if I want one if there's no backlight.  That's kind of a deal breaker.  I don't know how good screens are these days without a backlight but I have nightmarish memories of trying to play games on my Gameboy back in the day and I'm not keen to relive them.

[Jerzy Bondov]

Yeah the backlight thing seems like a bit of a shame. I found my old Game Boy Color and got a copy of Tetris, hours of fun I thought, except no it's not because you can't see anything.

edit: Turns out I hadn't switched on my Game Boy Color

[biggytitbo]

You're going to be able to look at a screenshot of one of the games and immediately say "that's a black and white game for no reason".

[St_Eddie]

No, because the it's a purposeful choi...eehhhh, you know what?  I cannae be bothered.

Yes, Biggy.  It's a black and white game for no reason.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

It's a black and white game because the screen is black and white.

[St_Eddie]

It's a black and white game because the screen is black and white.

Yes, the games on the Playdate are black and white because that's the restriction the developers were working under, given the hardware limitations.  However, those limitations mean that the developers had an interesting challenge thrown their way; 'how can we want use this black and white restriction of the hardware to create an interesting aesthetic for our game?  How can we use this restriction to our advantage to create something unique and visually striking?  How do we turn what could be perceived as a negative into a positive by way of thinking outside of the conventional box?'.

Restrictions within the creation of art often lead to the best, or at the very least, the most interesting results.

The concept of creative limitations is a thing.

[The Boston Crab]

There are no limits with lil crank

[Blue Jam]

This should come with a version of RDR2 which is just the fishing.

[Noonling]

Yes, the games on the Playdate are black and white because that's the restriction the developers were working under, given the hardware limitations.  However, those limitations mean that the developers had an interesting challenge thrown their way; 'how can we want use this black and white restriction of the hardware to create an interesting aesthetic for our game?  How can we use this restriction to our advantage to create something unique and visually striking?  How do we turn what could be perceived as a negative into a positive by way of thinking outside of the conventional box?'.

Restrictions within the creation of art often lead to the best, or at the very least, the most interesting results.

The concept of creative limitations is a thing.

I like the idea of creative limitation things - there's a coding competition to make the best game with a 13 kilobite file size limit, and of course you've got plenty of games which go for pixel graphics which itself is kind of a limitation. Obra Dinn is a very well regarded game that runs in only two colours. You could even consider Inside No. 9 to have creative limitations sometimes - one episode having no dialogue for 29 minutes, another in only iambic pentameter, and several set in only one or two rooms (yes, this is somewhat a case of budget I suppose, but still).

...While I admire the limitation of potential Playdate games that doesn't mean they'd actually be fun to play though.

[St_Eddie]

You could even consider Inside No. 9 to have creative limitations sometimes - one episode having no dialogue for 29 minutes, another in only iambic pentameter, and several set in only one or two rooms (yes, this is somewhat a case of budget I suppose, but still).

A limited budget is absolutely a factor which often works in favour of the creative limitations concept.  The Blair Witch Project is a great example.  Compare that with a lot of the movies which get made today where budget is no obstacle; flashy CGI showcases with little to no substance.  Being able to do anything means that there's no reason to think of ways to push yourself to do the best that you can and flex your creative muscles.  If money had been no object, then you'd be seeing a lot more of the shark in Jaws, or the xenomorph in Alien.  With those films, like The Blair Witch Project, it was the limitations which led to the inspired decision to show less of the monster, which in turn made for a scarier film.

...While I admire the limitation of potential Playdate games that doesn't mean they'd actually be fun to play though.

Whilst it certainly doesn't guarantee good gameplay, the fact that they've got some of the best indie developers onboard suggests that there's every reason to be optimistic.

[St_Eddie]

From a recent interview on the 20th anniversary of The Phantom Menace...

Well, my decision to make Episode I was more or less driven by technology. The first three Star Wars films were designed very, very carefully to be done cheaply. We didn't go to any big cities, we didn't have a lot of costumes, we didn't have a lot of extras. We didn't have a lot of the things that cost money on a movie like that. So it was really driven by what I could afford. You have to remember, the first film was made for 13 million dollars. Today, that same film costs 300 million dollars. Even in those days, 2001 cost like 25 million dollars. And I think we had more special effects than that did.

With Episode I, I didn't want to tell a limited story. I had to go into the politics and the bigger issues of the Republic and that sort of thing. I had to go into bigger issues. And in order to do that, I had to come up with a way of doing it, and that's what digital technology brought me. I had Yoda but he couldn't fight. I had cities, but I couldn't build models that big. I had lots and lots of costumes, but I couldn't afford to make them. So there were a lot of issues that were just practical — Episode I wasn't doable for a long time, so I waited until we had the technology to do it.

If ever there was a quote to support the notion of the virtues brought on by creative limitations, it's that.

[Twed]

My classic go-to is Ren and Stimpy being shit when they did the adult ones and were allowed to be crude instead of sneaking it out. A good example I think because it's not specific to technology.

[boki]

On the latest CU Podcast, Ian Ferguson made the point that the Arduboy serves a broadly similar purpose at a third of the price.  The display's not as fancy and there's no crank, mind.

[The Boston Crab]

I saw some incredibly cunty twee passive aggressive faux-self-deprecating lil ol' me smol boi email cuntery from one of these Playdate cunts and I instantly went from buying this for a laugh to slating the entire business any opportunity I get. I can't be bothered digging it up but if you know me, you know I'm talking sense.

[Twed]

On the latest CU Podcast, Ian Ferguson made the point that the Arduboy serves a broadly similar purpose at a third of the price.

And of course there's the PICO-8, where some of the *absolute best* art indie game expression is released, almost always on a non-commercial basis.

https://www.lexaloffle.com/pico-8.php

[lazarou]

The Pico-8 scene seems absolutely astonishing, it seems every other day on my twitter there's some dev posting some amazing-looking work-in-progress stuff. Would dearly like some nicely made dedicated hardware for that, there are solutions but nothing nearly as elegant as the PlayDate. But from even a casual glance it's clear this is where the action is in the indie 'handheld' space.