I have a confession to make. I never intended to buy the recently launched limited-edition Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. player to actually play it. Nor did I buy it to hold as a collector's item. Nope. I bought it as a desk clock.
2020 was the year I invested in a very on-brand desk clock. pic.twitter.com/BXA4gdrJMX
— TJ Denzer (@JohnnyChugs) November 19, 2020
No, it's true, y'all. Look, it plays Super Mario Bros 1 just fine and even has a traditoinal gray and black Game & Watch Ball game, but seriously, are we lacking for machines that can emulate Super Mario Bros? Nah. Also, I don't see this thing skyrocketing in value. It's really neat and very well designed. I just also don't want to sit on it in its box.
The selling point of this thing to me was the clock. I love video games. I love cool clocks. The Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. player is both. It tells the time and plays an ongoing collection of original Super Mario Bros. animations while it goes. I really couldn't ask for a better desk knickknack in that regard.
I think my only complaints about it are in the cord and a feature related to it. See, it's a pretty thick USB-A to USB-C cord with the C end going into the player to charge it. The problem? The cord is thick but also super short. It's only like a foot long, and the thickness of the cord also makes it hard to arrange.
So unplug it right? Well, here's another issue. When the charge cord isn't plugged in, this thing has an auto Sleep Mode even when you put it in Clock Mode. So, if you have it off the charge cable, even in Clock Mode, and let the time play, it will eventually activate Sleep Mode and automatically turn off to conserve power. Bummer!
So I guess ultimately I'll have to be on the look out for a better cable for charging, maybe you should too if you get it. That aside, it does what I want it to do. It's nice looking player and a very fun little piece for keeping me on time as I work.
