Game & Watch

The Game & Watch was a line of handheld LCD game systems made by Nintendo, originally designed by Gunpei Yokoi. The first game in the line was Ball in 1980. At first, the systems were sold in Japan, but then expanded to other markets, occasionally under other names, such as Tricotronic or Time Out.
During the lifetime of the Game Boy line of systems, several compilations of Game & Watch games were released under the name Game & Watch Gallery. The Game & Watch brand has been revived several times, such as with the Mini Classics line of keychain-sized rereleases, a Club Nintendo reproduction of Ball, and the Color Screen series starting in 2020.
== Series ==
Throughout the lifespan of the Game & Watch brand, each game was free to vary in controls and form factor. Nintendo categorized the games based on their form factor into several different series:
=== Silver & Gold ===
The first two series of Game & Watch games were simple, a rectangular body with the screen in the middle, either one or two red action buttons on the left and right, and three smaller option buttons on the bottom right. The faceplates are all consistently either silver or gold colored, respectively. The main bodies of the systems varied in color depending on the game. Silver games had little to no decoration in the game's background, but Gold games tended to have a background behind the LCD screen.
=== Wide Screen ===
The Wide Screen series remained very similar in form factor to the original Silver & Gold models, but with a wider screen. Most retained the backgrounds and gold-colored faceplates of the Gold series, though two games had a black faceplate instead. The option buttons were also moved from the bottom right to the top right. This series was the first to include licensed games, with Popeye, Mickey Mouse, and Snoopy Tennis.
=== Multi Screen ===
The Multi-Screen series deviated significantly from the previous models, having a clamshell design with a screen on each half inside. Most opened vertically, resembling a Nintendo DS, but a few opened horizontally like a book. The controls of these games also varied much more than before, including the now-ubiquitous Directional Pad in several games. Some games also had rocking switches resembling a single axis of a Directional Pad. This series includes the first Game & Watch tie-ins to existing Nintendo titles, such as Donkey Kong.
=== New Wide Screen ===
This series returned to the original form factor of the Wide Screen. Several games featured directional input, although now as four small buttons rather than a rocking switch. The series mostly consisted of titles based on other Nintendo games, especially from the Mario franchise. In 1988, all three Crystal Screen games received New Wide Screen re-releases, including Balloon Fight.
=== Table Top ===
These games were much larger, and rather than being meant as pocket-sized portable games the Table Top series were meant to be like miniature arcade games. All four games had a small joystick and a single button. These games also have color screens, done by inverting the LCD screen and placing solid colors behind each position. Because of this, these were marketed as the Color Screen series in Japan.
=== Panorama ===
The Panorama series has a unique folding form factor and a color screen using the same method as the Table Top games.
=== Super Color ===
Only two games released in the Super Color series, being Spitball Sparky and Crab Grab. These games had a fully silver body, and a tall and narrow form factor.
=== Micro Vs. System ===
Named after Nintendo's arcade Vs. System, the main feature of these were that the games could be played with a second player. The system had two circular controllers stored inside a compartment in the back of the system.
=== Crystal Screen ===
The Crystal Screen series had the main selling point of being able to see through the screen, allowing the player to put a background behind the game or choose not to. Three games were released in this series, being Super Mario Bros., Climber, and Balloon Fight. All three are based off of existing Nintendo games, though Climber and Balloon Fight deviate from the source material in some ways. All three were later re-released as New Wide Screen games.
=== Color Screen ===
In 2020, for the 35th anniversary of the Super Mario Bros. franchise, Nintendo released a brand new Game & Watch system in the new "Color Screen" series. These systems differ from the limited hardware of the original LCD games, with a backlit full-color pixel display, a much more powerful processor, a better speaker, and a built-in rechargeable battery with a USB-C port. The exterior of the device is modeled after the Wide Screen series, although with differences to account for the new features. The system comes with the NES version of Super Mario Bros. built in, as well as Super Mario Bros. 2 (Known in the US as the Lost Levels) and a version of Ball that makes the character look like Mario. A year later, for the 35th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda franchise, Nintendo released another Color Screen series system including the Legend of Zelda (NES), Zelda II: Link's Adventure, the Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, and a version of Vermin that replaces the main character with Link. The Zelda system also featured start and select buttons, as well as a glowing Triforce symbol on the back of the system.
Category:Handheld Games
Category:Consoles