Game & Watch
| |
| Game & Watch | |
| Designer | Nintendo R&D1 Nintendo PTD |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Nintendo |
| CPU | Sharp SM-5A |
| Graphics | liquid crystal display |
| Memory | From 1.2KB to 64KB RAM |
| Media | On-board ROM |
| Released | 1980-2022 |
| Added to Museum | See the Game & Watch category |
The Game & Watch series of games comprised the first handheld video game console line by Nintendo. Each device contains a single game that is played on a simple liquid crystal display screen.
Development
Gunpei Yokoi got the idea for simple handheld games using a liquid crystal display after watching a man on a bullet train push buttons on an LCD calculator. The result was the Game & Watch series. They became a hit in Japan and North America, leading to Game & Watch consoles being released over the course of eleven years plus a short revival from 2020 to 2021.
Models
The Game & Watch games were released in a few variations:
Silver: The original five Game & Watch games were released in 1980. They had a silver case and a standard, single, LCD screen.
Gold: The games that were released with the standard, single, LCD screen in 1981 had a gold case to differentiate them from the original games.
Wide Screen: After the first two iterations, games began being produced with a single, wide-screen LCD.
Multi Screen: More complex games were designed using a multi-screen system, consisting of a clamshell design, with gameplay that takes place simultaneously on two LCD screens.
New Wide Screen: The wide-screen releases that began in 1983 were branded as "New Wide Screen", to differentiate them from the original wide-screen games.
Table Top: Four tabletop Game & Watch games were released in 1983 that resembled miniature arcade machines.
Panorama: The panorama games were handheld devices that used a color LCD and contained a mirror that allowed the screen to be visible in bright light.
Super Color: In 1984, the "Super Color" line was released. These games had different colored LCD panels to represent the characters on the screen.
Micro Vs.: Three Micro Vs. games were released in 1984. These games had two tiny controllers attached to the unit to allow for two-player gaming.
Crystal Screen: The "Crystal Screen" series was released in 1986. They had a translucent shell, which allowed viewing through the play area.
Game & Watch games
| Title | Release | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ball | 1980 | Released in a standard screen format with a Silver case in 1980. Remade as part of Game Boy Gallery for Game Boy in 1995. Remade as part of Game & Watch Gallery 2 for Game Boy Color in 1998. Remade as a digital release through DSiWare for Nintendo DSi in 2009. Re-released as a platinum reward for Club Nintendo members in Japan in 2010. |
| Flagman | 1980 | Released in a standard screen format with a Silver case in 1980. Remade as part of Game Boy Gallery for Game Boy in 1995. Remade as part of Game & Watch Gallery 3 for Game Boy Color in 1999. Remade as a digital release through DSiWare for Nintendo DSi in 2009. |
| Vermin | 1980 | Released in a standard screen format with a Silver case in 1980. Remade as part of Game Boy Gallery for Game Boy in 1995. Remade as part of Game & Watch Gallery 2 for Game Boy Color in 1998. Remade as a digital release through DSiWare for Nintendo DSi in 2009. |
| Fire | 1980 | Released in a standard screen format with a Silver case in 1980. Released in Wide Screen format in 1981. Remade as part of Game Boy Gallery for Game Boy in 1995. Remade as part of Game & Watch Gallery 2 for Game Boy Color in 1998. Remade as a digital release through DSiWare for Nintendo DSi in 2009. |
| Judge | 1980 | Released in a standard screen format with a Silver case in 1980. Remade as part of Game & Watch Gallery 3 for Game Boy Color in 1999. Remade as a digital release through DSiWare for Nintendo DSi in 2009. |
| Manhole | 1981 | Released in a standard screen format with a Gold case in 1981. Released in New Wide Screen format in 1983. Remade as part of Game Boy Gallery for Game Boy in 1995. Remade as part of Game & Watch Gallery for Game Boy in 1997. Remade for Game Boy Advance e-Reader in 2002. |
| Helmet | 1981 | Released in a standard screen format with a Gold case in 1981. Released in Wide Screen format in 1981. Remade as part of Game & Watch Gallery 2 for Game Boy Color in 1998. Remade as a digital release through DSiWare for Nintendo DSi in 2009. |
| Lion | 1981 | Released in a standard screen format with a Gold case in 1981. Released in Wide Screen format in 1981. Remade as part of Game & Watch Gallery 3 for Game Boy Color in 1999. |
| Parachute | 1981 | Released in Wide Screen format in 1981. Released as part of the Nintendo Mini Classics miniature LCD game line in 1998. Remade as part of Game & Watch Gallery 2 for Game Boy Color in 1998. Remade as part of Game & Watch Gallery 4 for Game Boy Advance in 2002. Remade for Game & Watch Collection 2 Nintendo DS in 2008. |
| Octopus | 1981 | Released in Wide Screen format in 1981. Remade as part of Game & Watch Gallery for Game Boy in 1997. Released as part of the Nintendo Mini Classics miniature LCD game line in 1999. Remade as part of Game & Watch Gallery 4 for Game Boy Advance in 2002. Remade for Game & Watch Collection 2 Nintendo DS in 2008. |
| Popeye | 1981 | Released in Wide Screen format in 1981. Released in Table Top format in 1983. Released in Panorama format in 1983. |
| Chef | 1981 | Released in Wide Screen format in 1981. Remade as part of Game & Watch Gallery 2 for Game Boy Color in 1998. Remade as part of Game & Watch Gallery 4 for Game Boy Advance in 2002. Remade for Game & Watch Collection 2 Nintendo DS in 2008. Remade as a digital release through DSiWare for Nintendo DSi in 2009. |
| Mickey Mouse | 1981 | Released in Wide Screen format in 1981. Also released without the Disney license as Egg. |
| Egg | 1981 | Release of Mickey Mouse without the Disney license. Released in Wide Screen format in 1981. Remade as part of Game & Watch Gallery 3 for Game Boy Color in 1999. |
