There are seemingly countless video game consoles. It’s easy to get lost as a gamer let alone a collector these days. Over the course of 20 years collecting video game consoles I had the same daunting problem. I kept running into different consoles and games all the time. Every time I found something new it made me wonder what else was out there that I didn’t know about. I reached a point a few years ago that I decided I would actually sit down and do some research so that I could get a sense of where I stood as a collector. Facebook wasn’t that big yet and I wasn’t living somewhere where there was a big population of like-minded collectors that I could learn from, so I got to work on my own personal research. Instantly I came across a few websites that already took this to task and they went so far as to provide some background information and often-times blurry pictures of the consoles in their database. Amongst the 3 or 4 sites that had compiled information, I noticed that each of the them had things that the others didn’t and that some consoles I knew about weren’t listed on any of them at all. It was then that I decided I had to do something about it and start from scratch in order to not only make a true complete list, but to make it look good too.
7 years of research, hundreds of hours poured into Photoshop and almost 600 consoles and console logos later, I’ve compiled a complete listing of every video game console (including major pong consoles) ever released to consumers in the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan in one book. I know that there are major players in other regions as well so I decided to include a few other countries that had hardware worth mentioning. I didn’t stop there though. Another big part that motivated me was that I didn’t know where I stood as a video game console collector. I can blame it on the fact that I grew up playing games that kept track of your score while you played. Not only did you try to beat the game, but you tried to get the highest score you could while doing it. Same thing here. I want to collect awesome consoles but I want to quantify my collection beyond the number of consoles I own. Kind of a metrics nerd type of thing. And so I did.
The second and most entertaining part of this project is the companion excel document I created that accompanies the field guide. It assigns point values to the consoles that you own so that you can compare your collection to other collectors out there. There is no means of verification so it is (of course) based on the honor system. But seriously, if someone has to lie about an arbitrary collector cred score, I would hate to see what other parts of their life that they lie about.
I realize that video game console collecting isn’t cheap and that it’s only getting worse so if you aren’t rich or didn’t inherit someone else’s collection, don’t fret. I’ve taken into account the fact that you might have kids and can’t afford to buy a Daewoo Zemmix Turbo imported from Korea or that maybe you’re the pure type of gamer that would actually rather play the games on the awesome consoles out there rather than horde them and look at them like they’ll shatter if you turn them on. For that type of gamer I have also included a few other categories that are calculated separately.
All together there are 3 different categories:
- SEEN IT – You’ve seen the console in person. Much like a birdwatcher, you would rather not disturb the majestic beast in its natural habitat but will admire from afar.
- PLAYED IT – You have laid your hands on its gentle curves and at once gazed into its soul. Your gaming repertoire knows no equal. You won’t rest until you’ve played it all.
- OWN IT – Your consoles are your children. They have a room of their very own. You dust them off to keep them clean and you miss them when you’re away. A true collector.
Download the Excel Companion Here!
Everything here is (of course) free to download and use but I’ll give the same disclaimer here that is in the book itself. The pictures I found are from websites all over the internet. Some are also from my own personal collection. If I could use a picture that was designated as public domain, I surely went and used that picture. I did not, however, nor can I ever expect to acquire the rights to use all of the pictures within that weren’t public domain, and so be forewarned that you may not in any way use the contents in this guide to make financial gain. This is to maintain Fair Use. On any website that stated permission must be sought, I sent an email to the address specified. Also be aware that I own the copyright of this book as a compilation through the Library of Congress. If you wish to use my work for anything other than personal use, you must receive express consent from me and me only. Agentsofgame.com is the only website that has my permission to host this file for download at this time. If you have any questions, comments or concerns, my contact information is in the book which I will make updates to from time to time. Other than that, please share this page with all your collector friends so that they can download the file too and find out where they stand as a console collector. They deserve to know what’s out there waiting for them to play.
The Agents of Game is a growing community and needs funding to help build our community of everything nerd culture. If you find this guide or any of the content here helpful or entertaining, please consider donating to this amazing community by going to the Agents of Game gofundme link that you can find on the main page. Absolutely no obligation but just know that your monies help produce the awesome things like this that we provide the community of all you awesome people who share the same awesome interests.
This guide is best viewed on a tablet but it looks good on a large screen phone too. Enjoy!!
-TI
