A unique piece of gaming history has just been sold. The Nintendo PlayStation auction has come to an end, netting the seller a tidy six-figure sum.
If you're unfamiliar with the background of this story, it stretches back nearly 30 years. There was once a time when Nintendo and Sony were working together on a gaming console. This "Nintendo PlayStation" was essentially an SNES and Sony PlayStation mashed together in one unit.
Unfortunately, the partnership between Nintendo and Sony didn't quite work out. They went their separate ways; Nintendo came out with their new consoles and Sony released its very PlayStation in the mid-'90s. However, at least one prototype of their combined efforts has just recently changed hands.
Heritage Auctions detailed the Nintendo PlayStation on its website. Lot #93060 was being offered in a public auction for the very first time ever; this strange oddity of gaming history is believed to be the only remaining prototype of this device as far as anyone knows. (Allegedly, as many as 200 of these units were originally created.)
The auction included the console and a controller, both of which have that classic "Nintendo plastic" yellowing that crops up after a few years. Also included was a boot/debugging cartridge and other pieces. This unit was once owned by the founder of Sony Computer Entertainment, Olaf Olafsson.
GameHistory.org founder and director Frank Cifaldi live-tweeted about the auction, highlighting how it was getting closer and closer to the magical moment. In the lead-up to the big sale, he noted that a copy of Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! sold for a whopping $45,000 — but that pales in comparison to the big bucks brought in with the Nintendo PlayStation auction.
What was the Nintendo PlayStation Auction Winning Bid?
So, how much did this console sell for? Well, the sum was easily over six figures. According to Mr. Cifaldi, the winning bid in the Nintendo PlayStation auction was a rather respectable $300,000. This bid isn't exactly reflected on the Heritage Auctions website which lists the sale price as $360,000 in total. This is the total after Heritage Auction's 20% Buyer's Lot Fee is tacted onto the winning bid of $300,000 as the auction company makes a healthy $60k on the sale of the Nintendo PlayStation.
Notably, Mr. Diebold had previously turned down a $1.2 million offer for the prototype. Mr. Cifaldi noted last year that Terry Diebold was hoping to sell for ten times the price that he eventually received via this auction.
"Touring the system around and getting people to talk about it is, literally, Terry's part-time job," Frank Cifaldi said in a tweet. "He is convinced that he will eventually sell the system to a private collector for at least $3 million dollars, as long as he keeps working at inflating its value."
Unfortunately, no details are provided on who actually won this particular auction. Hopefully, this unique piece of gaming history ended up in good hands.
What do you think of the Nintendo PlayStation auction? Would you have liked to own this one-of-a-kind console? Let us know in the comments below!
