Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida recently shared intriguing details about his experience with the Nintendo PlayStation prototype during an interview with MinnMax. Yoshida, who joined Ken Kutaragi's team in February 1993, recounted his early days at Sony, which included working on the original PlayStation that eventually hit the market. However, new team members like Yoshida were also introduced to the lesser-known Nintendo PlayStation prototype.
"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," Yoshida revealed. On his very first day, he had the opportunity to play a nearly completed game on the system. Yoshida described the game as a space shooter, drawing comparisons to the Sega CD title Silpheed, which streamed assets from a CD. Although he couldn't recall the developer or the specific region where it was made, Yoshida expressed a glimmer of hope that the game might still exist in Sony's archives. "I wouldn't be surprised," he noted, hinting at the possibility due to the game being stored on a CD.
The Nintendo PlayStation is a highly sought-after collector's item, renowned for its status as an unreleased oddity and a symbol of an alternate timeline where Sony and Nintendo might have collaborated. The prototype has garnered significant attention in auctions and among collectors, adding to its mystique.
The prospect of seeing Sony's space-shooter game for the Nintendo PlayStation released is tantalizing, especially given precedents like Nintendo's release of Star Fox 2 years after its cancellation. This piece of video game history could potentially see the light of day, offering fans a fascinating glimpse into what might have been.
