Here's How Much Your Original PlayStation Is Worth Today

In the early 1990s, prominent electronics manufacturer Sony attempted to start up a partnership with Nintendo, which was on a hot streak thanks to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The plan was for Sony to create a CD-based add-on for the SNES, but when the partnership fell through (leading instead to Nintendo's ill-fated dalliance with Philips and the CD-I), Sony decided to use the design itself. This was how the original PlayStation came to be, an event that would help to cement Sony as a gaming superpower for thirty years and counting.

The original PlayStation was a smash hit in its time, and quite a few console variations are still floating around today. If you've still got yours and don't mind sending it off to a good home, you could stand to make a pretty penny. The question though, is exactly how much money you'll actually receive for it.

The precise amount of money you could theoretically spend or receive for a retro console, original PlayStation included, depends on the console's condition and add-ons. At the low end of the spectrum, we have loose PlayStations, sold with no packaging or add-ons, and perhaps some mild wear and tear. As long as it still turns on, it has value, mostly because nostalgic folks want to play their old favorites on their proper hardware. If it's not in mint condition, though, that value can be substantially lowered.

On the flip side, we have pristine box-in PlayStations. A PlayStation console that has been sealed into a fresh box with no obvious signs of use is worth much more, to say nothing of one that was never removed from its original box in the first place. These are prime targets for collectors, who tend to pay more for classic hardware.

According to current statistics, a loose PlayStation console in good working order will usually fetch around $40 on eBay. If it's properly packaged with its relevant accessories, then the price gets a modest increase to around $60. Loose or used PlayStations are unfortunately not particularly attractive, as you can play the original games fairly easily on modern hardware, and there are plenty of loose ones available on the market. Nostalgic players will only be willing to pay so much for retro hardware before sticking with backwards compatibility becomes more attractive.

However, if you've got a brand new, factory-sealed PlayStation, things start getting interesting. A completely untouched PlayStation console in its box can fetch as high as $200 from the right buyer. If you've have your PlayStation graded by a professional appraiser, you could even score up to $900. If you've taken excellent care of your PlayStation since the 90s, that's quite a payday.

The original PlayStation was released before limited edition consoles were a popular practice, so there aren't many offshoots to consider beyond some minor color variations. There are, however, a couple of outliers. Firstly is the PSOne, a trimmed-down version of the console released in 2000. Thanks to its popularity, as well as nifty peripherals like an add-on LCD screen, it's worth a bit more than the base model. According to current stats, a loose PSOne can net you around $45, while a boxed-up one can go for a little over $90. However, a factory-sealed PSOne could fetch almost $560, while a graded one could go upwards of $600.

Besides the PSOne, there is one more super-secret offshoot of the PlayStation: the Net Yaroze. This special black PlayStation was only sold to licensed game companies in Japan for development and testing purposes, never seeing a public release. This thing is an ultimate collectors item, with even a loose one selling for as much as $1,350, according to the most recent sales information. The numbers only go up from there: a boxed Net Yaroze could go for a little under $1,500, a factory-sealed one for $1,500, and the absolute pinnacle — a graded one — for a mighty $1,650.

If you've got a PlayStation you're looking to offload, you can either put it up for sale on eBay or take it to a locally-owned game shop. While most retail stores don't take retro hardware, some may make an exception for something as ubiquitous as a PlayStation, since they may have a chance to flip it. If you want to make more money and don't mind a longer wait, though, eBay will get you in direct contact with more eager buyers. No middlemen means you get to keep any profits to boot.

On the extremely off chance you've managed to come into possession of a Net Yaroze, though, you might want to contact a professional appraiser. Those things are extremely valuable and should not be sold or advertised lightly. If you can find the right collector, that little console could lead to an impressive windfall.