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The last known unit of the rare Nintendo PlayStation prototype has sold at auction for $360,000 (£275,000) to Greg McLemore, the founder of Pets.com.
The unit went to auction at the beginning of February and quickly saw the opening bid of $30,000 increase tenfold. The final price includes a $60,000 (£45K) “buyer’s premium” fee.
But while Oculus VR founder Palmer Luckey was keen to secure the lot, McLemore – who wishes to add the prototype to his collection of “800 coin-operated machines and countless other smaller games, trade magazines and original art” – was the successful bidder who now says he wants to establish a museum in which to house, and share, his collection.
“I’m looking to not have this machine just buried in a closet somewhere,” McLemore told Forbes.
“I’m interested in sharing my passion for gaming. One of my areas of focus is the evolution of gaming, including how earlier arcade games inspired video games and how early video games influenced later innovation. I believe the Nintendo PlayStation fits in well with this focus.”
It’s thought approximately 200 Nintendo PlayStation prototypes were created when Sony and Nintendo partnered in the early 90s to fashion a new home console in partnership, but this is the only one publicly known to still exist. It came to light when it was discovered in an attic in 2015 after it had been purchased as part of an estate sale.
As for Nintendo’s more contemporary console? The Nintendo Switch has sold 52.48 million units worldwide since it was released in March 2017. As the Japanese megacorp moves into the final quarter of the financial year, it’s revealed Switch sales in the nine months ending 31st December 2019 now stand at 17.7m, an increase of 22.5 per cent year-over-year. The boost is chiefly attributed to a “strong holiday period” and the newer, undockable Switch Lite version.
Cover image credit: Heritage Auctions
