Ball was the first Game & Watch game released by Nintendo in 1980.
Designed by Gunpei Yokoi, Ball gave players a simple task: keep balls in the air by moving a character’s arms from side to side. Its compact electronic design helped establish the template for Nintendo’s Game & Watch line.
Nintendo released Ball in April 1980 as the first entry in a series that eventually included dozens of handheld LCD games. The device used a fixed LCD screen rather than interchangeable software, so each Game & Watch unit was its own game system.
Ball is sometimes confused with Flagman, which was also an early Game & Watch title. Flagman was released later in 1980, making Ball the series’ starting point. The original Ball is now a notable milestone in Nintendo’s handheld history.