WM-GX688

The WM-GX688 is part of the later and more specialized GX-series recording Walkman, combining cassette recording and AM/FM radio with features clearly aimed at study and repetition instead of pure entertainment. It includes built-in microphone recording, auto-reverse playback, A-B repeat for looping selected passages, and a backlit LCD remote that made longer listening sessions easier to manage without touching the main unit constantly. The body remained compact and plastic, with the familiar late-GX balance between portability and utility.

This is one of those late models where the surviving purpose of cassette becomes unusually clear. The GX688 was not there to compete with newer music formats, but to serve people still using tape for language learning, repeated listening, note-taking, and structured listening habits that digital players had not yet fully absorbed. It is a specialist machine from the final practical chapter of the Walkman story.