The National Videogame Museum has acquired the MSF-1, the oldest known prototype of the mythical Nintendo PlayStation console that never reached consumers. Codenamed MSF-1, this development kit represents the original hardware Sony created for its planned Super Nintendo CD attachment before the partnership with Nintendo collapsed.

This collaboration briefly envisioned a hybrid console combining cartridge-based Super NES gameplay with CD-ROM capabilities backed by Sony. The partnership dissolved when Nintendo instead partnered with Philips, prompting Sony to develop the PlayStation independently. The resulting console became a massive success, making the abandoned Nintendo PlayStation a fascinating 'what-if' in gaming history.

Being a dev kit, the MSF-1 isn't particularly attractive - it's essentially a bare-bones prototype that wouldn't be recognizable as a gaming device to most people. The Texas-based museum describes it as likely the only surviving unit of its kind. While few outside Sony and Nintendo would have accessed the MSF-1, an ultra-rare consumer prototype was later tested by Engadget and eventually sold at auction for over $300,000, highlighting the immense collector interest in this piece of gaming history.