Lost in Cult and Retro Dodo have just announced the next book in the Handheld History series, which will focus on one of portable gaming's most vibrant periods: the years between 1988 and 1995, when machines like the Game Boy, Game Gear, Atari Lynx, PC Engine GT and many more fought for the hearts and minds of gamers all over the globe.
A Handheld History 1988-1995 "will traverse the annals of time to uncover the stories behind both your favourite childhood titles and the tumbled curios which the medium forgot," according to the publisher. "We’ll meet the mavericks who gave them life, and we’ll trace their vision through the industrial context that defined this pivotal eight-year era."
As well as focusing on the big hitters like Game Boy and Game Gear, the book will shine a light on lesser-known platforms of the period, such as the Mega Duck, Supervision and Mega Jet – the latter of which was a screen-less mobile Mega Drive which was intended for use on in-flight entertainment displays.
Interviews with Tetsuya Mizuguchi (Rez), Craig Duncan (Rare studio head) and Ryuichi Nishizawa (Wonder Boy) will help give a developer's context to the events chronicled within the pages of the book, and there's a long list of contributors involved, including The Guardian's Keith Stuart, former Nintendo Life staffer Kate Grey, Digital Foundry's John Linneman, GI.biz's Chris Dring, video game journalist Alan When, YouTube personality Stuart Ashens and many, many more.
To complement the text, the team behind the book have been granted access to the vaults of both the Video Game History Foundation and the Embracer Group, who have offered access to their combined library of scans and assets to bring this amazing period in gaming to life. Artist Stephen Maurice Graham returns to illustrate the cover, just as he did with the original Handheld History book from last year.
Lost in Cult and Retrododo are looking for £60,000 to make the book a reality, and you can pledge your support here.