Rare Prototype Overview
A rare, prototype copy of Pokémon Red for the Nintendo Game Boy, originally released back in 1998, is on sale at auction, with a single bid of $25,000 currently registered so far. This prototype features 32KB of readable data. According to the auction page, the cartridge has been authenticated by specialists at PSA, who examined the card. While a complete data read was not possible, the first 32KB of data yielded a technically unique result. The PSA notes, however, that the game data is otherwise completely identical to the U.S. release version of the game, with express confidence that the rest of the data would match.
Image credit: Goldin
Image credit: Goldin
ROM Header Variations
The PSA report notes two changes to the ROM header data that do not affect the game data. According to PSA, the difference is at offset 0x014C, which denotes the Mask ROM version and is incorrectly set to 55 when it should be 00. This has the effect of changing offset 0x014D, which is a calculated header checksum, to CB instead of 20.
Hardware and Specifications
This prototype development cartridge has a sticker reading DMB-MBC-16M-FLASH, with a part number DMG-(F)KGDB-01. DMB likely refers to Dot Matrix Game, the original internal codename for the Game Boy, while MBC likely means Memory Bank Controller, a custom chip that allowed games to use more than the Game Boy's 32KB ROM limit. The 16M likely refers to a 16 megabit limit of flash-writable memory, and the physical cartridge is longer than a standard Game Boy release.
The auction notes that this uses a previously undocumented development board, although the DMG-(F)KGDB-01 part number has been seen before in other archives for development hardware from 2000. Close-up views from the auction page show an almost identical design featuring a 16 megabit Sharp flash chip and U1 FLASH MEMORY printed on the board.
Auction Outlook
Pokémon Red is a gaming classic that helped kickstart the global franchise in the 1990s alongside Green and Blue, selling more than 31 million copies combined with Blue. With several days left in the auction, the current $25,000 bid may climb even higher before the process concludes.
