Most consoles have been refreshed and relaunched in some way as they’ve aged, even going as far back as the Atari 2600, which was relaunched a few times with slightly different designs during its surprisingly long lifespan.
However, beyond simple mid-gen refreshes and refinements, plenty of consoles have also had special, limited edition versions released, some simply with different colour schemes and others featuring tie-ins to certain games or series.
A lot of the time, these tie-in consoles are extremely limited in number and become highly collectable. With so many released over the last few decades, which ones are our favourites?
Prototype GameCube From Space World 2000
- Release Date: 2000
- Release Country: Japan
- Quantity Produced: 1
- Where To Check: Heritage Auctions
How about we start off this list with a 1 of 1 prototype GameCube console, the rarest GameCube in the world and the only one in existence. This is the very first GameCube that was shown at SpaceWorld 2000 before the GameCube was released, a true slice of Nintendo history and one that we were lucky enough to see in the flesh when we visited Don at the headquarters of Console Variations. It has a current value of $100,000 and is the only known Indigo prototype in existence, with a black counterpart located in the Nintendo Museum. The Pink, Gold, and Silver variants shown at Space World are out there somewhere, though I doubt that they will ever be put up for sale!
I won't tell you anymore here because it needs to be seen to be truly appreciated; take a look at our video on Don's collection to see the Space World GameCube in all it's glory! The console is going up for sale May 23 with the auction finishing May 24th over on Heritage Auctions, so keep an eye out if you're wanting to add some Space World history to your collection.
Nintendo 3DS LL Pokemon Battle Trozei (White)
- Release Date: 2014
- Release Country: Japan
- Quantity Produced: 4
- Where To Check: eBay
With only 4 of these Pokémon-themed 3DS handhelds in existence, it's one of the rarest consoles that I've had the privilege of being in the vicinity of. It was released in Japan, and this is the only console that still has its original certificate, letter, and shipping box out of the four available. Two of the consoles were distributed as prizes back in 2014, and the other two were given away by Pokémon Get TV.
The outer sleeve has Pokémon on the cover and mirrors the design on the top of the 3DS itself, and for anyone who is wondering 'LL' is the Japanese name for the 'XL', so they're the same console. The console inside was never even used by the original winner, so this is a never-before-played handheld that we got to witness being unboxed!
So how much does a console like this go for? Well, I would estimate somewhere between 4 and 5 thousand dollars for the Trozei, though it's hard to be sure as there isn't one currently available on eBay or any other auction site. With only four available in the world they probably won't come up that often either, though eBay would be your best bet to find one if they do ever head up for auction!
Xbox One RARE Edition
- Release Date: 2015
- Release Region: Europe
- Quantity Produced: 5
- Where To Check: eBay
There you can see my tattooed arm actually holding onto this insanely Rare Xbox One, and it's rare in both senses of the word. This Rare Replay Xbox bares all of the developer Rare's famous characters from over the years, and Don managed to get the team the entire Rare team to sign it, making it absolutely priceless. He told us that the developer of Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts signed it underneath rather than with the other devs which is a funny but also slightly sad story...
Three of these consoles were given away as prizes at Gamescom 2015, one at Comic Con 2015, and one on Rare's Christmas Giveaway run that was held over on their Facebook page. Still, there's only one with all of those signatures on, and I imagine Don will never part with it!
Nintendo Switch LABO Edition
- Release Date: 2018
- Release Country: Wordwide
- Quantity Produced: 10
- Where To Buy: eBay
With only 10 Nintendo Switch Labo Edition consoles being made in the world and none of those actually being made available to purchase in the first place, this is one of the rarest Switch editions on the planet. And yes, it actually feels like cardboard, and I can confirm this because I've held it in my hands.
On our recent visit to check out Europe's biggest Nintendo collection, Brandon and I got to hold this Labo Switch in our hands and test it out. I honestly have no idea how they've made plastic feel like cardboard; the witchcraft behind it is incredible, but then again, the whole idea behind Labo is to come up with inventive and innovative designs, so I guess Nintendo had to knock it out of the park with this limited edition console.
So how did this Switch come about? Well, back in 2018, Nintendo held Labo Creators Contests in different regions around the globe with these cardboard-esque consoles being the top prize at every location. Don from Console Variations confirmed that there are only 10 in existence, one of them now being in the collection we filmed in our video! While these consoles are very rare, there are currently a pair of cardboard-feel joycons on sale on eBay (given as runner up prizes in the Labo Contest) for the pricely sum of $12,000 buy it now!
MTV GameCube Collection
- Release Date: 2003
- Release Country: Germany
- Quantity Produced: 9 Camouflage, 4 for each of the other designs
- Where To Check: eBay
MTV & Nintendo collaborated on a special promotional event back in 2003, and during a radio show you could win one of the 5 designs in the picture above, with one being given away every day over a 25 day period. Apart from the camouflage Gamecube in the middle which had 9 models made, there were only 4 made of the other variants, and Don from Console Variations is the only person we know to have all 5 of them in one collection.
Whereas my Indigo GameCube here on the desk next to me feels matte to the touch, these GameCubes all have a shiny gloss finish to them. And yes, Don checked in with the original artist from Airbrush Base Hamburg to make sure that they were the real deal and authenticate them!
Sega Dreamcast – Coca-Cola Edition
- Release Date: TBC
- Release Country: Japan
- Quantity Produced: 25 – 50
- Where To Buy: Forgotten Worlds
What it lacks in overall looks, the Sega Dreamcast Coca-Cola Edition makes up for in sheer desirability; it’s an incredibly rare console, and one which plenty of Sega fans would love to get their hands on!
There’s a real air of mystery surrounding the Coca-Cola Edition Dreamcast, and that’s because no one is quite sure where it came from. Despite the vast knowledge base of numerous fandoms online, the precise origins of this particular console seem to have been lost in the mists of time. The Sega fans over at The Dreamcast Junkyard appear to have got the closest, with a reader getting in touch to tell them that they think it was a promotional prize from a restaurant chain named Jonathan’s.
There’s the suspicion that it wasn’t an official promotional product at all; that would explain the rather small Coca-Cola logo and lack of any other touches that make this console stand out. One thing’s for sure: this is certainly a very interesting and unique Limited Edition console!
ANA-branded N64
- Release Date: 1999
- Release Country: Japan
- Quantity Produced: 500-1000
- Where To Check: eBay
Can you imagine boarding an ANA Airplane to go on your holidays, and being told midflight that you were the winner of a brand new N64 bundle underneath your seat, complete with Hey You, Pikachu! and Pokémon Stadium? It would be incredibly exciting, until you had to think about how you were going to get it home without buying another suitcase.
Because of this slight inconvenience, it's very rare to find one that still has the ANA branded box that the bundle came in, let alone all of the inserts with an estimated 10 complete bundles existing in the world. Still, we maxed out on luck and managed to see the real deal just as it would have shipped when ANA ran the promotion back in 1999.
You can pick up a loose ANA-branded N64 on eBay, but it will set you back around $700-800 depending on its condition!
GBA SP Groudon Edition
- Release Date: 2003
- Release Country: Japan
- Quantity Produced: 1,000
- Where To Buy: eBay
The American & Canadian version of the Groudon GBA SP are rare enough with between 5 and 10 thousand units sold, but the Japanese variant wins outright with only 1,000 units ever being made.
While the console is essentially just a GBA SP with a picture of Groudon on the lid and its silhouette on the body of the handheld just like the USA and Canadian versions, it's the smaller display box that makes this version more desirable to collector. It's very much like the box for the Charizard GBA SP we have in the office that I've listed below!
Sega Dreamcast – Hello Kitty Edition
- Release Date: November, 1999
- Release Country: Japan
- Quantity Produced: 5,000 – 10,000
- Where To Buy: eBay or Sendico
There was a moment in time when consumer electronics embraced vibrant, bold colour schemes and translucent plastic aesthetics. Apple’s iMac computers led the charge in the late 90s in home computing. Their iconic iMac G3 computers were available in 13 ‘flavours’, and proved hugely popular.
Nintendo’s Game Boy Color console was also available in a translucent, coloured variant, as were their N64 consoles. This style of colourful translucence feels almost like a uniquely 90s, and highly nostalgic style; though of course aesthetics like this are subjective, here at Retro Dodo, we’re big fans of this type of console.
Sega’s Dreamcast, which has aged brilliantly over the years and is now recognised as being hugely underrated in its time, was also released in different colours, some of which were, yes, translucent! By far our favourite is this Hello Kitty Edition Dreamcast, which was a Japan only release, launching in November 1999 and aimed squarely at female gamers.
Available in tasteful pink and blue translucent colours, the console itself looks beautiful, but what’s interesting is that it wasn’t just the console you’d be getting your hands on if you bought one of these limited editions.
Included in the box were a wealth of accessories in the exact same colour as the console, so (along with internet portal software, Hello Kitty Dream Passport, and the game Hello Kitty Garden Panic) you’d also own a translucent pink or blue VMU, keyboard and controller if you picked up one of these comprehensive packages!
Nintendo 3DS LL – Charizard Limited Edition
- Release Date: December, 2012
- Release Country: Japan
- Quantity Produced: 5,000 – 10,000
- Where To Buy: eBay or Sendico
The 3DS is a console that isn’t short of variant editions, limited and otherwise, and there were numerous Pokemon variants of the console released over its surprisingly long and successful lifespan.
This version of the 3DS XL (known as the 3DS LL in Japan) was not only a Japan-only exclusive console, but it was also exclusive to Pokemon Centers in Japan too, making them extremely hard to get hold of for Western gamers.
With their beautiful packaging, sleek, dark look and the tastefully minimalist artwork of Charizard (known as Lizardon in Japan, with this console being known as the ‘Lizardon’ edition there), they’re quite the collector’s item these days. Adding to that is the fact that these consoles were also highly limited in number, in terms of how many were produced making them even more sought after than they otherwise would be. Not to mention very expensive!
Still, for Pokemon fans, there’s likely no higher prize when it comes to 3DS consoles, especially as Charizard, one of the original 151 monsters included in the very first Pokemon games (Pokemon Red and Blue, released in the mid-90s on the original, monochrome Game Boy), remains one of the most popular Pokemon of all time.
GBA SP – Charizard Limited Edition
- Release Date: 2002
- Release Country: USA
- Quantity Produced: 5,000 – 10,000
- Where To Buy: eBay
Like the 3DS, the GBA SP was a console that played host to a bewildering number of different, limited edition versions, and it’s pretty tough to choose a favourite. Numerous Pokemon editions were released, for example, with a cute, yellow Pikachu console and the brilliantly grumpy-looking, red Groudon edition among them, but there were numerous others too.
Our choice for this list, however, is another one featuring the ever popular, iconic Charizard. This design is beautifully understated, with the Game Boy Advance SP in brilliantly bold red, adorned with a subtle Charizard outline on the reverse side of the console’s screen. Though it may not be as immediately eye catching as some of the other GBA SP Pokemon designs, or even the non-Pokemon Limited Edition GBA SPs, its minimalist appearance is a definite plus. It makes this Pokemon Center NY exclusive console looks almost like a high end piece of consumer electronics, rather than a GBA SP!
Nintendo Switch OLED – Tears of the Kingdom
- Release Date: April, 2023
- Release Country: EU, USA & Japan
- Quantity Produced: 10,000 – 50,000
- Where To Buy: eBay or Amazon
The Wii U was a massively underrated and under appreciated console; partly, Nintendo’s naming convention, and even its compatibility with Wii games, was to blame. Consumers, particularly the more casual Wii owners who were lured to the motion control console by its simplicity and accessibility, weren’t sure if the Wii U was simply an upgrade, and the Wii U Game Pad didn’t help matters, being a difficult sell to those same casual players who found it so easy to get on board with the Wii.
You may not realise that Nintendo Switch classic, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was actually being developed for Wii U, before being released on that console and the Switch on the very same day! In fact, clues as to the Wii U led design remain in Breath of the Wild, with the in-game Sheikah Slate clearly intended to resemble the Wii U Game Pad!
Though the Wii U had its own limited edition Zelda console, it was, disappointingly, a standard, black Wii U, with a fairly minimal design of Hyrulian detailing on the Game Pad. It took until the release of Tears of the Kingdom in 2023 for there to be a truly spectacular Zelda Limited Edition console, and this Switch didn’t disappoint!
The Switch Dock features a beautiful Hylian Crest, the rear of the console unit has a lovely pattern of repeating circles (continuing the design on the dock) and the JoyCon controllers also feature extensions of the dock’s design, in gold and green colours that really make this console look incredible.
PS3 Slim – One Piece Edition
- Release Date: 2012
- Release Country: Japan
- Quantity Produced: 10,000 – 50,000
- Where To Buy: Forgotten Worlds or Sendico or eBay
The manga/anime series One Piece has been around since the 90s, but has really exploded in popularity in the last decade or so. This particular version of the PS3 Slim, another mid-gen console refresh, features the protagonist of One Piece, Monkey D. Luffy, against a gorgeous, matte gold backdrop.
Released in 2012 and bundled with the then-new title, One Piece Pirate Warriors, this amazing golden console (and gold controller) were only released in Japan, making this another console that’s highly sought after by collectors and One Piece fans alike.
Though it’s pretty minimalist, in terms of its design, in comparison to numerous other consoles on this list, it’s still a cool objet d’art and definitely a collector’s item that countless One Piece fans would, no doubt, love to have in their collection!
Nintendo 64 – Pikachu Special Edition
- Release Date: 1996
- Release Country: EU, USA & Japan
- Quantity Produced: 100,000 – 1,000,000
- Where To Buy: eBay
Though, just like the Dreamcast, the Nintendo 64 had no shortage of translucent coloured variant consoles (and controllers), our pick for the best Limited Edition N64 is this Pikachu Special Edition.
Released as an orange plastic console in Japan, and an arguably better looking, bright or dark blue console elsewhere (it released as part of a few different bundles, with slight variations to the console’s case colour), the Pikachu N64 has a few features that make it stand out, and make it unquestionably one of our favourite consoles of all time.
There’s no doubting the toy-like novelty factor of this console, with its moulded Pikachu and Pokeball on/off switch; but what’s especially cool is that, when the console is turned on, Pikachu’s cheeks light up, and the cheeky electric mouse Pokemon even exclaims ‘Pika!’ too.
Though later Nintendo consoles, such as the GBA SP, 3DS and Switch would all receive Pokemon themed limited editions, none have been as immediately appealing as this amazing Nintendo 64!
