A sunrise clock for the Playdate handheld device

Sunrise clock is a free app for the Playdate handheld device. It shows the time that the sun will rise in a selected geographical location. It also displays the length of day and night on the given day. The user can select different locations to see the sunrise time for those areas.

As with other Playdate games, such as Tochi and OneBit Invaders, Sunrise Clock is a two-color app, as that is a limitation of the Playdate’s hardware. The app also makes use of the Playdate’s unconventional crank controller.

A simple but effective app

The premise of Sunrise Clock is very simple — it shows the user the day and night length in any location in the world, including the time the sun will rise and set in that region. Users can select different regions and cycle through the days to see when the sun will come up and go down. Users select the region visually on a solid-colored world map.

Straightforward controls and visuals

The Sunrise Clock app makes use of the Playdate’s crank controller to show the position of the sun at different times of the day. The user is presented with a circle that is shaded to show the state of the day (light, dark, and dawn/dusk). Turning the crank will move the sun around the circle, showing the time and date in the middle.

An interesting app with limited use

Sunrise Clock is an app that provides more of a novelty experience than a practical one, though it may be useful to some users. However, the fact that it can only be played on the Playdate handheld device severely limits its potential audience.