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Evan Amos
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The Game Console: A History in Photographs Hardcover – November 6, 2018

by Evan Amos (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 1,258 ratings
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There is a newer edition of this item:

The Game Console 2.0: A Photographic History from Atari to Xbox
The Game Console 2.0: A Photographic History from Atari to Xbox
$25.64
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The Game Console is a tour through the evolution of video game hardware, with gorgeous full-color photos of 86 consoles. You'll start your journey with legendary consoles like the Magnavox Odyssey, Atari 2600, Nintendo Entertainment System, and the Commodore 64. The visual nostalgia trip continues with systems from the 1990s and 2000s, and ends on modern consoles like the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Wii U.

Throughout the book, you'll also discover many consoles you never knew existed, and even find a rare peek at the hardware inside several of history's most iconic video game systems.

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  1. Reading age
    10 years and up
  2. Print length
    300 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Dimensions
    8.38 x 0.86 x 10.38 inches
  5. Publisher
    No Starch Press
  6. Publication date
    November 6, 2018
  7. ISBN-10
    1593277431
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1593277437
  9. See all details
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From the Publisher

Nintendo Entertainment System

Nintendo Entertainment System

Explore classic consoles like the 1980s Nintendo Entertainment System.

Nintendo Entertainment System

Nintendo Entertainment System

Nintendo Entertainment System Internals

Nintendo Entertainment System Internals

Nintendo Wii

Nintendo Wii

Nintendo Wii Internals

Nintendo Wii Internals

Editorial Reviews

Review

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

"Best gaming book."
—Mr. Chaplin, Lyeed.com

About the Author

Evan Amos is a passionate video game fan and photographer. His work has been featured in Game Informer, Kotaku, Wired, Retro Gamer, and other popular media outlets.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ No Starch Press; 1st edition (November 6, 2018)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 300 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1593277431
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1593277437
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 10 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.35 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.38 x 0.86 x 10.38 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 1,258 ratings

About the author

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Evan Amos

Evan Amos

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
1,258 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the photography great and full of imagery. They also find the information very informative, interesting, and fun. Readers say the book allows them to relive wonderful memories and nostalgia. They describe the writing quality as well-written, well-thought-out, and highly detailed. Customers mention the history value is awesome and the book is worth the money. They appreciate the beautiful color reproduction and colorful diagrams of each game console.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
PhotographyInformation qualityMemoriesWriting qualityHistory valueValue for moneyColor reproductionFun to read
39 customers mention "Photography"39 positive0 negative

Customers find the photography in the book great. They appreciate the shots of the PCBs and exploded parts. Readers also mention the full-color illustrations. In addition, they say the book showcases the nice imaging and preservation efforts of the author.

"...The picture details is also very nice...." Read more

"...The photos are generally clear and the consoles and boards are well-presented...." Read more

"...The images are all produced with clarity & beautiful color reproduction...." Read more

"...some of the games are bound to be interested in reading this excellent picture history of some well known and not so well known console system...." Read more

27 customers mention "Information quality"26 positive1 negative

Customers find the book very informative and interesting. They appreciate the short excerpts providing information on what makes each console notable. Readers also mention the content is cool, with full-color illustrations. Overall, they describe it as a coffee table book that provides useful information about each console.

"...This book is a very interesting piece for any video game fan or collector. The images are all produced with clarity & beautiful color reproduction...." Read more

"...book (especially the detailed internal breakdowns), and the short excerpts provide info on what makes each console notable and interesting...." Read more

"...Surprisingly thorough with its selection of systems, including many that were never released in the US...." Read more

"...The information is neatly summarized so it never becomes too text heavy, and it's breezy to read in a single sitting...." Read more

9 customers mention "Memories"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the book filled with history and nostalgia. They say it's a nice trip through memory lane for video game connoisseurs, with interesting stories.

"...It may be niche but I can say it sure bring back memories of fun time I've had playing the games." Read more

"...job of linking one generation of consoles to the next, with interesting stories, sales figures and tech specs...." Read more

"...book takes a look back at video game console history, bringing with it waves of nostalgia. I purchased it as a Christmas gift for a relative...." Read more

"This book is a nice trip through memory lane for video game connoisseurs. A great many systems were covered. Nice photos...." Read more

9 customers mention "Writing quality"9 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing quality of the book well-written and thought-out. They appreciate that the book is highly detailed and amazing.

"...The text is well-written, and I appreciate the list of consoles at the end that were not included in the book; I'm looking forward to follow-up..." Read more

"...There isn't too much text (as the title says, this is "a photographic history"), but all the important details are there and the photos are where..." Read more

"...The photos are very well done and the write-up is just enough to get the idea of the console without being overbearing...." Read more

"...The small amount of writing is also well done and very informative...." Read more

7 customers mention "History value"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the book an awesome history dive into gaming consoles. They appreciate the good historical tidbits throughout.

"...The history is pretty detailed...." Read more

"...of some popular consoles in an exploded view, with good history tidbits throughout." Read more

"This is probably the most in-depth video game console history book one can get, at least as of this moment...." Read more

"Pretty Extensive history of video game consoles, including tons I had never even heard about!..." Read more

6 customers mention "Value for money"6 positive0 negative

Customers say the book is worth the money. They also mention it's a great collector's piece.

"This books is a great collector piece. The book itself is a nice hard cover with a rough feel around the console controller which is interesting...." Read more

"...This was definitely worth the $20 asking price and I would gladly buy it again...." Read more

"...fan could learn something here, and even if you don't, it's worth it for the diagrams alone" Read more

"...enjoy reading a bit of history about them then this book is well worth picking up." Read more

5 customers mention "Color reproduction"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the color reproduction in the book beautiful. They also appreciate the colorful exploded diagrams of each game console.

"...The images are all produced with clarity & beautiful color reproduction...." Read more

"...The book has colorful exploded diagrams of each game console along with some information about each console...." Read more

"...Pretty clear cut information with beautiful colored photographs...." Read more

"This beautiful full color high resolution book is a must have for any video game enthusiast...." Read more

5 customers mention "Fun to read"5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book fun to read and flip through. They also appreciate the nice, thick binding and pages.

"...This is an enjoyable book to flip through." Read more

"...this book is a fun run through...." Read more

"...A fun read or look through when you want some quiet/rest time. It is also fun going back and seeing how far we have come." Read more

"If you're looking for a fun and interesting coffee table book with detailed and colorful photographs, this is a fantastic choice...." Read more

You will learn interesting facts you never knew about video games.
5 out of 5 stars
You will learn interesting facts you never knew about video games.
Great quality , amazing effort and photos on consoles and accessories , video game history all the way from 1972 to 2018 , grade A++++ book , a must for all video gamers .
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Top reviews from the United States

RedXepher82
5.0 out of 5 stars Great history book for gaming consoles
Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2019
Verified Purchase
This books is a great collector piece. The book itself is a nice hard cover with a rough feel around the console controller which is interesting. I really enjoy all the pictures of the past game consoles in order. It shows a picture of the device as well as a physical break down of the console. There is also a break down of the components as well as a history of the product. One thing I like about this is that it provides several consoles I did not even know existed so that was definitely a plus. The history is pretty detailed. It is not like text book deep detail but it gives you the highlights such as who created the console and some fun small facts which is interesting. The picture details is also very nice. Overall I think this book is a great collector piece to really show how much gaming consoles have changed to what we have now.
2 people found this helpful
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Zach
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book for retro gaming fans
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2019
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The video game consoles are concisely covered and the author never dives too deep into the history or gets weighed down by the technical. Game Console is not an extremely detailed reference, but makes a great coffee table book. The photos are generally clear and the consoles and boards are well-presented. There are few extra labels or other identifiers to get in the way of the images. The text is well-written, and I appreciate the list of consoles at the end that were not included in the book; I'm looking forward to follow-up volumes.

As far as the printing, they did a good job; the paper and printing are very good, but the binding might be a little weak. In addition, my copy was dented and a corner was torn a bit, possibly by Amazon's minimal book shipping "box".
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Davide
5.0 out of 5 stars Very well manufactured with quality images & facts!
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2018
Verified Purchase
I pre-ordered this book years ago & honestly after it had been delayed for so long, I never actually expected it would be released. But lo & behold, it showed up at my front door!

This book is a very interesting piece for any video game fan or collector. The images are all produced with clarity & beautiful color reproduction. The facts that accompany every page add to the wealth of information this book preserves. It will sit proudly next to my copy of Encyclopedia of Arcade Video Games.

I want to thank the author Evan Amos for all his work in photographing and preserving video game history. As a manager of a small game store, I will be able to utilize this book to help pass on historical info to new generations of gamers. Amazing book, keep up the great work!
7 people found this helpful
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A. Kim
5.0 out of 5 stars OMG What a book
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2018
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Encyclopedia of console game history. Anyone of certain age group who have had exposure playing some of the games are bound to be interested in reading this excellent picture history of some well known and not so well known console system.

The size of hardback book is perfect; not too big, not too small (for me). Papers are not the glossy kind that will leave fingerprints all over. Layout is chronological with many of console system's innards neatly laid out which is something most of us probably never tried (at least not in the way it was photographed here.

This book is really a labor of love. It may be niche but I can say it sure bring back memories of fun time I've had playing the games.
4 people found this helpful
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Samson Wick
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Photography
Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2021
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First off, the good stuff - I bought this book for its photographs and for that it is excellent. The entire point of this book was to show off some of the best photography of game consoles ever accomplished and to that end it was completely successful. Having worked on many of these consoles at one point or another repairing or modding them, I particularly loved the shots of the PCBs, and the exploded parts views - I'd love to know how exactly he got those shots. Another awesome thing was the inclusion of so many obscure consoles. There were several that I've never seen in the wild and it was awesome to get such clean images of them.

There are, however, some issues that buyers might want to know before pulling the trigger on this. I have been an avid gamer and collector for over 30 years and I know many of the stories and specs behind these consoles first hand, and I have seen or read rigorous research on many others. The author of this book is a photographer rather than a savvy retro gamer or a historian. While this book is an excellent source of game console visuals, it's not a good source of accurate historical information about the consoles, (nor does it claim to be).
- Its organizational structure is more emotional than logical. The author has logically organized consoles into their generally agreed-upon "generation", but within each generation seems to order them using some criteria which escapes me - it's not by maker, not by release, not by popularity or sales - possibly it's some combination of these but I don't know which.
- Each console has one or two technical specs that seem to have been chosen somewhat at random and lack context when it wouldn't have consumed much more space to provide more specs and relevance. (i.e. the Sega Mega Drive's 512 colors, but only 61 on screen at once)
- Many of the data presented including written descriptions and technical facts are erroneous.
- Some consoles include images of every variation, others include only a couple of variations but omit more obscure ones, and still others are missing primary or prominent variations altogether.
- The epilogue includes a list of consoles the author was aware of but did not include which is more incomplete than the author seems to be aware of. I don't fault him for this - he can only photograph the things he has access to, but no one should consider this book a reliable reference for anything other than images.

This is my super nit-picky list of specific examples of the above that jumped out at me from the page upon my first skim-through. This should not be interpreted as a complete list of everything wrong, it's just enough to establish my point that this isn't a reliable historical reference.
- Makes the statement that every Nintendo Entertainment System originally sold included ROB - the NES launched in several configurations only one of which included ROB, and this was true even of the limited test market run that happened in New York prior to the NES nationwide release the following year.
- Lists the SNES color pallet as 32,786 - it should be 32,768 (when my son was reading the book he quizzed me on this and tried to tell me I was wrong - but I've been dealing with powers of 8 for too long not to have them memorized).
- The Genesis/Mega Drive/(Sega/Mega) CD section is missing quite a few important inclusions and would confuse anyone not actually familiar with the history of these consoles. It properly lists the Mega Drive model 1 first, but does not show the Genesis model 1 at all, nor speak to it. Instead of presenting the Mega Drive and Genesis as the same console under different names, it lists them separately which would be fine except that it begins the conversation about the Genesis with model 2 only - making it appear as though the console was only renamed Genesis when it was re-designed many years after release. Similarly the Sega/Mega CD model 1 isn't depicted at all - it begins the conversation about Sega CD with the model 2.

This isn't me saying that this isn't a book you should buy - far from it. This was definitely worth the $20 asking price and I would gladly buy it again. I think it's fantastic if you use it for the pictures - particularly for the really obscure stuff like the Casio Loopy for example. In fact I want more. I very much hope this book is successful enough that the author teams up with a gaming historian to create a revised edition that's more complete and accurate. I would love to see the tops and bottoms of PCBs for every console, not just a couple at random. I would love to see every known variation of a console, and at least a line item for any that the photographer couldn't lay hands on. I would love to see this photographer given access to more prototypes like the Nintendo Playstation and the Sega Pluto. I would love to see more complete spec sheets and possibly even some tables comparing like specs within a generation. I would love to see start and end production dates, lifetime console sales and timelines showing the overlap. But for now I'm happy to have what's on offer here.
7 people found this helpful
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Kevin P
5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic photographic look at the history of video game consoles
Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2018
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The Game Console guides the reader through a photographic journey of each generation of gaming history. Amos's photos provide great visuals throughout this book (especially the detailed internal breakdowns), and the short excerpts provide info on what makes each console notable and interesting. There isn't too much text (as the title says, this is "a photographic history"), but all the important details are there and the photos are where the book really shines. The popular consoles are covered, but the real treat is seeing and learning about all the not-so-famous consoles that you may have never seen. It's great to be able to progress through each generation, seeing the various designs and how things progress over the years.
11 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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jerome trachy
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in Canada on January 12, 2024
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Great photo and knowledge
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Enrique Novoa Perez
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelentes fotografías, impresión de gran calidad
Reviewed in Mexico on February 2, 2021
Verified Purchase
Llegó un poco sucio... sin plástico que lo cubriera... pero se limpió fácil. Es un libro que sirve mucho si eres fan del hardware de videojuegos. Da mucha nostalgia ver las consolas que llegaste a tener y asombra ver la cantidad de consolas que existen y no sabias que estuvieron ahí. Muy recomendable por calidad de impresión y acabados del libro...
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Vassilis Beglis
5.0 out of 5 stars Pure Nostalgia
Reviewed in Germany on August 1, 2022
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Pure Nostalgia
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Geraldo
5.0 out of 5 stars Uma enciclopédia gráfica sobre os consoles
Reviewed in Brazil on September 17, 2019
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Uma enciclopédia gráfica sobre os consoles, de 1972 até 2017. Altamente recomendado para quem ama videogames. Páginas muito bem ilustradas de cada geração de consoles, um belíssimo trabalho do fotógrafo Evan Amos (que também contribuiu com ilustrações para a Wikipédia)
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Geraldo
5.0 out of 5 stars Uma enciclopédia gráfica sobre os consoles
Reviewed in Brazil on September 17, 2019
Uma enciclopédia gráfica sobre os consoles, de 1972 até 2017. Altamente recomendado para quem ama videogames. Páginas muito bem ilustradas de cada geração de consoles, um belíssimo trabalho do fotógrafo Evan Amos (que também contribuiu com ilustrações para a Wikipédia)
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Giorgio
5.0 out of 5 stars LIBRO perlopiù FOTOGRAFICO (in Inglese)
Reviewed in Italy on August 10, 2020
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E' molto bello, per veri appassionati, erano poche le cose che già non sapevo, ma resta una bibbia dei videogames, con tantissime foto, delle console e dei joypad aperti e smontati in mille pezzi.
Libro lussuoso con copertina opaca e lucida, ben rilegato e pesante una spanna di larghezza e qualcosa in più in altezza. Da possedere assolutamente, è tutto in inglese ma di facile comprensione.
Io mi sono visto anche tutti i documentari che hanno fatto su amazon prime o in tv sulla storia, dagli arbori fino ad oggi, passando dal crack dei videogiochi della metà degli anni 80 quando tutto sembrava finito per davvero.
Consegna fulminea, arrivato in condizioni perfette.
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