<s>
Playdate	B-Device
is	O
a	O
handheld	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
console	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
Panic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
device	O
is	O
small	O
,	O
square	O
,	O
and	O
yellow	O
and	O
features	O
a	O
black-and-white	O
1-bit	B-Algorithm
display	I-Algorithm
,	O
a	O
4-way	O
directional	B-Device
pad	I-Device
,	O
two	O
game	O
buttons	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
mechanical	O
crank	O
,	O
which	O
can	O
be	O
tucked	O
away	O
when	O
not	O
in	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Playdate	B-Device
uses	O
a	O
Sharp	O
Memory	O
LCD	O
screen	O
similar	O
to	O
e-paper	O
displays	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
yellow	O
"	O
stereo	O
dock	O
"	O
that	O
charges	O
the	O
Playdate	B-Device
and	O
functions	O
as	O
a	O
speaker	O
and	O
a	O
penholder	O
does	O
not	O
yet	O
have	O
a	O
release	O
date	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
for	O
the	O
Playdate	B-Device
have	O
been	O
produced	O
by	O
Panic	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
indie	O
game	O
developers	O
such	O
as	O
Keita	O
Takahashi	O
,	O
Zach	O
Gage	O
,	O
Bennett	O
Foddy	O
,	O
Shaun	O
Inman	O
,	O
and	O
Chuck	O
Jordan	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Panic	O
stated	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
interested	O
in	O
games	O
created	O
by	O
underrepresented	O
developers	O
and	O
that	O
there	O
were	O
games	O
from	O
women	O
,	O
queer	O
,	O
trans	O
and	O
non-binary	O
developers	O
in	O
Playdate	B-Device
's	O
first	O
season	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Games	O
are	O
created	O
using	O
a	O
openly	O
available	O
proprietary	O
software	B-Application
development	I-Application
kit	I-Application
(	O
SDK	O
)	O
that	O
includes	O
a	O
simulator	O
and	O
debugger	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
SDK	O
is	O
compatible	O
with	O
both	O
C	B-Language
and	O
Lua	B-Language
programming	I-Language
languages	I-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
device	O
is	O
a	O
closed	B-Operating_System
system	I-Operating_System
and	O
allows	O
sideloading	B-Protocol
additional	O
games	O
that	O
are	O
not	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
season	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
22	O
,	O
2019	O
,	O
Panic	O
announced	O
Playdate	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
year	O
before	O
the	O
Playdate	B-Device
announcement	O
,	O
a	O
Panic	O
co-founder	O
Cabel	O
Sasser	O
sent	O
an	O
email	O
to	O
an	O
indie	O
video	O
game	O
event	O
,	O
also	O
named	O
Playdate	B-Device
,	O
suggesting	O
that	O
the	O
organizers	O
consider	O
tweaking	O
or	O
changing	O
its	O
name	O
to	O
avoid	O
future	O
confusion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
following	O
day	O
,	O
Sasser	O
retracted	O
the	O
request	O
,	O
stating	O
"	O
My	O
intention	O
was	O
always	O
to	O
find	O
a	O
way	O
for	O
our	O
Playdates	B-Device
to	O
co-exist	O
 [ ... ] 	O
but	O
we	O
remain	O
fine	O
with	O
you	O
using	O
the	O
name	O
Playdate.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
January	O
29	O
,	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
team	O
behind	O
the	O
event	O
(	O
now	O
named	O
"	O
Playdate	B-Device
Pop	O
Up	O
"	O
)	O
announced	O
that	O
Panic	O
was	O
joining	O
the	O
event	O
as	O
a	O
sponsor	O
,	O
and	O
would	O
assist	O
the	O
event	O
in	O
petitioning	O
for	O
nonprofit	O
status	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
the	O
LA	O
Zinefest	O
event	O
was	O
cancelled	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
COVID-19	O
pandemic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Playdate	B-Device
was	O
initially	O
set	O
for	O
release	O
in	O
early	O
2020	O
,	O
however	O
preorders	O
were	O
delayed	O
until	O
July	O
29	O
,	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Playdates	B-Device
started	O
shipping	O
to	O
customers	O
on	O
April	O
18	O
,	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Playdate	B-Device
was	O
generally	O
well-received	O
upon	O
its	O
release	O
,	O
with	O
criticism	O
notably	O
around	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
a	O
backlit	O
screen	O
and	O
long	O
shipping	O
times	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Verge	O
praised	O
its	O
initial	O
library	O
of	O
games	O
,	O
stating	O
"	O
What	O
's	O
on	O
offer	O
in	O
the	O
initial	O
batch	O
of	O
games	O
is	O
great	O
,	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
even	O
in	O
this	O
crowded	O
landscape	O
,	O
Playdate	B-Device
offers	O
something	O
entirely	O
unique.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Playdate	B-Device
charmed	O
me	O
and	O
I	O
am	O
now	O
fully	O
under	O
its	O
spell.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
18	O
,	O
2023	O
,	O
Panic	O
confirmed	O
to	O
The	O
Verge	O
that	O
the	O
Playdate	B-Device
has	O
sold	O
more	O
than	O
53,000	O
units	O
to-date	O
,	O
with	O
27,000	O
of	O
those	O
units	O
shipped	O
.	O
</s>
