For some it was Game Boy Advance, for others it was the original Game Boy. And for those old enough to remember “Just Say No,” Rubik cubes and Cabbage Patch dolls – it was probably the Game & Watch. But, whichever handheld was the first to de-virginize you from the standard, fixed console…it was most likely from Nintendo. 

Nintendo’s “games on the go” have been around for over 20 years. Some you might remember, so you might not. So, let’s take a look to refresh your memory.

Game & Watch (1980)

The Game & Watch was the first popular handheld for gamers. It had a liquid-crystal display (LCD), which enabled it to have more detailed graphics, like teeny-tiny cartoon people and objects that moved around the screen. The graphics were black on white (this was huge for back then). And like most handhelds and consoles it came in a ton of different versions, eleven to be exact. Check them out below...

1. Silver (1980)
Games for the Silver screen were developed in 1980. The first game released was Ball, which was a juggling game where you had to move a little man’s arms left or right to catch the juggling balls. Sounds easy, huh? It pretty much was, except it does get faster and faster as the game continues. And if you drop the ball once, the game’s over my friends.

2. Gold (1981)
The same as the Silver edition, with only one minor change it seemed – it was now gold. One game that sticks out in my mind is Manhole. Little cartoon people are walking along streets with manholes with no covers. You have to move through the sewers in order to cover up the holes and stop the people from falling down.

3. Widescreen (1981-82)
The Widescreen version was probably the most popular for Game & Watch, and spun off into a new and improved version simply titled: “New Widescreen.” So, technically this version lasted 10 years. The first game though, Parachute, came out in 1981 and required you to catch people in parachutes before they ended up being eaten by sharks.

4. Multi-screen (1982-89)
The Multi-screen came in two formats. The most common was the vertical screen that played games like Donkey Kong and Bomb Sweeper, and not to mention looks like it was at least part of the inspiration for the new Nintendo DS. The other game format was horizontal, which played games like Mario Bros.

5. New Widescreen (1983-91)
Unlike the original Widescreen, the New Widescreen had a bright colored border around the screens. They were first released in 1983 and the last one was Mario the Juggler in 1991.


6. Tabletop (1983)
Only four games were released in the Tabletop series: Donkey Kong Jr., Snoopy, Mario Cement Factory and Popeye. This version is the one that looked like a mini-arcade game, with a cool full color screen and music to match.

7. Panorama (1983-84)
The Panorama is similar to the Tabletop games. You have to open up your handheld in order to uncover the mirror the game is reflected on. There were six games in the series: Mario's Bombs Away, Mickey Mouse, Donkey Kong Circus, Snoopy, Popeye and Donkey Kong Jr.

8. Super Color (1984)
There are only two games in this extended-edition: Crab Grab and Spitball Sparky. Despite the color, they weren't really all that exciting, and that’s probably why they didn’t last very long.


9. Micro Vs. (1984)
Only three games were released in the Micro Vs. system series: Boxing, Donkey Kong 3 and Donkey Kong Hockey. You could either play by yourself (vs. the computer) or against another player. It came with two controllers with cables that wind up inside them.

10. Crystal Screen (1986)
The screen is transparent, and if I remember was almost impossible to play without a ton of light in the room. It spawned three games: Super Mario Bros., Climber and Balloon Flight.


11. Special Edition (1987)
A special edition of Super Mario Bros. came out in 1987, and looked similar to the Tiger Electronic Games you are used to seeing today.

Bonus: In 1998, Toymax Inc. teamed-up with Nintendo to release several Game & Watch titles as key chain-size games.

Game Boy (1989)

The Game Boy was first introduced in 1989 as a pretty big, pretty plain, colorless portable game console. Four AA batteries got this puppy going for almost 20 hours of gameplay. And the only way to get stereo sound off the Game Boy was if you plugged in some headphones (only has one tiny speaker). Game Boy's software library included some of the best games of all time though like Tetris and Pokémon. The Game Boy has definitely evolved over the years and has appeared in many colors and sizes. Take a look at all the different versions.

1. Game Boy Pocket (1996)
Nintendo released the Game Boy Pocket in a metallic blue and silver color at first, and was around 30% smaller than the original (hence the name, Pocket). Besides size, another new feature was the 2.6” large, high resolution reflective LCD screen, 4-channel stereo sound and was very light in weight.

2. Game Boy Color (1998)
Game Boy Color, well, added color.







3. Game Boy Advance (2001)
Game Boy Advance (GBA) is much faster, has better graphics and better sound (hence the name Advance, you catchin’ on?)  And you can network up to four Game Boy Advance units together for multiplayer gameplay on one shared cartridge. What’s not new (and that’s a good thing) is the wide selection of Game Boy games. Since the Game Boy Advance system is backwards-compatible, it can play its own line of games like Super Mario Advance, as well as all games that have already been released for the Game Boy system.

4. Game Boy Advance SP (2003)
Almost identical to the GBA internally, but the screen is lighted, making it easy to see in almost any lighting. It’s also the first Game Boy system to have one internal rechargeable battery, which seems to have impressive battery life, and comes with an adapter. It is much easier to see the screen clearly, and it is smaller, making it a lot easier to take with you.

Nintendo DS (2004)

Unless you have been leaving under a rock, you definitely heard of the Nintendo DS. Well, this is a refresher course: The dual-screened Nintendo DS is a portable video game and communication system. Each system has a built-in stylus for use on the touch screen, a built-in microphone for voice recognition and wireless capabilities via both local area network and Wi-Fi connections. And this isn’t all button-mashing; you can now express your inner creativity by drawing on the newfound touch screen canvas in games like Pictochat. For more on all of Nintendo’s consoles and games go to: http://www.nintendo.com.