Crank it up.
Few could have seriously predicted the impact the original Game Boy would have when it was released way back in 1989. Sure, Nintendo’s commercial pedigree was pretty clear – it had conquered Japan and North America with its Famicom / NES console and made a success of its Game & Watch handheld range – but it was essentially walking into entirely new territory with the DMG-01, a true portable gaming system that used interchangeable cartridges but was saddled with a monochrome, unlit screen. Despite the reservations many had – even back in 1989 – it became a phenomenon, and arguably represents one of the most significant developments in the realm of handheld gaming.
Fast forward to 2022, and there’s another monochrome portable on the market. Panic’s $179 Playdate is perhaps the ultimate ‘hipster’ handheld, and it takes a fair amount of inspiration from Nintendo’s iconic system. It too has an unlit black and white display – albeit one which is many leagues ahead of that seen in the Game Boy (ironically, Sharp is the manufacturer of the screens in both systems, despite them being separated by more than three decades). It also has that familiar D-Pad and two-button control setup. However, beyond that, the Playdate has plenty of unique ideas – and while it may seem gimmicky initially, it’s actually a very exciting piece of hardware.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
