A second Nintendo PlayStation prototype has been uncovered

Recap: It has been nearly a full decade since an ultra-rare prototype of a Super Nintendo / PlayStation mashup was discovered. The curious creation was the result of a partnership between Nintendo and Sony in the early 90s that ultimately soured, and it was believed that all 200 or so prototypes had been destroyed.

The unit discovered in 2015 was believed to be the only surviving example, and fetched a healthy $360,000 at auction. A controller for the system went for $35,000. As it turns out, there’s at least one other Nintendo PlayStation in existence.

Japanese photographer Julian Domanski recently met with former Sony Computer Entertainment CEO Ken Kutaragi, who just so happened to have another prototype in his closet.

I never thought I’d see something so rare, but today I actually got to fondle a Nintendo PlayStation!
The last one in existence was believed to have sold at auction for $300,000. Turns out the ex CEO of SonyCEA has one in his closet. Ken Kutaragi, top bloke. Signed my PS1 too! pic.twitter.com/EGRos3IVT8

– Julian Domanski (@kantan_japan) March 1, 2025

Kutaragi joined Sony in 1975 and worked his way up the ranks. The company had no interest in video games at the time but after watching his daughter play Nintendo’s Famicom, Kutaragi saw a future in it. Working in secret, he developed the SPC700 sound chip that’d eventually find its way into the SNES.

The project led to Nintendo and Sony working together on a CD-ROM add-on for the SNES as well as a console called the Play Station that accepted both SNES cartridges and CDs. Given Kutaragi’s involvement, it’s not terribly surprising to learn he kept a prototype hidden away all this time.

Kutaragi went on to oversee the original PlayStation as well as the PS2 and PS3, and is known in many circles as the Father of the PlayStation. He left Sony in 2007.

Domanski shared photos of the prototype on X, which looks to vary slightly from the unit that cropped up in 2015. Kutaragi’s system, for example, has three audio jacks on the front whereas the 2015 unit only featured a single headphone jack. We’d love for Kutaragi to elaborate more on the project and his prototype, although that seems unlikely considering this is the first we have even heard of its existence.

Image credit: Julian Domanski