Playdate delayed to early 2022 due to "battery tragedy" Eurogamer.net If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy. Playdate delayed to early 2022 due to "battery tragedy" Negative. News by Tom Phillips Deputy Editor Updated on 12 Nov 2021 12 comments The launch of Playdate has been pushed back to early 2022 due to a "surprise battery issue" found in finished units. Drained batteries were found in numerous finished devices earlier this year, which developer Panic Inc. then spent "months" researching. In the meantime, production was halted. All batteries are now being replaced, meaning 5000 finished units had to be shipped back from California to Malaysia for the work to be done. Watch on YouTube "How did that feel? Not great!!!", Panic said in an email to pre-order customers. Further bad news followed, as parts for units due to be sold next year have now been hit by the ongoing component shortage. "We can't get any more of Playdate's current CPU for - you're not going to believe this - two years. Like, 730 days," Panic continued. "Maybe you've heard about the 'global chip shortage' everyone's talking about? We're here to say it is very real. COVID-19 caused an ever-cascading set of worldwide supply chain failures that are leading to many, many electronic parts being simply... gone." Panic is now revising Playdate's CPU to offer a different and more easily-available alternative. There's no word yet on when this will become available to buy. Hi! If you've pre-ordered a Playdate, check your email for a copy of the "Playdate Owner's Update #1".There's bad news (a battery tragedy means Late 2021 units are now Early 2022, see email for your timing) but also good news (Pulp+SDK release dates!!)Thanks for reading it. pic.twitter.com/03BUolZetY- Playdate (@playdate) November 11, 2021 To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Manage cookie settings For existing pre-order customers, this means that everyone's place in the queue remains - but that each group has shifted back. Pre-order groups #1 and #2, for the first 10k orders, are now early 2022. Groups #3 and #4 are still 2022 (second half). Group #5 is still 2022 (late second half). This covers the first 50k orders. Anything after that will "almost certainly land in 2023". Games will then unlock for you over a weekly cycle, beginning when you first power your Playdate on. While everyone waits, Panic did provide a bit of good news for anyone hoping to make Playdate games themselves. Pulp, a browser-based game creation tool, will launch in open beta in January. Playdate's software development kit then arrives in February. Become a Eurogamer subscriber and get your first month for £1 Get your first month for £1 (normally £3.99) when you buy a Standard Eurogamer subscription. Enjoy ad-free browsing, merch discounts, our monthly letter from the editor, and show your support with a supporter-exclusive comment flair! Support us View supporter archive More News Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Atari will hold RollerCoaster Tycoon rights for another decade Ups and downs. 7 Lady Dimitrescu will be a tad smaller in Resident Evil Village's Mercenaries DLC Level the playing field. 1 Overwatch 2 suffers another DDoS attack and character roster bugs Mei Mei. 13 Latest Articles Digital Foundry Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090: a new level in graphics performance The Digital Foundry video review - and how the new GPU champion delivers for 4K 120fps gaming. Feature Evercore Heroes wants to wind people up the right way "There's less rage at them, because they didn't end your fun." Google announces cloud gaming Chromebooks less than a fortnight after Stadia shutdown GeForce Now preinstalled. 4 Genshin Impact Path of Gleaming Jade dates, login event rewards Including other anniversary rewards and how to claim them. Supporters Only Premium only Off Topic: Take a minute to appreciate Cookin' with Coolio's incredible scallops recipe. What a great book. Premium only Off Topic: Reading City of Glass in comic form "Where exactly am I going?" Premium only Off Topic: Il Buco is a transporting film about a really big hole Underlands. Off-Topic Netflix handled Sandman brilliantly It was Dreamy. 9 Buy things with globes on them And other lovely Eurogamer merch in our official store! Explore our store