Mega Man My Play Watch Merges Classic Gaming Fun with Smartwatch Functionality

Retro fans know the pull of those pixelated battles from the NES era. The Mega Man My Play Watch gives exactly that in a wearable package for $80. The device is an officially licensed Capcom creation based on a rebuilt version of Mega Man 2, featuring original graphics, stages, bosses, and soundtrack.

The first thing that stands out is the brilliant blue metal case, which is coated with a nice-looking custom enamel coating that feels strong against the wrist. The 1.91in TFT touchscreen is a great joy, with nice vivid colours and crisp pixel art that holds up well during games. Two replaceable Blue Bomber-themed bands are included, as well as a magnetic charging cord that clamps onto the watch for a quick top-up.

The gameplay is an upgrade of the original Mega Man 2, designed to perform equally as well on a smaller screen as it would on a television. You may have Mega Man run about on his own while tapping the screen to fire the Mega Buster and tapping and holding to manage the jump time. The perils and adversaries will need rapid thinking, but the controls are simple enough that you may play the game in between meetings or while commuting. There is a Classic mode, which allows you to select any of the Robot Master stages, defeat the boss, and finally unlock Dr. Wily’s Castle to begin making meaningful progress. Arcade mode is a little more harder, with stages strung together and the speed and difficulty increasing as you progress, as the goal is to achieve high scores. Then there’s Play Time mode, which transforms the screen into these very cool animated watch faces, complete with Mega Man figures and pixel precision.

Beneath the games, it’s just a conventional smartwatch that can handle all of the usual functions. You get all of your step counts, heart rate data, and calorie calculations displayed in a tidy UI with that Mega Man flair. The time displays are accurate, and you can quickly flip between all of the watch faces when you desire. Without bluetooth or wifi connections, you get no notifications or diversions, just the fundamentals of what you’d use a watch for.

The watch’s IP67 classification protects it from dust and water splashes, so it should be able to withstand an active lifestyle. The battery life is also rather decent, lasting approximately 4 days in normal use/standby mode and 6 hours if you’re gaming nonstop. Charging everything takes roughly 2 hours using the provided wire.

Pre-orders started recently through GameStop for a modest $79.99, with shipping scheduled to begin in mid-June. Each unit includes the watch, two bands, and a charger, all ready to use straight out of the box.