The diminutive Playdate console is getting a price increase to $229 on March 25

Playdate, the little yellow gaming machine with a crank, is getting a price increase in a few days. In a newsletter that Panic has sent out, the developer said that Playdates will cost $229 starting on March 25 but that you can still get the device for $199 until then. Apparently, Panic moved to a new factory, and it would "cost quite a bit more" to manufacture the devices there than at the company's old facility. Panic cited manufacturing costs, as well, when it raised the handheld's price from $179 to $199 last year. On the day the Playdate is getting a price hike, Panic is also dropping "an (extremely) limited stock" of systems that are either fully refurbished at its factory or have "very minor cosmetic issues." The refurbished units will sell for $179, and Panic says that they "work great," can "play games perfectly" and come with a six-month warranty. "If price has kept you from buying a Playdate, we're hopeful these great systems might help," the company has written in its anno ... Read full article.