Friday, January 31st 2025

Nintendo GameCube "Space World" Prototype Listed on Ebay, Owner Seeks $100,000
Nintendo fans will be looking forward to the release of Switch Part Deux in the coming months, but a certain subset prefer to look back into the past with great fondness. Retro gaming connoisseurs have a soft spot for often unsung older hardware—the Nintendo GameCube home console is a prime example. Hardcore collectors have spent countless hours in search of special editions, unusual color variants, developer kits and prototypes. Donny Fillerup—founder and owner of Consolevariations—hit the jackpot around mid-2023; he managed to track down an extremely rare demonstration model. "Space World" units are highly-coveted—only a handful still exist—due to unique origins. Nintendo officially introduced its GameCube console at Space World 2000—a first-party-oriented annual trade show (defunct since 2001).
Vintage console curators believe that Nintendo repurposed many of its initial batch of "Space World" prototypes, but a few examples have escaped into the wild. Fillerup's ownership of a "one-of-a-kind legendary" indigo sample is seemingly coming to an end—mid-week, gaming press outlets received tip-offs regarding an eBay auction (de-listed at the time of writing). The Consolevariations boss is engaged in fundraising endeavors—according to the item's description, he wants to turn his hobby into: "a foundation business. A Gaming place where the entire family can enjoy, people can meet other people, talk with people who feel uncomfortable with other people, and make the visitors feel young again." Fillerup's asking price was $100,000, with a required $1 fee for economy-class shipping. His prized-possession sports some "battle damage" and is completely non-functional—a Consolevariations blog entry does an effective job of showcasing the "ins and outs" of this "First Announcement Model." The eBay listing did not mention any bundling-in of a matching Space World-era controller, another treasured rarity.Check out Adam Doree's footage from Nintendo's summer 2000 launch event:
Doree stated: "see my other videos for tons more rare/lost Nintendo and other games videos of this era. Here is one of the best console reveals of all time. Not only that, but Nintendo managed to keep the name 'GameCube' secret right until this very moment; rumors on the ground prior to this were that it might be called 'Starcube,' though most people still knew it by its (project) codename: Dolphin. Anyway, this was a real moment—and I'm not sure if it exists online so here it is."
Sources:
IGN, Nintendo Life
Vintage console curators believe that Nintendo repurposed many of its initial batch of "Space World" prototypes, but a few examples have escaped into the wild. Fillerup's ownership of a "one-of-a-kind legendary" indigo sample is seemingly coming to an end—mid-week, gaming press outlets received tip-offs regarding an eBay auction (de-listed at the time of writing). The Consolevariations boss is engaged in fundraising endeavors—according to the item's description, he wants to turn his hobby into: "a foundation business. A Gaming place where the entire family can enjoy, people can meet other people, talk with people who feel uncomfortable with other people, and make the visitors feel young again." Fillerup's asking price was $100,000, with a required $1 fee for economy-class shipping. His prized-possession sports some "battle damage" and is completely non-functional—a Consolevariations blog entry does an effective job of showcasing the "ins and outs" of this "First Announcement Model." The eBay listing did not mention any bundling-in of a matching Space World-era controller, another treasured rarity.Check out Adam Doree's footage from Nintendo's summer 2000 launch event:
Doree stated: "see my other videos for tons more rare/lost Nintendo and other games videos of this era. Here is one of the best console reveals of all time. Not only that, but Nintendo managed to keep the name 'GameCube' secret right until this very moment; rumors on the ground prior to this were that it might be called 'Starcube,' though most people still knew it by its (project) codename: Dolphin. Anyway, this was a real moment—and I'm not sure if it exists online so here it is."
20 Comments on Nintendo GameCube "Space World" Prototype Listed on Ebay, Owner Seeks $100,000
The GameCube is basically irrelevant, and has a market value of somewhere under $2000 based on some quick googling - which is kind of the upper limit on non-functional development mules like this. Prior-gen N64 dev mules in this state are worth $750-1000, and only above $2000 if they're completely, fully-functional prototypes. Latter gen Wii developement prototypes have gone for around the $700 mark if they're fully-working prototypes.
I'm no expert in this field, but I'd be surprised if this is worth more than $1000 or so. I'm not aware that the Gamecube has as much of a cult/collector following as the N64 so I can't see why this particular example is worth any more than those $750-1000 N64 development mules.
Outside was better :D
If this sells, I will forever mock the generations below us lol :laugh:
Nostalgia notwithstanding, I just can't fathom anyone in their right mind paying anywhere near that kind of money for a gamr toi, working or not, wear & tear or not....
But stranger things have happened, so whatcha gonna do...
Buy it.
Buy it.
BUY IT.
I know you want to.
I know it is a special collector one, but still. A 30 dollar flea-market or second hand shop one will bring you just as much enjoyment... Seems like a big "IF", but stranger things have happened. I hope sanity prevails and no one buys it at that price. People are entitled to spend their money however they please, and there are certainly plenty of folks to whom $100k isn't much money. I don't think any of the people i know who can just blow that kind of money would do so on such a trivial thing.
If it were me, I'd spend like $10 grand buying every bit of the gamecube catalog and product line, and give the other $90k to a worthy cause.
I don't usually look for open box unless its for a good price (or has a listing that actually beats an regular used one, and is in seemingly better condition)