How much would you pay for this prototype Super Famicom with a headphone jack?

1 week ago

Over connected nan Japanese Yahoo Auctions site, personification has listed an evident pre-production type of nan Super Famicom — nan Japanese counterpart of nan Super Nintendo (SNES). It’s akin to nan console Nintendo yet released successful 1990 but pinch immoderate stand-out differences, for illustration a headphone jack and measurement instrumentality connected nan side. Video crippled collector and historiographer Chris Kohler called it “god-tier Nintendo collector bait.”

Some different variations see a large reddish powerfulness move and nan truth that nan controller ports are connected nan near broadside of nan console, alternatively than centered arsenic they were successful nan eventual accumulation model. There’s besides what looks for illustration nan console’s description larboard connected nan front, alternatively than nan bottommost wherever it lived connected nan last design. The sheet surrounding nan controller ports looks yellowed — it wouldn’t beryllium portion of nan SNES family without that though, would it?

Here’s a assemblage of nan images from nan auction:

Compare that to nan last release:

The last type of nan original Super Famicom.

Image: Evan Amos

And nan unspeakable point we ended up pinch successful nan US:

This is what passes for a Super Nintendo astir these parts.

Image: Evan Amos

The prototype looks a batch for illustration 1 pictured successful magazine scans from a 1989 Nintendo property objection — spot beneath — arsenic good arsenic different prototypes from nan era shown in pictures published by Time Extension.

Those creation touches went retired nan model for nan SNES released successful nan US, which ended up pinch a chunky, boxy creation that had purple, sliding switches connected apical alternatively of nan round, sloping, compact design. Nintendo released a revised SNES, nan New-Style Super NES, successful 1997 that came a small closer, but pinch a pill-shaped powerfulness move and information reset button.

Another mislaid Nintendo prototype showed up a fewer years agone successful nan Nintendo / Sony PlayStation that Pets.com laminitis Greg McLemore bought astatine an auction — which besides had a headphone jack. Two years earlier that, an unreleased, wired type of nan Wiimote that connects to nan GameCube was sold successful a Japanese auction for $660. The Super Famicom prototype being auctioned coming is, arsenic of this writing, sitting astatine conscionable complete 1 cardinal yen (just awkward of $7,000 USD), pinch much than 5 days to go.