A prototype of the failed, Japan-only Nintendo 64 peripheral, the 64DD, has recently appeared on a Japanese auction website.
Featured in Hard4Games’ latest video, the prototype reportedly sold for around $7,000. It includes a disc and features a transparent design, making its internal components visible.
The original listing on auction website Mercari now returns a “Page not found” error, but fortunately, BlueSky user Yakumono shared images from the page before it went down.
Hard 4 Games used Google Translate on the listing to learn that the 64DD prototype is not functional.
“It’s unclear whether it was for display purposes, a modified item, or a counterfeit, but I think it’s quite a rare item,” the translation reads.
Hard 4 Games hosts Tony and John, however, believe that the unit is most likely genuine, pointing to the discoloration of the plastic which tends to indicate age.
The duo also speculated that the disc that came with the prototype likely contains nothing.
“If it was held by Nintendo at the time it passed into a private owner’s hands, I guarantee there’s nothing on there,” John said.
“They were very good about blanking their stuff. As a data security thing, they were wiping and reusing discs a lot.”
Tony added: “I think what’s more likely was that nothing was ever on it.
“Being more of a prototype proof-of-concept, this wasn’t used to develop on. It was just used to show that it could exist.
“I could be wrong. Would I like to be wrong? Oh my god, yes. I would love for this to have something on it.”
The Nintendo 64DD launched in Japan in December 1999, and was promptly discontinued in February 2001. The peripheral plugged into the bottom of the console, using disks to offer larger amounts of storage than standard Nintendo 64 cartridges. Its commercial failure meant it never saw an international release.
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Written by Reece Heather
A veteran Zelda Universe editor and First-class journalism graduate, Reece emerged with a Nintendo 64 and a lifelong obsession after a narrow escape from Santa’s Naughty List in 1998. Outside of games, he’s reading Punisher comics, being bossed around by his cocker spaniel, and cornering innocent bystanders to rant about the importance of game preservation.
