Yeah, I've thought about buying one in the past, but $229 is kind of rich for my blood.

I bought an ODROID-Go Ultra a few months ago for about $70. This can emulate the NES, SNES, Genesis, Game Boy, and oodles of other consoles, and can play what are arguably some of the best games ever made. The Playdate is three times that price, and while I'm sure that some of the games are fun, I would have a hard time believing that any of them are beating Donkey Kong Country or Phantasy Star IV.

It might be an apples and oranges comparison, but in my mind they still occupy a similar niche.