Well, this is kinda cool.......

[Rob]

Back in the olden days, long before the likes of the X360 & PS3.........

To entertain ourselves, when us kids weren't out in the bush looking for herps, we'd have a go at trying to beat each other on what was known as Game&Watch - A little pocket handheld game with a simple LCD screen that would have us enthralled for hours.

While I am not sure if it was the first one released, the one I remember as being my first was Donkey Kong. It had not one, but two screens, so if you were lucky enough to own one of these you had the Rolls Royce of G&W. That was until, the triple screens came out.

Nowadays, we can re-live these memories by means of emulation (or perhaps this is better known as a simulation). I have stumbled upon a website that has quite an impressive collection of these gems, check it out: Pica Pic | retro handheld games collection

I tried DK out for the first time in what has got to be at least 30 years just now, and managed to reach the "top" score of 999 with 2 lives remaining. I am not sure if these emulated versions will go higher than that or reset to 0 (like the originals), because I lost my lives taking the screenshot, LOL.

 

[andynic07]

I had one of these, pretty sure it was about $90 which was a lot of money. I also had Donkey Kong 2 and Donkey Kong Jr.

 

[Rob]

I had one of these, pretty sure it was about $90 which was a lot of money. I also had Donkey Kong 2 and Donkey Kong Jr.

While I am not certain, because this was back in 82, but I think they were around $30 a pop, which was still a lot of money back then - I could buy 3 LP records for the same price.

I too had the DK series. Was there a DKIII ? I can't remember. I know I had Mario's Cement Factory, which was kind of related to the DK series.

 

[borntobnude]

You guys were SO lucky ,My parents owned 30 odd toy shops in the 70's ABC Toys from Newcastle to the Gong and as far as Blackheath . Dad had his heart attack and sold out to Toyworld in 1980 . I don't think these were out then or at least we weren't allowed to have "such rubbish ". And NO it wasn't like you think we had to work to earn the money to buy stuff from the shop , I remember cleaning the warehouse for the privilege to buy a Bahne Skateboard , direct from the USA .

 

[Rob]

Can't say I recall ABC Toys, but I of course remember Toyworld. And Uncle Pete.... Who could forget his world of magic ?

[video=youtube;vmVKqQr1X9E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmVKqQr1X9E[/video]

 

[andynic07]

Hmmm , you may be right Rob but for some reason I had $90 in my head. I think there was a DK3 as well. Borntobenude, you would think that you would have been living every kids dream.

 

[borntobnude]

Rob , uncle pete was our only real competitor , then toy world started - dad was in most shopping strips and only a few shopping Centers , off the top of my head they were in , Yagoona ( the first one ) Bankstown ,Ashfield ,Cabramatta , Revesby Narrabeen 1 in the city somewhere , Ryde , Blacktown , Campbelltown ,Liverpool ,Panania. World for kids was starting up just as dad put it on the market

Andy , most of our toys /games would come direct to my brother and I from the sales reps , or his warehouse manager who thought the stuff needed TESTING or we just asked him for it . nothing big just another AFX car or piece of track or mostly just another weirdo's trick so we could pay out on our poor unsuspecting parents :lol:

 

[Rob]

Sounds like you had an awesome childhood, as most of us did growing up back then.

 

[Stuart]

Awesome!

 

[BeZaKa]

Back in the olden days, long before the likes of the X360 & PS3.........

To entertain ourselves, when us kids weren't out in the bush looking for herps, we'd have a go at trying to beat each other on what was known as Game&Watch - A little pocket handheld game with a simple LCD screen that would have us enthralled for hours.

While I am not sure if it was the first one released, the one I remember as being my first was Donkey Kong. It had not one, but two screens, so if you were lucky enough to own one of these you had the Rolls Royce of G&W. That was until, the triple screens came out.

Nowadays, we can re-live these memories by means of emulation (or perhaps this is better known as a simulation). I have stumbled upon a website that has quite an impressive collection of these gems, check it out: Pica Pic | retro handheld games collection

I tried DK out for the first time in what has got to be at least 30 years just now, and managed to reach the "top" score of 999 with 2 lives remaining. I am not sure if these emulated versions will go higher than that or reset to 0 (like the originals), because I lost my lives taking the screenshot, LOL.

I came across a working version of this whilst visiting my parents place the other day. Donkey Kong rules

 

[Shotta]

WOW you Have Game n watch!!! that thing would be worth a little bit now!!!

 

[RSPcrazy]

I have an original "Game & Watch" Donkey Kong game. It still works perfectly too.

 

[RSPcrazy]

WOW you Have Game n watch!!! that thing would be worth a little bit now!!!

According to eBay, they are going for $40-$100. There's one guy trying to get $200 for his.

 

[Rob]

Yeah I have a few stashed around somewhere, but they are unboxed and far from mint condition (though I can't see why they wouldn't still work) so they wouldn't be worth much at all.