--- product_id: 15052769 title: "Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation" price: "NT$1427" currency: TWD in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.tw/products/15052769-console-wars-sega-nintendo-and-the-battle-that-defined-generation store_origin: TW region: Taiwan --- # Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation **Price:** NT$1427 **Availability:** βœ… In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation - **How much does it cost?** NT$1427 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.tw](https://www.desertcart.tw/products/15052769-console-wars-sega-nintendo-and-the-battle-that-defined-generation) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Now a documentary on CBS All Access. Following the success of The Accidental Billionaires and Moneyball comes Console Wars β€”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 that would all change with the arrival of Tom Kalinske, a man who knew nothing about videogames and everything about fighting uphill battles. His unconventional tactics, combined with the blood, sweat and bold ideas of his renegade employees, transformed Sega and eventually led to a ruthless David-and-Goliath showdown with rival Nintendo. 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 schoolyards 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 US against Japan. Based on over two hundred interviews with former Sega and Nintendo employees, Console Wars is the underdog tale of how Kalinske miraculously turned an industry punchline into a market leader. It’s 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, birth a $60 billion dollar industry. A best book of the year: NPR, Slate, Publishers Weekly, Goodreads Review: A must read for anyone that was a console gaming fan in the early 90's, or interested in console gaming history. - A great account of the Nintendo/Sega wars of the early nineties. Though the actual story of what happened between Nintendo and Sega doesn't take that long to tell, the author provides the history of both companies and the video game industry itself. Some analysis of the video game crash of the early 80's is also provided. This gives some necessary perspective on the business and industry mindsets going into the new generation of gaming kicked off by the NES that continues to this day (including the continued sales of those games in Nintendo's Virtual Console and the Playstation Store). I will note out that the story really follows the story of Tom Kalinske, so when he leaves Sega, the story is pretty much over. This was around the time the Sega Saturn came out, so don't expect this to get into N64 and Dreamcast territory, though I'm sure the interesting industry stories don't end with Kalinske. Some of it is from Nintendo and Sony's point-of-view as well, but this is really the story of how Sega America made the Genesis and Sonic a hit, and turned Sega into a household name. What I wasn't expecting was the story of the people involved, and what a small world the industry was at the time. The author interviewed most of the original people in the book, which lends stories a lot of us were already aware of (like Nintendo being the unintentional catalyst for the Sony Playstation) a lot more depth and detail. Some of the themes of the book are still very relevant and visible today, like the cultural gulf between Japan and the US. One of the best examples was the shocking peek into what the original Japanese concept for Sonic the Hedgehog would have been without the intervention of Sega America. Also, we get a peek into some of the first attempts to use DRM-like technical controls to exercise control over a market. Then, of course, we see the first attempts to break or get around DRM. I'm really looking forward to the documentary and dramatized movie, as the one thing you really crave while reading this book are some images and video to go along with the descriptions. It would be great for someone to put together a YouTube playlist of the old commercials and footage of the gameplay mentioned in the book - at least, until the documentary comes out, which I'm sure will scratch this particular itch. A must read for any console gamers like myself that feverishly read Nintendo Power and Electronic Gaming Monthly cover-to-cover back in the late 80's and early 90's. Perhaps they are out there and I'm just not aware of them, but I'd really love to see more of these books. I'm sure there's at least a book of this size in telling Atari's story; Nintendo's constant battle for market share with much larger & well funded foes (Sony and eventually Microsoft); how the Dreamcast came to be the end of Sega's console business; how Resident Evil 4 killed the Gamecube and flooded the market with $30 used consoles; Microsoft's decision to jump into the market; How Nintendo reshaped the market again by reinventing the game controller; how the Indie market and smartphones impacted the gaming markets; and so on. So many stories to tell... Review: Seth Rogen can apparently be a co-author. Seriously, good book. - This book realllly is fantastic in my opinion. Fascinating to see and experience a book so detailed and yet still consuming, consumable. There's so many pages about the intricate business structures of the past, not just about video games, but life in general. It's a really heavy book, even so being written and printed on paperback, but trust me, it is a killer story to read. Nothing will ever be "uninteresting" about it, so to speak. 5/10 for making it such a heavy book, I wish it had some lighter elements, But about another 4.5/10 for making it so punchy and pleasing to read. Review by my 17 year old πŸ™‚ ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #152,867 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #13 in Business Infrastructure #24 in Entertainment Industry #66 in Social Aspects of Technology | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 3,830 Reviews | ## Images ![Console Wars: Sega, Nintendo, and the Battle that Defined a Generation - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71tCIRPfQPL.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Language, Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A must read for anyone that was a console gaming fan in the early 90's, or interested in console gaming history. *by A***N on September 22, 2014* A great account of the Nintendo/Sega wars of the early nineties. Though the actual story of what happened between Nintendo and Sega doesn't take that long to tell, the author provides the history of both companies and the video game industry itself. Some analysis of the video game crash of the early 80's is also provided. This gives some necessary perspective on the business and industry mindsets going into the new generation of gaming kicked off by the NES that continues to this day (including the continued sales of those games in Nintendo's Virtual Console and the Playstation Store). I will note out that the story really follows the story of Tom Kalinske, so when he leaves Sega, the story is pretty much over. This was around the time the Sega Saturn came out, so don't expect this to get into N64 and Dreamcast territory, though I'm sure the interesting industry stories don't end with Kalinske. Some of it is from Nintendo and Sony's point-of-view as well, but this is really the story of how Sega America made the Genesis and Sonic a hit, and turned Sega into a household name. What I wasn't expecting was the story of the people involved, and what a small world the industry was at the time. The author interviewed most of the original people in the book, which lends stories a lot of us were already aware of (like Nintendo being the unintentional catalyst for the Sony Playstation) a lot more depth and detail. Some of the themes of the book are still very relevant and visible today, like the cultural gulf between Japan and the US. One of the best examples was the shocking peek into what the original Japanese concept for Sonic the Hedgehog would have been without the intervention of Sega America. Also, we get a peek into some of the first attempts to use DRM-like technical controls to exercise control over a market. Then, of course, we see the first attempts to break or get around DRM. I'm really looking forward to the documentary and dramatized movie, as the one thing you really crave while reading this book are some images and video to go along with the descriptions. It would be great for someone to put together a YouTube playlist of the old commercials and footage of the gameplay mentioned in the book - at least, until the documentary comes out, which I'm sure will scratch this particular itch. A must read for any console gamers like myself that feverishly read Nintendo Power and Electronic Gaming Monthly cover-to-cover back in the late 80's and early 90's. Perhaps they are out there and I'm just not aware of them, but I'd really love to see more of these books. I'm sure there's at least a book of this size in telling Atari's story; Nintendo's constant battle for market share with much larger & well funded foes (Sony and eventually Microsoft); how the Dreamcast came to be the end of Sega's console business; how Resident Evil 4 killed the Gamecube and flooded the market with $30 used consoles; Microsoft's decision to jump into the market; How Nintendo reshaped the market again by reinventing the game controller; how the Indie market and smartphones impacted the gaming markets; and so on. So many stories to tell... ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Seth Rogen can apparently be a co-author. Seriously, good book. *by M***L on July 26, 2026* This book realllly is fantastic in my opinion. Fascinating to see and experience a book so detailed and yet still consuming, consumable. There's so many pages about the intricate business structures of the past, not just about video games, but life in general. It's a really heavy book, even so being written and printed on paperback, but trust me, it is a killer story to read. Nothing will ever be "uninteresting" about it, so to speak. 5/10 for making it such a heavy book, I wish it had some lighter elements, But about another 4.5/10 for making it so punchy and pleasing to read. Review by my 17 year old πŸ™‚ ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I really liked this book *by K***E on July 21, 2026* This book is an absolute must read for anyone who grew up during the Genesis and Super Nintendo console wars. In addition to being fascinating in the history of video games, it’s very interesting to read all of the business aspects of the American Sega corporation and their relationship with Sega of Japan and the differences in which corporations are run in the east versus the west and all the problems that causes for businesses that span both those worlds. So any aspiring business people could learn a lot from how Sega tackles problems, knowing full well they are operating a Nintendo’s shadow and growing to overthrow them with unconventional business maneuvers. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - πŸ›’ **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** β€” Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** β€” Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - πŸ’° **No Hidden Fees** β€” All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - πŸ”„ **15-Day Free Returns** β€” Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - πŸ”’ **Secure Payments** β€” Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** β€” Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.tw/products/15052769-console-wars-sega-nintendo-and-the-battle-that-defined-generation](https://www.desertcart.tw/products/15052769-console-wars-sega-nintendo-and-the-battle-that-defined-generation) --- *Product available on Desertcart Taiwan* *Store origin: TW* *Last updated: 2026-09-18*