Rarest Gaming Consoles

Retro video game collecting is more popular than ever before. With more and more people entering the hobby each year, many retro gaming fans are looking for rare game consoles to enhance their collections. However, the question remains, what are the rarest gaming consoles in 2022?

Fortunately, Fair Game Retro Video Games is here to make your search for rare gaming systems less strenuous.

Fair Game Retro Video Games is one of Sacramento, CA’s leading video game stores. We have a vast selection of retro and modern video games, consoles, and accessories, making us your destination for all your gaming needs. Whether you’re a retro game collector or a modern gaming enthusiast, Fair Game Retro Video Games has something for you.

Top Six Rarest Consoles

Although there are hundreds of limited edition consoles and special edition consoles available on the retro market, few are considered extremely rare. While some are hard to find and demand high prices, they pale in comparison to other lesser-known gaming systems. Below are some of the rarest game consoles to ever hit the retro market.

1. RDI Halcyon

In the mid-1980s, Laserdiscs were considered the next big thing in home entertainment. To capitalize on Laserdisc’s growing popularity, RDI Video Systems launched the Halcyon in January 1985. The innovative system became the first video game console to support Laserdiscs and even featured voice recognition decades before it became an industry standard.

However, the Halcyon quickly fell into obscurity and only sold a handful of units before RDI discontinued the console. The system’s $2,500 price tag made it out of most gamers’ price range, causing them to gravitate towards more affordable gaming consoles. RDI Video Systems abandoned the Halcyon shortly after its release and filed for bankruptcy a few weeks later.

Today, less than a dozen RDI Halcyons are known to exist, making it one of the rarest gaming systems in history.

2. Dreamcast Limited Maziora Edition

Released in Japan in 1999, the Dreamcast Limited Maziora Edition put a unique spin on the underrated video game console and featured a captivating pearlescent paint coating that changed colors depending on the lighting and viewing angle. Sega only released 500 Dreamcast Limited Maziora Edition consoles as online exclusives, with 200 of them signed by Tadahiko Taira, a famous Japanese Grand Prix motorcycle racer.

With so few Dreamcast Limited Maziora Editions released, the peculiar console variant quickly became sought-after by collectors and is one of the rarest limited edition Sega consoles on the market, especially the signed version.

• Shop our Dreamcast Game Collection

3. 10 Million Edition PlayStation 1

The original PlayStation is one of the best-selling consoles of all time. However, the 10 Million Edition PS1 is one of the rarest console variants of all time.

Sony only released 100 of these limited edition consoles in 1997 in celebration of selling ten million PS1 systems. Unlike the original PS1, the 10 Million Edition PS1 sports a midnight blue body and an alluring matte finish.

Most of the 10 Million Edition PS1s were given to Sony employees, although some lucky fans won them in contests. Sony collectors consider the 10 Million Edition PlayStation console a holy grail item and will pay a small fortune to add them to their collections, especially if they come with the matching memory card and controller.

• Check our Playstation Game Selection 

4. Apple Pippin

The Apple Pippin is the second-rarest console released in the US (not counting variants, limited edition, or special edition consoles). Apple launched the Pippin in 1996 as a barebones Macintosh computer in hopes of creating a console/computer hybrid. The unique gaming system failed to impress audiences and sold poorly before Apple took it off the market a year later.

One fascinating aspect of the Apple Pippin is the renowned video game developer Bungie got its start on the unusual system. Marathon, one of Bungie's first games, launched on the console seven years before reaching legendary status with the Halo series.

5. Nintendo PlayStation (Super NES CD-Rom System)

Before Sony became an industry frontrunner with the release of the original PlayStation, it worked with Nintendo to create a CD-based version of the Famicom (the Japanese version of the NES). Sony partnered with Nintendo during the late 1980s and developed a sophisticated prototype called the Super NES CD-Rom System. The video game giants created 200 prototypes before canceling their partnership due to business disagreements and internal turmoil.

Although Sony and Nintendo never released the Super NES CD-Rom System, one emerged during the mid to late 2010s and became known as the Nintendo PlayStation. It’s one of the rarest gaming consoles developed by PlayStation and sold for $360,000 in 2020.

6. The Nintendo Wii Supreme

When people ask, “What is the rarest console?” the Nintendo Wii doesn’t come to mind. However, the Nintendo Wii Supreme is one of the rarest licensed special edition consoles in gaming history. The luxury Wii consists of 2,500 grams of 22 karat gold and features multiple diamond-encrusted buttons, making it worth nearly £300,000.

Jeweler Stuart Hughes created the Nintendo Wii Supreme and limited production to only three units. However, it’s unclear if all three consoles sold, enhancing their rarity even further. Although Stuart Hughes still lists the Nintendo Wii Supreme on his website, there isn’t a purchase option, and it’s unlikely Hughes will make more in the future.

It’s important to note that Stuart Hughes didn’t create Queen Elizabeth II’s infamous golden Wii. THQ developed that variation as a publicity stunt and the Queen never received it despite persisting rumors.

• Check our Nintendo Wii Games

Contact Fair Game Retro Games for Rare Consoles, Video Games, and More

If you want to learn more about the rarest gaming consoles or just want to add to your retro collection, contact Fair Game Retro Games. We buy, sell, and trade video games from every console generation, making us Sacramento’s one-stop shop for all your gaming needs. From the Atari 2600 to the PlayStation 5, Fair Game Retro Games has the games you crave at rock-bottom prices.

Give us a call at (916) 944-4263, or visit our website and enhance your collection today!