Nintendo's Playstation Prototype found?

[Ichinisan]

Sorry if I got that figure wrong, but many people, including the wiki, seem to say it was 200.

Every time I've seen that figure mentioned, no one made any attempt to say where it came from. Until I see the figure attributed to a quote from a real human being, it's complete nonsense and doesn't deserve to be repeated.

The following THREAD, especially the first post (best to read it first), may be the definitive "thread", for information, at the moment. As far as I can tell. Without spending, considerably more time, researching this.

From that quote you posted:

If you have something to say, make sure you can back it up with FACT. Wikipedia is not a good source for fact unless a credible source is listed (in which case, quote that instead) - for example, there is NO evidence that there were 200 of these made, sent out and recalled. Also, try to check that something hasn't already been posted in the thread, and check your facts.

That has been my assumption from the moment I read that figure with no attempt whatsoever to attribute it.

 

[SOFTengCOMPelec]

Every time I've seen that figure mentioned, no one made any attempt to say where it came from. Until I see the figure attributed to a quote from a real human being, it's complete nonsense and doesn't deserve to be repeated.


From that quote you posted:

That has been my assumption from the moment I read that figure with no attempt whatsoever to attribute it.

I agree, that I can be completely WRONG about the 200, and the information is unsourced (As mentioned, Wikis can be an unreliable source of information), and unconfirmed. I.e. potentially completely wrong.

I expect that Sony/Nintendo etc, will remain somewhat quiet about the true facts. So we may find that the exact information, remains secretive/unconfirmed, for a very long time.

If the possible unearthed prototype, is examined by expert(s), opened up (to see the electronics, inside) and photographed/videoed, and switched on (safely). Maybe even run games on it, if possible.

Then a lot of the doubting Thomases, me included, will have to shut up, and accept that it really is genuine.

Given the huge value, if it is real and/or the immense publicity that such a find, is likely to create. A degree of skepticism, and consideration that it might be a fake, is probably wise.

I have little knowledge, about the early PlayStation/Nintendo situation, so I have to mainly read about what others are saying. I either never heard much about it (at the time), or have forgotten about it.

 

[CZroe]

The 200 figure is so silly that I don't even know where to start. When trying to describe how rare something like this is, an inflated number like that only HURTS the point, so it boggles my mind that so many places are falling all over each other to report it. They'd have to make 10x more than a typical product development cycle despite the cancelation to come close to 200.

Think about how comparatively few prototypes a game gets and how often multiples are found. For example, multiple Earthbound NES prototypes have been found fully translated into English. There weren't nearly 200 or those and yet they turn up. This thing is a unicorn specifically because it never reached the point where there would be 200 made. Hell, 200 was a production run for some finished and released gaming products back then.

If they were under enough control to ensure the destruction of so many then there was no need to have anywhere near 200 in the first place. There were a few for the trade show and a few of each iteration. Even including every iteration of the SNES and the non-Nintendo PlayStation, 200 is a huge stretch.

 

[Ichinisan]

The 200 figure is so silly that I don't even know where to start. When trying to describe how rare something like this is, an inflated number like that only HURTS the point, so it boggles my mind that so many places are falling all over each other to report it. They'd have to make 10x more than a typical product development cycle despite the cancelation to come close to 200.

Think about how comparatively few prototypes a game gets and how often multiples are found. For example, multiple Earthbound NES prototypes have been found fully translated into English. There weren't nearly 200 or those and yet they turn up. This thing is a unicorn specifically because it never reached the point where there would be 200 made. Hell, 200 was a production run for some finished and released gaming products back then.

If they were under enough control to ensure the destruction of so many then there was no need to have anywhere near 200 in the first place. There were a few for the trade show and a few of each iteration. Even including every iteration of the SNES and the non-Nintendo PlayStation, 200 is a huge stretch.

"Olaf" owned this unit. He worked for Sony Imagesoft in New York, where they worked to produce CD titles. Yeah, I don't think Sony had 200 or even 10 studios working on software titles for the machine.

I read a lot of stuff and I'm now 100% certain it's authentic.

Japanese patents show the cart eject mechanism (which is exactly as I knew it would be) and the cartridge locking mechanism, which actually does something cool and unique: The locking tab is bent upward and forcibly removing the cart pushes the tab back in, manipulating the power / cartridge mode switch (which was controlled by solenoid in the Sharp Twin Famicom).

The patents also show diagrams with the DC jack and NEXT ports clearly outlined, and composite A/V + S-Video.

 

[cmdrdredd]

I guess maybe I'm in the minority but I don't care about this at all. It's a failed system, with no games working, on a unit that from what I've read doesn't even start up, from probably 20 years ago or more. Stick it in a museum and be done with it.

 

[CZroe]

I guess maybe I'm in the minority but I don't care about this at all. It's a failed system, with no games working, on a unit that from what I've read doesn't even start up, from probably 20 years ago or more. Stick it in a museum and be done with it.

Who said it doesn't start up?
If he can find the disc that he says was with it then we might get to see something really special, like an unreleased game. Same goes for the prototype cart too. I want to see the specs reverse-engineered so we can figure just how this would have influenced the console wars. Was it basically an SNES with some SRAM like they put in cartridges? How much memory was available per-level? Did it have a DSP or some other coprocessor?

Also, I'm sure SNES/SFC games work since that part was finalized before this thing was even announced. 🙂

 

[Ichinisan]

I guess maybe I'm in the minority but I don't care about this at all. It's a failed system, with no games working, on a unit that from what I've read doesn't even start up, from probably 20 years ago or more. Stick it in a museum and be done with it.

At least 3 games were actively developed at the Sony Imagesoft studio in New York, where this particular unit came from. One of them was never released on any platform. You wouldn't even try to connect a power cord (with proper precautions) and boot the thing up?!

If you care about SNES even a little bit, this should intrigue you.

Heck, I'm still intrigued by hardware that actually did make it to the market and sold very well (like the Sharp Twin Famicom).

 

[iluvdeal]

I guess maybe I'm in the minority but I don't care about this at all. It's a failed system, with no games working, on a unit that from what I've read doesn't even start up, from probably 20 years ago or more. Stick it in a museum and be done with it.

If you're into video game history, this is a really cool discovery. The fact it's from so long ago is exactly what makes it coming out now so special. I wouldn't call it a failed system as it was just a prototype. What failed was the relationship between Nintendo and Sony, the dynamics of which I find fascinating. It forever changed the video game landscape.

For those interested, this is a good rundown of Sony and Nintendo's courtship and breakup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JKAPMh3K9Y

 

[cmdrdredd]

It was a failed system in that it never released. I dunno I guess I just DGAF about 20 year old stuff that never got released to market.

I like the SNES for what it was back in the day but this doesn't seem that special to me. I know the story of it and all that but it doesn't change my attitude. Maybe if there was a set of games we could see I would change my mind.

 

[CZroe]

I wonder if that Next port is what the cartridge port expansion device is supposed to connect to. I also wonder if it is missing or built in to this version of the proto.

It was a failed system in that it never released. I dunno I guess I just DGAF about 20 year old stuff that never got released to market.

I like the SNES for what it was back in the day but this doesn't seem that special to me. I know the story of it and all that but it doesn't change my attitude. Maybe if there was a set of games we could see I would change my mind.

So, you'd only be interested in prototypes of released consoles? Those are the ones with no mystery. Even so, the SNES and the PlayStation were released. Previous iterations aren't always completely scrapped. Devil May Cry started out as Resident Evil 4 before they realized "we have something but this just isn't Resident Evil."

 

[purbeast0]

I guess maybe I'm in the minority but I don't care about this at all. It's a failed system, with no games working, on a unit that from what I've read doesn't even start up, from probably 20 years ago or more. Stick it in a museum and be done with it.

no i'm with you as well. i wouldn't even pay $2 for it because i wouldn't use it.

 

[CZroe]

I wonder if that Next port is what the cartridge port expansion device is supposed to connect to. I also wonder if it is missing or built in to this version of the proto.



So, you'd only be interested in prototypes of released consoles? Those are the ones with no mystery. Even so, the SNES and the PlayStation were released. Previous iterations aren't always completely scrapped. Devil May Cry started out as Resident Evil 4 before they realized "we have something but this just isn't Resident Evil."

Also, how is it a "failed system" when both originating and resulting consoles were successes? Was the prototype PlayStation 2 a "failed console?" The prototype XBOX One?

 

[mmntech]

It was a failed system in that it never released. I dunno I guess I just DGAF about 20 year old stuff that never got released to market.

I like the SNES for what it was back in the day but this doesn't seem that special to me. I know the story of it and all that but it doesn't change my attitude. Maybe if there was a set of games we could see I would change my mind.

As failed consoles go, it's probably the single most important failed system in gaming history. Had it actually hit the market, it could have had far reaching consequences.

Sony's execs had wanted to get into video games but not as a stand-alone console maker. Which is why they were actively courting Nintendo and Sega. They would have just been a hardware OEM.

Nintendo only dropped the plans for the SNES-CD because then CEO Hiroshi Yamauchi didn't want to relinquish control of software rights to Sony. Ken Kutaragi proposed that Sony use the technology to make their own console, but it was a tough sell. A lot of work on the PS1 was done in secret. In fact Kutaragi was nearly fired because of that.

Had the SNES-CD sold and became a success, the PlayStation as we know it would likely never have existed. Sony could have simply remained a hardware partner much like AMD and Foxconn are with today's systems. Had it failed, Sony's execs could have abandoned the game market entirely. Sega would likely collapse regardless due to their financial issues and corporate shenanigans. By 2015 Nintendo would still have been the dominant player.

If Microsoft still entres the console market, it would make for a great rivalry. If not, then intermediate and hardcore gamers would have gravitated to PC. Much like it was back in the mid-90s.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Yes, yes as I said I know the history. Like I said I would probably be more interested if there were working games to show us. Like stuff we never saw. Right now it's a yellow box. So yes I might be more interested in a prototype of a console that actually made it to release, to see how it differed from the retail version. That and the games. Stuff that evolved over time and became something different than originally planned.

To me an old piece of electronics that will just collect dust in a museum or someone's collection. I am not a collector either and don't have my old genesis or SNES systems. I enjoy gaming and remember the old days fondly but I go to get too nostalgic about it.

 

[CZroe]

Yes, yes as I said I know the history. Like I said I would probably be more interested if there were working games to show us. Like stuff we never saw. Right now it's a yellow box. So yes I might be more interested in a prototype of a console that actually made it to release, to see how it differed from the retail version. That and the games. Stuff that evolved over time and became something different than originally planned.

To me an old piece of electronics that will just collect dust in a museum or someone's collection. I am not a collector either and don't have my old genesis or SNES systems. I enjoy gaming and remember the old days fondly but I go to get too nostalgic about it.

What makes you think that the Super Famicom cartridge or the CD he claims to have had (and may still have) doesn't have exactly that (stuff we've not seen)? I sold a prototype NES game for hundreds of dollars after spending only $0.50 on it and the contents were identical to the final retail version. The included proto cart is extremely interesting to me. You don't seem to realize that this cart will fit into and LIKELY function with a real SNES just like all other SFC/SNES proto carts. Also, this unit will very likely play real Super Famicom games (and SNES games when adapted to fit).

 

[Ichinisan]

It was a failed system in that it never released. I dunno I guess I just DGAF about 20 year old stuff that never got released to market.

I like the SNES for what it was back in the day but this doesn't seem that special to me. I know the story of it and all that but it doesn't change my attitude. Maybe if there was a set of games we could see I would change my mind.

There is a set of games we could see. Now that's intriguing.

 

[cmdrdredd]

What makes you think that the Super Famicom cartridge or the CD he claims to have had (and may still have) doesn't have exactly that (stuff we've not seen)? I sold a prototype NES game for hundreds of dollars after spending only $0.50 on it and the contents were identical to the final retail version. The included proto cart is extremely interesting to me. You don't seem to realize that this cart will fit into and LIKELY function with a real SNES just like all other SFC/SNES proto carts. Also, this unit will very likely play real Super Famicom games (and SNES games when adapted to fit).

Cause anyone worth a shit would have found a power brick to plug into it and play that disk that just happened to get misplaced.

There is a set of games we could see. Now that's intriguing.

Oh really? Where are they?

Oh that's right the guy conveniently lost the CD and doesn't have a power brick. They sell universal power bricks for crying out loud.

 

[CZroe]

Cause anyone worth a shit would have found a power brick to plug into it and play that disk that just happened to get misplaced.



Oh really? Where are they?

Oh that's right the guy conveniently lost the CD and doesn't have a power brick. They sell universal power bricks for crying out loud.

If it's real then he will. You don't just go ramming probes in a unicorns ass. You don't just stick pump gas into a Wright Brothers' airplane. We simply can't risk frying this thing.

 

[cmdrdredd]

If it's real then he will. You don't just go ramming probes in a unicorns ass. You don't just stick pump gas into a Wright Brothers' airplane. We simply can't risk frying this thing.

lol...frying the thing. The plug is a standard plug. You can find them all over the place if you look. It even says right on the back 7.6v.

I get that some of you guys are excited about this but really... how does someone misplace the CD for the system when it came with it according to them and how does it take so long to locate something to power it up with? These are real questions I have and honestly, I'd have had it up and running day one if it were me. If that cart did work in an SNES I'd find one if I didn't have one and try it, immediately. So forgive me if I think this guy is stalling for some reason.

 

[CZroe]

lol...frying the thing. The plug is a standard plug. You can find them all over the place if you look. It even says right on the back 7.6v.

I get that some of you guys are excited about this but really... how does someone misplace the CD for the system when it came with it according to them and how does it take so long to locate something to power it up with? These are real questions I have and honestly, I'd have had it up and running day one if it were me. If that cart did work in an SNES I'd find one if I didn't have one and try it, immediately. So forgive me if I think this guy is stalling for some reason.

Do you know what amperage it requires? Do you know that it will tolerate a modern switching power supply? Can you even trust the marking on A PROTOTYPE that was being actively revised?

I can't tell you how many 15 year old discs I've thrown out without bothering to see what was on them. I'm not holding out much hope that he will find it, but it doesn't make the rest less believable. Hell, they could have even tried to find out what was on it (uncover in the attic and stick it into a PC) before throwing it away. If they find it and it was some kind of early CD-R then it likely would need recovery software if it's even possible.

It's not taking longer than I would expect a normal person to take with something so important dropping right into their life where they still have other things to attend to.

 

[cmdrdredd]

If you say so. Anyone who really cared would have this thing running if they were gonna flaunt pictures all over the net.

 

[CZroe]

If you say so. Anyone who really cared would have this thing running if they were gonna flaunt pictures all over the net.

WE are the ones who really care. He just stumbled across it, posted pictures to get some clarity, and only realized what he had when he saw our reaction. He's obviously not a collector or a fan. He called it "Super CD" over and over.

If this were in the hands of a collector or fan who cared all this time then it wouldn't be surfacing now. It would have surfaced a long time ago.

 

[Ichinisan]

lol...frying the thing. The plug is a standard plug. You can find them all over the place if you look. It even says right on the back 7.6v.

Too much voltage and you fry the thing. Do you know what happens if you plug an NES power cord into a Famicom (Japanese NES) or Super Famicom? Do you?

Did you know that the AC voltage in the USA is different than Japan? Does the output of a non-switching power supply (like SNES/SFC used) actually change significantly when there's a different the input voltage?

Let's start plugging random things into a priceless piece of history with no caution whatsoever...

...like the neighborhood A-hole that burned-up my portable CD player with one of those universal AC adapters on the wrong polarity. This is one CD player you DO NOT want to burn up.

 

[SOFTengCOMPelec]

Capacitors tend to deteriorate (sometimes badly) with age. If you connected it straight up, then one or more of the original capacitors may be at or near short circuit, and you could damage the ultra rare one (or few) of a kind item (if it is NOT a fake).
Some types (electrolytic), actually use a small amount of electricity (current) to reform themselves, so an electronics expert, may decide to gradually ramp up the current (by gradually increasing the voltage), and maybe limit the current, so that if it does try to use way too much current, it will not do too much, or hopefully any damage.
The electronics expert may decide that they want to examine the capacitors, for signs of impending damage (e.g. bulging cases, liquid discharges etc).

With a normal, older item, which is not worth very much. The risk of plugging it straight into the power (through an adapter, if necessary), is probably worth it.

But we are talking about something, which could be worth a considerable amount of money. SO it would be a shame to blow it up, and potentially lose unique data contained within its ROM (and similar) chips.

Any custom chips/parts, unique to this prototype, could be virtually impossible to ever replace.

 

[Ichinisan]

If it's real then he will. You don't just go ramming probes in a unicorns ass. You don't just stick pump gas into a Wright Brothers' airplane. We simply can't risk frying this thing.

One more reason to believe it's real: He would at least show the Super Famicom part of it operating if he went through all the trouble to fabricate it.

After looking through the Assembler Games thread and the patents, I have many many reasons to conclude its absolutely real.