The Encyclopedia of Game Machines: Consoles, Handhelds & Home Computers 1972 2005

By Winnie Forster

33 years of on-screen fun and interaction: This book presents every game computer and console ever created, from Japan, USA and Europe, along with classic software in its authentic, pixellated glory,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 3000153594
• ISBN13: 9783000153594
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Variant Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 0.6" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

GREAT BOOK

Very cool book with cool photos and information about the classic gaming systems. It's not a "in depth" reading, but it's very fun.

i love this very much

lot of photos, good design-layout, composition and information, easy to read. this serie has 3 book. this is the 1.5 (revise from Deutsch) (no info about Nintendo Wii & Sony Playstation3) the 2nd is about controlers "Joystick" just released in Deutsch, i want to see it in english ASAP.

An Absolute MUST-HAVE For Game Collectors

If you're like me-- a game collector who refuses to play emulators and re-releases and only wants to play games the way they were meant to be played (on the original system it was made for), then you MUST own this book. It includes information on every system from 1972 (Magnavox Odyssey) all the way up to 2005 (DS and PSP being the last entries). If you need system listings beyond that, than you have issues that a book can't help. It's over 200 pages detailing every system released in the that time period. The point of the book is not to get into detailed discussions about the history of video game systems and how they work. Some examples of a few important games released on each system are mentioned but never really described further. BUT THAT'S NOT THE PURPOSE HERE-- the focus is all on the machines. It usually goes into about 1-4 pages for each system, detailing the brief history behind the systems origination and eventual death, and all the stuff in between. At the end of that it also has a chart listing all the major variations, system models and expansions that were released for the system. Say you're interested in purchasing a Philips CD-i but don't understand what all the model numbers mean-- these charts will describe the model design, basic specs, and other things that differentiate it from the rest. Pictures of the system and screenshots of select games are plentiful. This book is great for any casual gamer who wants a nostalgic trip, or just wants to wow over a bunch of systems they've never heard of. However, it's best use is for collectors. I use it both for background information on systems, and as a guidebook to new systems I might be interested in collecting for (i.e. is it worth purchasing, and if so, what model?; .... if you want info on what games to get for it, that's probably best done elsewhere). Two things I should note, that some people may object to with the book. First, this is a history of all game machines. While you may collect only consoles or handhelds or home computers, this book will cover all of them. There are quite a bit of computers from the late 70's and 80's covered here. Some interesting, like the Commodore Amiga, and some not so interesting, like the Apple Macintosh. However, for the book to really be complete, I think these inclusions are necessary. The more important note is that the book is slightly more focused on the European market. Originally this was written in Germany, and then later translated to English. So, because the author is German, you might get a few more references to Europe than other world markets. Do not let this discourage you from getting this book though-- the American and Japanese markets are covered extremely well. This author did his research. (And you can't expect a European writer to focus a worldwide released book solely on America.) If I were to estimate how the writing is directed I would say: 45% European markets, 35% American, 20% Japanese. Always, though, the

Great Historical Reference of Console Gaming

This book gives the history of game console systems, from way back in the Pong days (early 1970's) through the XBOX. It offers pictures of the systems, explains the great and not-so-great features of each console, talks about revisions and special editions. Whether you were there and actually owned an old Atari 2600 or Commodore VIC-20 or if you are just interested in the history of console gaming, this is a great reference.

A must-have for serious gamers.

This is the best gaming-history reference book available. Every conceivable gaming device released since 1972 is covered, including obscure (by American standards) European and Japanese computers and systems. The hardware capabilities of each machine are explored, and there are full photo spreads of each system and its games, and sometimes evern variants (like the multiple Apple II or Atari 8-bit computer models.) In all, I cannot recommend this book enough. Buy it!