
We're big fans of the Playdate here at Time Extension. Panic's tiny yellow handheld manages to capture that same feeling we had when we first picked up a Nintendo Game Boy all those years ago – but that includes one of the less-welcome features of that 1989 handheld: the lack of an illuminated screen.
While the Playdate's monochrome screen is pin-sharp, the lack of a light means playing it late at night can often be a frustrating experience. Thankfully, it seems that we now have a solution to this via modder @paulstraw.
As noted by @Guv_Bubbs, Straw has developed a Playdate light mod called pdlight. It appears to use the exact same Sharp-made screen but with an added front light.
The catch here is that the screen is slightly thicker, which means that Straw has had to create a new case for the console so all of the parts can fit in it nicely. The case is 3D-printed in its current form, but the plan is to make high-quality injection-molded versions. The plan is to eventually crowdfund the kit.
If you find yourself struggling to use your Playdate due to the lack of a screen light, then this project might be worth keeping an eye on.
Comments 10
They should really just make a version of the handheld with a light built into it. I might actually buy one then.
Interesting. This is definitely appealing, but idk if I'd rather mod it this hevaily than just invest in a booklight.
I’m definitely one of the weirdos who appreciates no backlight. This is my self-care console. Games are not designed to keep me engaged for monetary gain, and if it’s too dark to play I should probably go to sleep.
I really respect and appreciate their commitment to the Playdate having a certain charm to it that they seeked to partially fulfill by not having a backlight. However, a revised model with a backlight could have at least been nice. But hey, at least this mod means that those willing to mod their console can finally have a backlight if they previously desired one!
It's interesting to note how the original device would have changed in terms of both size (thicker) and price (more expensive) if it had included this front lit screen.
I'd be more interested in an external light solution tbh. Where's my WORMLIGHT PD!
@Soupbones Add a wormlight to the stereo dock!
@BHPM it's a frontlight not a backlight. Kind of like the first gameboy advance sp model(AGS-001) that had a frontlight while the second model(AGS-101) was backlit.
@RobbWes Oh whoops haha, thanks very much for the correction buddy, maybe I should get my eyes checked! Well the Flame Red variant GBA SP (which is AGS-001 of course) is a console I have a lot of nostalgia for, so in a weird way that actually adds a lot of charm for me!
Hrmm I'm not liking that headline. The lack of a light is not a failing, it was a deliberate design choice. And this mod is pretty ridiculous, to the extreme, when you consider a clip on reading light for a fiver will achieve the same result...
Nice to see an article on the Playdate though. You should do more articles on it - new releases and such.
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