Difference between revisions of "Frequently Asked Questions"

Revision as of 18:05, 9 August 2023

How big are games?

Playdate's total internal storage is 4 GB. Playdate games can be a variety of sizes - for reference, the smallest game in Season 1 is Omaze, at 59.7 KB. The largest game in Season 1 is Echoic Memory, at 158.5 MB. Panic recommends a file size of around 20 to 40 MB for an average Playdate game.^[1] Source 1, Source 2

Can Playdate support online play?

Playdate comes with a Wi-Fi chip. Currently, games published either through Seasons or Catalog have access to a Leaderboard API, which can check in to Panic's servers and provide scoreboards for games that opt in. There is currently no support for broader online play (such as real-time multiplayer), or access to leaderboards outside of Season and Catalog, due to performance and security concerns. Source

Does Playdate support Bluetooth?

Playdate has a Bluetooth chip on-board. Currently, there's no user-accessible software support to utilize it. Playdate will receive Bluetooth audio functionality in the future, with the Stereo Dock (coming soon). Support for other Bluetooth audio devices are being considered, but isn't confirmed due to issues with battery life and latency.

How durable is the Crank?

Users report no noticeable issues with the crank's readings after 3 years. Source

Does Playdate have a rumble motor?

No, Panic ran out of space within the unit. Source

Is there a Playdate game store?

Yes! Panic has their own curated store called Catalog, which is a curated selection of apps available both on the Playdate itself, as well as on the web.

Can you sideload games?

Yes! You can sideload games onto your Playdate very easily, either through Panic's servers or directly, over a USB connection. Source

What do the different colors of the lock light mean?

The console checks into Panic's servers 10 minutes after you lock it, and then in 10-hour intervals thereafter until you open it again.

A "New game(s) available!" purple light will flash if it sees and successfully auto-downloads some new games to your device while it's asleep (so, if you sideloaded something and didn't go to download right away, or if some new season games have arrived).

A "New Catalog games!" aqua light will flash when it sees a new Catalog batch in its next check.

When the Playdate's not sleeping...

A white light followed by toppling blocks on-screen is a signification of an e0 system crash. Send in a crash report!

A steady orange light is a sign that the mic's actively recording. This is most easily visible in the Input Test.

A steady blue light means the Playdate's in Data Disk mode, sharing its DATA segment. (In Data Disk mode, a flashing purple light represents disk activity.)

A steady green light means the Playdate's in Recovery Disk mode, sharing its BOOT segment. (In Recovery Disk mode, a flashing yellow light represents disk activity.)

A steady yellow light means the Playdate's in System Disk mode, sharing its SYSTEM segment - this isn't accessible by a user.

↑ https://sdk.play.date/2.0.1/Inside%20Playdate.html#_game_size

[1] ttps://sdk.play.date/2.0.1/Inside%20Playdate.html#_game_size

[1]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ====How big are games?====
-Game range from 200 KB to 50 MB
+Playdate's total internal storage is 4 GB. Playdate games can be a variety of sizes - for reference, the smallest game in Season 1 is Omaze, at 59.7 KB. The largest game in Season 1 is Echoic Memory, at 158.5 MB. Panic recommends a file size of around 20 to 40 MB for an average Playdate game.<ref>https://sdk.play.date/2.0.1/Inside%20Playdate.html#_game_size</ref>
 [https://discord.com/channels/675983554655551509/675983555209330691/821480814562771044 Source 1], [https://discord.com/channels/675983554655551509/675983555209330691/821502848793575455 Source 2]
-====Multiplayer?====
+====Can Playdate support online play?====
-Currently the Playdate doesn't have any Networking APIs but Panic plan to in the future.
+Playdate comes with a Wi-Fi chip. Currently, games published either through Seasons or Catalog have access to a Leaderboard API, which can check in to Panic's servers and provide scoreboards for games that opt in. There is currently no support for broader online play (such as real-time multiplayer), or access to leaderboards outside of Season and Catalog, due to performance and security concerns.
 [https://discord.com/channels/675983554655551509/675983555209330691/814165105179885569 Source]
-====How durable is the crank?====
+====Does Playdate support Bluetooth?====
-Users report no noticeable issues after 3 years.
+Playdate has a Bluetooth chip on-board. Currently, there's no user-accessible software support to utilize it. Playdate will receive Bluetooth audio functionality in the future, with the Stereo Dock (coming soon). Support for other Bluetooth audio devices are being considered, but isn't confirmed due to issues with battery life and latency.
+====How durable is the Crank?====
+Users report no noticeable issues with the crank's readings after 3 years.
 [https://discord.com/channels/675983554655551509/675983555209330691/852588435808976896 Source]
-====Are there haptics (vibration motor)?====
+====Does Playdate have a rumble motor?====
-No. Panic ran out of space within the unit.
+No, Panic ran out of space within the unit.
 [https://discord.com/channels/675983554655551509/675983555209330691/852588044335054899 Source]
-====Is there a Playdate app store?====
+====Is there a Playdate game store?====
-Panic has made [[Catalog]] which is more of an editorial selection.
+Yes! Panic has their own curated store called [[Catalog]], which is a curated selection of apps available both on the Playdate itself, as well as on the web.
-====Can you sideload apps?====
+====Can you sideload games?====
-Games can be sideloaded onto any Playdate without the need to jailbreak or otherwise modify the device.
+Yes! You can sideload games onto your Playdate very easily, either through Panic's servers or directly, over a USB connection. [https://help.play.date/games/sideloading/ Source]
 ====What do the different colors of the lock light mean?====
 The console checks into Panic's servers 10 minutes after you lock it, and then in 10-hour intervals thereafter until you open it again.
-A "New game(s) available!" '''purple light''' will flash if it sees and successfully auto-downloads some new games to your device while it's asleep (so, if you sideloaded something and didn't go to download right away, or if some new season games came in - those are weekly, midnight PDT).
+A "New game(s) available!" '''purple light''' will flash if it sees and successfully auto-downloads some new games to your device while it's asleep (so, if you sideloaded something and didn't go to download right away, or if some new season games have arrived).
-A "New Catalog games!" '''aqua light''' will flash when it sees a new Catalog batch in its next check (these are every other Tuesday, 10am PDT).
+A "New Catalog games!" '''aqua light''' will flash when it sees a new Catalog batch in its next check.
-Those are the only times it'll pop up while it's sleeping, but there are a couple other times it turns on:
+When the Playdate's not sleeping...
-A '''white light''' followed by toppling blocks on-screen is an e0 crash - best to send in a crash report when available if you get one of those.
-In the data disk mode, the light will '''glow a steady blue''' (and then '''flash purple''' when there's disk activity), and it'll '''glow a steady orange''' if the microphone's being used at all (most easily visible in the Settings' input test, where you can also test the mic).
+A '''white light''' followed by toppling blocks on-screen is a signification of an e0 system crash. Send in a crash report!
+A '''steady orange light''' is a sign that the mic's actively recording. This is most easily visible in the Input Test.
+A '''steady blue light''' means the Playdate's in Data Disk mode, sharing its DATA segment. (In Data Disk mode, a '''flashing purple''' light represents disk activity.)
+A '''steady green light''' means the Playdate's in Recovery Disk mode, sharing its BOOT segment. (In Recovery Disk mode, a '''flashing yellow''' light represents disk activity.)
+A '''steady yellow light''' means the Playdate's in System Disk mode, sharing its SYSTEM segment - this isn't accessible by a user.