Shuhei Yoshida, a former executive at PlayStation, recently shared fascinating insights into his experience with the Nintendo PlayStation prototype during an interview with MinnMax. His career at Sony began in February 1993 when he joined Ken Kutaragi's team, known as 'the father of PlayStation,' to work on the original PlayStation that eventually graced store shelves. However, new team members, including Yoshida, were also introduced to the Nintendo PlayStation prototype.
Yoshida recounted, "Everybody who joined [Ken Kutaragi]'s team around that time, the first thing they showed us was that Nintendo Sony PlayStation, like a prototype already working. And also they had almost finished a game on it. And I got to play the game on the system, the day I joined." The game, which Yoshida compared to the Sega CD title Silpheed, streamed assets from a CD. Although he couldn't recall the developer or the location where it was made, he expressed optimism about the game's potential preservation: "I wouldn't be surprised... You know, it was like a CD, so… yeah."
The Nintendo PlayStation prototype console. Photo: Mats Lindh (Flickr/CC BY 2.0).
The Nintendo PlayStation, a relic of a speculative alternate timeline for Sony and Nintendo, remains a coveted item among collectors due to its unreleased status. This prototype has garnered significant attention in auctions and collector circles. The allure of uncovering Sony's space-shooter game designed for this unique console is intriguing, especially given precedents like Nintendo's release of the canceled Star Fox 2 years after its initial cancellation. There's a possibility that this piece of video game history might one day be rediscovered and shared with the gaming community.
