玩法迥异的掌上游戏机

A peculiar new console small enough to fit in your back pocket is shaking up the patterns of portable gaming.

Software company Panic, best known for developing Mac apps and more recently as publisher of the hit indie game “Firewatch,” has made its foray into hardware with a US$149 handheld gaming device dubbed “Playdate.”

It comes equipped with 12 games at no extra cost but, unlike other consoles with pre-loaded packages, Playdate’s games will be delivered one at a time on a weekly basis over a span of 12 weeks. The small yellow box sports a crank* on the side which serves as a rotational controller.

Today most people use their smartphones to play games. But with tactile buttons, a flip-out crank, and new games exclusive to the console, Panic is looking to mix things up.

“We want to break people of their touch psychosis,” said Panic’s design partners Teenage Engineering.

Despite only offering black-and-white display, Panic says the screen is “premium” thanks to its ultra-sharp display and lack of grid lines.

There’s no backlight, though, so you’ll have to sit by a light if you want to play in the dark.

Playdate’s first season boasts titles from a slew of other notable indie game designers, including Bennett Foddy, Shaun Inman and Zach Gage.(SD-Agencies)