PlayStation Creator Stored a Unique Prototype for 30 Years
Former Sony Computer Entertainment head Ken Kutaragi has been holding onto a piece of gaming history for decades. Nearly 30 years after the collapse of the Sony-Nintendo partnership, a second surviving prototype of the Nintendo PlayStation hybrid console has been discovered. This rare device sat gathering dust in Kutaragi’s closet for decades. As one of the key figures behind the PlayStation brand, Kutaragi left Sony in 2007 — but not before safeguarding this piece of gaming history.
The prototype, developed during the era of CD technology experimentation, was meant to bridge the gap between Super Nintendo cartridges and discs. However, the deal between the companies fell apart, and nearly all 200 experimental units were believed to have been destroyed. The only known surviving unit, sold in 2015, became a symbol of a gaming "what if" scenario.
Kutaragi’s newly discovered version challenges the belief that all relics were lost. This console differs from the auctioned one: it features three audio jacks instead of one, a bright blue PlayStation logo (compared to the faded one on the earlier model), and buttons labeled directly on the surface. The device is in near-perfect condition — likely preserved so well because Kutaragi treated it as a personal archive piece rather than a working prototype.
Kutaragi, who started his career at Sony in 1975, secretly developed the SPC700 sound chip for the SNES after noticing his daughter’s fascination with the Famicom. His innovations led to the alliance with Nintendo, but after the partnership fell apart, he spearheaded the development of the first PlayStation, transforming Sony into a gaming powerhouse.
The discovery of this prototype raises new questions: How many more units might have survived? Will this device end up at auction, or will it remain in a private collection? One thing is certain — the story of the Nintendo PlayStation, which was nearly lost to history, is now getting a second chapter, reminding us of the pivotal moments that shaped the gaming console landscape.
