[DigitalToday reporter Jinju Hong (홍진주)] The National Videogame Museum in Frisco, Texas, said it has acquired the 'Nintendo PlayStation', a legendary console prototype.

Major foreign media outlets including IT publication TechRadar reported on March 5 that the device, code-named MSF-1, is the oldest known Nintendo PlayStation hardware artifact. The museum said it is development equipment that is likely the only unit in existence worldwide.

The Nintendo PlayStation is a console project that Nintendo and Sony pursued together in the early 1990s. At the time, the companies were developing an expansion device to add CD-ROM functionality to the cartridge-based Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).

The project was announced in 1992 under the name 'Nintendo PlayStation', but the partnership did not last long. Joint development effectively stopped after Nintendo abruptly withdrew cooperation and pursued a new contract with Philips.

As a result, the split changed the direction of the game industry. After the collaboration fell apart, Sony developed its own console and eventually released the first PlayStation in 1994, emerging as a powerhouse in the console market.

The MSF-1 acquired by the museum is a very early prototype made in the form of a development kit. It does not look like a standard console, but it is designed to connect to a standard Super Famicom cartridge slot. Stickers reading 'Not for sale' and 'MSF-1' show it is development equipment rather than a commercial product.

Nintendo PlayStation prototypes have been known to exist only in very small numbers. A similar model was sold at auction in 2019 for more than $300,000. In the past, IT publication Engadget tested a prototype close to a consumer version about 10 years ago.

The museum said, "The Nintendo PlayStation is one of the most famous 'What if' stories in game history," adding that "this acquisition is an example that shows an important turning point for the console industry."

BREAKING: The NVM has acquired the mythical Nintendo Playstation! 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. It is the ONLY known unit to exist!… pic.twitter.com/9JQyCsFtxc