Gaming collector says he got a ‘great deal’ on rare $300k Nintendo console
The Nintendo Play Station never came to market as a consumer console but now a surviving copy of the console has sold at auction for $360,000.
The console was bought by collector and internet entrepreneur, Greg McLemore. He outbid Oculus VR founder, Palmer Luckey, in an auction (via CNN Business).
McLemore told CNN Business: “It’s the single most expensive thing I’ve ever bought outside of a house… I believe I got a great deal… To me it was worth it, especially when combined with the rest of my collection, the whole of which tells a story I want to save for society.”
Fellow bidder, Luckey, said on Twitter: “I am currently the highest bidder on this. Who are the other nutters who keep bidding against me?”
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Because it was never released on the open market, the Nintendo Play Station is more of a museum piece than a functioning console. Sure, it works to some extent, but McLemore isn’t going to have a huge library of games to enjoy for his $360,000.
The console is believed to be the result of a partnership between Sony and Nintendo which broke down, leaving just a few prototypes behind. In 1991 the pair announced a partnership but only 200 units were manufactured before the deal fell through. How different could today’s gaming landscape be if it hadn’t?
McLemore has already said he’s going to lend the console to several exhibitions in the future and may, eventually, consider opening up his own permanent museum at some point.
The collector has several other pieces of gaming history in his locker that could help populate that museum. One of them is the first commercially successful video game, Atari’s well-loved classic, Pong.
Related: Best PS4 Games (March 2020): 13 titles you definitely need in your collection
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.