These eBooks on gaming consoles are the perfect place to draw inspiration for your next designs

Gaming has had a huge impact on pop culture.

From being a niche hobby, this interactive and often immersive form of entertainment gradually drew in more enthusiasts with fun mechanics, iconic sounds, and increasingly impressive graphics—so much so that its influence has reached as far as mainstream music and fashion. YouGov reports that two in five of those aged 18 to 24 believe that’s because video games offer something for everyone.

Designers are no exception. We’re always looking for new design inspirations, which is one of the reasons why Inspiration Grid came into being. And, as illustrated by our dedicated section for gaming, video games are a major source for fueling that creative spark.

As more developers integrate modern features and technologies like touch screens, modular concepts and virtual reality into their designs, the possibilities for console designs continue to multiply exponentially.

If you’re an industrial or product designer coming up with new console designs yourself, you may sometimes hit a creative block. Given how constantly the gaming industry innovates, it can appear like everything that can be done has already been done by someone else. In that case, why not come up with new ideas inspired by the past, present, and future of video game consoles? They’re well-chronicled in eBooks, making them one of the best places to draw inspiration from.

Drawing inspiration from eBooks

Some common places designers get inspiration from include online references like Pinterest, Dribble and Behance. You’ll find plenty of portfolios online to spark your creativity and interest.

However, eBooks that draw on what has been and will be done in the world of video game consoles can be more effective because they go further and discuss all the features, principles, and components that are proven to make these consoles work and why. That can help inspire and inform your designs, resulting in both functional and visually appealing concepts. Here are a few to get you started:

The Ultimate Guide to Classic Game Consoles

Dive into the design features that made history’s most iconic video game consoles so successful with The Ultimate Guide to Classic Game Consoles.

Written for collectors, by collectors, this comprehensive reference contains write-ups and images that tell you everything you need to know about the specs and designs of over 85 consoles released between 1972 and 2000. Covering everything from the Magnavox Oddysey—the world’s first-ever home video game console—to the Dreamcast, the final launch from Sega of Sonic the Hedgehog fame, this guide has it all. 

That’s what can make this eBook especially appealing to designers. With classic consoles and handhelds making a comeback amid a demand for retro aesthetics, it’s the perfect place for drawing all the inspiration you need to come up with fresh twists.

A great example of this design approach is the reimagined New Game Boy from LFD. This iteration of what is probably one of the most recognizable consoles out there uses modular principles to allow for removable components like a projector, controller, battery, and even speakers.

Along with the use of modern Gorilla Glass and touch functionality, this design basically combines the visual appeal of the vertical Game Boy with the versatility and modern features of the Nintendo Switch, exemplifying just how beautifully consoles can turn out when inspired by the past.

Curious Video Game Machines

Similarly, it can help to know what not to do or include when designing a video game console. That’s where Curious Video Game Machines comes in. It argues that people often discuss console history as a continuous and ever-improving rise between releases from major manufacturers like Atari, Sony, Nintendo and others.

But no one ever talks about the consoles that fell through the cracks—and this eBook fills those gaps by covering all the rare and unusual ones that are less frequently talked about. That includes the Kimtanktics, which was made out of calculator parts, and the Interton VC400, which was released by a German hearing aid company.

However, one of the biggest case studies in this eBook that you may want to read up on involves the Casio Loopy. Released in the ‘90s, this fifth-generation home video game console looks pretty regular at first glance. It had all the specs one would expect from its other contemporaries, such as 32-bit RISC processing and a cartridge system.

But in an arguably unwise move, the Loopy was also designed to double as a sticker printer. A built-in color thermal printer allowed gamers to produce stickers from screenshots. That design limitation narrowed the Loopy’s appeal to a niche demographic of gamers. Examples like this are scattered throughout this eBook, making it worth a read if you want to learn from both the highs and lows of console history when drawing inspiration for your designs.

The Video Game Industry: Formation, Present State, and Future

Want to do something that’s never been done before? Read The Video Game Industry. It covers everything that has to do with how video games emerged as a unique medium, how it evolved, and more importantly, where it’s going next. Based on decades of research, it discusses all the innovations that fueled the rise of gaming as a pop culture phenomenon, and that includes the development of console design in major countries like the US and Japan.

This eBook is also worth considering now that emerging technologies are increasingly finding a place in consoles. The PlayStation 5 Pro’s AI-powered Spectral Super Resolution feature, for example, allows for more realistic graphics, while the Meta Quest series arguably leads the way for virtual reality. You can take things further with this eBook by using it to get ideas on how they’ll be leveraged moving forward, and how you can integrate those potential applications in your own designs.

Where to get your console eBooks

Of course, you’ll want to read multiple eBooks on video game consoles so you can draw design inspiration from different sources. That can be expensive, which is why you may be looking for a more cost-effective way to get these resources.

One thing you can do is get an eBook subscription. Subscription platform Everand has a vast eBook collection you can access for a flat monthly fee. Its eBook collection features major titles that include Pulitzer Prize winners and New York Times bestsellers, ranging from classic to contemporary works like The Hobbit to It Ends With Us. It also boasts a dedicated video game category where you’ll find more targeted works like Console Wars, and of course, The Ultimate Guide to Classic Game Consoles and Curious Video Game Machines. With this subscription, you can go back and forth between these eBooks for reference without paying more than the price of a single title.

If you’ve found a title you want to focus on and want your own copy, however, you don’t have to shell out for the full price just yet. Instead, consider using a platform like eReaderIQ. This is basically a search engine for finding free and discounted eBooks and can be especially helpful if you use a Kindle e-reader.

All you need to do is search for the name of the work you want. Once you find it and mark it, eReaderIQ will tell you when it goes on sale. It’s a great way to get your hands on any of the titles mentioned above, so you can keep coming back to them for design inspiration for as long as you want.