Sources: eBay, Gamesniped.com, Craigslist, Nintendo Age forums

The following video-game-related items are so rare, you probably haven't heard of any of them. They are all real, there is only a handful in the world of each, and you can NEVER HAVE THEM, because of the wallet-stopping combination of being both expensive AND totally useless. You can look, though. But you can't ever touch.

XBOX "DURANGO" DEVELOPMENT KIT

That's right, a dev-kit for a system that hadn't even been revealed at the time of posting

Who knows if he really had one. The auction was taken down before it could end

Last eBay Price: $20,000

 
MYST ON LASERDISC (prototype)

A port of the classic PC CD-ROM title Myst that was playable on a Laserdisc player

They decided not to release it. And yes, games on Laserdisc were a thing. Find out more about them here

eBay Price: $2,630.00

HARVEST MOON

Games that come late in a console's lifespan are usually worth more. The original Harvest Moon was one of the last SNES games ever sold. And if the copy's unopened, you're looking at a four-digit value

eBay Price: $1,646.00

NINTENDO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS 1990 POWER PACKAGE

Once again from Howard Phillips, former face of Nintendo....you get a grey Championship Cart (worth a ton on its own), Howard's All Access lanyard badge, his business cards, his press kit he showed to investors, and Certificates of Authenticity for all items

Howard, quit selling your stuff, it's depressing

eBay Price: $17,367.00

Q-BERT DUFFEL BAG

Every home needs at least three of these

eBay Price: $84.86

POWER GLOVE OVEN MITTS

Actually, forget the bag -- THIS is the indispensable item every domestic family needs

eBay Price: $40

NINTENDO LOVE TESTER

This was one of the many ventures Nintendo took on in the hundred-years-plus before they tried selling video games

Works like a typical bar love tester machine -- both members of a couple squeeze the ends and the device pretends to measure the strength of their love

eBay Price: 599.99 Euros

DREAMCAST WHITE LABEL PRE-PRODUCTION GAMES

This is what they looked like before mass production

eBay Price: $47.21

NINTENDO MODEL SCT SHVS CARTRIDGE PROGRAMMER

Despite the enticing name, all it's for is testing the checksum of SNES carts. Not much fun to be had

Besides, if you want it to burn your own SNES games, there are cheaper devices that do that

eBay Price: $999.95

A GIFT FOR YOU

Paper stack clips given to Nintendo sales reps in appreciation for their services

This brings to mind a scene from the TV series "Dinosaurs" where Mr. Richfield awards Earl a staple off his desk and says "Don't let it go to your head."

eBay Price: $74.99

DAIEI HAWKS NINTENDO 64

Orange top, black bottom. The official colors of the Japanese baseball team this limited edition was created in honor of

One of the rarest N64 variants in existence

eBay Price: $150.00

CLAY FIGHTER: SCULPTOR'S CUT MANUAL

Not the game. Just the manual

Here, I saved you seven hundred and fifty dollars

eBay Price: $750.00

"TURBO TOUCH 360" CONTROLLER PROTOTYPE

Instead of a crosspad, the Turbo Touch 360 had a flat octagonal touchpad. This was supposed to make for easier game control in theory, but the pad itself was often unresponsive

Plus, being able to feel the button you push without looking down at the controller is kind of important to playing a game

eBay Price: $103.99

"SEAMAN" TUNA CAN

A promotional press item that tied in to "Seaman," a Dreamcast life-sim where you raised a talking fish with a man's face

I miss the kind of market that could support games like this

eBay Price: $99.99

STUFFED CONKER WITH AUTOGRAPHED FEET

Signed by Chris Seavor, designer and voice behind Conker's Cockney cussin'

eBay Price: $96.23

"COMPUTER SPACE"

The very first coin-op arcade machine, created by the creators of Pong right before they realized Pong was a simpler concept for the masses to digest

Nevertheless, it's in perfect working condition, which is rare for a machine this old

eBay Price: $6,500.00

RACERMATE CHALLENGE II

Very scarce NES cartridge designed to work in tandem with an exercise bike

And it doesn't actually work. It's an unlicensed product and features no bypass for the NES-10 lockout chip. Caveat emptor, I guess

eBay Price: $195.00

RESIDENT EVIL 2: DELUXE EDITION

This version of the game came with a pin and a T-shirt, and was only sold in very limited quantities, in Germany only

Also, this pic was apparently taken two months into the future from when this page was posted

eBay Price: $560.57

NINTENDO GAMECUBE DEV UNIT

Dev Playstations were blue. Dev Wiis were red or green. Dev Gamecubes are......poop brown

Like other Nintendo development units, this model cannot play regular retail discs

eBay Price: $335.00

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BIOSHOCK INFINITE PREQUEL BOOK

"Mind in Revolt" is a faux diary detailing Daisy Fitzroy's brief stay at Comstock House and her eventual escape. It was given out for free at the launch party for the game

This was the only way to obtain a physical copy of the book; it is only available to the masses in electronic form

Take a look inside

eBay Price: $6,000.00

BIOSHOCK INFINITE PRODUCTION ART LITHOGRAPH

Only 100 were made. Comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by Mr. Levine

Don't be a Dimwit -- I have the artbook for this game, which is $39.99 at the most, and this very drawing is reproduced inside quite cleanly

eBay Price: $499.99

LOT OF NINTENDO POWER MAGAZINES (issues 1-53)

I'm glad I filled out my collection years ago. The value of Nintendo Power has gone up ever since the mag ceased publication. A lot like this used to cost you $20 at the most...probably less for this one, since the issues pictured here look ragged

eBay Price: $122.50

HOMETRONICS TV VIDEO GAME

WORKS ON ANY BRAND ANY SIZE TV COLOR OR BLACK & WHITE

AUTOMATIC SCORING ON TV SCREEN

SELECTABLE BALL BOUNCE ANGLE

SELECTABLE BAT SIZE

all this for: $125

FASELEI!

A strategy game for the Neo-Geo Pocket Color

The NGPC went off the market when its parent company, SNK, shut its North American branch in 2000. FASELEI! never made it to the market before then, and only 10,000 American copies were produced

The bankruptcy also cut short the release of another NGPC game, "Evolution," of which only 2,000 were made

eBay Price: $128.97

SEGA PLUTO

During the dismal Saturn years, Sega created two prototypes of a possible alternate Sega Saturn with a built-in modem

The machine was code-named "Pluto" and the wherabouts of both protos have recently been revealed. The one you're seeing here was purchased at a flea market for $10. Talk about a profit

eBay Price: $7600.00

200+ XBOX GAMES STORED CRUDELY ON A SPINDLE

Sights like this physically hurt collectors. Really. Right in the gut

The final sold price works out to around 70 cents per game. The seller proudly proclaimed that "85% of tested games worked!" Yay?

eBay Price: $140.05

LECHEROUS PAC-MAN PLUSH DOLL

Yes, an officially licensed, store-stocked product where Pac-Man is wearing a T-shirt that says "Score With Me." The connotation never occurred to them

There was also an official bumper sticker that said "Pac-Man Does It With Monsters." He was a very busy boy before Ms. Pac-Man managed to tie him down

By Knickerbocker™

eBay Price: "Best offer accepted"

NINTENDO "CHECK IT OUT" STORE DISPLAY

Heeey, check it out, maaaan

A picture of the latest NES game box (not the actual box itself, like previous displays) was slipped into the middle and backlit by a flourescent light. Blacklight tubes illuminated the psychedelia around it

eBay Price: $350.00

NINTENDO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS OFFICIAL CONTROLLER

The one actually used in the competition. It has 1990 germs all over it

You may have the valuable carts, the embossed jacket, Howard Phillips' lanyard, and Thor Aackerlund's trophy...but your shrine won't be complete without the controller

Or the tickets. $55

eBay Price: $1,500.00

DUCK HUNT

Duck Hunt, you look different

The 1985 video game we're all familiar with was actually a remake of this toy from 1977. A projector device beamed orange ducks onto a wall and you took aim with your light gun

It worked basically the same, only without the annoying dog. If you ever wanted to play the game without him, there was a way this whole time

eBay Price: $249.99

"EIGHT-BALL" PINBALL GAME WITH BOOTLEG FONZIE MASCOT

Act now and we'll throw in this fake Pinky Tuscadero!

eBay Price: $990.00


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