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While some believe that Nintendo's domination of the handheld market started with the Game Boy, it was in fact the Game & Watch series which really kicked things off for the Japanese firm. The brainchild of Gunpei Yokoi - the same man who created the Game Boy - these simple LCD portables sold millions during the '80s and would influence Nintendo's thinking for generations to come; the concept of using readily-available and cheap tech in unique ways stood the company in good stead during subsequent handheld hardware generations.

Given Nintendo's global fame and the dedicated nature of its fans, Game & Watch units are rising in price all the time on the second-hand market. However, if you're serious about experiencing what these handhelds have to offer but don't want to pay a premium, then perhaps you could follow in the footsteps of Andrew Hannay, who has created his very own DIY Game & Watch using a cheap circuit board, LCD display and a low-cost handheld game casing, purchased off eBay.

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Hannay has used his new system to recreate the Game & Watch title Vermin, but he states that it's capable of playing other titles - he just has to program them.

You can view the entire production process here, and let us know what you think of this awesome mod by posting a comment below.

[source tinycartridge.com]