Once upon a time, Nintendo and Sony were such close buddies that they decided to create a console together – the legendary Nintendo Play Station (or "PlayStation" if you prefer).
As we all know, the arrangement was short-lived and Nintendo backed out of the deal, leaving Sony feeling like a jilted lover – but it would arguably have the last laugh as it would continue development of the PlayStation on its own, eventually creating the famous brand we know and love today.
A few years back, a prototype of the "Nintendo Play Station" was auctioned off, and it's known that others exist in the wild. However, The National Videogame Museum has acquired what seems to be the earliest example of this particular piece of hardware.
"This Sony MSF-1 is the OLDEST known existing Nintendo Playstation hardware artifact, and is the original development system for Sony’s planned Super Nintendo CD attachment," says the NVM. "It is the ONLY known unit to exist!"
While the units seen recently are based on the system's proposed retail design, the MSF-1 is a very early development unit and therefore lacks the polished retail casing. However, despite not looking quite as nice, this is just as historically significant – and it's great to know that it's now in safe hands.