Being a seasoned video game developer and hardware manufacturer with a desire to innovate with unique products, it should come as no surprise that Nintendo has its share of rare, obscure gadgets. Despite being a family-friendly company, there are a number of peripherals and accessories that are so exclusive and pricey that only the most dedicated collectors or wealthy hobbyists can hope to land some of these things. These products range from limited releases, to strange, failed gadgetry that has been relegated to obscurity.
With that said, let's take a look at the 10 rarest Nintendo-related accessories, and how much they're currently worth.
10 N64 Glove Controller ($80)
While there are certainly more expensive Nintendo-related devices, this short-lived controller experiment for the N64 is one of the rarest accessories out there, besting even the Power Glove in terms of obscurity.
Rather than putting your hand inside the controller, with this clunky plastic device, you simply place your paw atop a flat platform with buttons. You then fasten it with some armbands that resemble a fitness peripheral more so than a game controller. This thing could technically be played with any game - that is, assuming you can get used to the awkward button placement and archaic motion controls.
9 ROB The Robot With Gyromite & Accessories ($185)
This odd plastic robot for the NES was more of a "Trojan Horse" for the console than a fully-functional peripheral. Nintendo used it to convince US merchandisers that they were investing in a "toy" more so than a video game machine, during an era when gaming was assumed dead in America.
While this slow-moving clunker of a robot is rather pointless - even for the few games it supports - it's a cool little NES novelty that could land you a pretty penny. Complete packages of ROB, Gyromite, and its manuals have sold for upwards of $250.
8 Mario Artist Talent Studio Kit ($215)
A variety of Mario-themed software - which was a hodgepodge of creation tools and minigames - were set to act as the initial showcase of the 64DD hardware. Not surprisingly, much like the 64DD itself, these 4 compilations of software were banished to obscurity.
While you can get quite a bit for each of the 4 games - Mario Artist: Pain Studio, Communication Kit, and Polygon Studio - it's Talent Studio that will net you the most return. Entire bundles of this game, along with the unique AV Capture cartridge and microphone, have reportedly sold for around $215.
7 Sharp Super Famicom Console TV ($623)
There are a variety of exclusive customized Nintendo consoles these days; but one of the rarest comes in the form of an old tube TV with a Super Famicom directly built into it. It certainly makes for some more convenient retro gaming, cutting out the middleman.
This Sharp-brand product actually came off the heels of an NES variety, called the C1 NES TV, which was supported from 1983-1989, and was even released in the West. This Super Famicom version was even rarer, given its limited availability and more sophisticated hardware. These factors have led to this machine being sold for well over $600.
6 64DD ($900)
If you thought the two-year-old Panasonic variety of the DVD-supported GameCube was rare, try this on for size - a failed experiment of a juiced-up N64. This thing only saw the light of day in the Japanese market for just over a year.
This bulky N64 add-on represents Nintendo going on a Sega-esque tangent in their attempt to give their rapidly aging hardware a bump in horsepower. This device used its own separate media, which would sport slicker graphics, more memory, and an in-game clock system that would memorize prior events in your playthrough. Fully-functional units (the few in existence) have been sold for close to $900 on Ebay.
5 GameCube Panasonic Q Console System ($1,130)
You know you're dealing with a pretty rare machine when a variation of the $200 GameCube has sold for well over $1000 on EBay.
Given the unique, exclusive nature of the Cube's optical disk media, this slick silver device is the only way you'll be able to play DVDs on your GameCube; which unfortunately never made its way out of Japan. Even in Japan, the GameCube Panasonic Q is considered a rare machine, as it was only on the market there for about 2 years before being discontinued.
4 Legend Of Zelda Majora's Mask Adventure Set ($3,000)
Standing as one of the rarest, most sought-after Zelda collectibles, this (extremely) limited edition "Adventure Set" features quite a few goodies. These include the PAL version of The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, along with a CD soundtrack, a watch, T-shirt, and various other neat Zelda trinkets; punctuated with a certificate of authenticity. Only 1000 of these beauts were ever cobbled together, with each box being individually numbered.
These flashy Zelda boxsets have brought in over $3,000 in auctions.
3 Nintendo World Championships ($15,000-$100,000)
When it comes to games, it doesn't get much rarer than this highly-exclusive duo of NES cartridges, Nintendo World Championships.
Just what makes them so scarce? Well, they were essentially manufactured for use at a single event; the Nintendo Challenge Championship in Canada, to celebrate Nintendo's 100th anniversary in 1990. There are said to be only a few hundred of the more common grey carts in circulation. Meanwhile, only 26 gold ones exist; making these the sort of "holy grail" in gaming accessories. Despite their absolutely absurd asking price, these games actually were just a compilation of specific timed stages of various Nintendo games, which were played as part of the competition.
2 Family Fun Fitness: Stadium Events With Dance Pad ($35,000)
Disregarding the exclusively-made Nintendo World Championships, this obscure Bandai-made fitness game for the NES is perhaps the rarest, most expensive game package ever released to the public. The reasons for its ultra-scarcity and absurd $35,000 asking price is Nintendo's rebranding and releasing the game as the more common World Class Track Meet. This relegated the original version to obscurity, jacking up the value to insane heights.
The obscure Bandai "Dance Pad Mat" alone has brought in $520 on EBay.
1 Nintendo Wii Supreme ($483,000)
Yes, you read that correctly - this "Wii Supreme," which is fashioned in glorious 22 karat gold, is valued at a whopping $483,000, essentially making it tailored to multi-millionaires only...
Not only is the console made up of 2,500 grams of solid gold, but the front buttons are also crafted out of 19.5 flawless diamond. Basically, you won't want to take this machine to a friend's house, or lug it around inside your backpack when traveling.
As you might have guessed, this custom Wii wasn't crafted by Nintendo themselves, but rather, an English luxury designer by the name of Stuart Hughes, who is only on record for making a total of 3 of these gaming gems.