3 ms·

Game & Watch was first, still Gunpei Yokoi, but yeah I’d consider that the start of mobile gaming - at least that’s my memory!

by louthy 3y ago

chrisco255 3y ago
Yeah Game & Watches predate Game Boy by quite a bit. And they were quite successful.
- MBCook 3y ago
  There’s a reason it was the DMG. Dot Matrix Game(?). It was the first really successful portable system with interchangeable games and a dot matrix screen as opposed to custom LCDs per game like G&W. The Milton Bradley MicroVision came first around 1980. Nintendo referenced it as a precursor. But the screen was 16x16 pixels so ‘graphics’ is kind of misnomer. I think I remember seeing something once where the screen was included with the game, because it was a static LCD sort of like a Game and Watch game. The GB was in the right place, at the right time, from the right company, with the right hardware and software, at the right price point. Instant success.
tetrisgm 3y ago
Same inventor indeed. However the games were mostly just one per device, and basically all used simple "sprites" that toggled on/off. I think the Game & Watch gameplay feels a lot closer to an electronic toy from the early 80s than what people would consider console gaming. Not to detract from its merit. It's just that the Game Boy wasich closer to a NES-like experience.
- MBCook 3y ago
  For anyone old enough for this to make sense but who hasn’t seen a Game and Watch game: they worked just like the cheap Tiger Electronics LCD games you could get. Just like a simple digital watch, everything that could be on the screen was designed upfront and then the individual bits could just be shown or hidden. Nintendo eventually made three collections of the Game and Watch games for the GB. Each collection was a ton of fun with each game available in classic (faithful) or updated (graphics replaced with sprites, same gameplay) modes. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_&_Watch https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_&_Watch
  - huehehue 3y ago
    There's a fighting game (I think a port of Street Fighter II) in this style and it's just wild how they make the static screen elements work with that type of game.

Game & Watch was first, still Gunpei Yokoi, but yeah I’d consider that the start of mobile gaming - at least that’s my memory!

by louthy 3y ago

Game & Watch was first, still Gunpei Yokoi, but yeah I’d consider that the start of mobile gaming - at least that’s my memory!

chrisco255 3y ago

Yeah Game & Watches predate Game Boy by quite a bit. And they were quite successful.

MBCook 3y ago
There’s a reason it was the DMG. Dot Matrix Game(?). It was the first really successful portable system with interchangeable games and a dot matrix screen as opposed to custom LCDs per game like G&W. The Milton Bradley MicroVision came first around 1980. Nintendo referenced it as a precursor. But the screen was 16x16 pixels so ‘graphics’ is kind of misnomer. I think I remember seeing something once where the screen was included with the game, because it was a static LCD sort of like a Game and Watch game. The GB was in the right place, at the right time, from the right company, with the right hardware and software, at the right price point. Instant success.

tetrisgm 3y ago

Same inventor indeed. However the games were mostly just one per device, and basically all used simple "sprites" that toggled on/off. I think the Game & Watch gameplay feels a lot closer to an electronic toy from the early 80s than what people would consider console gaming. Not to detract from its merit. It's just that the Game Boy wasich closer to a NES-like experience.

MBCook 3y ago
For anyone old enough for this to make sense but who hasn’t seen a Game and Watch game: they worked just like the cheap Tiger Electronics LCD games you could get. Just like a simple digital watch, everything that could be on the screen was designed upfront and then the individual bits could just be shown or hidden. Nintendo eventually made three collections of the Game and Watch games for the GB. Each collection was a ton of fun with each game available in classic (faithful) or updated (graphics replaced with sprites, same gameplay) modes. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_&_Watch https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_&_Watch
- huehehue 3y ago
  There's a fighting game (I think a port of Street Fighter II) in this style and it's just wild how they make the static screen elements work with that type of game.