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Playdate Handheld Games Shown, Including A Version Of Doom Using The Hand Crank

The curious handheld has revealed some new games in development, and promises further details this year.

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The Playdate console was announced last year, and it looked very interesting--a small handheld with inbuilt games, a black-and-white screen, and a hand crank that some developers will use as a control mechanism. Over a year later, we've only gotten minor updates, but today the Playdate Twitter account has dropped previews of some of the games external developers are working on, with a promise of more news to come.

About 250 people around the world have their hands on development kits, the Twitter account says, and it wants to show off some of their work. It's worth noting, though, that not all of these games will necessarily ship with the Playdate--they could end up as experiments that don't release, or might just not make it into the system's first season of content.

The first game is Down the Oubliette by Rebecca König, whose previous work includes the world's smallest version of Tetris.

Some of the other games are a bit more conceptual, like this calligraphy experience and drifting game, seen below.

They also show off a new take on Tetris, a version of solitaire, an accelerometer-controlled adventure, and an adventure game about pushing blocks.

Inevitably, the Playdate will also receive a version of Doom, and this one has an exciting detail--you can use the crank to fire the Doomguy's chaingun. Rip, tear, and rotate.

More details on the Playdate are being promised soon, including a release date and a list of titles you'll get at launch with the system. A "surprise" is also being promised, which is intriguing.

The system can be developed for, once you have one, which means you can theoretically make your own games for the system to bolster the library.

Playdate isn't the only interesting handheld on the horizon, as the Analog Pocket also recently sold out at its pre-order stage.

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