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What just happened? In the world of video game-related rarities, the more obscure and hard-to-find an item is, the more money people are willing to pay. It's why a prototype Nintendo PlayStation controller recently sold for a massive $35,000 at auction – though that's still a fraction of the $360,000 that the complete Nintendo PlayStation console and controller sold for in 2020.
In 1988, Nintendo commissioned Sony to develop a CD-ROM for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) - a cartridge-based console that was yet to be released. The companies also collaborated on a console that accepted both SNES cartridges and CDs.
Nintendo ended up walking away from the deal for a number of reasons and ultimately partnered with Philips to publish games on the Philips CD-i. Sony continued to develop its CD-based console, which eventually became the original PlayStation that released in Japan in December 1994.
It's believed that Nintendo and Sony produced 200 prototype Nintendo PlayStation units, most of which have been destroyed. However, what is likely to have been the second unit ever made went for $360,000 at auction in March 2020.
Even the hybrid console's controllers sell for huge prices. Heritage Auctions sold one on August 23 for $35,000. It's the first time one of these controllers has been sold as a single item, and only the second time a Nintendo PlayStation controller prototype has been part of a public auction.
The auction house did include a warning in the controller's item description: due to the fact that there is no hardware suitable for testing the controller, it will be sold "as is," with no returns. The auctioneer added that the incredible rarity of the controller and console means they are unsure if they will ever be able to offer anything related to the Nintendo PlayStation again.
The Nintendo PlayStation prototype was discovered by Dan Diebold, who found the machine in his father's attic. Terry Diebold worked as a maintenance man for Advanta Corporation until 2009. The president of Advanta was Olaf Olafsson, the original co-founder and former president and chief executive officer of Sony Interactive Entertainment. When Advanta went bankrupt, Diebold was tasked with cleaning out the building. He found the system in a box in one of the rooms and kept it.