What is the Single RAREST Item In Your Collection?

[Buyatari]

Yes, the bottom two pictures were from your auction, but the top picture showing the controller connected to the later Playstation dev kit is legit based on what I know. Unless someone has parts with manufacturing dates on them, my understanding is that hundreds of these controllers were produced for the later Playstation dev kits. My understanding is that the SNES CD dev kit versions did not have the DTL designation code on the sticker underneath as this numbering/part tracking scheme wasn't developed by Sony's logistics team until mid-1994 when the later kits were distributed.

I don't know where the top grainy picture comes from but it looks like a pic out of a magazine. Japanese or US, mock up or working unit I don't know. I do find it funny that he used my pictures to follow it up directly as if all 3 pictures were pulled directly from the same source. In the spirit of getting the history correct he should note where the pictures are from.

Something like

Top picture " X magazine such and such date, bottom two pictures from an ebay auction where the seller claims it to be a SNESCD dev controller"

I no longer own that controller or any other Sony development controller for that matter. We can save some time if you read the whole thread I quoted at Assembler. Later in the same thread you will see another Sony employee (the one who claims he found the SNESCD in the trash and saved it) spoke up against it but after I told him the who when and where he backed up my side of the story.

So to recap. The controller was given to me as a gift from a Sony employee and had no reason to lie. I was told it was a rare controller for the SNESCD dev kit. This unnamed employee is not unknown to others who worked on the project. I no longer own it and have no vested interest in how it is seen.

[Bojay1997]

I don't know where the top grainy picture comes from but it looks like a pic out of a magazine. Japanese or US, mock up or working unit I don't know. I do find it funny that he used my pictures to follow it up directly as if all 3 pictures were pulled directly from the same source. In the spirit of getting the history correct he should note where the pictures are from.

Something like

Top picture " X magazine such and such date, bottom two pictures from an ebay auction where the seller claims it to be a SNESCD dev controller"

I no longer own that controller or any other Sony development controller for that matter. We can save some time if you read the whole thread I quoted at Assembler. Later in the same thread you will see another Sony employee (the one who claims he found the SNESCD in the trash and saved it) spoke up against it but after I told him the who when and where he backed up my side of the story.

So to recap. The controller was given to me as a gift from a Sony employee and had no reason to lie. I was told it was a rare controller for the SNESCD dev kit. This unnamed employee is not unknown to others who worked on the project. I no longer own it and have no vested interest in how it is seen.

I'm not at all being critical of you or doubting what you were told. I recall vaguely there being a similar conversation about this controller when the auction was happening. All I'm saying is that what I know about how Sony actually set up the parts and logistics side of the Playstation post-SNES CD program leads me to conclude that this was a later version of the same controller. I'm not doubting your source, but unless they were specifically looking for the tiny distinction and information provided by that sticker, I'm sure they could have concluded that it was a SNES CD era controller. It might be that value wise it doesn't matter much since whatever version of the Playstation dev kit it came from, it is undoubtedly rare. On an unrelated note, the dev kit in that picture looks identical to one I saw at what was formerly Psygnosis in Liverpool in the Summer of 1994, although I really don't remember much about the controller or if they even had one connected to it, so take that for what it's worth.

[ProgrammingAce]

I think i mentioned somewhere that i didn't think the DTL codes were issued until after the SNESCD, but we went back and found that the SNESCD had a DTL code as well. So it's entirely possible that the controllers came from the SNESCD. The system was generally known by nintendo part numbers, but sony had their own internal product codes...

Of course, the early dev kits seem to come with extremely similar (if not identical) controllers. So it's hard to be sure which kit they go with. Remember, the playstation was designed as a toy. They may not have bothered to change the part numbers when they switched media formats.

[Bojay1997]

I think i mentioned somewhere that i didn't think the DTL codes were issued until after the SNESCD, but we went back and found that the SNESCD had a DTL code as well. So it's entirely possible that the controllers came from the SNESCD. The system was generally known by nintendo part numbers, but sony had their own internal product codes...

Of course, the early dev kits seem to come with extremely similar (if not identical) controllers. So it's hard to be sure which kit they go with. Remember, the playstation was designed as a toy. They may not have bothered to change the part numbers when they switched media formats.

Was the DTL code somewhere on the units or is this from internal Sony documents? The reason I ask is that the unit allegedly found in a dumpster does not have a DTL number but rather a numeric serial code that would seem to fit with the use of Nintendo part numbers. Why would the fact that it was a "toy" impact the use of DTL numbers? Doesn't DTL in Sony logistics coding just stand for "Development Tool" anyway?

[Buyatari]

Was the DTL code somewhere on the units or is this from internal Sony documents? The reason I ask is that the unit allegedly found in a dumpster does not have a DTL number but rather a numeric serial code that would seem to fit with the use of Nintendo part numbers. Why would the fact that it was a "toy" impact the use of DTL numbers? Doesn't DTL in Sony logistics coding just stand for "Development Tool" anyway?

Well sure the unit in the dumpster was a true prototype. The controllers produced for dev kits would be somewhat more produced than that and would be more likely to have stickers on them.

Now why did Nintendo back out of the deal? Didn't it have to do with Sony having control over the hardware?

[Bibliophile]

Well sure the unit in the dumpster was a true prototype. The controllers produced for dev kits would be somewhat more produced than that and would be more likely to have stickers on them.

Now why did Nintendo back out of the deal? Didn't it have to do with Sony having control over the hardware?

I don't think it was because Sony had control over the hardware. I think the agreement gave, or would have given, Sony the licensing rights over the games/software, which Nintendo didn't want.

[ProgrammingAce]

Was the DTL code somewhere on the units or is this from internal Sony documents? The reason I ask is that the unit allegedly found in a dumpster does not have a DTL number but rather a numeric serial code that would seem to fit with the use of Nintendo part numbers. Why would the fact that it was a "toy" impact the use of DTL numbers? Doesn't DTL in Sony logistics coding just stand for "Development Tool" anyway?

You're basically right, DTL = Development Tool Licensing. It's the department that handles giving out the kits.

As for the DTL codes, we found some ancient ass documentation from when the system was still the SNESCD. It wasn't even directly talking about the SNESCD kit itself, it was for the software. We couldn't find the part number for the SNESCD itself. But we do know the DTL designations were in place at that time, it's fairly safe to assume that the SNESCD had one. Nothing definitive though.

For the kit being a toy, i meant that Sony didn't keep very detailed records of the development history of the playstation. They didn't realize they were helping create a multi-billion dollar industry and that someday people might care about the failed project between themselves and ninty.

[ProgrammingAce]

Now why did Nintendo back out of the deal? Didn't it have to do with Sony having control over the hardware?

My understanding is this: Ninty backed out because sony was going to have complete control over the production of the CD based media. Sony was going to make buckets of cash on the production of the game discs and Ninty wasn't going to see a dime. Ninty was going to make their cash off of the hardware (which would probably be sold at a loss to begin with). Ninty was used to making money off the licensing and production of the carts for the NES, they knew how much could be made from the production. They wanted a piece of production profits and tried to back out and use another company (Phillips?) as a bargaining chip against Sony. They never fully intended to break up the deal. Sony called their bluff, and the playstation was born.

Ninty usually ends up the bad guy spawning their biggest competitor in the story, but in reality they probably didn't have much choice. The agreement they signed with Sony to produce the SNESCD was heavily stacked against them, and they may never have made a profit off of it.

It was the signing of the initial agreement that doomed them, not the breaking of the contract.

[PapaStu]

The Proto controller that Bibliophile has is the one that was sold on chasethechuckwagon a few months back if my brain is remembering the Serial # thats on the back of that controller correctly. As far as I know, there is only one other controller thats out there and thats the one BuyAtari had placed on ebay. The serial number on the BuyAtari controller is lower by almost 200 (fixed from 100) as well. These did have a range of them made, thats for sure.

Why is it that whenever ZOMG rare PS pictures/items show up, that Assember shits 3 bricks?

[ProgrammingAce]

I knew i saw that picture before... i forgot about the CTC auction...

Why is it that whenever ZOMG rare PS pictures/items show up, that Assember shits 3 bricks?

Because he's mentally unstable?

[PapaStu]

Why is it that whenever ZOMG rare PS pictures/items show up, that Assember shits 3 bricks?

Because he's mentally unstable?

I meant Assembler as the site, more than Assembler the individual... but yeah.

I edited my previous post to reference the serial number of the controllers. I thought the CtCW controller was only about 100 off, this other one is closer to 200 off... that could mean that this could be a third controller, or i'm not as spry with the number as I thought I was.

[DigitalSpace]

Time for an updated post. It's a tie between four R7's:

Joshua & the Battle of Jericho (Genesis, cart only)
Hurricanes (SNES, cart only)
Zero the Kamikaze Squirrel (SNES, cart only)
True Pinball (PlayStation, complete)

Nothing too special here, but I'm glad to have them. True Pinball is the most recent acquisition.

[Bibliophile]

The Proto controller that Bibliophile has is the one that was sold on chasethechuckwagon a few months back if my brain is remembering the Serial # thats on the back of that controller correctly. As far as I know, there is only one other controller thats out there and thats the one BuyAtari had placed on ebay. The serial number on the BuyAtari controller is lower by almost 200 (fixed from 100) as well. These did have a range of them made, thats for sure.

Your memory serves you well.

Why is it that whenever ZOMG rare PS pictures/items show up, that Assember shits 3 bricks?

What do you mean?

[Buyatari]

The Proto controller that Bibliophile has is the one that was sold on chasethechuckwagon a few months back if my brain is remembering the Serial # thats on the back of that controller correctly. As far as I know, there is only one other controller thats out there and thats the one BuyAtari had placed on ebay. The serial number on the BuyAtari controller is lower by almost 200 (fixed from 100) as well. These did have a range of them made, thats for sure.

Why is it that whenever ZOMG rare PS pictures/items show up, that Assember shits 3 bricks?

The one I had came from someone at Sony and wasn't issued. He said it was left over from the SNESCD project. The one on Chuckwagon came from a developer. That could explain the big number difference.

[Buyatari]

I meant Assembler as the site, more than Assembler the individual... but yeah.

I edited my previous post to reference the serial number of the controllers. I thought the CtCW controller was only about 100 off, this other one is closer to 200 off... that could mean that this could be a third controller, or i'm not as spry with the number as I thought I was.

Nope that is the one from Chuckwagon. There are 2.

There is also a 3rd that I know of but it hasn't been pictured here. It was also sent to a developer. Someone emailed me about it and I passed along the information. If the owner wants to sell it he has to work it with him.

[PapaStu]

The one I had came from someone at Sony and wasn't issued. He said it was left over from the SNESCD project. The one on Chuckwagon came from a developer. That could explain the big number difference.

Very true. I know who you got the controller from silly! The things he says, when it comes to the PlayStation I take as the gospel. I'll probably be seeing him at a local get together in the coming weeks.




Bibliophile, When we (Dangerboy more than I) got some pics out of a SNESCD unit that had never been seen before, they shit bricks and all kinds of other things as they claimed fake, raised hell ect... when the pictures were not. When we got out some other Play Station (note the space) pictures up, they again shit bricks, claimed fake ect. I don't visit the site often enough to see the calm rational side of things.

[Buyatari]

Very true. I know who you got the controller from silly! The things he says, when it comes to the PlayStation I take as the gospel. I'll probably be seeing him at a local get together in the coming weeks.




Bibliophile, When we (Dangerboy more than I) got some pics out of a SNESCD unit that had never been seen before, they shit bricks and all kinds of other things as they claimed fake, raised hell ect... when the pictures were not. When we got out some other Play Station (note the space) pictures up, they again shit bricks, claimed fake ect. I don't visit the site often enough to see the calm rational side of things.

I collected for the Playstation before just about anyone and picked up some great items. I didn't post much about it and sometimes I wish I posted more as it was happening. I've switched gears since then.

Once something is set as "fact" it is hard to break people of that. For years people assumed the Music Machine game for Atari came with a record of the same name. Where that idea came from I dunno but you used to be able to sell the record for $100 on ebay and I'd find them at flee markets all the time. I had that record as a kid and knew it had nothing to do with the game.

[Sel The Don]

The rarest item I have is a Dreamcast laserpen I got hold of about 10 years ago, I've never seen another one to this day.

[nintendoeats]

Well, I have an intellivoice, megaman and megaman 2 (not rare, but not common either) and a gameboy soap dispenser that has one of those water pinball games in it. That still had soap in it when I bought it...eugh...

[Sel The Don]

I've also just found in my attic two Sega Saturn Posters (A3 size I think) of Sega Rally and Virtua Fighter 2.