Nintendo PlayStation: Rare unreleased games console goes up for auction

The Nintendo PlayStation was the result of a secret collaboration between the Japanese technology giants in the early 1990s

Almost 30 years after it was canned, an unreleased games console built together by industry giants Sony and Nintendo has gone up for auction.

The Nintendo PlayStation was the result of a secret collaboration between the Japanese tech firms in the early 90s, however the project never entered production and Sony would go on to release their own system in 1994.

Nintendo, famous for hit franchises such as Super Mario and The Legend Of Zelda, was the market leader at the time and the introduction of the PlayStation changed the face of the gaming industry.

All but one of the 200 or so Nintendo PlayStation prototypes were reportedly destroyed after the companies ended their short-lived partnership – and the last remaining box emerged at an estate sale back in 2015.

It was once owned by Olaf Olafsson, the first president of Sony Computer Entertainment, which was the company’s video game division.

He brought the console with him when he joined Advanta Corporation, but then forgot to take it when he left for Time Warner in 1999, and the box was sold when Advanta later filed for bankruptcy.

Now the exceedingly rare piece of gaming history, thought to be from 1992, has been put up for auction and has attracted bids of more than $49,000 (£37,500).