The Playdate Teardown-A Look Inside This Retro Gaming Handheld

Meet the Playdate. It doesn't 5G. It doesn't have a 120 Hz screen, a custom chip, or any cameras at all. What the Playdate does have is a crank, an ultra-portable design, and a lot of charm. The Playdate exists in its own category: old-school gaming with a modern-day design.
Check out our full Playdate Teardown at iFixit.com
www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Playd...
You don't need much to disassembly a Playdate, in fact our Moray drive kit has what you'll need for only 20 bucks!
www.ifixit.com/Store/Tools/Mo...
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:55 Removing Back Cover
01:04 First Look Inside
01:20 Battery Removal
01:33 Midframe Unscrewing
01:39 Motherboard Removal
01:50 Crank Removal
02:04 Speaker Removal
02:09 Button Removal
02:21 Score and Review
#PanicPlaydate #iFixit #iFixitTeardown
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[@UItEnthusiast]

Great to see that the crank won't wear out easily! I was concerned about that when I first heard of this handheld.

[@mitchjames9350]

By the time it does a better version would be out.

[@ItsAMeAndrew]

Then why does it leave the words “void” on the things the sticker was on then? 1:10

[@Mr_Battlefield]

You void the warranty when you do your own repairs.

[@salmiakki5638]

@@Mr_Battlefield that's what is uslly said but A) it's non eforcible in the us, if they can't prove that you broke something rapairing something, and B) the guy was saying that this was to be enforced differently from the usual anti tamper stickers that you find, so yeah, the "void" marks give an akward feeling to that part of the video

[@sinom]

My guess is they took some off the shelf tamper tape that had the "void" on it, and they then printed their text on it. It's cheap and probably tested to not cause problems so no reason to change it

[@gralnrath]

The most likely explanation is that that tape is the most readily available, electronics friendly material that was easy to print their own message on. It's tried and tested. That exact same tape is used in the exact same circumstances in other electronics and engineers like things that are known good. Also, this is a demo unit and not necessarily the final product. Maybe they'll have different tape in the future.

[@maheshrathod204]

Great I like these kinda content disassembly of new new gadgets

[@user-bp8yg3ko1r]

Nice Teardown! ^^

[@tejonBiker]

Nice teardown, thanks for the info, I'm learning to programming stm32f7 series MCU and this (and the Super Mario Bros Game & Watch) confirm that was a good decision. (Edit: Nice traduction to spanish on website)

[@DaniloGanzella]

Can you make a video making the crank tighter? a lot of us are having issues with the crank becoming way too lose. Thanks!

[@ahmedsalmanalkhafaji7696]

I❤️play date small cute with nice game classic to back 20 years in past.

[@Neptune_Games]

Hello so I was looking at my playdate with its cover on and I noticed it looked like an ice cream sandwich do you think it would be possible to paint the playdate white and the cover brown?

[@xRECONCILEDX]

can you upgrade the battery?

[@rezarabbi7419]

Nice

[@stevenharrison7431]

Any recommendations on screen replacement? Damaged my screen and now it has dead pixels and flicker issues. Playdate Support has not gotten back to me so I ordered a replacement screen from Adafruit. I’m worried about the old display being glued on.

[@AndrewHelgeCox]

How did the replacement go?

[@aval5098]

I also want to know how the replacement weny

[@stevenharrison7431]

It was not possible. Ink display I ordered from Adafruit was the same display type but not an exact match. I’m sure someone with much better expertise maybe could have cut it down and maybe got it to fit but I wouldn’t not recommend. I ended up getting a brand new replacement unit from Panic entirely.

[@aval5098]

@@stevenharrison7431 thank you for replying. If you don’t mind me asking, how did your screen get damaged?

[@At-sr1ry]

Is there a way to tighten the crank?

[@pacman_pol_pl_polska]

Yeah, apparently the crank isn't supposed to be controlled by gravity but it bee doo

[@anbernicguy]

Can you replace the screen with a backlight Colored one?

[@FluffyToaster621]

Due to the space constraints, probably not. But that's probably not going to stop people from trying when production ramps up and the modders get their pre-orders.

[@DavidLiewcy]

Made in Malaysia Hahaha, I didn't know that my country have such manufacturer

[@tarequrerahman768]

super

[@sockatume]

The teardown and video are unclear on the “staple” removal process. It looks like you bend it out of shape to remove it. If so, how do you re-install it?

[@approxahmed]

I forgot about this thing

[@scootakuh3142]

Looking like a well engineered device. Now, where is mine? :)

[@kuldeepsankpal6443]

What that crank do?

[@lovemadeinjapan]

You can lift Mario's and Luigis dong with it in Super Wank Bros.

[@AndrewHelgeCox]

RSI

[@kuldeepsankpal6443]

Means?​@@AndrewHelgeCox

[@AndrewHelgeCox]

@@kuldeepsankpal6443 repetitive strain injury.

[@BigBoyLies]

made in malaysia? im malaysian n i dont even know this exist

[@bird6691]

I saw this thing years ago how can it not be out yet

[@Tomayto]

I don't know if you noticed, but there has been a worldwide pandemic that has prevented manufacturing for a lot of products.

[@bird6691]

@@Tomayto what pandemic

[@Mr_Battlefield]

The USB-C port being soldered to the motherboard is a nightmare. I hate when manufacturers do that. Cost more to repair is simple Port issue.

[@avaviel]

Being fair... you won't need to plug this in three times a day. It should last much longer than a typical phone.

[@deoxal7947]

How does a USB port break though?

[@avaviel]

@@deoxal7947 metals can be eroded with water contact. Eroded metal doesn't transmit electrical signals well.

[@deoxal7947]

@@avaviel I see. I've had my old phone for 5 years and the port never died but it does have difficulty charging. I tinned the leads of my cables with solder which helped. Honestly I blame it on the teeth micro B type cables have. The shell is cracked due to the stress it put on it. Finally upgraded though so don't have to worry about it anymore. Curious to see if it will happen with USB C.

[@chrom4ful]

they're probably doing it for space-saving, the device is tiny afterall it's fairly simple fix if you know what you're doing and have the tools, cheap too, usb c port replacement costs pennies still though, I don't think the device worth the price, it's pretty gimmicky and the novelty will run-out pretty fast, no backlight also

[@AndrewHelgeCox]

Edit: Two replies say it is rated for 50Hz. Original: The memory LCD tech is limited to a 20Hz max update rate. Can you confirm that the Playdate inherits this limitation to 20fps gameplay?

[@Omegapork]

I have one. The Playdate's maximum display refresh rate is 50hz. Hope this info helps!

[@AndrewHelgeCox]

@@Omegapork Thanks! That's more than twice as fast as the display is rated for. I wonder how they did it!

[@sockatume]

That was true of the older memory LCD iterations but the model in the Playdate is rated for 50 Hz.

[@AndrewHelgeCox]

@@sockatume Thank you, that is very interesting!

[@GaryBeltz]

I wonder how many revolutions of the crank it takes to recharge that thing when the battery dies

[@johndumpling1896]

It doesn't recharge the battery, it is just an analog input.

[@hyperbaroque]

It's probably more likely there to give a nice "realistic" feel to a fishing simulator or something like that.

[@AmRealityInc]

It's so tiny

[@silicron]

The Playdate is such an odd item. It's so niche, that they aren't going to be selling many of them, but not sure if that is the point anyway. They have also been talking about this thing for what feels like two and half years now. I'm wondering if it is just a collection of demo units at this point, and will never come to market.

[@Cons-Cat]

They don't have to sell _that_ many, because it's super expensive. $180 for a product that is technologically comparable to a TI-89.

[@andrewhamel1]

@@Cons-Cat your username super doesn't suit you

[@thunderring3932]

People say this thing is over priced but remember, you get 24 games with it, so really the device itself is worth like 60$ with an additional 5$ per game. In addition each device will allow you to make your own games so there will be a lot of user made content for it.

[@NeoTechni]

I'd rather pay less and get 0 games. Then I can choose if I want any later, but also just get it to develop my own.

[@thunderring3932]

@@NeoTechni fair enough but it kinda misses the point of the system. Part of the fun is that every week you get 2 mystery games as a fun surprise, it’s kinda in the name of the console. I think that’s really cool and fun.

[@NeoTechni]

@@thunderring3932 it's not that I miss the point of it, it's that for me it has a different point. And for me that point is worth less money.

[@leejaztine]

Loved the nostalgia but who is it for? I don't thinks kids now a days will request this as a gift. Or just for the nostalgia really?

[@andrewhamel1]

I'm pretty sure it's not iFixit's job to pitch the products they break open xD

[@NeoTechni]

It's for people like me who collect novelty gaming devices. But I wouldn't pay over $100 for it

[@EmilLynge]

Man i wish i could afford this.

[@impendio]

Same

[@krabparrot5724]

And I wish they shipped this to more than like ten countries

[@impendio]

@@krabparrot5724 or more than just 7 units lmao

[@hikerclarence7092]

This is $180.

[@thunderring3932]

Or alternatively 60$ for the device and 5$ per game that it comes with, plus a wealth of free user made games and the console itself allows you to make your own games with it

[@dan_loup]

I don't know if i consider a portable that has a CPU that is like 20 times faster than the GBA as a "retro console"

[@b1llygo4t]

It's not a retro console though.

[@airakawairashi4528]

🤔

[@salmiakki5638]

2:28 the score is way off imho. the crank is held in place with a plastic bushing, that btw will totally wear given that there's friction, the glued screen, the usb-c surface mounted to the mainboard, the costruction of the membrane buttons that seems flimsy.... And ofc a big "void" anti-tamper sticker that you don't know how it will end up being enforced, just relying on the company word i like it too, but for the price they are asking i would have guessed better build quality, and for a product with visible screws better repairability

[@yost112ty]

It's not a retro gaming handheld.

[@mrfrog8502]

In a nutshell it's a supersized calculator. It will keep you entertained for about 30 minutes before you put it away in a draw and never look at it again.

[@fabiomendonca749]

Agreed. Just dont say it to those chuckle heads on the playdate subreddit.

[@Cloudy_123_]

Well you can make games for it and make money off those games

[@Neptune_Games]

I got one and it has entertained me for days it is like a feather for cats but it’s a game system for humans 😂

[@austenlangford]

The crank can add another 3 button functions to the game. If you make 2 games that cross into each other's world depending on if the crank is in or out, that could make an amazing puzzle game with platforming and action. That's just one idea of many to make a simplistic game using only what you have in order to make something fun and addictive. If that sort of community isn't for you, then, of course, it won't make sense. But some people want to be in a small community where anyone can learn to make a simplistic game and share it with everyone else playing. It's like a time capsual event. It's neat if you think about it.

[@GalenlevyPhoto]

Eh no. Not those portable console with a black and white screen with no backlight. It’s a royal pain in the ass going to a bright light to see better when I had a game boy from 1990 or so.

[@SonicVibe]

They even downgraded hardware lately cause of chip shortage smh 🤦‍♂️ it a gimmick

[@lovemadeinjapan]

Weird, I can get all components loose. It is basically an easy to get 25$ Teensy 4 with extra memory, a 49$ Adafruit memory display and a Chinese ESP WiFi chip, which is free of charge because it offers botnet capabilities to the Chinese government. That Teensy 4 even delivers 600-1000MHz, so it would be an upgrade.

[@SonicVibe]

@@lovemadeinjapan smart 🧠

[@Bobo-ox7fj]

What a joke.

[@MarcinCecotka]

this is scrap!!! sorry

[@TitusandTesla]

That device is trash

[@naimulislam41]

Nice