"One Of Three" Super Rare Game Master Handheld Pops Up on eBay

I like learning about rare handhelds. I've collected them for many years, recently letting some of my most prized ones go, but nonetheless it's good to see more and more make their way into the light, and one that may intrigue you has been listed on eBay (this is an affiliate link) by an avid Retro Dodo reader who gave us the heads up about his recent listing.

This is a super rare version of the Game Master, a handheld console manufactured by Hartung, primarily designed to compete with the Nintendo GAME BOY back in 1990. It originally sold in Germany, but also made its way to the UK, Italy, France, Spain and even China. It also had many names, including the Game Plus, the Systema 2000, Super Game and even Game Tronic, but the one we're looking at today is the Game Master, more specifically the Taiwanese version that features a Red and Blue graphic with grey buttons, not silver, which is said by the seller to be the first production run ever made, alongside him only ever seeing 3 in total to exist.

It's in pretty good condition too, considering its age. There's no corrosion in the battery compartments, no factory stickers or markings, a fully working display, and even an included cartridge of Continental Galaxy 2020. Is the handheld a good handheld? Absolutely not, and there's a reason that it never became mainstream, but that doesn't make it any less interesting.

This is a device that attempted to fight Nintendo and SEGA, and failed spectacularly with a selection of rare and impressive games for its time, wrapped in a formfactor that closely resembles the SEGA Game Gear. Nobody will know just how many were made or still exist due to the rarity and the fact that very few of these were made in Taiwan, so neither the seller nor I can confirm if only 3 exist, as there's no factual data to back that up, but the seller says only 3 have been documented so far. If you're on the market for a special handheld, then this is one to keep an eye on; it has a buy-it-now price of €1,000/£838/$1,120, and is available to purchase on eBay (#aff).

I wasn't selling this until next year but I've got some unexpected vet bills to pay for 😅 so I've listed it now before Christmas.This is the "legendary rare" Game Master that I told you about a few months ago... There's only been 3 known to exist that I can find, this is one of them. The best knowledge I could gather was that this could be a Taiwanese exclusive, but it's unconfirmed for now... What I do know is, this is the very first production run, because of some differences that I point out in the listing;Buttons are grey, not silver. There's no markings or stickers on the back where the batteries go. Plus the screen itself is a completely different colourware (red and blue)