Featured in Wired and My Modern Met.
“This book gathers [Evan Amos]’s gorgeous images into a visual history of games, and it’s such a nostalgic treat to pore over.”
—Keith Stuart, The Guardian, 1 of 20 Books Every Gamer Should Read
“While services like PlayStation Now prove that streaming has the potential to increase access to older hardware-bound games, The Game Console posits that consoles themselves are important cultural objects that we shouldn’t forget.”
—Motherboard
“Amos’ passion for gaming and photographic skills come together beautifully in The Game Console.”
—Kotaku
“Photographed in intense, loving detail, the book quite literally unpacks 86 consoles and examines their innards.”
—Mashable
“A perfect choice for gamers looking to build up their knowledge on video game history.”
—Android Central
“The actual history lesson of the industry makes this more than a coffee table book.”
—Game Vortex
“This image-rich guide brings gamers on a guided tour exploring the legendary consoles of yesteryear.”
—Sian Babish, Chicago Tribune
Introduction
Part 0: The Birth of Gaming
Part 1: 1st Generation: The beginning of electronic gaming: College mainframes, video arcades, and TV gaming
1972 – Magnavox Odyssey*
1975 – Pong Consoles
Part 2: 2nd Generation: The video game crash
1976 – Fairchild Channel F
1977 – RCA Studio II
1977 – Coleco Telstar Arcade
1977 – Atari 2600*
1978 – Bally Professional Arcade
1978 – APF MP1000
1978 – Interton VC 4000
1979 – Milton Bradley Microvision
1978 – Magnavox Odyssey 2
1979 – Mattel Intellivision*
1979 – Atari 800
1980 – Nintendo Game & Watch
1981 – VTech Creativision
1981 – Epoch Cassette Vision
1982 – ColecoVision*
1982 – Atari 5200
1982 – Entex Adventure Vision
1982 – Emerson Arcadia 2001
1982 – Vectrex
1982 – Commodore 64
Part 3: 3rd Generation: The rebirth of video games and the rise of Japan
1983 – Sega SG-1000
1983 – Sega Master System
1983 – Nintendo Famicom/NES
1983 – Casio PV-1000
1984 – Epoch Super Cassette Vision
1984 – Epoch Game Pocket Comp
1985 – RDI Halcyon
1986 – Atari 7800
1987 – Action Max
1988-VTech Socrates
Part 4: 4th Generation: The console wars
1987 – NEC PC Engine*/1989 – NEC TurboGrafx-16*
1987 – Atari XE Games System
1989 – ViewMaster Interactive Vision
1988 – Sega Mega Drive*/1989 – Sega Genesis*
1989 – Nintendo Game Boy
1989 – Atari Lynx
1990 – SNK Neo Geo AES/CD
1990 – Super Famicom/SNES
1990 – Sega Game Gear
1990 – Amstrad GX4000
1992 – Watara Supervision
1991 – Philips CDi
1993 – Pioneer LaserActive
1995 – Super A’can
Part 5: 5th Generation: The CD-ROM and 3D gaming
1993 – 3DO*
1993 – Atari Jaguar*
1993 – FM Towns Marty
1993 – Commodore Amiga CD32
1994 – Sega Saturn*
1994 – Sony PlayStation*
1994 – Bandai Playdia
1994 – NEC PC-FX
1995 – Tiger R-Zone
1995 – Casio Loopy
1995 – NIntendo Virtual Boy
1996 – Nintendo 64*
1996 – Bandai Atmark/Pippin
1997 – Tiger Game.com
1998 – Neo Geo Pocket / 1999 – Neo Geo Pocket Color
1998 – Wonderswan
1998 – Game Boy Color
Part 6: 6th Generation: Gaming takes over the mainstream, the beginnings of net play
1998 – Sega Dreamcast*
2000 – Sony PlayStation 2*
2001 – Nintendo Game Boy Advance
2001 – Nintendo GameCube*
2001 – Microsoft Xbox*
2003 – Nokia N-Gage
1999 – Nuon
2003 – Tapwave Zodiac
2004 – XaviX Port
2004 – Vtech V.smile
Part 7: 7th Generation: HD gaming, motion control, and the casual gamer
2004 – Nintendo DS*
2004 – Sony PSP*
2005 – Vtech V.Flash
2005 – Game Wave
2005 – Xbox 360*
2005 – Tiger Gizmondo
2006 – Mattel HyperScan
2006 – Sony PlayStation 3*
2006 – Nintendo Wii*
Part 8: 8th Generation – The uncertain future
2011 – Nintendo 3DS*
2011 – Sony PS Vita
2012 – Nintendo Wii U*
2011 – Amazon Fire TV
2013 – Ouya
2013 – Sony PlayStation 4*
2013 – Xbox One*
2013 – GameStick
2013 – NVDIA Shield
2015 – Steam Controller and Steam Link
2014 – Google Nexus Player