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A prototype of a Nintendo Play Station console that never made it to the market was sold for $360,000 at an auction over the weekend according to media reports.
The Nintendo Play Station Super NES CD-ROM Prototype - Sony and Nintendo c. 1992 was the result of a failed partnership between Sony and Nintendo back in the 90s and a last remaining prototype of the console created by the two gaming giants. It was sold off at a live online auction on Heritage Auctions.
“At one point, this dual-branded prototype's existence was mere myth, and this is the very first time it will ever be offered at public auction. It is said to be the last remaining prototype of the alleged 200 that were forged from the failed joint-venture between Sony and Nintendo, two of the biggest competitors in the home console video game market,” reads the console’s description on Heritage Auctions website.
The console has a slot for Super Famicom and Super Nintendo games as well as a CD-ROM drive that was “meant to play disc-based media and presumably video games as well,” as per its description. The CD-ROM has been repaired by YouTube influencer Benjamin Heckendorn who known for his videos where he repairs and revives game consoles.
This particular unit was owned by the founder and CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc, Olaf Olafsson. Olaf who eventually left the company to join Advanta Corporation, and became its president in 1998. Olaf left Advanta a year later in 1999 for Time Warner leaving behind the particular Nintendo PlayStation prototype at Advanta. When Advanta filed for bankruptcy and began gathering up everything in their corporate office to sell at auction, the prototype was grouped together with some miscellaneous items according to Heritage Auctions.
It was then discovered by a man named Terry Diebold, news website Polygon reported.
The device was sold for $300,000 including an additional $60,000 buyer's premium, reported Forbes . The auction was publicized by Oculus VR co-founder Palmer Luckey on Twitter. However, video game collector Greg McLemore had outbid all others including Palmer. McLemore is a tech entrepreneur and the founder of Toys.com and Pets.com according to the Forbes report.
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