The cute Playdate mobile game console is going up in price to $199 on April 7

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Playdate gaming console in yellow

Remember Playdate? The cute-looking mobile games console launched in 2022 with a number of games released in a “season” and a fairly low price tag of $179. Today, the company behind the console, Panic, posted a couple of updates: One good, the other not quite as good.

The “not quite as good” update is that the console is going up in price for the first time. The increase will be $20, bringing the cost of the Playdate to $199. The better news is that the price hike won’t happen until April 7, which means you still have time to order the console at the current $179 price tag.

Panic said the reason for the price increase is a familiar one:

It’s a story we’ve all been hearing recently: costs are going up for parts, shipping… you name it. Panic is unfortunately no exception to these trends: our manufacturing partner recently gave us the news that the cost of building a Playdate is going up. And given our already tight margins, we’re at a point when we need to adjust Playdate’s price.

The other bit of news is much better for current Playdate owners. The console now has its own in-device game store, called Catalog. It’s launching with about 14 games, some of which are new to the Playdate. You can also get the games from the official Playdate site.

News Article Courtesy Of John Callaham »