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[Kevtones]

Assuming this is the only one left this is gaming's holy grail. It's the rarest of the rare and it is an item that came about during the most pivotal falling out in gaming history.


Millions.

 

[TAJ]

Man, no one wants to believe a word Borman is saying. He knows this shit.

On topic I hope this ends up in the right hands.

He made himself a joke with that estimate. His huge ego isn't helping either.

 

[TheAdmiester]

He made himself a joke with that estimate. His huge ego isn't helping either.

His price estimate might not match ours but any ego is justified, he's the one person in this topic who actually knows his shit, exactly why he's here.

 

[Why would you do that?]

If it were me, I would probably raise money via crowd funding and then get several hacking experts, some electrical engineers, and maybe even a chip decapper to come and take a look at it. I'd have the goal of building a working emulator for it, along with generating as much documentation as possible. Then I would donate it to a museum. I don't know which one, maybe Museum of the Moving Image, which is a museum in NYC that has video game related things in it.

 

[Conor_Fool]

If it were me, I would probably raise money via crowd funding and then get several hacking experts, some electrical engineers, and maybe even a chip decapper to come and take a look at it. I'd have the goal of building a working emulator for it, along with generating as much documentation as possible. Then I would donate it to a museum.

Why would you do that? You could sell it to the same museum for millions.

 

[fvng]

edit: an s-video port on a console from 1992? something doesn't compute here.

lol at this post

Why would it say Super Famicom on the back of the controller if it was to be a new console? I'm inclined to call this a fake.

did you even bother to be read up on the backstory of this unit before commenting?

 

[fvng]

There are definitely more units out there. We just have to hope the ones that were passed around have not yet been discarded. They'll come out with time.

Only 200 made, and they were ordered to be destroyed by Sony. How many employees didn't do that?

 

[Borman]

He made himself a joke with that estimate. His huge ego isn't helping either.

I really didn't. And there is no ego, only truth. A museum isn't going to be able to throw away 500k on something. They at times offer less with the guarantee of preservation. I know this again from experience, not just throwing around numbers. Read the rest of what I've written, yes 5k is on the low side but its a realistic guarantee from many institutions. 500k is silly money, seriously. I guarantee on eBay it would sell for more, maybe, but then you deal with fees, scams, and a whole lot of other issues, including fake bids that have been brought up multiple times in this thread as fact.

Prototypes are a very specific niche, and time after time I've been proven right when I say that something isn't worth what people who aren't following this sort of thing just make up.

 

[Deleted member 80556]

Oh, man, this is probably one of a kind. I hope it ends up in good hands.

 

[Lupin the Third]

The Super Famicom cart is either an unrelated game/product demo or a prototype of the Super Disc System Cartridge that is probably necessary for Super Disc (enhanced CD-ROM?) functionality.

 

[lensoftruth]

Still have Super Play mags with pics of this in.

Would have happened if the software license had been agreed, both parties did well out of it but I can't help but think they'd have been better together.

 

[Why would you do that?]

Why would you do that? You could sell it to the same museum for millions.

I thought about that, but it depends on how the crowd funding goes. I guess there's no reason to not ask for money, and if I really don't want the money, there are always other people who could use it.

 

[Borman]

Museum budgets aren't gigantic beasts. Game preservation has a whole host of issues that people dont think about, and game preservation itself is still in its infancy that is still slow in being established. Sure, there is the Museum of Play and the Smithsonian, but neither spend a huge amount on games.

 

[Lupin the Third]

Why would you do that? You could sell it to the same museum for millions.

Why would you do that?
Member
(Today, 07:13 PM)

 

[lunarworks]

So this basically would have been the sega cd but for the super Nintendo, and made by Sony.

Nah, it would have been this:

Nintendo would have released their own Sony-supplied CD attachment.


It's interesting to think about the state of gaming if relations between Nintendo and Sony hadn't fallen apart, and this had actually been released. The "era of polygons" would probably have been delayed by nearly an entire generation.

• Sony wouldn't have gone off on their own and developed a more advanced PlayStation to exact their revenge on Nintendo.
  
• Sega wouldn't have bolted 3D capabilities onto their nearly-finished, 2D-focused Saturn project in response.
  
• Nintendo would have been happy to maintain the status quo, releasing a SNES successor primarily focused on 2D and likely capable of reasonably better than StarFox 3D in '96. (With the chance of Sony pressuring them and providing similar-to-PS1 3D tech.)

Of course, 3DO probably still would have happened, but it still would have been $800. Atari Jaguar may have still have happened, in some form, but Atari still would have been completely incompetent.

 

[Mr_Antimatter]

Still have Super Play mags with pics of this in.

Would have happened if the software license had been agreed, both parties did well out of it but I can't help but think they'd have been better together.

I don't think it would have really worked, honestly. Sony got big by catering to a very different sort of audience, and I don't think their marketing style would have worked with Nintendo.

 

[Teknoman]

"Just" now? We already know he posted about having it a year ago on Reddit. No one believed him.

Oh well thats different then.

 

[KiraXD]

who at sony would know about this?
like for real...

if you call the hotline,.... they would call you an idiot and thats it.

this is something huge. i would get in touch with peeps from assembler games forum and make the impossible happen:

-whats on the rom
-if there is a disc, whats on the disc
-is this a different snes or just a snes with a cd-add-on?(or maybe something like the n3ds so a little bit of extra juice in the system?)


man so many questions, and no answers.

please make it happen.

you dont think anyone at sony would know? (not their hotlines obviously) like im sure there someone like Kaz or Shu that can shine some light.

 

[whipihguh]

I'm particularly interested in the specs of this thing. Did it basically just give the SNES enough of a memory and power boost for FMV and CD quality sound a la the Sega CD, or could it do more, like perhaps basic polygonal modeling like the SuperFX chip or greater?

 

[Valentus]

That little piece of plastic was the turning point when consoles changed from "kids toys" to "videogames for adults" in mainstream's perspective.

That is, indeed, the most valuable piece of retro junk in gaming history (if its real)

And of course, is in the hands of a guy that dont give a shit about videogames.

Oh the irony.

 

[AmyS]

So apparently Konami had a port of their arcade shmup Xexex ready for SNES CD launch.

The other launch game was (again, apparently) Secret of Mana.

No idea if this is true or not.

 

[lunarworks]

I don't think it would have really worked, honestly. Sony got big by catering to a very different sort of audience, and I don't think their marketing style would have worked with Nintendo.

Sony's marketing was a response to being betrayed by Nintendo.

They were on a fucking mission.

So apparently Konami had a port of their arcade shmup Xexex ready for SNES CD launch.

The other launch game was (again, apparently) Secret of Mana.

No idea if this is true or not.

I thought it was Seiken Densetsu 3 that was developed for the SNES CD, not Secret of Mana (Seiken Densetsu 2.)

 

[FuturusX]

Of course, 3DO probably still would have happened, but it still would have been $800. Atari Jaguar may have still have happened, in some form, but Atari still would have been completely incompetent.

This is known the Atari constant and holds true for the multiverse.

 

[PInk Tape]

What an awesome find.

 

[weevles]

So this may be olafsson's own copy of One of the 200 prototypes, as well as the last surviving one? And are there known prototype copies of the cd software as well?

 

[AmyS]

I thought it was Seiken Densetsu 3 that was developed for the SNES CD, not Secret of Mana (Seiken Densetsu 2.)

I had always thought it was Seiken Densetsu 2 that was made for SNES CD, I never read anything about Seiken Densetsu 3 being made for anything other than the Super Famicom on cartridge, aside from possible localization for SNES in the U.S.

 

[CrazyHorse]

It's such a shame that this guy knows nothing.

 

[SmiteOfHand]

Museum budgets aren't gigantic beasts. Game preservation has a whole host of issues that people dont think about, and game preservation itself is still in its infancy that is still slow in being established. Sure, there is the Museum of Play and the Smithsonian, but neither spend a huge amount on games.

Bingo. Anyone who thinks museums have and are willing to drop loads of money on obscure hardware do not understand how museums function.

I think when people are throwing around hyperbolic numbers like million dollars, what they are really trying to say is this has the potential to sell for an unprecedented amount of money. Good of you to keep people grounded, though.

 

[lunarworks]

I had always thought it was Seiken Densetsu 2 that was made for SNES CD, I never read anything about Seiken Densetsu 3 being made for anything other than the Super Famicom on cartridge, aside from possible localization for SNES in the U.S.

I looked it up. It was SD2 that was developed for the CD system. I was wrong.

I figured it was SD3 because it was way more complicated and never localized.

 

[Borman]

Bingo. Anyone who thinks museums have and are willing to drop loads of money on obscure hardware do not understand how museums function.

I think when people are throwing around hyperbolic numbers like million dollars, what they are really trying to say is this has the potential to sell for an unprecedented amount of money. Good of you to keep people grounded, though.

Exactly. This has the potential to sell for a ton, but 500k is way too much. 5k was the lowest and incredible realistic for what certain institutions, many of whom don't operate at a profit, would offer. Museums have different goals than archives, although there is a bunch of overlap obviously.

 

[Gen X]

It's obvious the cart is a demo of Riiiiiidge Raaaaaacer.

 

[BocoDragon]

Nah, it would have been this:

Nintendo would have released their own Sony-supplied CD attachment.


It's interesting to think about the state of gaming if relations between Nintendo and Sony hadn't fallen apart, and this had actually been released. The "era of polygons" would probably have been delayed by nearly an entire generation.

• Sony wouldn't have gone off on their own and developed a more advanced PlayStation to exact their revenge on Nintendo.
  
• Sega wouldn't have bolted 3D capabilities onto their nearly-finished, 2D-focused Saturn project in response.
  
• Nintendo would have been happy to maintain the status quo, releasing a SNES successor primarily focused on 2D and likely capable of reasonably better than StarFox 3D in '96. (With the chance of Sony pressuring them and providing similar-to-PS1 3D tech.)

Of course, 3DO probably still would have happened, but it still would have been $800. Atari Jaguar may have still have happened, in some form, but Atari still would have been completely incompetent.

Naw. 3D was a foregone conclusion in the early 90s and Playstation didn't spark that at all. Nintendo was talking "project reality" in the very early 90s. Sega was only holding 3D back on Saturn because they already rocked in 3D and they were trying to keep that premium in arcades.

 

[AmyS]

It's obvious the cart is a demo of Riiiiiidge Raaaaaacer.

No, it's Final Fight Guy Cody and Haggar.

 

[jooey]

you dont think anyone at sony would know? (not their hotlines obviously) like im sure there someone like Kaz or Shu that can shine some light.

well go ahead, dude, help out a little. please, ping shu yoshida on twitter. ask him if he knows what power supply goes to a 20-year old prototype. from a failed project that was probably also a little humiliating. there's also @Nintendo if you don't get a good reply

 

[xJavonta]

He made himself a joke with that estimate. His huge ego isn't helping either.

His ego? He just actually knows this shit more than anyone in this thread. How is speaking from experience his ego?

500k is a lot of fucking money. A LOT. Y'all are being unrealistic.

 

[Social]

he hasn't hooked it up because he doesn't want to fuck it up? What BS is that! Just hook it up and see what it boots into, or doesn't boot into. Gaaawd, this dude.

looks to be using standard cables that aren't hard to find.

 

[Haines]

I showed this thread to my friend, a big Nintendo fan.

He must not have understood bc his reply was that he almost bought one 10 years ago.

Can you guys explain to me which console he is referring to. I'm not up on my Super Nintendo variations.

 

[Jamex RZ]

This is known the Atari constant and holds true for the multiverse.

Absolute true, hahaha.

 

[-Eddman-]

I showed this thread to my friend, a big Nintendo fan.

He must not have understood bc his reply was that he almost bought one 10 years ago.

Can you guys explain to me which console he is referring to. I'm not up on my Super Nintendo variations.

Maybe he thinks you're talking about the Satellaview, a SNES add-on that did come out in Japan.

 

[Luke_Wal]

he hasn't hooked it up because he doesn't want to fuck it up? What BS is that! Just hook it up and see what it boots into, or doesn't boot into. Gaaawd, this dude.

looks to be using standard cables that aren't hard to find.

If he plugs it in and the voltage or anything is wrong, he could irreparably short the electronics inside. Might be some sort of proprietary wiring that an electrical engineer would have to re-create. It's way smarter to do what he's doing.

 

[LeleSocho]

I showed this thread to my friend, a big Nintendo fan.

He must not have understood bc his reply was that he almost bought one 10 years ago.

Can you guys explain to me which console he is referring to. I'm not up on my Super Nintendo variations.

Apparently he is not that big of a fan if he doesn't know the difference between a Satellaview and the Play Station.

 

[brainpann]

he hasn't hooked it up because he doesn't want to fuck it up? What BS is that! Just hook it up and see what it boots into, or doesn't boot into. Gaaawd, this dude.

looks to be using standard cables that aren't hard to find.

Dude! This is a one of a kind piece of gaming history. Its been 20ish years since anyone actually had one pluggeg in. I think you can be a little more patient. Im glad he's not rushing in. This is proto hardware and something that cant be replaced.

Relax

 

[Mark5130]

It's a PS1 prototype, nothing to do with Nintendo. Neat to see some out there though.

I don't think that a PS1 prototype would have had a Super Famicom cartridge slot.

 

[NoFaceNico]

Atari Jaguar may have still have happened, in some form, but Atari still would have been completely incompetent.

This is known the Atari constant and holds true for the multiverse.

We will soon test whether or not the Atari constant is transmittable.

 

[biggersmaller]

I know it's not likely this will sell for $1,000,000 - but it's far from impossible. It only takes 2 stinking rich nerds to get into a bidding war.

The significant difference between this and something like Stadium Events/NWC is its place in entertainment/gaming history. It isn't valuable solely due to rarity.

 

[crimzonflame]

You know I wouldnt mind a console that plays both SNES and PSX games.

 

[FLAguy954]

Here's the tech document for SNES CD Addon (not this standalone unit). Hopefully the thing this guy has doesn't require that custom ac adapter.
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4cc2TZRufDtWERQV2FHZFhFaU1odEdTbWlTTHB1REJRNXdr/preview

Seeing this documentation makes me end up confused as fuck as to how Nintendo went from planning to use 540 MB CDs (in 1993) to fucking 32 MB cartridges (~1995).

 

[MBS]

This is amazing. So far in 2015: TLG, Shenmue 3, FFVII-R, PSX-Prototype. Half-Life 3 confirmed?

 

[Lupin the Third]

Random related link: Sony's expired trademark for the Super Disc name:
http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=74182283&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch

Word Mark SUPER DISC
Goods and Services (ABANDONED) IC 009. US 026 038. G & S: computer apparatus for playing computer games; namely, computer deck, controllers, CRT monitor and parts therefor
(ABANDONED) IC 028. US 022 038. G & S: computer games software in CD-ROM discs

Mark Drawing Code (1) TYPED DRAWING
Serial Number 74182283
Filing Date July 5, 1991
Current Basis 1B
Original Filing Basis 1B
Owner (APPLICANT) Sony Corporation CORPORATION JAPAN 7-35 Kitashinagawa, 6-chome Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo JAPAN
Attorney of Record Robert B.G. Horowitz
Disclaimer NO CLAIM IS MADE TO THE EXCLUSIVE RIGHT TO USE "DISC" APART FROM THE MARK AS SHOWN
Type of Mark TRADEMARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator DEAD
Abandonment Date February 12, 1993

(The "therefor" spelling is in the original, BTW)

Seeing this documentation makes me end up confused as fuck as to how Nintendo went from planning to use 540 MB CDs (in 1993) to fucking 32 MB cartridges (~1995).

Control.

 

[Kevtones]

a) it's the only one (likely)
b) it represents the most pivotal moment in gaming history



Millions.