If you grew up in the eighties, you remember the original Game & Watch. They were these tiny, silver or gold handhelds that played exactly one game and basically doubled as an alarm clock your parents bought so you'd stop being late for school. Then, in 2020, Nintendo decided to get weirdly nostalgic. They released the Super Mario Brothers Game Watch to celebrate the plumber's 35th birthday. It wasn't just a cheap piece of plastic. Honestly, it was a love letter to the era of D-pads and CRT flicker, even though it fits in your pocket and has a full-color LCD screen.
People bought them in droves.
It’s easy to dismiss this as a gimmick. After all, you can play Super Mario Bros. on your phone, your Switch, your PC, and probably your smart fridge if you try hard enough. But there’s something tactile about this specific hardware. It’s light. It’s gold. It feels like 1985, but without the need for a reading lamp to see the screen.
What’s Actually Inside the Super Mario Brothers Game Watch?
The hardware is deceptively simple. You get a 2.36-inch full-color LCD. It’s bright. Like, surprisingly bright. Under the hood, it’s running on a System on a Chip (SoC) that enthusiast hackers like stacksmashing on YouTube have spent hours tearing apart. They found that it’s essentially an ARM Cortex-M7.
What does that mean for you? It means the emulation is pixel-perfect.
The device comes pre-loaded with three games. You’ve got the original Super Mario Bros., which is the gold standard of platformers. Then there’s Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. That game is notoriously difficult. It’s the kind of game that makes you want to throw the device across the room, but you won't because it’s too pretty. Finally, there’s Ball. But it’s not just the old 1980 version of Ball; it’s a version where the character's head is replaced with Mario’s.
Small touch. Huge impact.
The Secret "Mario Clock" Features
Most people forget the "Watch" part of the Super Mario Brothers Game Watch. When you aren't playing, it’s a clock. But Nintendo added 35 "little secrets" to the clock interface. If you leave it sitting on your desk, you’ll see Goombas walk across the screen or Koopas sliding around.
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Actually, if you press certain buttons at specific times, things happen. For instance, at 5:55 AM and 5:55 PM, the blocks on the screen turn into coins. It’s those tiny, unnecessary details that make Nintendo fans lose their minds. You’ve also got the "Infinite Mario" trick. On the title screen of either Mario game, if you hold the A button, you start with infinite lives. This is a godsend for The Lost Levels because, let’s be real, that game is brutal.
The build quality is surprisingly solid for something so small. The D-pad feels clicky. The "A" and "B" buttons have that rubbery resistance that feels authentic to the NES controller. It charges via USB-C, which is a nice modern touch. No more hunting for those tiny LR44 button cell batteries that the original 1980s versions used.
Why Collectors Are Obsessed
Limited releases are Nintendo's bread and butter. The Super Mario Brothers Game Watch was technically "limited" until March 31, 2021. After that, Nintendo stopped shipping them to retailers.
Naturally, the "scalper effect" kicked in immediately.
But here’s the thing: Nintendo actually made a lot of these. You can still find them relatively easily on the secondary market for close to the original $49.99 MSRP, though prices are slowly creeping up as mint-condition units disappear. Collectors love the packaging. It comes in a clear plastic slipcase that has a printed stage from the game. When you slide the box out, the enemies disappear, leaving just the hardware.
It’s clever design. It shows that whoever worked on this project actually cared about the legacy of Gunpei Yokoi, the man who invented the original Game & Watch series. Yokoi’s philosophy was "Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology." He believed in using mature, cheap technology in radical new ways. This modern tribute follows that to a T.
How It Compares to the Zelda Version
A year later, Nintendo released a Legend of Zelda version. While the Super Mario Brothers Game Watch is the OG, the Zelda one added a few more features, like a volume button that’s easier to access and a few more games.
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Does that make the Mario version worse? Not really.
The Mario version feels more "classic." It uses the Gold/Red color scheme of the original Famicom (the Japanese version of the NES). It’s a piece of history you can carry in your pocket. The screen on the Mario unit also seems to have a slightly different contrast ratio compared to the Zelda one, which some purists argue makes the NES colors pop more effectively.
Common Misconceptions and Technical Hiccups
One thing that confuses people is the "Region" of the games. Since this was a global release, Nintendo included the NES versions of the games. Some hardcore fans in Europe were hoping for the slightly slower PAL versions for nostalgia reasons, but you get the NTSC 60Hz versions here. That’s a good thing. It plays smoothly.
Another weird point: The stand.
The original Game & Watches from the 80s had a little metal kickstand on the back. This new Super Mario Brothers Game Watch does not.
If you want to use it as a desk clock, you basically have to lean it against a coffee mug or buy a 3D-printed stand from Etsy. It’s a strange omission for a device that is marketed as a "Watch."
Also, don't expect to hack this easily. While people have managed to put Doom on it (because of course they did), it requires soldering and a specialized debugger like an ST-Link. It’s not as simple as dragging and dropping files onto a SD card.
The Value Proposition in 2026
If you’re looking at getting a Super Mario Brothers Game Watch today, you’re likely looking at it as a display piece or a quick "waiting in line at the DMV" distraction. It isn't a replacement for a Switch. It isn't trying to be.
It’s a functional piece of art.
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The battery life is decent—about 8 hours of active playtime. If you just leave it on the clock mode plugged in, it’ll run forever. It’s one of the few pieces of gaming tech from the last five years that feels like it was made with zero cynicism. It’s just a fun, shiny toy that plays one of the best games ever made.
Practical Steps for Owners and Buyers
If you’ve just picked one up or have one sitting in a drawer, here is how to get the most out of it without ruining the collector value.
Keep the box away from sunlight. The red ink on the original packaging is notorious for fading if it sits on a shelf near a window. If you want it to retain value, keep that box in a dark, cool spot.
Don't let the battery hit zero.
Lithium-ion batteries hate being completely drained for long periods. If you’re storing it, charge it to about 50% first. If it sits at 0% for a year, the battery might swell or refuse to hold a charge later.
Unlock the Secret Song.
There is a hidden "Drawing Song" that teaches you how to draw Mario. To find it, hold the A button while the clock is displayed. It’s a weird little Easter egg that most people miss entirely.
Use the right charger.
While it uses USB-C, it doesn't need a high-wattage MacBook charger. A standard 5W phone brick or even a PC USB port is safer for the internal circuitry.
The Super Mario Brothers Game Watch isn't just a nostalgia trip; it’s a reminder that gaming doesn't always need to be about 4K resolutions and ray tracing. Sometimes, it’s just about a guy in overalls jumping over a turtle. And that’s enough.
Next Steps for Enthusiasts
- Verify your firmware version: Hold the power button and A+B simultaneously during boot-up to check for any rare revision markers.
- Source a display stand: Look for acrylic "Game & Watch" stands to avoid the device slipping if used as a desk clock.
- Explore the "Ball" variations: Try to reach a score of 280 in the included Ball game to see if you can trigger the character speed-up transitions.