All remaining pre-order information about Playdate have been revealed.
Playdate, the handheld console with a crank, will be available to pre-order on Thursday, July 29. Pre-orders open up directly on the Playdate website at 10am PT, 1pm ET, 6pm UK.
You’ll be able to pre-order the console on its own, for $179, a cover for $29, or a bundle of the two for $199. Panic, the company behind this unique handheld, promised that pre-orders will not sell out. Every order will be placed in a queue, and everyone is required to pay the full amount when pre-ordering (though you can cancel at any time), which should help deter scalpers. You can also only pre-order two units per person.
The first batch is roughly 20,000 units, which will begin shipping towards the end of the year. Orders made after that initial batch will ship in 2024. Panic said that production will scale up/down with demand.
Initially, Playdate will be shipping to these 16 countries, but Panic is open to expanding this list down the line. Shipping costs include duties and taxes pre-paid, which is what makes shipping everywhere complicated, according to Panic.