Playdate's tiny handheld with a crank is big on charm

[Joystiq]

Three months ago, Panic Inc. revealed that it's been working on a curious new product: a handheld game system called the

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, priced at $149. You may recognize Panic as the company behind popular Mac software like Transmit and Coda, or perhaps as the publisher of indie games such as

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and

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. At first, the Playdate might seem unremarkable; it's a tiny console with a black and white screen, a pair of buttons and a D-pad. But, it also has... a crank. No, the crank isn't meant to power it up; it's actually meant as a game controller. Yes, really.

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