BACKGROUND

Panic, the company behind this quirky not-a-Game-Boy, says it made this device “just for fun,” and it shows. From the 1-bit screen to its distinctive crank, the Playdate radiates novelty. We just hope it’s as much fun to tear down as it is to play.

Full disclosure: Our unit came from Panic, who sent a Playdate for free. Unfortunately, it didn’t come with any games, so a teardown was all it was good for. Little did they know, that’s our favorite game. (Okay, they probably did know that).