San Francisco (CNN Business) There are very few moments in our days without screens. Computers at work, televisions at home, tablets in the hammock and smartphones everywhere in-between.

If going without screens entirely isn't possible, or desirable, a Portland software company called Panic is offering up a compromise: A handheld bright-yellow gaming device with a 2.7-inch black and white screen. And sticking out of the device's tiny side is a tiny crank that can control time (in a game, anyway).

Called Playdate , the new device — announced on Wednesday — looks like a square Game Boy with the classic physical A, B and arrow buttons. It does have some more modern technical specs, including Bluetooth and Wifi, which make one of its signature features possible: surprise games.

Playdate is a mobile game system with a small screen and surprise games.

In fact, all but one of Playdate's games will stay a secret for now. The company will roll out a new game to users every week for 12 weeks after it is released — what it's calling a "season of games" — each a mystery until it is downloaded. They are included as part of the system's $149 price tag.

The company has already made hundreds of prototypes and will do one more manufacturing round before starting mass production. It expects to start taking orders later this year and plans to ship the device in 2020.

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