Shiny new tech isn't necessarily better. Some of the best things can be created with ubiquitously available, overlooked and "withered" technology. All it takes is a fresh perspective and remixing.

Gunpei Yokoi is a hero. He started Nintendo's electronics division and instilled the company with this doctrine. Yokoi held that toys and games do not necessarily require cutting edge technology; novel and fun gameplay are more important. He suggested that expensive cutting edge technology can get in the way of developing a new product.

To control a game called “Donkey Kong” on the Game and Watch, Yokoi invented the D-Pad, the four-way directional control that can be found on almost all modern game consoles and controllers. He went on to produce games like Metroid and the Super Mario franchise and, in 1989, Nintendo introduced the product that would become Yokoi’s greatest success: The Game Boy.