A Handheld History HC

About this issue

Businessmen fiddling with calculators inspired Gunpei Yokoi to conceptualize the Game & Watch. A Handheld History is inspired by the forty-year portable gaming empire that spawned from those LCD screens. Brought to you in partnership with Retro Dodo—the internet’s leading retro gaming site—A Handheld History is an explorative jaunt through the systems and games that defined the legacy of portable systems. Less of a historical account and more of a poignant, introspective adventure across decades of gaming memories, this book will reconnect you to that long car trip full of Tetriminos, Mewtwos, and discarded AA batteries before speeding ahead to our contemporary days of OLED screens and blockbusters in your backpack.Handheld gaming is a cornerstone tenet of the industry, one that has spawned communities who exchange Miis on the subway and Pokemon on the playground. Friendships were made in this pocket of the medium, and it ought to be celebrated loudly, proudly, and across hundreds of beautifully-assembled pages of art and essays. Featuring words from Jason Bradbury, Janet Garcia, Jeff Grubb, Mike Diver, Larry Bundy Jr., Ashens and many more incredible voices, this is an unmissable ode to the gaming device that you keep close to your heart—right in your jacket pocket.A Handheld History takes both a historical and personal look at the world of handheld gaming, in a way that no other book has done to date. While there have been books that cover individual consoles, or strive to chronicle every single game released for a platform, no video game book has sought to look at the broad cross section of handheld history like we are doing, whilst also hearing from the very people whose lives have been affected by these devices.Also a first is our selection of writers from across the industry, both big and small. From our foreword by self-professed gadget geek (and former host of TV series The Gadget Show) Jason Bradbury, to a history of what might be considered the precursor to the modern handheld market in the Auto Race by Kotaku founder and Polygon co-founder Brian Crecente, you know that the people guiding you through this history really know their stuff. Other big names involved include:Mike Diver (GAMINGbible)Kevin Kenson (YouTuber)Janet Garcia (KindaFunny/MinnMax/IGN)Alex Olney (NintendoLife)Larry Bundy Jr. (YouTuber)Ashens (YouTuber)Jeff Grubb (GiantBomb)Alongside well-written pieces on the history of key and interesting handheld consoles from across their history, we also include retrospectives for important games, as well as essays detailing subjects such as the push for diversity in gaming, using consoles like the Nintendo Switch in education settings, the difficulties faced by game collectors in Brazil, how handhelds are a great entry point into gaming for those who can’t afford home consoles, the impact of growing up with handhelds, finding a community through the PlayStation Vita, and many more besides.