Nintendo Game & Watch Review and Teardown! 

This Nintendo Game & Watch can be hacked to add your own custom ROM, however it's not for the faint at heart. You need to open it up and connect to the 5-pin unpopulated debug header port. You can actually see it in your video. With the battery on the bottom the pins from left to right are: SWCLK, VDD, GND, SWDIO, RESET.

I genuinely wish Nintendo would release some sort of GameBoy classic

That battery is the same one used in the Joycons, down to the part number (HAC-006). Even the speaker is the same design as used in the Switch itself.

I'm 100% down for a Mario 3 version if it ever happens

1:57 You can select the world you want to play from the main screen. But you can only select the worlds you have reached.

Looks a much better handheld implementation, than SEGA's "Game Gear micro".

When I was a school kid these were the rage- my favorite was one called Parachute. Anyone remember that??

The SOC isn't a glob top which is pretty cool.

I would've been more excited about a G&W with most of the old G&W games

The USB port on this thing is really for charging only, it's not physically connected to the SoC, only to the charge controller from the reversing attempts i saw online...

PSA: The screen does use interpolation horizontally. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing and is handled well here, well enough for many reviewers not to notice, and it's almost unnoticable to me in gameplay. Now you may ask, why is the game stretched horizontally? That's because LCD displays have square pixels (generally), however the NES is intended to be displayed a bit stretched. The resolution of the NES is 256x240 which would be an aspect ratio of 16 : 15 if displayed with square pixels, however the video output from the NES was stretched to 4:3 on CRT TVs at the time. The Game & Watch has a resolution of 307x240 (counted the pixels on my unit), which is close to 4:3 (approx. 4:3.13). The vertical resolution obviously matches that of the NES, thus no stretching there, but the horizontal resolution is 20% higher. As a side note, I find it odd that they didn't use a 320x240 resolution which is more standard and would've given them an exact aspect ratio of 4:3, but I digress. I personally think that they should've added a "pixel perfect" mode like on the 3DS Virtual Console, NES/SNES Classic and NES/SNES services on Switch Online. It would've fit particularly well here since discarding those 51 extra horizontal pixels would've literally made the game pixel perfect and it would've looked razor sharp. But, in a way, this is more authentic, so I don't mind *that* much. And, to be clear, the stretching uses soft scaling that only affects the game horizontally, so most of the time or at a comfortable distance, you won't notice it, especially in movement. EDIT: Please note that anything said about the Game & Watch in this comment is based off my unit only (model HXA-001, although different revisions with the same model number has not yet been ruled out). I have not seen any external data or information on the console's resolution or stretching properties, so take anything I say here as what it is - very limited information from one source. I hope to see more detailed examinations of the properties of this console and its display soon.

There absolutely is interpolation from non integer scaling on the X axis. It’s most obvious on the vertical lines on the brick tiles, and there’s a noticeable shimmering when the screen scrolls.

I’ve been loving mine. I do wish it had a compilation of all the game and watch games on it tho.

Next year will be the 35th anniversary of Metroid, Kid Icarus, and Zelda. I can easily see Nintendo selling 35th anniversary Game & Watch units for each of those, especially Zelda.

I don't understand why Nintendo keeps releasing the NES version of this game over and over again. They did an amazing job with the Deluxe version released for the Gameboy color, you had saved games, an overworld, and more fancy stuff, yet they chose to re-release this archaic version.

I like the G&W console. It's pretty nice just for a short round of SMB while you are "working" 😁

solid teardown video as always

I wish they'd updated and put all the Game & Watch Gallery games on it. It's amazingly built (although they forget the stand), but its content is very limited.

I brought mine on Impulse for Christmas and it's been hammered by everyone in my family. This and a Fujifilm Intax camera from santa and we were all transported back to the eighties. First price drop and I will get a 2nd G&W just for me and keep it in the car. 👍

Who plays SMB1 w/o holding the B button?

Great review. Fyi you can select worlds you've reached with B and start with infinite lives holding A. In Ball you can switch to Luigi by holding A, and on the clock hold A to play the Mario Drawing Song.

I think the most confusing thing about this is that Nintendo actually did make a Super Mario Bros. Game and Watch, and that they didn't use that color scheme (blue and white) along with that LCD game included instead of Ball.

quite frankly I'm amazed at the small number of components and how low end they are. They must have some significant profit margins selling this thing for $50, especially factoring in them using Switch components.

30 years ago as a kid I prayed they'll come up with g&w device that will run Smario on color screen...

I'd like to see a raspberry pi project with this screen and modified case.

Other Game & Watches had little metal pop out stands on the back of them (i.e. the Octopus that you showed) so they can stand up and display the time, I have no idea as to why they didn't include the pop out stand...

it runs on a STM32 which i think is really neat

If had been $20 it would have been a hit. But $50....come on......🤦‍♀️

These things have been sitting on my Wal-Mart shelf for months

I love my game and watch, I was able to get mine way before the spring of 2021, it's a nice little thing to show off and have around since I love vintage games..

After having given the Zelda Game & Watch a lot of play time, I think this device is honestly valuable for the same reason the original Game & Watches were valuable when they were first new. I find myself playing a bit of Zelda Arena (as I sort of call the interactive clock) or a few levels of Mario 1 on the subway or during a break. This reminded me of the anecdotal story of Gunpei Yokoi's inspiration for the game and watch; Yokoi saw a passenger on a train fiddling with their electronic calculator. For 50 dollars, despite it's scarcity, this feels like it fills the exact same niche the original units did back in the early 1980's (if for a somewhat different appeal and level of collectability these days). If you want to see what I mean, watch this old commercial for the GBA Famicom Mini series. Replace his GBA with a Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch, and it fits perfectly. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-_esXTyk1atQ.html

Like the physical copies of Super Mario 3D All-Stars, these are already collecting some minor dust on the shelves over here in Sweden.

I could see Nintendo doing this with more NES titles in the future. We may get a Tetris one, a Zelda one, maybe even SMB3 mega man or metroid. You could collect stacks of these. Then you'll see Sega get in on it and put out some mini master system / game gear titles like this. Columns, Sonic collection, Phantasy Star, etc.

Hey that’s the same battery that’s in JoyCons.

I still have the G&W which I had when I was at school around 1981. It was called Fire, and you had to rescue the people jumping from the burning building and bounce them into the ambulance. I played it to death but it still works ! Still in it's original box too.

I found one of these little things in a local Walmart jst this past evening, picked it up cause you know...classic Nintendo. Thankfully didn't get ripped off and paid normal retail!

My original early 80s Game & Watch had USB-C!

That battery is the same that is in teh joycon's so even if these don't sell weel there will be plenty of battery relpacements out there in the future.

"Doesn't require special tools to replace" except the fact you need a tri-wing bit to open in. I'd consider that a special tool since without it you wouldn't be able to get inside XD

I love mine! In fact I'm playing in the middle of this video! Great job!

I wanted a game and watch duel screen donkey Kong 1 the Orange one when I was a kid in the 80s . I brought a near mint one boxed a few years ago. Had to wait 40 years and buy it myself

I'm glad they made the faceplate metal....no finger smudges awesome....

Definitely looks like it's supposed to be a display piece.

Colin great tear down. I hope enthusiasts find a way to add more games to it.

They could have released a standalone GameBoy Camera, they decided to go for Game & Watch... again...

I see the LCD and backlight cables separated like that, and all I can think? "Take note, Apple."

You can actually save kind of, as in if you complicate past a level you can skip to that world and level again I think it’s one of the secrets? By clicking b on the game screen before playing.

Your video made me rush out to Target and get the last one they had, man. lol Tomorrows my Birthday I'll be 40, and I like to buy gifts for myself. Since I don't have anyone else who will.

I do understand I'm late to the video, but someone has replaced the games now. Doesn't look like many people are going to be able to go their route though

Pick this one up today, together with the zelda one, new inbox at a retrofair for 70 euro together. Was very happy with it.

Just got mine in the mail. Have wanted one of these since I was a kid, super nostalgic for me.

You are correct in saying it's target audience is a narrow group of hardcore Nintendo collectors and gamers. I suspect it will not get to the point that store shelves are stocked with an over abundance.

When I was a child in the 80s, Game & Watch was incredibly popular. Every child has at least one.

This is the sort of thing you never unbox, in years to come it will be worth a small fortune.

I wish they would have made this a GBA+GBC emulator with all the game and watch galleries in it. I think it would have been both more appropiate and interesting than a super mario bros emulator within a game and watch case.

Nintendo almost got me to buy Super Mario *again* just because this looks so good and fun to play on

The Macronix MXIC25U8035F package mounted is part of the same family of memory chips that are used in plenty of laptops as a ROM chip containing the BIOS. It's a 25XXX-type flash memory, and judging by its nomenclature, it's a 1.8v compatible part. You can flash the contents with a CH341A programmer and its 1.8v adapter, but: - You might have to dump the ROM and see what comprises the games and what is the OS - You *will* need to desolder the chip, as trying to flash with the SOIC8 clip will not work. The battery, on the other hand, is the same one found on Nintendo Switch joycons, so it will be easy to source down the line.

Its neat but Nintendo sure does like to milk the original SMB. Which I think makes the devices less compelling. $70 CAD is a lot to ask for a game that's already on every Nintendo platform under the sun. Would have made more sense if it played all the original Game & Watch titles.

Only a matter of time until someone flashes Doom onto this thing.

I love this Game & Watch! Before its existence, it never crossed my mind that I would want something like this. But now, I want more! A Castlevania version with Castlevania 1, 2 and 3 and a Double Dragon version with Double Dragon 1 and 2. I cannot wait for the Zelda version later this year. My favorite NES Zelda game is on it: Zelda II: The Adventure of Link. The cherry on top is that it will also include the GameBoy version of Link’s Awakening, which I have never played, nor the remake on Switch. What I have planned for that little system is that I will first play Zelda II until completion, then I will move onto Link’s Awakening and complete it and then continue with the remake on Switch so I can see how the original and remake compare. This holiday season will be pure Zelda goodness! There is one thing I wish Nintendo would do: a remake of Zelda II aptly renamed The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Adventure. Notice what I did there? I changed the subtitle in the same way Metroid: The Return of Samus was changed to Metroid: Samus Returns for the remake.

You didn't go into the 35 Easter Eggs. Maybe another video?

At the start screen of either Mario game press B button to select which world you want to start from although you can only go the worlds you’ve actually made it to. Press and hold the A button at the start screen and you will begin the game with infinity lives!

Ergonomics look terrible for NES action games. RPGs would work but why would you on such a tiny screen? It would've been better if they emulated the entire original G&W lineup on a single device. Lost opportunity.

Mine seems to have a weird d-button glitch, every so often mario will just kinda stop dead in his tracks. Not sure if it’s a problem with the d-button or if it’s just the way it is. I did buy 3 of them so I’ll open another one to see if it does the same thing and if it doesn’t then I’ll exchange the glitchy one at Target.

I wonder if they could add SuperMario 3 in that G&W console?

The battery appears to be just a joy con battery so replacing it if you have to should be nice and simple. Also this console is way more hackable then the mini consoles. You can just connect an off the shelf stm32 programmer right to it and flash whatever you need, sorta like connecting a programmer to an arduino. The only issue is you need that programmer and the right tools soo not as easy as just connecting it via usb but way more versatile as you have complete control over the device.

its has been hacked but is it possible to replace the flash memory with bigger one

Awesome report in disassembling the little handheld; too bad if doesn't have a save and load feature. Thanks for sharing your time and knowledge.

I rember these when I was in the last year of junior school. The rich kids had these.

I'd love to have a Modern G&W with PEANUTS: Snoopy Tennis than a Mario-Skinned Ball. I hate how there is soooo much potential, but Nintendo just always ignores it.

I just picked us up like two days ago at my local target and I beat Mario on it

For the screen its worth having a gander on panellook, as they have information on nearly every screen.

I was lucky to get both the NES and SNES classics at midnight launches. Showing up a couple hours before midnight. The Sega Genesis mini and this Nintendo Game and Watch have both been at the stores, plenty in stock, not selling out quickly.

Am I the only one reacting to someone simply demoing gameplay like, "Argh! He missed that power-up! Why didn't he jump on that goomba? He missed a coin! Man, that was an easy jump, why didn't he make it??" LOL

Although, you could hold down A in both mario 1 and lost levels/2 on the start screen for infinite lives

I wonder if it can be modded to be an NES portable.

The Game and Watch is first and foremost A WATCH... It was the very first time anyone from any kind of company attempted to make a digital equivalent to a luxury pocket so at the time was pretty much considered a joke/gag item as even to this day when you think about a pocket watch your mind almost always go's to a mechanical one... (Especially so when thinking about a quality one) This all said is exactly why they added a game in it to begin with as a "unusable calculator" was pretty much considered a bad buy in the first place, so the idea of giving someone a neat little device to pass the time on is exactly what motivated Nintendo to gamble on such a thing to begin with... (Remember they started with these things just around the time they started to take video games seriously enough to make them themselves)

The data pins on the USB are not connected to the pcb so no future updates...

Great video! I hope they make one of these with Zelda 1&2! Maybe even Metroid?

What happens when you do the 2 player option

While I personally do not want one, I think this is a fun product to bridge two different times and their technology, to remind how out of question portable mario would have been for so long, yet also how important game and watch is for his birth. I just am bummed by our advancement always coming with a drawback, and while the system extends it with a sleepmode, the battery life not matching original with few cells is a bummer. If they used an oled: it could have had special mode that used no backlight and black and white only to show the clock more permanently as the original, but given that novelty is this time almost the full product, and I am not the one in market for one, this is fine. Just: I wish the product was superior to original game and watch in all ways, not all ways but... This is still OK to me though SNES classic from Japan or Europe is one of best things to get.

Super thorough overview. Thank you for the video

Superb video, answered the questions I had that weren't answered elsewhere. I do think we will see another G&W sometime (it's just too easy for them to do it now, just a different ROM image basically), and with that 1 megabyte I wouldn't be surprised if there are "secrets" to be unlocked in the coming months...

Thanks for the review of this device, I just got one from ebay, I'm fortunate to get one while it's still available, I didn't get to have a chance to play Super Mario during my childhood.....

Very clear and insightful video. Many thanks

I thought about picking one up, but I have plenty of ways to play Mario already. IF you could mod it like the NES Mini, perhaps

I am seeing them more readily available than the Classics. Best Buy had stock and I was able to score the other version from Amazon UK on preorder. Hopeful that everyone who wants one will get it.

Very strange seeing someone playing mario without holding the b buttom constatntly... ;)

Luckily they're more common now that the holidays are over

Thank you for a great review and tear down 💯

I love how incredibly overbuilt this thing is. It's designed to last for something that's basically a novelty device.

4:19 Those aren't Tri-wing. They're Y-Type. There is a BIG difference.

I also remember the really rich kids had the Tomy 3d things. The LED's badly came towards you!

Can you please upload some pictures of the back of the lcd for people to Google around and research the display I need a replacement and thanks to you I may be onto something in trying to find somewhere to get one

I got mine at a target about a month or two after March

At minute 7:02 next to the speaker wiers you can see an unpopulated conector that looks like a serial pin header

My favorite Game & Watch was Bombsweeper

would be perfect for me if it had an alarm! :'( still picked up one

Needed to come with Mario 2 & 3.

Where can i find a suitable replacement screen. Even if slightly larger.