The Game Console 2.0
Look Inside!
Revised and updated since the first edition’s celebrated 2018 release, The Game Console 2.0 is an even bigger archival collection of vividly detailed photos of more than 100 video-game consoles. This ultimate archive of gaming history spans five decades and nine distinct generations, chronologically covering everything from market leaders to outright failures, and tracing the gaming industry’s rise, fall, and monumental resurgence.
The book’s 2nd edition features more classic game consoles and computers, a section on retro gaming in the modern era, and dozens of new entries — including super-rare finds, such the Unisonic Champion 2711, and the latest ninth-generation consoles. You’ll find coverage of legendary systems like the Magnavox Odyssey, Atari 2600, NES, and the Commodore 64; systems from the ‘90s and 2000s; modern consoles like the Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5; and consoles you never knew existed.
Get a unique peek at the hardware powering the world’s most iconic video-game systems with The Game Console 2.0 — the perfect gift for geeks of all stripes and every gamer’s must-have coffee-table book.
"The Game Console 2.0 is one of the rare video game books that we recommend for any fan of the medium, regardless of which systems they play now, or had as a kid. Evan Amos breaks down the hardware of 100 consoles spanning several decades, giving readers a literal inside look at the components that make the system work."
—Brandt Ranj, Rolling Stone
"The Game Console 2.0 is a must-have, even if you already have the first edition. It is a video game enthusiast’s heaven and makes for a perfect coffee table book!"
—Julia Roth, Geek Girl Authority
"A pleasure for any gaming enthusiast to flip through every now and then."
—Jeff Dunn, Engadget
"I recommend it!"
—Taylor Lyles, @TayNixster, Assoc. Tech Editor, IGN
"A really fascinating trip through video game history . . . a very cool resource for anyone looking for a timeline of gaming consoles."
—Jonathan H. Liu, GeekDad
"A perfect end table book catered toward nerds and gamers that unites profoundly nitty gritty photographs of in excess of 100 computer game control centers and their electronic insides."
—Gifts For Gamers To Buy In This Season, RecaBlog
"An extraordinary journey through the history of video game hardware."
—Daniel New, Editor, Thumbsticks
"Heavily revised and expanded . . . This new version adds a lot more content over the first edition!"
—Madlittlepixel, YouTuber
REVIEWS FOR THE FIRST EDITION OF THE GAME CONSOLE:
Featured in Wired, The Washington Post, My Modern Met, Return Magazine, and IEEE Spectrum.
"This book gathers 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 Video Gamer should Read
"Amos’ passion for gaming and photographic skills come together beautifully in The Game Console."
—Kotaku
"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
"A perfect choice for gamers looking to build up their knowledge on video game history."
—Android Central
"Photographed in intense, loving detail, the book quite literally unpacks 86 consoles and examines their innards."
—Mashable
"A vibrant, 264-page book that's packed cover to cover with full-color photos of video game consoles. Spanning consoles like the Atari 2600, Nintendo Entertainment System, to modern-day ones like the PlayStation 4, it'll take you on a nostalgic trip and make you appreciate the history of your favorite consoles."
—Brandon Carte, Yahoo Life
"Good nerdy books that aren’t fiction are hard to come by sometimes. Nerdy books about video game consoles are almost impossible…[The Game Console is] a serious walk down memory lane."
—Geek Girl Authority
"This image-rich guide brings gamers on a guided tour exploring the legendary consoles of yesteryear."
—Sian Babish, The Chicago Tribune
"The Game Console might just be the most complete catalog of game consoles ever published."
—Warped Zone
"Evan Amos does a fantastic job of capturing the nostalgia of every console."
—BioGamer Girl