Prototype Pokemon Red Cartridge Opens Auction at $25,000
PSA authenticated the development board, noting unique header data and a 16-megabit flash chip that exceeds standard Game Boy limits.
By Pedro Salazar ·
A prototype cartridge of Pokemon Red for the Nintendo Game Boy has entered the marketplace with an opening bid of $25,000. The item was first identified by retro gaming outlet Retro Dodo, which labeled the artifact as incredibly rare. As of today, the listing on the Goldin auction site shows only that single bid.
Specialists at PSA authenticated the physical device. They managed to read the first 32 kilobytes of the game's data. PSA described this partial read as technically unique. The authentication report states that the accessible data is completely identical to the U.S. retail version. The firm expressed confidence that the unreadable remainder of the file matches the standard release.
The PSA report details two specific differences in the ROM header data. Neither change affects gameplay. One offset, 0x014C, which denotes the Mask ROM version, is incorrectly set to 55 instead of 00. This error alters a calculated header checksum at offset 0x014D, which reads CB rather than 20.
The cartridge carries a sticker with the code DMB-MBC-16M-FLASH and part number DMG-(F)KGDB-01. The report interprets DMB as a reference to Dot Matrix Game, the system's internal codename. MBC stands for Memory Bank Controller, a chip that allowed games to exceed the console's standard 32-kilobyte limit. The 16M designation likely indicates 16 megabits of writable flash memory. The physical unit is longer than a standard Game Boy cartridge.
Goldin describes the board as previously undocumented. However, the Rare Gaming Dump wiki lists the same part number for a development cartridge from 2000. That earlier unit also used a 16-megabit Sharp flash chip. Images in the current auction listing show a design almost identical to the wiki entry, though the older sticker reads DMG-MBC3-16M-FLASH.
A commenter on the original report provided context on the item's origin. They claimed a Nintendo employee kept a batch of demo cartridges in 2015 rather than destroying them. The commenter identified this specific copy as a master that powers on and plays normally. These details remain unverified claims from the reader.
The auction remains open for several days. The current $25,000 bidder holds the lead, but the final price may rise before bidding closes. Pokemon Red, released in 1998, helped launch the franchise. The combined sales of Red and Blue exceed 31 million copies.
Source: Tom's Hardware
