In July 2015, the discovery of a Nintendo PlayStation prototype—the result of a failed collaboration between Nintendo and Sony—took the web by storm. Five years later, it ended up in the hands of a private collector for nearly $400,000, and vanished from the face of the earth. And now, almost ten years after that find, it turns out there is another prototype. Who has it? None other than Ken Kutaragi, "the father of PlayStation"...
Long story short: The year was 1988. Nintendo and Sony had signed an agreement to develop the Super Disc format, with the aim of extending the functions available on the Super Nintendo (or Super Famicom in Japan, which didn't see the light until 1990) through a proprietary optical drive. Sony participated in the 1991 edition of CES (June, to be precise), and presented to the public the "Play Station", a platform that combined the Super Disc format with the Super Famicom cartridge interface.
What no one expected was a poisoned dagger from Nintendo: Hiroshi Yamauchi, its president at the time, opposed the final terms of the agreement, since Sony would effectively control the Super Disc format, and exerted similar power over the Super Famicom's audio chip. Twenty-four hours later, Nintendo announced a new agreement with Philips, which besides competing with Sony, was seen as a "favorable" partner. All that remained of that failed link was a total of 200-300 prototypes, thus becoming one of the most sought-after systems by collectors...
There's Another Nintendo PlayStation Out There
... and a new console has just appeared. Photographer Julian Domanski had the opportunity to visit none other than Ken Kutaragi, the mastermind behind the original PlayStation, and its "father" from every point of view. First, Kutaragi autographed his PS1, and second, Julian managed to capture unpublished photos of the Nintendo PlayStation that the developer and businessman kept in his closet.
Compared to the unit that was auctioned in 2020, Kutaragi's console is in better condition, aside from the absence of a button on its top (the Play/Pause). At the same time, its I/O seems wider, we don't get to see a volume wheel, and its "PlayStation" logo stands out with a bright blue.
Julian decided to delete his tweet (or as an alternative, make it private), but once something like that reaches the web, its virality is immediate. Now, many users wonder why Kutaragi kept the memory of such a bitter relationship. Personally... I think it's the desire to laugh last. He correctly read the transition to optical media (besides turning Sony into a gaming monster), something that Nintendo didn't understand until the GameCube.
Source: VICE
