Former PlayStation executive Shuhei Yoshida recently discussed his experience with the Nintendo PlayStation prototype, including playing a "nearly complete" game Sony had developed for the canceled console.
In an interview with MinnMax, the longtime PlayStation veteran reflects on his career at Sony, tracing back to his early work alongside Ken Kutaragi, known as 'the father of PlayStation.' Yoshida joined Kutaragi's team in February 1993 during development of the original PlayStation. While that model eventually launched commercially, team members at the time also got to see the Nintendo PlayStation prototype.
"Everyone who joined [Ken Kutaragi]'s team around that period was first shown the Nintendo Sony PlayStation prototype, which was already operational," Yoshida recalled. "They also had what felt like an almost finished game for it. I actually played that game on the system on my very first day."
What type of game was it? Yoshida compared it to a space shooter from that era—possibly the Sega CD title Silpheed—which loaded assets from the CD. He couldn't recall the developer or even whether it was created in the U.S. or Japan. However, there is some hope that the game might still be preserved in Sony's archives.
"I wouldn't be surprised," Yoshida noted. "After all, it was on a CD, so… it's plausible."
The Nintendo PlayStation remains a highly sought-after rarity, partly because of its unreleased status—a relic of a "what-if" scenario for both companies. The prototype has naturally garnered significant attention in auctions and among collectors.
The possibility of seeing Sony's space shooter for the Nintendo PlayStation released in some form is intriguing. Such a revival wouldn't be unprecedented. Nintendo released the once-canceled Star Fox 2 years later, so there's a chance this piece of gaming history could someday see the light of day.
