The playdate is an amazingly interesting exercise in the right marketing, the right UX, the right device, and the right time.

It’s an amazingly whimsical but simple device with a black and white screen, an itty bitty processor, some buttons, a directional pad, and a crank. Yes, a crank on the side as part of the game input.

This was made with folks over at Teenage Engineering, who are also amazingly good at marketing & UX. I’ve had so much fun with the pocket operators (here’s a video someone else made, not me!) and always want to buy their other devices..

None of these devices are exactly special from a technical sense but it is from how it makes you feel. I think that’s what matters.