This may be your last chance to own a rare Nintendo PlayStation controller

In 2020, a uncommon prototype of the never-released Nintendo PlayStation console sold for $360,000 astatine auction. Another portion whitethorn ne'er beryllium found, but a second prototype controller from the failed Nintendo and Sony collaboration is going up for auction successful August.

The Nintendo PlayStation was Sony’s archetypal effort to interruption into the gaming market. It was much oregon little a Super Nintendo console upgraded with a CD-ROM drive, allowing games to incorporated much multimedia contented from Sony’s proprietary Super Disc format.

The collaboration collapsed aft Nintendo announced a concern with Philips successful 1991, and the 200 prototypes of the Nintendo PlayStation were thought to person each been destroyed — astatine slightest until 1 surfaced successful 2015 and was yet sold astatine auction to the laminitis of Pets.com and Toys.com.

Heritage Auctions hasn’t shared the provenance down this 2nd Nintendo PlayStation auction but describes the prototype controller arsenic having “the acquainted casing of a Super Nintendo controller but branded with ‘Sony PlayStation’ successful acheronian grey connected the front.” Despite a “few small dings connected the back,” the prototype is successful “very bully condition,” but Heritage Auctions can’t corroborate if it’s functional fixed the utmost scarcity of the console it’s designed to enactment with. As a result, determination volition beryllium nary returns for the winning bidder.

An adjacent bigger question than wherever this prototype was discovered is however overmuch it volition merchantability for. In 2020, a sealed transcript of Super Mario Bros. sold for $114,000, and little than a twelvemonth later, different transcript sold for $660,000. But spending that overmuch wealth connected a crippled you ne'er mean to play seems similar a bargain compared to the transcript of Super Mario Bros. that sold successful 2021 for a staggering $2 million.

Demand for retro collectibles hasn’t cooled since then, and portion this controller whitethorn not spell for arsenic overmuch arsenic the Nintendo PlayStation console did, it’s inactive incredibly uncommon hardware that whitethorn ne'er crook up again.

According to Heritage Auctions, bidding connected this prototype volition commencement connected August 2nd and volition extremity connected August 24th, erstwhile we’ll find retired what a astir apt unusable controller is worthy to 1 fortunate bidder.