
Update []:
Back in May, we reported that the non-profit preservation group Video Game Preservation Museum were currently in the process of trying to save a collection of undumped GBA, DS, DSi, and 3DS that were at risk of falling into the hands of private collectors.
Well, since then, there have been a few major updates regarding this effort, with the publication Sonic Stadium recently reporting that the team had successfully managed to raise a down payment of £5500 to have the owner set these prototypes aside and give the group a chance to raise more funds to acquire the entire collection (which apparently numbers around 300 carts).
In order to pull this off, the Video Game Preservation Museum (along with Obscure Gamers) has launched another set of crowdfunding campaigns under the name "Project AGES" on websites like Ko-Fi, Goodhub, and GoFundMe in order to try to raise the necessary funds, with the ultimate goal being to collect £61,000 (roughly £200 a cart) by the start of August.
Once this amount is raised and the games are collected, the idea is to dump their contents, and then send these carts out to donators as a way to thank them for their cooperation. Those who donate more than £200 will receive a random cart, while those who offer £1000 or more will be able to select a cart of their choosing. If the campaign is unsuccessful, the Video Game Preservation Museum has promised to issue refunds on request, with any unclaimed funds going towards other lots.
Here are some of the games, which Sonic Stadium reports as being included in this lot:
- Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (6 Carts)
- Sonic Colors DS (8 Carts)
- Sonic Generations 3DS (48 Carts)
- Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing (9 Carts)
- Sonic Boom Fire & Ice (7 Carts)
- Sonic Classic Collection (7 Carts)
- Mario & Sonic at the Winter Olympic Games (21 Carts)
- Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (32 Carts)
- Mario & Sonic at the Ryo 2016 Olympic Games (5 Carts)
- Phantasy Star 0 (3 Carts)
- Rhythm Thief & The Emperor's Treasure (11 carts, of which at least one is a DS version)
- Shinobi (6 Carts)
- Alien Infestation (8 Carts)
- Bleach The Blade of Fate (4 Carts)
- Captain America Super Soldier (4 Carts)
- Crush 3D (30 Carts)
- Dinosaur King (1 Cart)
- DS Demo (1 Cart)
- DSi Demo (1 Cart)
- Infinite Space (6 Carts)
- Iron Man 2 (3 Carts)
- Jambo! Safari (7 Carts)
Original Story: A selection of over 200 beta GBA, DS, DSi And 3DS carts could be at risk of falling into the hands of a private owner, it has been revealed.
The non-profit preservation group Video Game Preservation Museum was in discussion with the seller about dumping and preserving the carts. However, it was revealed yesterday that the seller backed out of the arrangement after being contacted by other individuals, presumably with higher offers.
"A rather unfortunate update," said VGPM's social media account yesterday. "People have contacted the seller, and we're not able to back these up anymore. We have tried making offers above £25,000 to save the carts, but this has been rejected. We're hoping to at least be able to hand pick some carts from the lot."

At the time of writing, discussions on the Obscure Gamers Discord server reveal that there may be some way of buying the more interesting cartridges for preservation rather than the entire batch.
It has also been revealed that the same seller has multiple development kits they intend to sell.