MyPlay Watch is one company that leans heavily on Gen X and Millennial nostalgia for classic console and arcade games. The company has a number of products, including Atari and Space invaders hours, but the new Mega Man: MyPlay is the most ’90s-coded of the bunch.
Mega Man: MyPlay Watch presents a personalized version of the NES classic Mega man 2 with original sprites, scenes, bosses and music for an “original” experience, although the controls have been updated to work with one-touch input. The game consists of two modes: “Classic” stage-by-stage progression and “Arcade” which takes you through selected stages with increasing speed and difficulty.
Not just Mega Man: MyPlay Watch comes with a special version Mega man 2 built in, but it’s also a fully functional smartwatch with activity tracking, interchangeable watch faces, including custom Mega Man designs – calorie counting and a heart rate monitor.
I can’t fault MyPlay Watch for tapping into generational nostalgia for a pre-internet era. After all, that longing can be seen everywhere these days. We’ve gotten to the point where nostalgia-fodder technology is a full-fledged industry, and products exist across categories, from tabletop mini arcade cabinets to back bars and vintage handhelds. Some people even take the dream of classic technology into their own hands. YouTuber LeggoMyFroggo recently broke the news of becoming a Nintendo Game Boy Color turned into a clock using the original Game Boy Color CPU. But for those of us less inclined to solder our own hardware, the MyPlay Watch can fill a similar need.
The Mega Man: MyPlay Watch is available for pre-order now at GameStop for $79.99. At this price, if it performs well, it’s almost a steal.
