Legend of Zelda prototype + factory sealed copy on eBay

[loco365]

A prototype of what appears to be a Legend of Zelda for the Nintendo Entertainment System, dated February 23, 1987, six months prior to the release of the game in North America, has surfaced on eBay for an astounding $150,000.00 US with a factory-sealed copy of the retail release of the game.

• Factory-sealed copy rated 85 by VGGrader
• Prototype cart simply labeled "HP NOA COPY 2-23-87 Legend of Zelda"
• Prototype dated half a year prior to retail release
• Appears to have no differences to final version

Source

 

[DeMoN]

How did the seller obtain this? Might it be possible that it's illegal and belongs to Nintendo?

 

[triassic911]

THIS ISN'T NEWS HURR DURR.

Wow, there's going to be a shitstorm indeed. In my opinion though, people should wait even longer before trying to sell things like this.

 

[MelodieOctavia]

How did the seller obtain this? Might it be possible that it's illegal and belongs to Nintendo?

I'm sure there is a statute of limitations on things like this.


What I'm wondering is...how can it be confirmed that this is legit? If it really has no differences to the retail version, that sends up a red flag to me.

 

[loco365]

How did the seller obtain this? Might it be possible that it's illegal and belongs to Nintendo?

I do know that there was a Famicom version of the same game that was released as a prototype. But the legitimacy of this, I'm not totally sure, but it's looking fairly legit. The seller does have 100% feedback.

 

[MelodieOctavia]

How did the seller obtain this? Might it be possible that it's illegal and belongs to Nintendo?

I do know that there was a Famicom version of the same game that was released as a prototype. But the legitimacy of this, I'm not totally sure, but it's looking fairly legit. The seller does have 100% feedback.

I don't know about you, but I would risk my eBay account of 182 feedback (which really isn't much) for $150K. Hell, I would give up a lot of things for that amount of dosh. The point is, when it comes to that kind of cash, positive feedback means as much as a duck fart in a hurricane.

 

[bowser]

This belongs in the General Game Discussion section.

 

[chavosaur]

You have to be a serious collector or Zelda addict to drop that much on a game. I get that it's a prototype but jeez. That's to rich for my blood.

 

[MelodieOctavia]

This belongs in the General Game Discussion section.

Hold on there, skipper. How about you leave the moderation to the professionals?

 

[Sheimi]

Wasn't there a Zelda Prototype for the FDS? I wonder if it's a converted fds rom. $150K, fuck that. That has to be the most expensive prototype I ever seen. No differences gives me a "hey, spend $150k and it's the final version" vibe.

Edit: If it was URA Zelda, I'd pay $150k but it's not.

 

[loco365]

Wasn't there a Zelda Prototype for the FDS? I wonder if it's a converted fds rom. $150K, fuck that. That has to be the most expensive prototype I ever seen. No differences gives me a "hey, spend $150k and it's the final version" vibe.

Yeah, there was. But I'm not sure if this is a converted FDS image. I saw a (blurry) image of the PCB on the eBay page, so that's what I'm questioning.

 

[Sheimi]

It's between the FDS and the NES release. Most likely it won't have any beta content in it at all. I'm guessing there are minor text font differences.

 

[loco365]

It's between the FDS and the NES release. Most likely it won't have any beta content in it at all. I'm guessing there are minor text font differences.

Could be regional differences and differences in text between this version and the final. Could also have bugs in the translation process. Perhaps even altered graphics.

 

[Sheimi]

All that I can read from the PCB board was NES-xxx-Test-02. If the seller would provide screen caps, it would help to see if there is anything different.

 

[Rydian]

So did they actually dump the ROM and do a comparison, or is the "no difference" just from an initial testing?

 

[loco365]

So did they actually dump the ROM and do a comparison, or is the "no difference" just from an initial testing?

From what I read, it's just initial testing. I don't think a ROM was dumped of this one.

 

[pokefloote]

At least you save money with the free shipping..

 

[YayMii]

Just looked it up, and it is a legit cart, made for use by Nintendo Repair Centers. Still not sure if these count as actual prototypes or just test copies of the game.

EDIT: Nevermind, I'm looking at a different cart. This one is confirmed legit though.

 

[MelodieOctavia]

Just looked it up, and it is a legit cart, made for use by Nintendo Repair Centers. Still not sure if these count as actual prototypes or just test copies of the game.

EDIT: Nevermind, I'm looking at a different cart. This one is confirmed legit though.

Confirmed how? By whom?

 

[YayMii]

Just looked it up, and it is a legit cart, made for use by Nintendo Repair Centers. Still not sure if these count as actual prototypes or just test copies of the game.

EDIT: Nevermind, I'm looking at a different cart. This one is confirmed legit though.

Confirmed how? By whom?

This exact copy has been recognized and displayed by the Classic Gaming Expo.

(top-left of both images)