We first talked about this console, the Play Station, back in last July, when we revealed much of its story. What was meant to be a partnership between Nintendo and Sony turned into a lost prototype of dubious origin. Fortunately, its owners traveled to Hong Kong to present the hardware at an exhibition, and there they showed the entire world that it is in perfect working condition. As if that weren't enough, they decided to open the console…
Discovering strange prototypes and cancelled projects is relatively common in the world of computing. Last-minute decisions, personal whims, and rival products that appear out of nowhere have thrown entire years of work out the window, and several decades later, it's us who get to enjoy this digital archaeology. The best part is that there's always a good chance the hardware still works. In some cases, the preservation method was too poor, requiring a specialized restoration process by professionals... but in others, it's a matter of plugging the hardware into the power outlet and pressing a button.
The Hybrid Console
One of the most recent examples is the SNES-PlayStation hybrid that Sony and Nintendo almost released in the early '90s. Its owner, Dan Diebold, and his father Terry, who received the console during his time at Advanta Corporation (via Olaf Olafsson, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, and not from Nintendo as first reported), traveled to Hong Kong to take part in the Retro.HK exhibition, and it was there that the strange console was seen working. Of course, no games were ever made in SNES-CD format, which prevents testing the console's optical system, and the cartridge that accompanied it never responded, but the images from HKGolden.com clearly show that the hybrid has no problem reading conventional Super Nintendo cartridges.
Image credit: HKGolden.com
Working Marvelously
The main image reveals a variable power supply next to the console, used to perfectly match the 7.6-volt requirement. However, images of the console's interior expose very valuable details. While similarities to a traditional Super Nintendo's hardware can be found, most of the chips on the PCB were manufactured under Sony's wing. With that said, the mystery is solved: The mutant Sony-Nintendo console is real, and it works wonderfully.
