by 
Read Only Memory's line of coffee table books has covered some of the most notable games and systems of the past few decades, but its latest venture puts even those fine tomes in the shade – quite literally, in fact, because it's absolutely massive.
I'm not joking, either – this book is so huge you'd genuinely struggle to read it on your sofa; a (sturdy) table is a must when flicking through its lavish pages.
Dimensions and epic weight aside, PlayStation: The First 30 Years is a truly remarkable insight into the creation of one of entertainment's most famous brands.
Via exclusive interviews with the likes of Ken Kutaragi, Teiyu Goto, and Yujin Morisawa – key figures in the development, conceptualisation and industrial design of the PlayStation range of systems – this book details how Sony went from industry also-ran to king of the hill, a position it has remained in (or close to) ever since the original 32-bit PlayStation launched back in 1994.
Sony has granted Read Only Memory access to its hardware archives, so the book is absolutely packed with gorgeous bespoke photography of prototypes, sketches, debug units, and more.
You'll see early concepts for the original PlayStation, Frankensteined DualShock controllers, crazy pad concepts that never happened, and hardware designs that make you wish Sony had taken a slightly different path with some of its systems (the super-thin PS3 needs to be seen to be believed).
At £95, this is a purchase only dedicated PlayStation fans will perhaps consider – but it's one of the best books ever published on the topic. The fact that you might also get an upper-body workout from reading it is a bonus.
Please note that some external links on this page are affiliate links, which means if you click them and make a purchase we may receive a small percentage of the sale. Please read our FTC Disclosure for more information.