load some games you think you'll enjoy. carry it around in your pocket. pull it out when bored. don't put a case on it, let it gather scratches and dirt.

I can lose 10 mins to a sudoku game or chase a highscore in some arcade-ish game without coming away with an impending sense of doom (which tends to happen with doomscrolling).

I'd compare it more with the iphone of micro handhelds than a LV bag. Tried Ambernic first, it was annoying and it randomly stopped working anyway. Steam deck and such are too much, they're for gamers and I'm no gamer. I just need a toy, and playdate happens to be the iphone of this weird niche I seem to enjoy.

Also, the devex is good, and I can build tools and apps in a weekend if I have to, and enjoy the experience.

fwiw yeah it's expensive and i much rather enjoy simple classics than most of the art projects pretending to be games in the catalog.