Console Wars

Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle That Defined a Generation

By: Blake J. Harris

Narrated by: Fred Berman

Length: 20 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

A mesmerizing, behind-the-scenes business thriller that chronicles how Sega, a small, scrappy gaming company led by an unlikely visionary and a team of rebels, took on the juggernaut Nintendo and revolutionized the video-game industry.

In 1990, Nintendo had a virtual monopoly on the video-game industry. Sega, on the other hand, was just a faltering arcade company with big aspirations and even bigger personalities. But all that would change with the arrival of Tom Kalinske, a former Mattel executive who knew nothing about video games and everything about fighting uphill battles. His unconventional tactics, combined with the blood, sweat, and bold ideas of his renegade employees, completely transformed Sega and led to a ruthless, David-and-Goliath showdown with Nintendo. Little did he realize that Sega's success would create many new enemies and, most important, make Nintendo stronger than ever.

The battle was vicious, relentless, and highly profitable, eventually sparking a global corporate war that would be fought on several fronts: from living rooms and school yards to boardrooms and Congress. It was a once-in-a-lifetime, no-holds-barred conflict that pitted brother against brother, kid against adult, Sonic against Mario, and the United States against Japan.

Based on more than 200 interviews with former Sega and Nintendo employees, Console Wars is the tale of how Tom Kalinske miraculously turned an industry punch line into a market leader. Blake J. Harris brings into focus the warriors, the strategies, and the battles and explores how they transformed popular culture forever. Ultimately, Console Wars is the story of how a humble family man, with an extraordinary imagination and a gift for turning problems into competitive advantages, inspired a team of underdogs to slay a giant and, as a result, give birth to a $60 billion industry.

©2014 Blake J. Harris (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers

Delightfull Tale Of The Game Industry

This is the third time i heard this, i love this book so very much.

Loved it

I grew up on NES and Genesis. What great insight into the behind the scenes.

Great book

Better than expected.
Great description of business, marketing, and competition. Also, it brought back my teenage years.

LOVED this book.

An absolute blast. Must listen! It acts as more of a novel than a retelling of statistics and innovations. An amazing experience of the 90s and the console wars that set the standards for competition today.

Great way to relive Sega vs Nintendo

I found the history particularly interesting being in business and living during this period. Initially, I thought the book would be too long, but I couldn't get enough. The history and battle between Sega vs Nintendo was much deeper and intense then I initially appreciated. Would highly recommend if you ever played a Sega or Nintendo and are semi interested in the history or business side.

An inside look at a familiar story.

The story behind how David took on Goliath in the early '90s video game industry. If you follow video games at all, this is all stuff you probably already know about, but not like this. This is a hyper detailed look at what went on from the perspectives of those in the industry that lived it.

Extremely interesting read,

This is an amazing, and very interesting read. I learned so much about it. I was surprised at some of the things that happened throughout the book. I never knew how intense the console wars were back then and would definitely suggest reading this one.

Really well read and written, always interesting

I lived through this era, so I knew how it would go. But this is still audio equivalent of a page turner, as the various characters are really well described and developed.

The twists and turns in the road are described in great detail, the thinking and rationale of the main players outlined and clarified.

Narrator does a few accents, Olaf was my particular favourite.

Tom is clearly the “hero” in the story, as told here. I guess if someone wants to tell the story differently, they can just go ahead and do so!!

Soooo good

Lots of nostalgia though i was around 10 when these things happened its a fresh perspective my adult self thoroughly enjoyed to learn about sega of america

A great story you never knew!

Awesome telling of the battle that was my childhood. Behind the scenes look at how Sega gained the edge in console video games and then thanks in-part to internal conflict and SOJ....let it slip away.