Mega Man is the better game, but Space Invaders is the better watch to wear. Both My Play Watch models cost around $79.99 / £79.99 and do the same basics: time, calendar, stopwatch and calculator. Neither has notifications.
- Choose Mega Man if you want the more ambitious game. It’s a reworked Mega Man 2 with bosses, music and unlockable watch faces, though the controls get fiddly and some enemies, levels and Robot Master weapons have changed.
- Choose Space Invaders if you want pure nostalgia. The game is simpler (side dial to move, tap to fire), but the pixel-art faces, arcade sounds and gamified health stats make it the one I kept on my wrist.
Space Invaders was the first game I ever played, or at least the first I can remember playing. I played it on a black-and-white CRT with an Atari 2600 (which is why I loved the Atari 2600+), crouched cross-legged on the floor, my face pressed against the TV screen. Our local swimming pool had an arcade because, back then, game cabinets appeared everywhere, but it was off-limits to me at eight.
I’m an adult now, so I can have Space Invaders, which remained one of the best games of the 80s after its release in 1978, on my wrist and play it whenever I like. In colour, too. That’s the pitch behind the My Play Watch series, which brings retro game brands back as digital watches. (For more, check out the indie game aping the visual design of old LCD game and watch gadgets.)
The Mega Man-branded My Play Watch is a different story. I came to the series late, on PlayStation, but of the two, this is arguably the watch with the more interesting game. It’s a reworked version of Mega Man 2, playable on a tiny watch face. Mega Man runs automatically; tap and hold the screen to jump, then release to fire, and beating bosses unlocks new watch faces.
My Play Watch: Mega Man vs Space Invaders
+ It’s Mega Man 2 reworked
+ Multiple watch faces
- It isn’t a straight port
Built on a renewed version of Mega Man 2 designed to be played on a watch face, this is arguably the better watch, but I just don't connect with Capcom's icon in the same way as Space Invaders…
+ Arcade sounds and art
+ Gamified health stats
- The game is very simple
… And this is why the 1980-inspired Space Invaders smartwatch, in limited-edition yellow, is my preferred pick. It may not be as experimental as Mega Man, but it's my nostalgia pill.
My Play Watch Mega Man: the better game
The blue retro watch and game capture the feel of Mega Man 2 despite the simplified controls, and the bosses and music are still there, bleeping away on my wrist. It isn’t a straight port, though. There are no Robot Master weapons, some enemies and minibosses are missing, and the levels have been changed. Controls can get fiddly when your finger covers the screen.
And yet I’ve kept Space Invaders on my wrist, even though its version of the game is simple. You move the little ship left and right using the side dial and tap the screen to fire. Sure, it's not as easy as playing on one of the best retro game consoles like the new Evercade Nexus, but look how tiny it is. It’s easy to pick up but hard to play while wearing, and the original arcade sounds and pixel-art watch faces sell the nostalgia, even if anyone nearby will tut and raise an irksome eyebrow at the loud bleeps and famously high-pitched 'pew-cssssh' as an Invader turns to pixel dust.
My Play Watch Space Invaders: nostalgia on your wrist
Nostalgia and collectibility are what sell these watches, and they’ve sold me. I love looking down and seeing the little animated Space Invader pixel monster waving back at me, or the bright original cabinet art sat on my wrist.
But they also have to do more than simply callback to my childhood, and that’s where both watches have a smart retro design. The smartest touch is the health tracking. Step count, calories, and heart rate turn into gamified stats, with my daily rates shown right next to my Space Invaders high score. It’s a small thing, but it makes checking my wrist and health updates feel like celebrating a scoreboard.
Which My Play Watch should you buy?
Elsewhere, these watches do what a digital watch needs to do in 2026: show the time, a calendar, a stopwatch and a calculator, but they have no notifications or advanced smartwatch features, which is either refreshing and on-brand for a retro game and watch, or a lack of digital detail. Personally, I’m happy to not have WhatsApps buzzing every 10 minutes. The design is a nice touch, too. Both use UI and fonts inspired by their games, and Space Invaders makes stellar use of pixel-art digits that take me straight back to 1982. The strap is spray-painted with Invaders, too (and each watch includes an alternative strap if you want to tone down the retro branding).
Just keep your expectations in check. This collectable tells the time, not an Apple Watch or Garmin rival. No notifications, a small screen not built for long play sessions but designed to take you back to simpler times and scratch that collectables itch – new editions include Street Fighter 2 and a gloriously obnoxious glowing green and pink Centipede edition that I kind of want for no apparent reason but mostly because these things become a container for our emotions.
At around $79.99 / £79.99, Mega Man is the better game, but Space Invaders is the one I’ve kept on, because, like all things retro, it’s completely personal.
Other My Play Watch editions
