I like my handheld consoles so much so that I created RetroDodo from that passion, and I have now reviewed hundreds of them during my long-career as a content creator, so when I saw this device, I was immediately intrigued, for the sole reason that I never knew it existed. And as I dug deeper, I soon realised that this is actually a confusing handheld, one that was originally fictional but was shown in the flesh at BitSummit in Japan recently.
So I want to put together all of the information I can find about the PlayGate so that you don't stay as confused as I am, because it's actually quite a cool story, so grab a cup of tea, and let's jump in. ☕️
What Is The PlayGate Handheld?
Put simply, the PlayGate handheld is a fictional retro gaming project that has come to fruition to promote a video game, so although it may annoy many that this thing never existed until recently, you can't knock the creator for uniquely grabbing our curiosity and forcing fools like me to write about it. But hey, I think it's deserved, a lot of work has gone into this project!
Many sources suggest this handheld was invented back in 1997, but that is not true. No data, photos, videos, information, commercials, print ads or even blogs since the late 90s suggest that this was real, nor even documented, meaning this story and the one-off physical unit that was shown at BitSummit is indeed a "new" non-commercial handheld that will never become a reality for customers.
The PlayGate is a mythical handheld created recently to give people the illusion that it has reappeared over 29 years later, with a simple, yet very effective goal of promoting a Japanese video game called "With the Everlasting Light", which has been planted on a "legitimate" PlayGate cartridge featuring an NFC tag that allows you to play this game on a smartphone.
The one-of-one handheld itself does not work, and is simply an art piece, but it shows off the retro-futuristic look that they were going for, with a transparent cartridge top, angled A/B buttons, it takes AA batteries and has what looks like a section that you could pull out in order to add more internal storage, just like old console memory cards back in the day.
What Is With the Everlasting Light?
Well, it's a piece of art. What you are reading now is a part of the product, it's in the creator's words a "alternate reality game", a phyiscal collectable of such, and an interactive mystery experience that ends with you experiencing the game via its cartridge. This story you are reading today was a part of the creator's plans to pique your curiosity and to help you experience a unique way of storytelling.
Pretty cool, right? As a journalist, I almost feel like I've been played, but that's why I respect it so much more, I was somehow a piece of the adventure, even though I never knew I was going to be. The creator Daiyonkyokai has created a fake console, a fake story, a fake brand, a fake website and fake history, all to lead you to a real interactive mystery/horror game that is the final piece of the puzzle.
They have done something like this before; they have a habit of creating alternate reality games where a physical item is available for each digital game and is somewhat a part of the mystery. One Reddit user mentioned they had a physical wallet for sale previously, where you had to go through all of the contents to solve a mystery within the digital game, and another was a pay stub. So it's clear that this is following on from the creators' trend.
Researching whether PlayGate is real is itself part of the intended experience.
The game itself and the real PlayGate could be experienced at BitSummit in Kyoto, Japan, between the 22nd and 24th of March, but only now have I come across this story to share it with you. The game itself is on a PlayGate cartridge, which looks very cool and would have slid into the top of the console if it had been real.
"This work is a work of fiction. The characters, organisations, and names that appear in it are fictional and have no relation to any real-life entities. It also contains scenes that may be disturbing to some, such as violence, murder, and suicide. The game console called PLAYGATE does not actually exist. This game requires a PC or smartphone connected to the network to play. You can experience this even without an NFC-enabled device" states the creator.
You can purchase the game on Daiyonkyokai's official website for ¥7,150, which is around $45/£33/€43, though it would not ship to me here in the UK, so it may only be available in limited countries, or exclusive to Japan.
I have to hand it to Daiyonkyokai; this unique way of storytelling made me bond with this non-existent handheld and even led me to try to obtain a copy of the game, which is exactly what the storytelling intended. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. It's fascinating to see this type of marketing in 2026, especially with AI-slop making many of us subconsciously think this would be a fake story with nothing at the end of it. But indeed there is, a unique game waiting to be explored, paired with a delightful and creative way of discovering it in the first place.
