SpaceWorld 2000 GameCube
Image: Nintendo

At Nintendo's SpaceWorld 2000 event, the company showed off its GameCube console to the general public – but it wasn't quite the same design as the one we'd eventually get.

While the external casing looks identical to the final retail edition, there's a clear section on the lid which allows you to see the disc inside the optical drive, and the 'Open' button doesn't have that little depression in the middle. The side of the unit is also slightly different.

Those might seem minor differences, but things like this make these consoles highly desirable to collectors – and it looks like Console Variations has finally found one.

It is thought that only around five of these units exist, and there's a pretty huge catch: none of them are operational. They were produced as display units only, especially for the event. The units were Indigo, Black, Gold, Silver and Pink.

Goodness knows how much something like this is worth, but feel free to place your bets in the comments field below.

[source twitter.com]