Game & Watch - wikipedia Game & Watch This article is about the Nintendo - produced Game & Watch product line. For the American - made Game Watch line, which included titles such as Donkey Kong, Legend of Zelda and Mario 's first game, see Nelsonic Industries. This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( April 2008 ) Game & Watch Ball, the first title of the series. Manufacturer Nintendo Product family Game & Watch Type Handheld electronic game Generation Second generation Release date April 28, 1980 ( Ball ) Discontinued October 14, 1991 ( Mario the Juggler ) Units sold Worldwide : 43.4 million units Media Pre-installed software Successor Game Boy line Game & Watch ( Japanese : ゲーム & ウオッチ Gēmu & Uotchi ; called Tricotronic in West Germany and Austria ) is a line of handheld electronic games produced by Nintendo from 1980 to 1991. Created by game designer Gunpei Yokoi, each Game & Watch features a single game to be played on an LCD screen in addition to a clock, an alarm, or both. This console inspired Nintendo to make the Game Boy. It was the earliest Nintendo product to gain major success. Contents 1 Origin and design 1.1 Game A and Game B 2 Series 3 Releases 4 Legacy 5 Mr. Game & Watch 5.1 Reception 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Origin and design In 1979, Gunpei Yokoi, traveling on a Shinkansen, saw a bored businessman playing with an LCD calculator by pressing the buttons. Yokoi then thought of an idea for a watch that doubled as a miniature game machine for killing time. The units use LR4x / SR4x `` button - cell '' batteries, the same type used in most laser pointers or handheld calculators. Different models were manufactured, with some having two screens and a clam - shell design ( the Multi Screen Series ). The Game Boy Advance SP, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3DS later reused this design. Titles available in Game & Watch form vary from Mickey Mouse to Balloon Fight, including Nintendo staples such as Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, and Mario Bros... The modern `` cross '' D - pad design was developed in 1982 by Yokoi for the Donkey Kong handheld game. The design proved to be popular for subsequent Game & Watch titles. This particular design was patented and later earned a Technology & Engineering Emmy Award. Game a and Game B Most of the titles have a ' GAME A ' and a ' GAME B ' button. Game B is generally a faster, more difficult version of Game A, although exceptions do exist, including : In Squish, Game B is radically different from Game A -- the player must touch aliens to eliminate them as opposed to avoiding moving walls. In Flagman, Game B is a mode where the player has to press the right button within a certain amount of time, not memorizing patterns. In Judge, Boxing, Donkey Kong 3, and Donkey Kong Hockey, Game B is a two - player version of Game A. In Climber, Balloon Fight, and Super Mario Bros., there is no Game B button. Series The patented design of a Multi Screen Game & Watch. Main article : List of Game & Watch games Silver ( 1980 ) Gold ( 1981 ) Wide Screen ( 1981 -- 1982 ) Multi Screen ( 1982 -- 1989 ) New Wide Screen ( 1982 -- 1991 ) Tabletop ( 1983 ) Panorama ( 1983 -- 1984 ) Super Color ( 1984 ) Micro Vs. System ( 1984 ) Crystal Screen ( 1986 ) There were 59 different Game & Watch games produced for sale and one that was only available as a contest prize, making 60 in all. The prize game was given to winners of Nintendo 's F - 1 Grand Prix tournament, a yellow - cased version of Super Mario Bros. that came in a plastic box modeled after the Disk - kun character Nintendo used to advertise their Famicom Disk System. As only 10,000 units were produced and it was never available for retail sale, the yellow version is considered rare. Mario the Juggler, released in 1991, was the last game created in the Game & Watch series. Releases The Game & Watch games were renewed between 1995 and 2002 with the Game & Watch Gallery series, five Game & Watch collections released for the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance. They feature the original ports, as well as new, modernized versions starring the Mario series cast. From 1998 onward, a number of third - party distributors have been licensed to re-release smaller LCD versions of ten separate Game & Watch games which together compose the Nintendo Mini Classics series. In 2001, Nintendo released Manhole - e bundled with its Nintendo e-Reader systems. Although an entire line of Game & Watch e-Reader cards were planned, they were never released. Between July 2006 and March 2010, Nintendo produced two Game & Watch Collection cartridges for the Nintendo DS to be released exclusively for Club Nintendo members. The first cartridge featured three games from the Game & Watch Multi Screen series : Oil Panic, Donkey Kong, and Green House. The second compilation, Game & Watch Collection 2, contained Parachute, Octopus, and a new dual - screen game with Parachute on the top screen and Octopus on the bottom. Both cartridges are now available to the general public. Between July 2009 and April 2010 Nintendo released nine separate Game & Watch ports for DSiWare including remakes of Ball ( called Game & Watch : Ball ), Flagman ( called Game & Watch : Flagman ), Manhole ( called Game & Watch : Manhole ), and Mario 's Cement Factory ( called Game & Watch : Mario 's Cement Factory ) among others. In March 2010, Takara Tomy released officially licensed Game & Watch - styled keychains, based on the Wide Screen series editions of Octopus, Parachute, and Chef. They do not actually run the games, instead just display a demo screen. While the game can not be played, the speed at which the demo runs can be adjusted. The batteries are recharged with solar panels on the unit. Ball was rereleased exclusively via Club Nintendo to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Game & Watch, with the Club Nintendo logo on the back. Unlike the original release, this version includes a mute switch. For members of the Japanese Club Nintendo, after an announcement in November 2009, it was shipped in April 2010 to Platinum members. For members of the North American Club Nintendo, it was available for 1200 coins from February 2011. For members of the European Club Nintendo, it was available for 7500 stars from November 2011. Legacy Main article : Game & Watch ports and remakes The Game & Watch made handhelds vastly popular. Many toy companies followed in the footsteps of Game & Watch, such as Tiger Electronics and their Star Wars themed games. Nintendo 's Game & Watch units were eventually superseded by the original Game Boy. Each Game & Watch was only able to play one game, due to the use of a segmented LCD display being pre-printed with an overlay. The speed and responsiveness of the games was also limited by the time it took the LCD to change state. The Nintendo Entertainment System ( NES ) controllers were based on the controls in Game & Watch, and Game & Watch Multi Screen version became the model on which the Nintendo DS was based. Nintendo Game & Watch was issued under different trademarks in different countries, resulting in different packaging. These have become rare and are also collectible. The Game & Watch Gallery series recreates the Game & Watch games in video game form, with modes that imitate the LCD displays and modes that modernise the graphics and include Mario characters. Game & Watch games have also been released through DSiWare. Game & Wario for the Wii U heavily references the Game & Watch line, including the ability to play a virtual Game & Watch version of Pyoro / Bird & Beans. Mr. Game & Watch Mr. Game & Watch as he appears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U Mr. Game & Watch is a generic amalgam of characters from the Game & Watch games. The Mr. Game & Watch name first appeared in Super Smash Bros. Melee. The character was created as an homage to the Game & Watch series, and his moveset consists of elements from many different titles ; for example, his standard attack is the bug spray from Greenhouse, and his neutral special attack uses the frying pan from Chef to launch food at his enemies. In the Game & Watch games themselves, the playable characters vary in appearance, as they often sport eyes, teeth and clothes, all of which Mr. Game & Watch lacks. However, in the Super Smash Bros. series, his trophies list his first appearance as `` Game & Watch, 1980 ''. After his debut, Mr. Game & Watch reappeared in subsequent Super Smash Bros. titles, as well as in Game & Watch Gallery 4, wherein he is the manager of the `` classic games '' area alongside Mario. He also makes a cameo appearance in Donkey Kong Country Returns in the background of level 7 - 1, as a worker in a foggy factory, which could be a reference to the game Mario 's Cement Factory. He also appears during certain stages in Rhythm Heaven Fever. Mr. Game & Watch is never heard speaking in the Super Smash Bros. series. Instead, he emits beeping noises similar to those heard while playing the Game & Watch games, although he does have speech balloons in Game & Watch Gallery 4. His other distinct traits include being paper - thin due to having only two dimensions and thus not possessing depth, which is translated to him being a lightweight character within the Super Smash Bros. series, as well as limited / choppy animations. These traits allude to the graphical limitations of the Game & Watch games. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the game 's main storyline, The Subspace Emissary, suggests Mr. Game & Watch is made of a primordial substance that can take on any number of forms. Mr. Game & Watch was harvested for this reason to create The Subspace Army. As revealed on the Smash Bros. DOJO ! !, the official website for Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Mr. Game & Watch allowed this to happen because he has no concept of good and evil. Game & Watch games referenced by Mr. Game & Watch 's moveset include : Ball - All throws Flagman - Up tilt Vermin - Down smash and all floor attacks Fire - Up special Judge - Side special Manhole - Down tilt Helmet - Dash attack Lion - Side tilt Parachute - Neutral aerial ( Melee ) or up special ( Brawl and 3DS / Wii U ) Octopus - Up smash and Final Smash Chef - Neutral special Turtle Bridge - Back aerial Fire Attack - Side smash Oil Panic - Down special Donkey Kong Jr. - Down aerial Green House - Neutral attack Mario Bros. - Forward aerial Mario 's Cement Factory - Grab Spitball Sparky - Up aerial Tropical Fish - Neutral aerial ( Brawl and SSB for 3DS / Wii U ) Alarm from multiple titles - Pummel and edge attack Reception UGO.com listed Mr. Game and Watch on their list of `` The Cutest Characters '', stating `` Mr. Game and Watch is adorable because he 's completely oblivious to his condition. '' See also Nintendo portal List of Game & Watch games Electronika § Electronic toys Nintendo Mini Classics History of Nintendo Nelsonic game watch References Jump up ^ `` Iwata Asks : Game & Watch ''. Nintendo of America. Retrieved 2013 - 06 - 23. Jump up ^ `` Wii.com - Iwata Asks : Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary ''. Us.wii.com. Retrieved 2011 - 03 - 23. Jump up ^ The Escapist : Searching for Gunpei Yokoi Jump up ^ `` Nintendo Wins Emmy For DS And Wii Engineering Technology Sky News ''. News.sky.com. 2008 - 01 - 09. Archived from the original on 2012 - 07 - 11. Retrieved 2010 - 08 - 30. Jump up ^ Magrino, Tom ( 2008 - 01 - 08 ). `` CES ' 08 : Nintendo wins second Emmy - News at GameSpot ''. Gamespot.com. Archived from the original on 2013 - 01 - 02. Retrieved 2010 - 08 - 30. Jump up ^ `` gw / squish ''. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 11. Jump up ^ van Spanje, Martin. `` # 026 : Judge - a Nintendo Game & Watch collection ''. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 11. Jump up ^ `` gw / climber ''. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 11. Jump up ^ `` gw / balloon fight ''. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 11. Jump up ^ `` gw / super mario bros ''. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 11. ^ Jump up to : `` Nintendo Super Mario Bros Promo ''. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 01. ^ Jump up to : `` Super Mario Bros. YM - 901 ''. 2009 - 01 - 02. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 01. Jump up ^ `` Obscure Pixels - Nintendo Game&Watch ''. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 11. Jump up ^ `` Game & Watch Collection : Manhole Release Information for e-Reader ''. GameFAQs. Retrieved 2013 - 07 - 06. Jump up ^ `` Game & Watch : Ball Release Information for DS ''. GameFAQs. 2010 - 04 - 19. Retrieved 2013 - 07 - 06. Jump up ^ `` Game & Watch : Manhole Release Information for DS ''. GameFAQs. 2010 - 04 - 05. Retrieved 2013 - 07 - 06. Jump up ^ `` Game & Watch : Mario 's Cement Factory Release Information for DS ''. GameFAQs. 2010 - 03 - 22. Retrieved 2013 - 07 - 06. Jump up ^ `` GAME&WATCH ''. Nintendo.co.jp. 2009 - 07 - 10. Retrieved 2009 - 07 - 11. Jump up ^ `` Retro Games Immortalised as Solar - Powered Miniature `` Game & Watch '' by Takara Tomy ``. Gigazine. January 18, 2010. Retrieved 2 November 2014. Jump up ^ `` Game & Watch ''. Iwata Asks. Nintendo. Retrieved 1 November 2014. Jump up ^ Spencer ( November 18, 2009 ). `` Platinum Club Nintendo Members Get Game & Watch ''. Siliconera. Curse. Retrieved 2 November 2014. Jump up ^ McWhertor, Michael ( November 18, 2009 ). `` Club Nintendo Offers Members Actual Game & Watch Prize ''. Kotaku. Retrieved 2 November 2014. Jump up ^ Winterhalter, Ryan ( February 11, 2011 ). `` Club Nintendo offering Game & Watch replica ''. gamesradar. Future. Retrieved 2 November 2014. Jump up ^ `` Game & Watch : Ball ''. North American Club Nintendo. Nintendo. Retrieved 2 November 2014. Jump up ^ Newton, James. `` Game & Watch Gifts Added to European Club Nintendo ''. Nintendo Life. Retrieved 2 November 2014. Jump up ^ `` Game & Watch : Ball ''. European Club Nintendo. Nintendo Europe. Archived from the original on 2 November 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2014. Jump up ^ `` Super Smash Bros. Melee guide : Mr. Game & Watch ''. IGN. Retrieved 2008 - 05 - 15. Jump up ^ Shadow Bugs - Trophy Description. Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Nintendo. 2008 Jump up ^ `` Mysteries of The Subspace Emissary ''. Jump up ^ Marissa Meli ( March 4, 2011 ). `` ) The 50 Cutest Video Game Characters - UGO.com ''. UGO.com. Retrieved 2011 - 03 - 21. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Game & Watch. GAME&WATCH at Nintendo official website ( Japanese ) Nintendo video game hardware Consoles Home NES Famicom Titler Twin Famicom NES - 101 Sharp Nintendo Television NES Classic Edition accessories Super NES New - Style SF Naizou TV SF1 Super NES Classic Edition Nintendo 64 iQue Player GameCube Panasonic Q accessories Wii Wii U Switch Handheld Game Boy Game Boy Color Virtual Boy Game Boy Advance SP Micro Dockable Entertainment Pokémon Mini Nintendo DS Lite DSi Nintendo 3DS 2DS New 3DS New 2DS XL Switch Dedicated Home Color TV - Game NES Classic Edition Super NES Classic Edition Handheld Game & Watch Mini Classics Pokémon Pikachu Arcade VS. System PlayChoice - 10 Super Famicom Box Nintendo Super System Peripherals Add - ons 3D System Data Recorder Disk System Satellaview Super NES CD - ROM ( unreleased ) Super Game Boy Game Boy Camera Game Boy Printer 64DD Rumble Pak e-Reader Game Boy Player Connectivity NES Four Score NES Satellite Game Link Cable GCN - GBA Link Cable Controllers Family BASIC NES Advantage NES Zapper Power Pad R.O.B. Speedboard SNES Mouse Super Scope Nintendo 64 controller GameCube controller WaveBird Wireless Wii Balance Board Wii Remote Classic Controller MotionPlus Wii Zapper Third - party accessories Wii Speak Wii U GamePad Wii U Pro Controller Joy - Con Networking Family Computer Network System Teleplay Modem XBAND Satellaview Nintendo Wi - Fi USB Connector Other Nintendo Power Nintendo DS & DSi Browser Amiibo Technology Media NES Game Pak SNES Game Pak N64 Game Pak Game Boy Advance Video Nintendo optical discs Nintendo game card Processors 2A03 PPU 5A22 S - APU GSU RCP Gekko Broadway Hollywood PICA200 Espresso Erista List of products Game & Watch games Series Zelda Mario Remakes Game & Watch Gallery Series Nintendo Mini Classics List of games Video game consoles ( second generation ) Types Home video game console list Handheld game console list Microconsole list Dedicated console list Generations First ( 1972 -- 80 ) Second ( 1976 -- 92 ) Third ( 1983 -- 2003 ) Fourth ( 1987 -- 2004 ) Fifth ( 1993 -- 2005 ) Sixth ( 1998 -- 2013 ) Seventh ( 2005 -- ) Eighth ( 2012 -- ) Second generation Home APF - MP1000 Arcadia 2001 Atari 2600 Atari 5200 Bally Astrocade ColecoVision Epoch Cassette Vision Fairchild Channel F Interton VC 4000 / 1292 Advanced Programmable Video System Intellivision Odyssey2 RCA Studio II Vectrex Super Vision 8000 VTech CreatiVision Handheld Milton Bradley Microvision Entex Select - A-Game Entex Adventure Vision Epoch Game Pocket Computer Dedicated Nintendo Game & Watch ← First generation Third generation → Emulator Game History List Manufacturer Dedicated consoles Home APF TV Fun Atari Flashback C64 Direct - to - TV Coleco Telstar Color TV - Game Plug It In & Play TV Games NES Classic Edition Super NES Classic Edition Video Pinball Handheld Game & Watch VG Pocket Max Pokémon Pikachu Arcade Stunt Cycle Super Famicom Box List Nintendo franchises Mario Super Mario Mario Kart Mario Party Dr. Mario Mario Artist Mario RPG Mario Sports Mario vs. Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Luigi Yoshi Wario Other 1080 ° Animal Crossing Another Code Art Academy Art Style Balloon Fight Bit Generations BoxBoy ! Brain Age Chibi - Robo ! Custom Robo Daigasso ! Band Brothers Dillon 's Rolling Western Endless Ocean Excite Famicom Detective Club F - Zero Fire Emblem Fluidity Game & Watch Golden Sun Kid Icarus Kirby The Legendary Starfy The Legend of Zelda Master of Illusion Metroid Mother / EarthBound NES Remix Nintendogs Osu ! Tatakae ! Ouendan Pikmin Pilotwings Pokémon Pushmo Punch - Out ! ! Puzzle League Rhythm Heaven Sheriff Sin and Punishment Space Fever Splatoon StarTropics Star Fox Steel Diver Style Savvy Super Smash Bros. Tomodachi Touch ! Generations Vegas Wars Wave Race Wii Xenoblade Chronicles X Yakuman Co-owned Cruis'n ( with Eugene Jarvis ) Fatal Frame / Project Zero ( with Koei Tecmo ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Game_%26_Watch&oldid=825219643 '' Categories : Products introduced in 1980 Dedicated consoles Game & Watch Handheld electronic games Monochrome video game consoles Nintendo franchises Nintendo hardware Video game franchises 1980s toys Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from April 2008 All articles needing additional references Pages using deprecated image syntax Articles containing Japanese - language text All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from November 2016 Pages using div col without cols and colwidth parameters Pages using Columns - list with deprecated parameters Talk Contents About Wikipedia Asturianu Bosanski Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Español Euskara Français 한국어 Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Íslenska Italiano עברית Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Polski Português Русский Simple English Suomi Svenska ไทย 中文 Edit links This page was last edited on 12 February 2018, at 03 : 48. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: when did mr game and watch come out
Answer: 1980