Prototype Nintendo / PlayStation on display

by Christopher Grant { Jun 8th 2007 at 9:48AM }

A brief history lesson: Before creating industry uber-brand, the PlayStation, Sony was working with Nintendo (of Wii fame) to create a SNES CD add-on. But that wasn't it! They were also working on a separate, Sony branded console that would play CDs and SNES cartridges. That console, like a mythical beast roaming the expanses of the digital world, had never been spotted ... until now. Like a lost Picasso finding its way to a humble garage sale, this early PlayStation pops up at game-rave.com (if you couldn't tell) and encourages us to think back at what could have been. Y'know, it could have been the PlayStation with the motion-sensitive controller. Oh, wait ...

There's no way to verify the veracity of game-rave's claim that "it's real," but they promise updates "very, very soon." Like now? How about now? Are there updates ... now?

[Via Nintendo Wii Fanboy]

Tags: history, Nintendo, PlayStation

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

JodyAnthony @ Jun 8th 2007 9:56AM

well it does have the same AV port as on the SNES/N64/Cube. Man, I wonder how different gaming would be today if they would of stuck together.

http://www.wemakethunder.com

C. Grant @ Jun 8th 2007 10:01AM

It's crazy, right?

Konny @ Jun 8th 2007 10:06AM

Where is the CD drive? I dont see it.

Matt B @ Jun 8th 2007 10:08AM

What an abomination!
I'm probably not alone in believing that gamers were better off that these 2 companies did their own thing.

sheppy @ Jun 8th 2007 10:10AM

Maybe I'm missing something. The port on top seems to be the cartridge slot and even a CD tray... yet doesn't look like it could fit a CD. Is there some magical tray I'm not seeing?

sheppy @ Jun 8th 2007 10:25AM

Matt B, that was a prototype machine (supposedly). Rarely do the finals look like the prototypes.

Geist @ Jun 8th 2007 10:30AM

Oh please, it's just two Super Nintendos duct-taped together. Revolutionary my arse.

Jonathan Tran @ Jun 8th 2007 10:34AM

If this had actually come out, there would be a fierce debate over whether this or the Saturn would have more resembled a lego block.

Crono @ Jun 8th 2007 10:35AM

YaKnow what would be really crazy: If it actually played Playstation games.

And even more crazy than that: if it played playstation AND SNES games.

If only I could go back in time to warn them not to give sony the bird.

Slvrgun @ Jun 8th 2007 10:40AM

I bet it was more powerful than the Wii.

MDV @ Jun 8th 2007 10:56AM

A Japanese development unit is not going to have printed English instructions on it like this one does. In fact, prototypes tend not to have ANYTHING printed on them at all, seeing as how they're not mass-produced. This was clearly a piece of Sony audio equipment that he not-so-cleverly cut up and stuffed SNES parts inside.

Christopher7xii @ Jun 8th 2007 11:09AM

complete bs. I could assemble hardware better than that. Prototype or not, that thing doesn't even look like it could handle the wind blowing against it without going on the fritz.

Speaking of SNES, think I might hook my SNES up and do some Secret of Mana this weekend.

Benjamin Heckendorn @ Jun 8th 2007 11:16AM

I don't know if I buy this. On the rear photo you can clearly see Radio Shack-style PCB perfboard through the holes. What would those holes be there as well, the motherboard certainly wouldn't be that high. The power plug opening shows signs of Dremeling. And yes, where does the CD go?

As for design, it's not very good and shows none of the symmetry found on the SNES or PS1. Final note, I'd think a prototype would look more like a big breadboard or series of boards rather than a finished product just missing some plugs.

Knottop @ Jun 8th 2007 11:21AM

@11..

Yep, you can even see a headphones socket on the bottom left next to a "levels" button :)

..And thats without talking about the daft logic this throws up.. if its a sony console, why is it branded super famicom? Surely a registered trademark.. which begs the question, if they had permission from Nintendo to use the name and add cart support to a CD based console.. why commision the competition to make a CD addon for the SNES?

Is deductive reasoning so alien to bloggers that its thrown aside for dodgy, overly water marked images of a lump of plastic with some holes bevelled in it and some illogical information that doesnt even make sense when you think it through? :)

Crono @ Jun 8th 2007 11:32AM

Knottop, you don't know your history around this device. Nintendo didn't announce they were going to have phillips make one until after sony was halfway done with theirs, essentially stabbing Sony in the back. Its branded Super Famicom because if it really was a working prototype unit (which its authenticity has been called into question) of a CD addon for the Super Famicom, logically it would share its branding.

I think Ben Heck is right though, this is a fake. Why all the extra holes in the back? Why is there spots for 2 power plugs (the regular SNES one and the other one coming strait out the back).

Now, what would be cool for some super modder to do would be to stuff an SNES and a PSone in the same housing together, and give it enough intellegence to know that when you turn it on, if there's a CD in the PS it runs the PS hardware, but if there's a cart it runs the SNES, or if both it pops up a menu to give you the option.

If only there were some super cool modder who does things like that...

Crono @ Jun 8th 2007 11:37AM

It would need an automatic AV swicher as well.

sheppy @ Jun 8th 2007 11:37AM

Look everyone! It's Ben Heck! A bonafide game console celebrity! Welcome, sir.

@Knottop

"Surely a registered trademark.. which begs the question, if they had permission from Nintendo to use the name and add cart support to a CD based console.. why commision the competition to make a CD addon for the SNES?"

You forget, that was the BRETRAYAL part of our tale. Nintendo would let Sony go about their merry way making the console and at the same CES where the device was to be announced, Nintendo announced the partnership with Philips instead. Sony had no warning and thought they were going to be unveiling the Playstation right there. In fact, before this betrayal, Sony's attitude was gaming was about toys and had little interest in the market. But once you betray a fellow Japanese company in favor of an American one.... well let's just say Sony wanted blood.

Crono @ Jun 8th 2007 11:50AM

And the got it too. Sony's been kicking Nintendo's butt for 2 generations.

Rob Accomando @ Jun 8th 2007 12:02PM

If it were real, there would have been talk about it years ago. Watch them Ebay it and some idiot remortgages his house to buy it.

Rob Accomando @ Jun 8th 2007 12:09PM

If it were real, there would have been talk about it years ago. Watch them Ebay it and some idiot remortgages his house to buy it.

Squiggles McGee @ Jun 8th 2007 12:40PM

Anyone posting a comment should be obligated to read what Crono and Sheppy said above.

This is the device that showcased just how greedy and evil Nintendo was (does anyone beside me remember paying 70+ dollars for new SNES games?).

It's ironic and to our benefit that this device never saw the light of day, because Sony may not have gone off with their own console strategy with such vigor or they would have been in Nintendo's pockets like everyone else.

This current 3-way console war is probably the best thing to happen to us gamers (consumers) in a long time. These guys actually have to compete now.

RPGuy @ Jun 8th 2007 12:42PM

Yes, Nintendo betrayed Sony. But those who want to read further in could see that partnering with Sony in this case was suicide. After the contract was signed, a clause was found that transferred sole rights to ALL games produced on the CD add-on to Sony Corp. That means anything made for the add-on would be handed directly to Sony. Needless to say, Old Man Yamauchi wanted blood WELL before Sony did.

Tim @ Jun 8th 2007 12:54PM

Oh, its definitely real. Jason at Game-rave is actually on Sony's payroll as a PSX historian or something. His Playstation collection contains games that Sony themselves didn't even know about or had forgotten about. The game-rave site is supposed to eventually become a one-stop shop for crazy game collectors.

Jason's a good guy and I know him personally. Its definitely real.

... not that any of you know me or my credibility. I'm just putting it out there.

Almack64 @ Jun 8th 2007 1:09PM

The Nintendo/Sony Saga is a tale of DECEPTION, BETRAYAL, REVENGE, and the ULTIMATE SHOWDOWN.

Tune in next week to see the DS print money, and the PS2 strong-arm itself into more homes...

Who will ultimately be the victor, only time will tell...

Knottop @ Jun 8th 2007 1:26PM

15 and 17

I do know the history fairly well, I certainly knew about phillips for example and the Nintendo betrayl, im approaching 30 and was around at the time.. however bearing in mind the original posting states:

"Sony was working with Nintendo (of Wii fame) to create a SNES CD add-on. But that wasn't it! They were also working on a separate, Sony branded console that would play CDs and SNES cartridges"

///also working on a seperate, Sony branded console.

Its not about knowing your history, its about thinking logically about the posted material and facts at hand.

Were talking about a seperate sony branded console, not the CD addon, not Phillips, not Nintendo stabbing Sony in the back, not my knowledge of said events so please dont jump to tell me I dont know the history if you havnt read the original post fully to begin with..

Original post states seperate product, sony branded.. image used in post has nintendo branding on it.

On a seperate, Sony branded, non Nintendo console clearly in competition with the CD-addon being developed for Nintendo?

Why would a SEPERATE, non-Nintendo console feature Nintendo branding when Nintendo were, as far as Sony knew, in a deal with Sony to make a CD-addon for the SNES?

See what I'm saying here? If this was a prototype for the SNES CD addon what Im saying is null and void.. there is the reason for the Nintendo branding, however its stated clearly by the OP that its a seperate, sony branded console being referred to so why the fammicon branding? Why a headphone socket on the front that looks exactly like a hifi headphone socket? Why the unsightly bread board at the back as Ben Heckk as already stated?

Karen @ Jun 8th 2007 1:40PM

I Don't think it's real.
The CD was supose to have a connector on the top to connect to a port on the bottom of the SNES. This thing does not have a connecter on the top.

Ian @ Jun 8th 2007 2:18PM

Karen:

Apparently you didn't read the story. It says "there was a seperate 1 unit box that played both the CDs and the cartridges" This is said box. It is seperate from the add-on. Kinda like the later Genesis with the Sega CD built in.

Almack64 @ Jun 8th 2007 2:45PM

@ Knottop

History is imporant because you're misinterputing the quote."

"On a seperate, Sony branded, non Nintendo console clearly in competition with the CD-addon being developed for Nintendo?"

The truth of the matter there WERE two systems being produced. But they were not in competition with one another the way you are assuming.

#1 You had the SNES-add on. This could only be used in connection with a SNES.

#2 You had the "SONY branded" stand alone ala Panasonic Q. While it's true that in licensing the ability to play SNES games doesn't necesitate the Famicom branding on the SONY system it also does rule out its inclusion. Almost as a statement that the system could play that specific medium. Sort of like the "MP3" branding on many devices.

The thing you're missing is that it was "seperate" only in the sense that you didn't have to own a SNES too to get the functionality. Think standalone Sega CD versus the Add-on.

Donald @ Jun 8th 2007 3:45PM

And so in conclusion, all together now...

"This looks shopped, I can tell by some of the pixels and having seen quite a few shops in my time."

James @ Jun 8th 2007 4:20PM

Tbat's not real and I don't believe it's a photoshoped image either. Why are there holes in the back of the unit? why does the power cable come out of one of the holes like that? Why does the top of the unit look like a tape deck?

Kido1986 @ Jun 8th 2007 4:22PM

@29.

A winrar is you

Eric @ Jun 8th 2007 5:25PM

Just because this is an all-in-one device doesn't mean it's fake.

Nintendo had the original Famicom, and later added the Famicom Disk System.

They also licenced the hardware to another company to make combinations- a cartridge and disk system all in one.

Just like they no doubt would have let Sony do.

Navstar @ Jun 8th 2007 6:27PM

Looks like a boxy Saturn.

Vigoras @ Jun 9th 2007 1:42PM

Hi there Crono (post 17) and James (post 30).

When you look closely at the 2nd image you can see that on the end of the cable there is a composite video connector. I doubt that this cable is used to power this system.

And I would also like to mention that for a CD based unit the omission of a tray or slot where one could put or insert a CD would be kind of silly.

Regards,

Vigoras