3 of the rarest Nintendo systems ever made

Nintendo has been a staple of the video game industry for decades, releasing a number of different consoles that people love. Many Nintendo first-party titles have shaped the eras in which they released, and enabled their systems to be standouts of their console generations. But not every system from the company is built the same, or viewed in the same light by collectors who love to gather rare and valuable Nintendo collectibles. Some of the most coveted prizes among Nintendo fans have been console variants that are incredibly hard to find, and incredibly expensive to buy, for many reasons. They’re not the average video game consoles that your typical gamer would be able to buy.

But what are some of the rarest Nintendo consoles to ever get made and released? Some of the popular systems with the most beloved games on the market often have variations on their colors and internal builds, but not many of them are built to be special units. Whether it’s the materials used to make them or the little changes that make them unique for Nintendo fans, these systems are trophy additions to anyone’s collection. Here are 3 of the rarest Nintendo systems ever made, not including any unreleased prototypes.

The 5 rarest Nintendo DS games that you may never own

The Nintendo DS had some very rare games that most people will never get to own. Here are some of the rarest DS games around!

3

24K Gold Game Boy Advance SP

Playing with gold power

A shot of the original contest add for the 24K Gold Game Boy Advance

Source: Consolevariations

The Game Boy Advance was a great portable system that people love. Besides the original model, a second version of the GBA was released with a different design called the Game Boy Advance SP. The games within its vast library include a number of legendary classics and re-releases that Nintendo fans still love to this day. Games like The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap and Metroid Fusion are only a few of the fantastic experiences the handheld had to offer. But what if you could play awesome games like this on a Game Boy Advance that was made out of 24K gold? At that point, you’re not just playing with power, you’re playing with Gold Power.

The system was made as part of a contest for those who were lucky enough to find a gold ticket for a copy of The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap in December 2004. There were 6 tickets that were hidden among copies of the game, which had all been found by February 2005. The contest was open to residents of the UK, Isle of Man, and Channel Islands. An extra unit was given away by the website gamesTM.co.uk (Now known as GamesRadar). For a long time, many people didn’t believe that the gold GBA systems were real, since hardly any details were known about the winners. However, multiple units were put up for auction over the years, with more images of the system being shared around on Twitter in 2019. One of the units sold for over $700 at the time, and may be worth a lot more now.

2

Nintendo DS Animal Crossing Wild World (Seasons Variant)

This will cost Tom Nook a lot of bells

Animal Crossing players are very familiar with the concept of being in debt to Tom Nook, the raccoon businessman that appears throughout the series. It can be a struggle trying to make enough bells to pay him off, especially when you have just purchased a new home within any of the locations that are included in the Animal Crossing series. But one item that die-hard fans would quickly go into debt for with no regrets is a variant Nintendo DS console that was made for the release of Animal Crossing Wild World.

In collaboration with Bergsala of Nintendo Sweden, a group of special Nintendo DS systems with unique artwork based on the different seasons for Animal Crossing Wild World were prizes for an art contest. Winners would be those who made the best original Animal Crossing character, and would take home one of the DS systems and an Animal Crossing Wild World shirt. This variant of the Nintendo DS was only available through this contest, and limited only to the region of Sweden. For many Animal Crossing fans, this is one of those very rare collectibles that is highly sought-after.

1

Nintendo Wii Supreme

A supremely expensive console

A shot of the Nintendo Wii Supreme gold console

Source: Stuart Hughes

Those that have an expensive taste in products, especially technology, may flinch at the sight and price of a game system made out of solid gold. But imagine if a console built like that also included extra details with flawless cut diamonds, it would be enough to make anyone’s jaw drop to the ground. That’s exactly what the Nintendo Wii Supreme is: a console made with 2,500 grams of 22-karat gold. The front buttons of the console are made with 19.5 karats of diamonds. This is not the kind of thing one casually buys, it’s practically a work of art. As of now, it is considered the most expensive home video game console in the world. A gold console like this takes about 6 months to put together, and will cost anyone over $300,000 to buy.

The Wii Supreme is made by a company called Stuart Hughes, a luxury company that makes premium products for a variety of tastes. Besides the Nintendo Wii, the company has also made a PlayStation 3 console out of gold, which is just as expensive as the Wii Supreme. Despite the luxury materials used to make the console, this Wii is still a functioning system, so one can play something like Super Smash Bros. Brawl on it if they really want to. With a console like this, you’re not playing with power, you’re actually playing with generational wealth.

Rare and unique Nintendo consoles

There are many more rare and unique Nintendo consoles that have been released over the years. Most of them end up in the hands of collectors, who spend years finding some of the rarest and most interesting items to add to their collection. What often makes these rare variants of systems special are the circumstances behind their creations. They’re not only highly limited, but incredibly expensive because of how coveted they are by fans of Nintendo. You may not be able to buy consoles like these, but you can definitely respect how unique they really are.