Discover Nintendo Game & Watch
Nintendo has created some amazing games and devices over the years and the excitement of handheld gaming began with the Nintendo Game & Watch device, which was introduced in 1980. The series of Game & Watch and devices was created by Gunpei Yokoi and each unit came preloaded with a single game title. This was one of the first Nintendo products to earn huge success in the industry and it paved the road for many other handled devices that would be created by Nintendo in the years to come. This innovative product became a huge seller and attracted the attention of gamers around the world who were looking for a portable device to enjoy entertaining games.
Initial Game Releases and Titles
The Nintendo Game & Watch was a very basic device compared to those that are being used today, however, it offered a great way to engage in games while on the go. For a device that was created in the 1980s, it exceeded all others in the industry and quickly became a top seller for Nintendo. The first Game & Watch was sold with the game Ball, which was a simple game, but one that was very addictive. Ball was also the game that marked the release of other Game & Watch series, including the Silver and Gold series.
There were a number of Nintendo Game & Watch games that were released with the original series of the device and some of the more popular titles include Helmet, Manhole, Popeye, Mickey Mouse and Turtle Bridge. Including all series of the product, Nintendo released 60 game titles that were enjoyed by millions all over the world.
New Technology Enhances Gaming
In 1981, the Nintendo Game & Switch took on a new design to present players with a better experience. A new series of devices were released featuring a wide screen and there were some great titles that were offered, such as Parachute, Octopus, Chef, Snoopy Tennis, Fire Attack and Egg. In 1982, yet another series was introduced, offering a multi-screen gaming device. The first game offered on this new device was Oil Panic, followed by Donkey Kong, perhaps one of the best selling games in the history of Game & Watch. The Donkey King game was a representation of the arcade hit and with the use of the multi-screen, players were able to enjoy more action and entertainment. The development of this device was an influence on the Nintendo DS that was also a top-selling handheld video game system.
With the release of the Multi Screen series of Nintendo Game & Watch, players were introduced to a new control system. Instead of the former buttons used to move and jump, this new device offered the D-pad, which would continue to be used on future Nintendo products. With the D-pad, players could enjoy the same actions they would if they were using a joystick without the need for added physical space on the handheld device.
Multiple Game & Watch Releases
Over the years, there were different Game & Watch series that were released and the individual titles that were offered with the initial game releases were renewed between 1995 and 2002. During this time, players saw the offering of the Nintendo Game & Watch Gallery series. With this, there were five collections that were released to play on the Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance devices. Starting in 1998, there were also many third-party game distributors that obtained a license to release smaller versions of 10 different Nintendo Game & Watch games and these made up what was known as the Nintendo Mino Classics series.
The year 2001 was memorable as this is when Nintendo released the popular Manhole game with the e-Reader system. Unfortunately, there were no other Nintendo Game & Watch e-Reader cards produced despite plans to do so. Two Game & Watch Collections were released between 2006 and 2010 for the Nintendo DS. One cartridge featured three different Game & Watch games, including Green House, Oil Panic and Donkey Kong. The other collection offered Octopus and Parachute along with a dual-screen game featuring Parachute on t eh upper screen and Octopus on the lower. There were also 9 separate Game & Watch games released for DSiWare, which included Ball, Mario's Cement Factory, Manhole, Flagman and others. In 2010, Nintendo licensed Takara Tomy to release keychain style Game & Watch products. These offered a demo screen of popular titles, but the games could not actually be played.