Nintendo's Game & Watch line became one of the company's most successful early projects, spearheaded by Gunpei Yokoi. When Yokoi joined Nintendo in 1965, the company was struggling, with its stock plummeting from 900 yen to just 60. After creating the Ultra Hand toy in 1966, which sold 1.4 million units, Yokoi turned his attention to the digital market.

The inspiration for Game & Watch struck in 1979 while Yokoi was riding a train. He noticed a salaryman idly playing with a calculator to pass the time, realizing games should be portable. Fortuitously, he pitched the idea to President Hiroshi Yamauchi just before Yamauchi met with Sharp's president.

Sharp, the world's biggest calculator manufacturer, collaborated on the project. The technology mirrored calculators of the era, utilizing LCD screens and button cell batteries. The first title, 1980's Game & Watch: Ball, used a chip capable of displaying 72 segments.

The team released 59 titles between inception and 1991, selling over 43 million units worldwide. Yokoi coined the philosophy of "lateral thinking with withered technology," repurposing proven hardware for new applications. This concept later informed the creation of the Game Boy, prioritizing affordability and battery life over raw power.

Even modern devices like the Nintendo Switch excel through portability and price rather than maximum performance.