06/21/2025
I didn't know about this till now.
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In an alternate timeline, the gaming industry could have been ruled by a single powerhouse: the Nintendo PlayStation. Yes, you read that right. In the early 1990s, two giants Nintendo and Sony, teamed up to create a revolutionary console that combined Super Nintendo cartridges with cutting-edge CD-ROM technology. It was supposed to push gaming into the future. But behind closed doors, the partnership fell apart. In a surprise twist, Nintendo cut a deal with Philips instead, leaving Sony out in the cold.
Most of the roughly 200 prototype units were destroyed after the deal collapsed. But one survived. And in 2009, it resurfaced, not in a museum, but in a box purchased at a bankruptcy auction for just $75 by Terry Diebold. Unaware of its rarity, Diebold held onto the device until 2015, when his son revealed it to the gaming world. The once-forgotten relic quickly became one of the most talked-about artifacts in gaming history.
YouTuber and hardware expert Benjamin Heckendorn (Ben Heck) later repaired the console, restoring it to working condition. It was capable of playing both SNES cartridges and prototype CD-based games, making it a fascinating glimpse into a future that never happened. In 2020, the Nintendo PlayStation was auctioned off for a staggering $360,000. The buyer? Collector and entrepreneur Greg McLemore, who plans to feature it in a video game history museum.
The Nintendo PlayStation represents more than just a rare prototype—it is a symbol of what might have been. Had the deal succeeded, the gaming landscape would look completely different today. Instead, Sony went on to create the PlayStation alone, changing the course of entertainment forever.
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