Nintendo's Game & Watch, a groundbreaking product in the company's history, was inspired by a calculator and the idle moments of a salaryman on a train. This idea would set Nintendo on a path to global success. The original concept came from Gunpei Yokoi, who joined Nintendo in 1965 during a difficult time for the company. At that point, Nintendo's stock had plummeted from 900 yen to just 60 yen. Yokoi's creative innovations played a crucial role in turning the company around. Founded in 1889 in Kyoto as a maker of hanafuda playing cards, Nintendo had tried many different ventures over the years, including a taxi service and instant noodles, to stay relevant. It found its footing in the modern market through toy production, notably with Yokoi's invention of the Ultra Hand, a stretchable toy that sold 1.4 million units worldwide. By the late 1970s, Nintendo had begun focusing on the video game market. It released the TV-Game 6 and TV-Game 15 home consoles in 1977 and opened a coin-operated games division in 1979. It was during this time that Yokoi, while traveling on a train, observed a salaryman using a calculator to pass the time. This inspired the idea for the Game & Watch, a portable device designed to bring gaming to people on the go. The technology used in the Game & Watch was similar to that of calculators of the time, employing LCD screens and button cell batteries to create visuals using a system of segments. The first Game & Watch title, Ball, was released in 1980 and used a chip that could display 72 segments. Early prototypes were built physically, using cut acrylic plastic and tiny wheat bulbs placed on a circuit board that matched the size of the Game & Watch. The team released nearly one title per month, producing a total of 59 games between its inception and 1991. Over time, the technology improved, first with a widescreen format and later with the iconic clamshell design featuring two screens. In total, the Game & Watch series sold over 43 million units worldwide. Yokoi introduced a philosophy that remains influential at Nintendo: using older, reliable technology in innovative ways. He applied this idea to his next major project, the Game Boy, by choosing simpler and more affordable hardware than that of his competitors. This decision led to a more portable device with better battery life, and the Game Boy became one of the most popular handhelds of all time. Even today, Nintendo devices like the upcoming Switch 2 may not have the most powerful hardware, but they prioritize portability and affordability. Yokoi's vision for portable gaming introduced two key concepts: the clamshell design that protects the screen and the D-pad, both of which are still used in modern handhelds. In an internal interview, the late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said, "If it weren't for Game & Watch, today's handheld game systems would probably be different. I doubt the Game Boy and Nintendo DS systems would have made it out into the world."