Gunpei Yokoi passed 10 years ago today
by Justin McElroy 
{ Oct 4th 2007 at 9:20AM }
If you think of it today, take a moment to remember Gunpei Yokoi, who passed away 10 years ago on this date after a car accident. The only man responsible for draining more AA batteries than Phillip J. Remotecontrol, Yokoi was the creator of the Game Boy, and the father of some of the portable console design tenets that still appear to govern Nintendo today.Though he followed it up with the Virtual Boy (a misstep by anyone's approximation) Yokoi's legacy lives on. The only tragedy is that the tech wizard never saw the Game Boy's progeny not just play second fiddle to home consoles, but become a true force of gaming.
[Thanks, Samuel]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Jerk Face @ Oct 4th 2007 9:25AM
*pours some Gamefuel on the ground*
Lemmiwinks @ Oct 4th 2007 11:54AM
...and everything it touches on the gound dies.
plyx @ Oct 4th 2007 11:56AM
But, it's got what plants crave, it's got electrolytes.
Jerk Face @ Oct 4th 2007 11:56AM
LOL
I know, I hate that shit.
Bigfoot @ Oct 4th 2007 9:29AM
Don't forget he also produced my favorite game series, Metroid.
warioswoods @ Oct 4th 2007 10:15AM
He also created me, Wario.
Raikage (NDF - PK THUNDER RING) @ Oct 4th 2007 1:36PM
And... Uh... The... Virtual Boy...
Also the Gameboy so it's all good : D
Calviin @ Oct 4th 2007 7:09PM
Yeah, the Virtual Boy would have been good if he actually was ABLE to create it. Nintendo had grown impatient with the amount of time that he had taken with the project and quickly rushed the Virtual Boy to market. As a result, he didn't get to finished making it, just start. Then when it did poorly, they blamed him and he left the company to start the Wonderswan. Because if there's anyone who doesn't deserve to put up with guff, it's Gunpei MF'ing Yokoi, Slayer of Gods and Men, Destroyer of Worlds, Defender of the Universe and tender lover. So tender. So sweet.
Konny @ Oct 4th 2007 9:30AM
Man.. i havent used a AA battery in a long time.
Raikage (NDF - PK THUNDER RING) @ Oct 4th 2007 1:57PM
You must not have a Wii then, LOL
Those stupid things die when your not using them....
zwarrior @ Oct 4th 2007 3:08PM
3rd-party wii rechargeable batteries ftw
samfish (MSDF- Nurse Outfit!) @ Oct 4th 2007 9:31AM
He looks like a Japanese Tim Robbins.
That picture should therefore be captioned, "Y'know...for kids!"
FOXHOUND @ Oct 4th 2007 9:58AM
Tim Robbins = The Shoveler. ;D
As for GY, RIP. You're missed. Though in speaking of the Virtual Boy... it always lead me to wonder just how far along the SEGA VR concept was. Or hell, if VR'll ever make a comeback in videogaming other than random arcade games as of recent(the WWII gun turret sim).
JodyAnthony (FDF - Hedonism Bot) @ Oct 4th 2007 10:07AM
Get busy livin' or get busy dyin'
Crono (NDF - French Taunting from Holy Grail Ring) @ Oct 4th 2007 10:46AM
Virtual Boy was a huge flop because it was only half finished when they decided to launch. Yamauchi wanted all his engineers working on the N64, so the VB project was halted before they could work out all the kinks (like the headache inducingness, or the collossal weight, or the battery suckingness). You know, all the stuff that they work out in the final portion of design.
The VB we got was the alpha 2 VB. Maybe the Beta 1.
Koopaknight29 - (Nintendo Loyalist) @ Oct 4th 2007 9:41AM
Ah, bless his kindly soul. May he smile upon Nintendo, knowing that they have done well.
McWeen @ Oct 4th 2007 9:41AM
I believe he also invented the D-pad when he worked on Game and Watch devices.
Slaziman @ Oct 4th 2007 9:41AM
Hail!
NintendoFanbot @ Oct 4th 2007 9:52AM
If it weren't for him we probably wouldn't have Wii as it is today. The GB was made for cheap but quality hardware, and projects with tight budget control lead to financial success and even critical success for the timeliness of their releases.
Mr Khan @ Oct 4th 2007 9:53AM
And the original Wonder Swan, don't forget that!
James @ Oct 4th 2007 10:01AM
Guy's a legend.
hermes @ Oct 4th 2007 10:04AM
It's sad though.. When you think that after the VB incident Nintendo pretty much shoved him into the closet. They gave him a "window-seat" job, and he had no say in anything, conceptional or otherwise, up to the day he died. I wonder what he could've thought up, had he been given the chance...
Joshua @ Oct 4th 2007 10:34AM
It really is sad. He was a great man, as far as I can tell. I hope these ten years have begun to heal the wounds of his family and friends.
OhJustSomeRandomGuy @ Oct 4th 2007 12:57PM
Yeah, Nintendo shoved him in a closet when the VB failed, which wasn't his fault (Nintendo was too cheap to spring for the blue LEDs that wouldn't cause seizures and headaches.) and then when he went to work for a direct competitor...Nintendo killed him off.
(Read about exactly how suspicious the accounts of his death are, and then realize that Nintendo started as a company that sold gambling cards to the yakuza, and tell me that that it all doesn't add up.)
Never forget! You were the man, Gunpey.
JodyAnthony (FDF - Hedonism Bot) @ Oct 4th 2007 10:06AM
RIP
dubdub @ Oct 4th 2007 3:15PM
Is Phillip J. Remotecontrol any relation to Phillip DeBrassiere?
Judd @ Oct 4th 2007 10:13AM
The man was originally a janitor. And he eventually created the best selling line of game systems ever. Incredible.
BPM (FDF - Hypno-Toad) @ Oct 4th 2007 2:27PM
Source?
Crono (NDF - French Taunting from Holy Grail Ring) @ Oct 4th 2007 2:53PM
I heard the same rumor about Harrison Ford before Star Wars.
Lemmiwinks @ Oct 5th 2007 1:39PM
eye lyke yur pick
Donald @ Oct 4th 2007 10:25AM
Good night, sweet prince
paradise d @ Oct 4th 2007 10:33AM
10 years ago, wow that makes me feel old.
I totally agree that it feels like after virtual boy nintendo just refused to mention him again.
I think he created metroid and kid icarus too.(and the ultrahand that awesome extendable arm thing)
We made an ode to him last year check the video here:
Bring Back the Eggplant Wizard (song for Gunpei Yokoi)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6Ka9hmpcXs
Rock on Gunpei, Virtual Boy 4-eva!
Chris @ Oct 4th 2007 10:36AM
One of the truly tragic figures in gaming, and would make a great subject for a biopic.
Rest in peace. He is the Orson Welles of gaming.
Shmil @ Oct 4th 2007 10:40AM
god bless the maker of the most durable piece of technology that i have ever owned, they should make the black boxes on airplanes out of recycled gray bricks
blooh (CDF - Ass Ring) @ Oct 4th 2007 11:00AM
man the gameboy was awesome
Rubang B (NDF - Heart) @ Oct 4th 2007 11:13AM
Ultra Hand
Love Tester
THE D-PAD
Game & Watch
Game Boy
Kid Icarus
Metroid
Super Mario Land
Daisy
Wario
Virtual Boy
WonderSwan
His idea to use cheaper technology in innovative ways (Game Boy lasted 9 years without color, toppling countless colorful systems like the Game Gear and the Lynx, etc., making it the longest lasting system ever) led to Nintendo's current philosophy behind the unstoppable DS and the Wii.
And let's not forget he was Miyamoto's mentor and produced his first arcade games, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., and Mario Bros. before they were even super.
I love this man. Let's all play Metroid Prime 3 in his honor today.
R.I.P.
Rubang B (NDF - Heart) @ Oct 4th 2007 11:17AM
Ultra Hand
Love Tester
THE D-PAD
Game & Watch
Game Boy
Kid Icarus
Metroid
Super Mario Land
Daisy
Wario
Virtual Boy
WonderSwan
His idea to use cheaper technology in innovative ways (Game Boy lasted 9 years without color, toppling countless colorful systems like the Game Gear and the Lynx, etc., making it the longest lasting system ever) led to Nintendo's current philosophy behind the unstoppable DS and the Wii.
And let's not forget he was Miyamoto's mentor and produced his first arcade games, Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., and Mario Bros. before they were even super.
I love this man. Let's all play Metroid Prime 3 in his honor today.
R.I.P.
Rubang B (NDF - Heart) @ Oct 4th 2007 11:18AM
Oh come on Joystiq. These double posts are 4 minutes apart. I even closed and reopened Firefox and reloaded this page and it still wasn't there. I'm sick of this crap.
Koopaknight29 - (Nintendo Loyalist) @ Oct 4th 2007 11:39AM
Word.
On both accounts.
Sean @ Oct 4th 2007 11:42AM
I remember getting my Game Boy fondly. I think I still have it somewhere in my apartment. Thanks Mr. Yokoi.
Lemmiwinks @ Oct 4th 2007 11:57AM
My mother thanks you, Mr. Yokoi, for providing her with countless hours of silence in the car.
popozao @ Oct 4th 2007 12:03PM
I remember when he passed away. He was with a friend, if I remember correctly, and was in a minor traffic accident. When he exited his vehicle to inspect the damage, he was struck by another passing motorist. This was a very very sad event, made even more so by the way Nintendo treated him before he passed away (apparently creating one of the most beloved portable consoles known to man in addition to the d-pad were not enough to garner respect.) He is truly missed. I wonder what the VB would be like with today's tech behind it?
Crono (NDF - French Taunting from Holy Grail Ring) @ Oct 4th 2007 12:15PM
PS1 level graphics with true stereoscopic vision. Maybe N64 level.
In other words: Freakin Sweet!
Mr Khan @ Oct 4th 2007 7:51PM
I believe that is kosher for Japanese business
Remember Ken Kutaragi?
"Yeah, we're grateful for the PS1 and PS2 and all, but after the bad early reception of the PS3..."
(Throws him out of the front door)
"Yeah..."
ThornedVenom @ Oct 4th 2007 1:07PM
Legacy indeed: my future children and grandchildren shall know what the Gameboy was, to know their roots!
Nowadays, out with the Gameboy and in with the DS...
Rubang B (NDF - Heart) @ Oct 4th 2007 1:45PM
If I have kids I'd make such an evil parent. I have every Game Boy, and I'd make my kids play games on each in chronological order. The first games my kids play will be Pong, Space Invaders, Pac-Man, and Donkey Kong. I won't even let them play a 3-D game until they can beat Ninja Gaiden, Mega Man 2, Sonic 2, and SMB3! Then we're on to arcade fighters, then Doom 2, Quake, and then the intense StarCraft training. THEN I might let them touch a 6th gen system. They'll get to touch 7th gen systems when the 9th gen systems are out. Stupid hypothetical brats.
Pixelantes Anonymous @ Oct 4th 2007 2:18PM
I think Walkman-San was still responsible for more battery drainage than this gentleman (or Phillip J. Remotecontrol).
Crono (NDF - French Taunting from Holy Grail Ring) @ Oct 4th 2007 2:56PM
Dude, I can't even beat Ninja Gaiden NOW. The last boss is brutal, and theirs a near impossible jump in one of the later levels.
Not cool man. Everything else, though, I'm with you.
Crono (NDF - French Taunting from Holy Grail Ring) @ Oct 4th 2007 2:57PM
Once again, in response to Rubang.
Fix.
Your.
Broken.
Comment.
System.
PLeaZ.
KTHX.
Bye.
I made a wave.
32_Footsteps @ Oct 4th 2007 5:10PM
I've got female friends who think John P. Vibrator is responsible for more AAs being used - personally, that's a debate I don't want to get involved in.
To the man who gave us the NES controller... Metroid... the Game Boy... Kid Icarus... the Zapper... we miss you, man.