Rare -- Engadget

rare posts

Colorware offers up $6,000 Stealth MacBook Pro: it's really dark

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 4th 2009 at 4:10PM

Colorware's well known for offering up all sorts of consumer electronics in all sorts of hues, but the outfit has definitely stepped up its game with the Stealth MacBook Pro. This limited edition piece is an all-black 15-inch MacBook Pro with a matte display, 3.06GHz CPU, 8GB of DDR3 RAM, 256GB SSD, an 8x SuperDrive, zero gloss finish and a SofTouch coating that'll make it downright impossible for your fingers to stop stroking it. Reportedly, these will be limited to just ten units, and each one will cost a not-at-all affordable $5,999. See Apple, this is what you get when you voluntarily axe the BlackBook. Opportunity, lost.

[Via Engadget Polska]

iPhone 3GS prototype scooped up at airport, now on eBay

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 3rd 2009 at 2:03PM

Seriously folks, what's up with these prototype iPhones falling out of nondescript white vans and ending up on eBay in the shadiest of manners? Just months after we saw an original iPhone prototype (ancient OS included) pop up on The 'Bay, now we've got one of the world's first iPhone 3GSs on there as well. According to the highly ranked eBay seller, the "guy" he "got it from" actually stumbled upon it at an airport, and rather than doing the nonsensical thing of hitting up lost and found, he decided to make the most of the sudden opportunity. According to the new owner, an Apple Genius has confirmed that it is an iPhone 3GS, but due to its prototype nature, they can't help him get past the "Connect to iTunes" screen. In other words, it's an incredibly rare brick. If that sounds like just the thing to complete your collection, you can visit the road to overpaying through the read link below.

[Via ElectricPig]

Limited edition Prince Opus iPod touch just wants your kiss (and $2,100)

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 13th 2009 at 10:47AM

While certainly not the most expensive iPod we've ever seen, the limited edition Prince Opus iPod touch is definitely amongst the priciest. Sold only as part of an ultra rare kit that includes a luxurious book of Prince photographs from Kraken Opus, this touch (of unknown capacity) comes preloaded with 40 minutes of "exclusive" footage along with a live soundtrack from Indigo Nights. Of course, it's also doused in purple and splashed with Prince's symbol 'round back, but even with only 950 kits available, we still say the $2,100 price tag is far too lofty. Hate to break it to ya, Opus, but those hedge funds are no longer partying like it's 1999.

[Via All Things Digital]

NES Joystick Test Cartridge lands on eBay, complete with lowest replay value ever

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 29th 2009 at 9:02PM

Not that we haven't seen some pretty crazy Nintendo gear fetch some pretty crazy prices on The Bay, but this is definitely amongst the weirdest. Shipping directly from the frigid tundras of Fairbanks, Alaska, this Joystick Test Cartridge for the Nintendo Entertainment System will undoubtedly spend a record low amount of time within your still kickin' NES console. Put simply, these carts were passed out to game stores for them to test out their NES machines, and after they were done, they were instructed to ship the cart back to the Mushroom Kingdom. Clearly, one renegade employee shoved it in his coat pocket and made a beeline for The Last Frontier. Surely all that's worth $1,050, right?

[Via TechEBlog]

DSi project leader reveals unreleased Nintendo handhelds

by Joseph L. Flatley, posted Mar 27th 2009 at 5:31AM

Man, the folks over at this year's Game Developer's Conference are having all the fun -- and now the Joystiq crew just got a rare look at two Game Boy models that never made it to production, unveiled during a talk by the project leader for the development of the DSi, Masato Kuwahara. The first, developed around 1995, was labeled "Game Boy Advance Predecessor," and was based on a 32-bit ARM RISC processor. The project stalled in development due to poor graphics performance. The second device was essentially a touch-screen Game Boy Advance SP, with a clamshell case thrown in for good measure. Apparently, this one didn't make the cut due to its lack of a backlit display. We've got a picture of that one for you too -- and it does look somewhat familiar. Check it after the break.

Continue reading DSi project leader reveals unreleased Nintendo handhelds

Prototype Apple Interactive Television Box up for auction: there goes your savings

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 23rd 2009 at 11:07PM

From what we can gather, even Apple purist Jeremy Mehrle doesn't own one of these ultra-rare set-top-boxes, and if you think you're the only Apple fanboy out there eying this one seriously, we fear you'll be sorely mistaken. This prototype Interactive Television Box was crafted in or around 1994 and was designed to deliver content to one's TV by connecting to a central server and downloading content. Thus, the unit itself doesn't boot into anything nor does it feature an internal hard drive. Still, DIYers and collectors alike will have a hard time passing up the opportunity of snagging this piece and turning it into a makeshift iTunes server, but given the remarkably low $249.99 buy-it-now price, we'd say that window of opportunity may not be open for long. Oh, and Apple TV -- you ain't got nothin' on this in terms of desirability. Sorry, bub.

[Thanks, Marc]

Designer Chumby up for sale: $600 never seemed so functional

by Darren Murph, posted Jan 22nd 2009 at 2:29AM

Apparently Sara Antoinette Martin is quite the artist, and either her or Chumby (or both) are mighty, mighty proud of her handiwork. Available now for those unaffected by things like global recession and public opinion, the Designer Chumby pictured in the gallery below can be had for $599.95. Functionally, it's exactly the same as the vanilla Chumby -- which, by the way, sells for "just" $199.95 -- but we dare you to convince us the bragging rights attached aren't worth the extra four bills. Okay, we're convinced.

Gallery: Designer Chumby up for sale: $600 never seemed so functional

Limited edition red 'Resident Evil Code: Veronica' Dreamcast pops up on eBay

by Darren Murph, posted Oct 3rd 2008 at 2:09PM

Console collectors know good and well that Sega dished out a few less-than-easily-attainable versions of the Dreamcast back in the day, but only the hardest of hardcore fanatics are apt to have one this bad boy. Just 1,800 of these limited edition bundles were made, which feature an atypical Code: Veronica box, a translucent red version of the Japanese console, a matching controller, a copy of Biohazard Code: Veronica (Japan's version of Resident Evil Code: Veronica), all the traditional connection cables and a huge dose of bragging rights. Number 280 out of the 1,800 units can be yours right now for the low, low asking price of $800, and believe us, we don't foresee this one hanging around sans an owner for too much longer.

[Via Gadget Review]

Limited edition Wii Super Famicom Classic Controller gets unboxed

by Darren Murph, posted Apr 16th 2008 at 2:34AM

Ah, Japan -- it just gets all the dope controllers, doesn't it? Just days after hearing that a Wii-white GameCube controller was headed there soon, a lucky, lucky member of Club Nintendo has unboxed his limited edition Wii Super Famicom Classic Controller. Yep, this token of nostalgia that we heard about way back in November of last year has finally arrived in the Land of the Rising Sun. Really, we can't believe you -- being the diehard Nintendo fanatic that you shamelessly are -- haven't already made it to the read link to check out the gallery of shots, but we won't ask you to test your patience any longer. Now, get!

[Via NintendoWiiFanboy]

Microsoft unloads 500 GTA IV Xbox 360 Elite consoles

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 21st 2008 at 9:05PM

While folks at the Xbox 360 repair lab know good and well how to strip a console back to its birthday suit, Microsoft is going the opposite direction with its limited run of Grand Theft Auto IV Elites. The console itself is purportedly blasted with automotive quality paint and each one is individually numbered. Apparently, the 500 units -- which look to come with a case full of peripherals -- are only being dished out to press outlets and the like, so it seems your only shot at actually acquiring one is by scouring the second hand market. Or you could just steal one and toss a Molotov cocktail behind as you're getting away -- that'd be fitting, we guess.

[Via Xbox360Fanboy]

Bee Movie HD DVD slips through cracks, goes for $400

by Darren Murph, posted Mar 13th 2008 at 9:58AM

We'll be honest, we can't exactly recall what the going rate on rare Betamax tapes was soon after VHS took over, but it seems that one HD DVD fanatic was willing to shell out quite a bundle in order to take home a presumably canceled version of Bee Movie. In a war that saw some 23 bids fly in, one particularly fortunate eBay seller was able to move a copy of Seinfeld's latest on the now-deceased format for $400 -- we think. Curiously enough, the seller didn't specifically mention that it was the HD version in a publicly answered question, and even more suspicious was the fact that he / she chose to end the auction early despite the chance of it soaring even higher. Here's to hoping the winning bidder both reads this and gets the film they purchased, but let's see some actual pictures as soon as it arrives, cool?

[Thanks, Mack S.]

SNES CD development controller on eBay for a mint

by Darren Murph, posted Dec 29th 2007 at 10:03AM

Ah, eBay. Home to some of the rarest, most incredible devices known (and previously unknown) to man. On the docket today is a stupendously rare, unreleased development controller for use with the SNES CD dev kit. Yep, a unreleased controller for an unreleased system -- pretty much a collector's dream. Unfortunately, the controller alone won't do you very much good beyond hooking you up with unbelievable bragging rights, but unless you've got $2,999.99 (at least) to blow, the above picture is close as you'll get to this treasure.

[Via NintendoWiiFanboy]

eBay auction reveals prototype Dreamcast Zip Drive

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Sep 13th 2007 at 5:01PM

As at least two members of the Engadget staff can attest to, the Dreamcast was a totally bodacious system -- one which has been surprisingly kept alive well past its cancelation from commercial sale by a core group of terrifically dedicated gamers and home-brewers. You'd think that a system which was discontinued in 2001 (though Sega did start selling refurbished units in 2006) would have run out of tricks... but you would be wrong. Some DC-fanboys just discovered an eBay auction for a prototype Iomega Dreamcast Zip Drive, an add-on that was clearly just on the brink of making it to market. The unit would have sat beneath the system and interfaced via the DC's expansion port, providing 100MB of storage (per disc) of your precious Shenmue and Code Veronica save-states. Listen, it's not too late to own this piece of Dreamcast history, though we can't promise we won't be desperately trying to outbid you. Oh, by the way, the starting price is $10,000.

[Via DCNews, thanks Darksaviour69]

Halo 3 Xbox 360 pre-orders go live

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 9th 2007 at 12:23PM

Just two days after learning that the oh-so-covetable Halo 3-themed Xbox 360 would be landing next month, EBGames now has the console available for pre-order. Currently, the site is listing September 16th as the official ship date, but we wouldn't put too much stock into that number just yet. Coincidentally, Microsoft has also made known today that "over one million" copies of Halo 3 have been reserved in North America, which reportedly shatters "pre-order records in the video game industry." Also noteworthy is the tidbit about the "exclusive Halo 3 Gamer Pics and Theme" that comes bundled in with the special edition package, and while we doubt this minutiae will sway you one way or another, at least you now know precisely what your $399.99 will be buying.

Read - Halo 3 Xbox 360 pre-order
Read - Halo 3 title exceeds one million pre-orders

Halo 3-themed Xbox 360 landing in September for $400

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 7th 2007 at 6:36PM

Sure, we already knew the Halo 3-themed Xbox 360 was on the horizon, and we even warned you to save a bit extra for those Halo-clad accessories, but now we're absolutely certain that you better have the necessary dough by next month if you're looking to be an early adopter. Yep, Microsoft's special edition console will be landing sometime in September for $399.99, and will include "an authentic Spartan green-and-gold finish," matching wireless controller, a 20GB hard drive, headset, a Play and Charge Kit, and "more" -- though we're not exactly sure what the latter may be. Get in line early folks, we've got all ideas this will be a fairly hot commodity.

[Via Joystiq]