Playdate - Playable Softcase

The idea behind this soft case is simple: most Playdate cases on the market are hard shells designed mainly for transport or travel. I own one myself and find it very convenient—so no complaints there.

However, they aren’t the best option when it comes to playing. From what I’ve seen on Reddit, most user-reported drops and accidents actually happen during gameplay, not while carrying the device around. That’s why I set out to design a soft case that offers protection while playing. The goal was to let the Playdate rest safely on different surfaces while shielding the most vulnerable areas—especially the corners near the screen.

For inspiration, I turned to the shape and grip of Gogos/Crazy Bones toys. My initial design featured an opening on the crank side (unlike most phone cases, which open from the front). I shared an early prototype in this thread: Flubber’s on my Playdate. Unfortunately, the support structure damaged the case surface and made inserting the device difficult, so I switched to a clip-on system mounted from the back.

The case was printed in TPU at 80mm/s using standard temperatures. The print took under two hours, though a small amount of support was still needed for the plug holes. It might be better to print the front and back separately to avoid stray plastic threads, but even as it is, they’re easy enough to remove and it is convenient to print it in one go.