Game consoles in the USSR

Numbered copy, signed by the author.

The second volume in the gaming history series covers the period from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s — a time when video games in the USSR and across the post-Soviet region evolved from simple electronic devices into mass-market home consoles approaching modern systems.
The book traces this evolution step by step: from first-generation consoles — numerous Soviet Pong clones — through handheld electronic games of the 1980s, to multimedia platforms such as Panasonic 3DO and Sony PlayStation.
It explores handheld games and the Elektronika brand in detail, explaining how these devices work — from LCD screens to console architecture. Particular attention is given to rare and little-known developments, including a Soviet third-generation gaming system that never reached mass production, as well as unusual regional solutions such as a Belarusian ZX Spectrum clone.
Another focus of the book is the emergence of the post-Soviet video game market: how Dendy — a clone of the Famicom — entered the market, why Sega Mega Drive became more popular than Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and how the home console turned into a mass entertainment phenomenon.
The text is based on interviews with developers and entrepreneurs and is illustrated with studio photography, including images of console internals. Each system is accompanied by reviews of its key games.
The book will appeal to readers interested in the history of technology, collecting, and the inner workings of the gaming industry.

• First-Generation Game Consoles (Pong & clones)
• Palestra (Палестра)
• Turnir and Exi Video (Турнир, Экси Видео)
• Videosport (Видеоспорт)
• Homemade Game Consoles
• Eureka (Эврика)
• Rubin Ts1-205 (Рубин Ц1-205)
• Avtogonki (Автогонки)
• Nintendo Game & Watch
• Elektronika Handheld Games (Электроника ИМ)
• Games by the Proton Factory (Завод «Протон»)
• Liquid Crystal Display
• Brick Game
• Elektronika Brand and Planetokhod
• Football IM-15 and IM-37 (Футбол ИМ-15, ИМ-37)
• Vozdushnyy Boy (Воздушный бой)
• IM-31 Vityaz (ИМ-31 Витязь)
• Flight to Mars (Полёт на Марс, Poljot na Mars)
• Krokha (Кроха)
• Elf / ALF (Эльф)
• Atari 2600
• Rambo
• Dendy
• Subor SB225 (Сюбор)
• Super Nintendo
• Game Boy
• Sega Mega Drive
• BONZA
• Panasonic 3DO
• Sony PlayStation