HarperCollins
HANDHELD HISTORY HC (Release Date: 10/21/2026)
Businessmen fiddling with calculators inspired Gunpei Yokoi to conceptualize the Game & Watch. A Handheld History is inspired by the forty-year portable gaming empire that spawned from those LCD screens. Brought to you in partnership with Retro Dodo—the internet’s leading retro gaming site—A Handheld History is an explorative jaunt through the systems and games that defined the legacy of portable systems. Less of a historical account and more of a poignant, introspective adventure across decades of gaming memories, this book will reconnect you to that long car trip full of Tetriminos, Mewtwos, and discarded AA batteries before speeding ahead to our contemporary days of OLED screens and blockbusters in your backpack.Handheld gaming is a cornerstone tenet of the industry, one that has spawned communities who exchange Miis on the subway and Pokemon on the playground. Friendships were made in this pocket of the medium, and it ought to be celebrated loudly, proudly, and across hundreds of beautifully-assembled pages of art and essays. Featuring words from Jason Bradbury, Janet Garcia, Jeff Grubb, Mike Diver, Larry Bundy Jr., Ashens and many more incredible voices, this is an unmissable ode to the gaming device that you keep close to your heart—right in your jacket pocket.A Handheld History takes both a historical and personal look at the world of handheld gaming, in a way that no other book has done to date. While there have been books that cover individual consoles, or strive to chronicle every single game released for a platform, no video game book has sought to look at the broad cross section of handheld history like we are doing, whilst also hearing from the very people whose lives have been affected by these devices.Also a first is our selection of writers from across the industry, both big and small. From our foreword by self-professed gadget geek (and former host of TV series The Gadget Show) Jason Bradbury, to a history of what might be considered the precursor to the modern handheld market in the Auto Race by Kotaku founder and Polygon co-founder Brian Crecente, you know that the people guiding you through this history really know their stuff. Other big names involved include:Mike Diver (GAMINGbible)Kevin Kenson (YouTuber)Janet Garcia (KindaFunny/MinnMax/IGN)Alex Olney (NintendoLife)Larry Bundy Jr. (YouTuber)Ashens (YouTuber)Jeff Grubb (GiantBomb)Alongside well-written pieces on the history of key and interesting handheld consoles from across their history, we also include retrospectives for important games, as well as essays detailing subjects such as the push for diversity in gaming, using consoles like the Nintendo Switch in education settings, the difficulties faced by game collectors in Brazil, how handhelds are a great entry point into gaming for those who can’t afford home consoles, the impact of growing up with handhelds, finding a community through the PlayStation Vita, and many more besides.
UPC/ISBN: 9780008598174
SKU: 0826HC0952
Release Date: 10/21/2026
Product Information
Due to the nature of collectible items and ever changing market demand, we are unable to cancel pre-orders on ratio variants and select other items (1 per store variants, exclusive covers, ect) for a refund.For preorders on regular open order comics (the majority of which are normally cover price), we can cancel preorders and refund with a store credit that can be used in our brick and mortar stores or at thirdeyecomics.com
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At Third Eye, we ship thousands of comics every week, and we know condition matters. Whether you're reading, collecting, or grading, we want you to feel confident when a Third Eye package arrives.
This policy outlines our standard for new release and shipped comics, and the industry-standard guidelines we follow.
OUR STANDARD
Books without a stated grade will be offered as Near Mint 9.4 or better. We do not guarantee 9.8 condition on any book unless specifically noted.
We use industry-standard grading guidelines from:
- CBCS Comic Grading Scale
- Overstreet Comic Grading Standards
- CGC grading standards
If you're new to comic grading, the resources above are a great place to start.
WHY WE DON'T GUARANTEE 9.8
Modern comic printing is an imperfect process. Books are printed in massive
runs, bound at high speed, and shipped in bulk to retailers. Even brand
new books off the truck will exhibit minor production characteristics,
and that's normal, and consistent with industry standards across every
retailer.
A 9.8 grade represents near-perfection, and the reality is that not every printed book qualifies for that grade no matter where you buy it from.
We can absolutely commit to NM 9.4 or better. We cannot commit to 9.8 on every book, because that's not how comics are made.
WHAT QUALIFIES AS NM 9.4
Per industry standards, a book may exhibit the following minor characteristics and still grade as Near Mint 9.4, as long as there's no accumulation of defects:
Bindery characteristics:
- Minor to moderate corner tears
- White edges along the spine (common on most modern printings)
- Covers slightly offset from interior pages (common on cardstock covers)
Printing characteristics:
- Slight color rub on back covers
- Small paper wrinkles present from the paper roll prior to printing
- Wavy paper texture from the printing process
Spine characteristics:
- 2-3 small color-breaking spine ticks
- Minor non-color-breaking spine dings
These are normal modern production characteristics, not damage from handling or shipping. They are present on books across the industry, regardless
of retailer.
OUR RETURN & EXCHANGE POLICY
We do not accept returns or exchanges on books that meet our NM 9.4 or better standard.
We will replace or refund:
- Books damaged during shipping (clear shipping damage, not pre-existing print characteristics)
- Books that fall below NM 9.4 standard (significant spine damage, major creasing, tears, etc.)
- Wrong cover or wrong issue shipped
For premium variants (1:25, 1:50, 1:100, 1:250, 1:500 incentive covers, signed editions, exclusive variants), we apply enhanced QC during pull and packing. If a premium variant arrives outside our standard, contact us within 7 days of delivery and we will work with you on a replacement.
QUESTIONS?
If you have questions about a specific book or want to learn more about comic grading, our team is happy to help. Reach out to service@thirdeyecomics.com.
We appreciate your trust in Third Eye Comics, and we're committed to delivering books that meet the standards both you and we expect.