Memfault > Case Studies > Panic's Successful Launch of Handheld Video Game System with Memfault

Panic's Successful Launch of Handheld Video Game System with Memfault

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 Panic's Successful Launch of Handheld Video Game System with Memfault - IoT ONE Case Study
Technology Category
  • Networks & Connectivity - Bluetooth
  • Networks & Connectivity - WiFi
Applicable Industries
  • Electronics
  • Equipment & Machinery
Use Cases
  • Behavior & Emotion Tracking
  • Leakage & Flood Monitoring
Services
  • Hardware Design & Engineering Services
  • System Integration
The Customer
About The Customer
Panic is a corporation based in Portland, Oregon, known for its dedication to creating products that bring everyday joy. Initially a Mac app developer, Panic has expanded its portfolio to become a focused video game publisher. Some of their notable releases include Firewatch, Untitled Goose Game, and the upcoming interactive food game, Nour: Play With Your Food. In line with their mission of creating joyful products, Panic has developed their own handheld video game system, Playdate. The company operates in the video games industry and is located in San Francisco, CA. Their gaming device uses an STM32, ESP32 chipset and operates on FreeRTOS. The device offers WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity.
The Challenge
Panic, a Portland-based corporation known for its Mac apps and video games, was venturing into a new territory with the development of their own handheld video game system, Playdate. The company was aware that releasing a gaming device would present new challenges compared to their previous software-based products. They were determined not to compromise on product quality. To ensure a continuously improved product experience for their customers, Panic needed a way to deliver firmware updates post the shipping of the devices. Additionally, they realized early on that obtaining useful crash reports from users would be a challenge. They needed an efficient system to monitor device metrics to catch and resolve issues before they escalated.
The Solution
Panic understood that they lacked the resources and time to build these solutions in-house. They turned to Memfault, an all-in-one solution for debugging, Over-The-Air (OTA) updates, and device monitoring. Memfault's understanding and passion for the embedded space made them the ideal partner to help make Panic's first handheld gaming system a success. Memfault’s direct support for devices utilizing ARM Cortex-M Microcontrollers (MCUs) and FreeRTOS made the decision even more straightforward and the integration easy for Panic. This solution allowed Panic to manage and optimize their devices without relying on the user’s explicit involvement, providing a smooth experience for their gaming community.
Operational Impact
  • With the implementation of Memfault, Panic has been able to manage and optimize their devices without the need for user involvement, providing a seamless experience for their gaming community. The company can now easily monitor the health of each device in their fleet, push new updates to their users, and quickly debug any issue that arises, all on the Memfault platform. Memfault has also fostered increased synergy between teams at Panic. The QA team can distribute builds to test devices and collect crash reports, while the firmware team uses Memfault’s dashboard to monitor the devices, track issues, and push firmware releases out. The ability to split devices into cohorts for monitoring and updates has proven extremely useful for efficient teamwork.
Quantitative Benefit
  • Faster issue discovery and resolution with coredump view
  • Segmented rollouts & monitoring with cohorts
  • Increased synergy between firmware & QA teams

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