Seb Santabarbara

If you’re a regular reader of my work, then you’re probably aware of the catchphrase ‘the retro gaming community always surprises me’ that I seem to have given myself. I say it all the time, but only because it’s true. For a community that collects old media, you sure have an endless supply of new and exciting ideas, and it’s a privilege to report on them every day.

I’ve spent years seeing Mario popping out of warp pipes in various games, but the idea of popping a Pringles tube to see if I’ve won a Nintendo Switch and his latest game is a pretty novel idea. I popped into my local Tesco to grab some snacks this morning and spotted Mario, Luigi, and Toad staring back at me on the front of three Pringles tubes, each with a ‘Scan, Pop, Play’ message on the top. Intrigued, I bought a pack and took them back to my desk to find out more.

The Playdate is one of those consoles that never fails to make us feel intrigued. We’re all used to the general shape and form of a Game Boy, but whenever I pick up the Playdate I still feel like I’m discovering it for the first time again. It’s a handheld that defies the norm, largely due to the hand crank sticking out of the side, and one that promotes devs making their own creations for other users to test out and play.