National Videogame Museum

04/19/2026

When you think of the Metal Gear Solid series, your mind probably goes to the PlayStation, where it was a killer app for the brand for three console generations straight…which makes this special edition Metal Gear Solid Nintendo Gamecube all the more interesting.

Pictured below is the Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes Premium Package, released exclusively in Japan on March 11th, 2004. This special edition package includes a platinum Nintendo Gamecube that features the iconic FOXHOUND logo atop the console instead of the typical Gamecube logo. A detailed art book, a copy of MGS: The Twin Snakes, and a special Gamecube disc that contains the original Metal Gear game for the NES/Famicom were also included as part of the Premium Package. The Metal Gear special game disc in particular has emerged as a particularly popular collectors item for dedicated Metal Gear fans.

While the Gamecube may not have been the most popular Nintendo console of all time, there’s no doubt that the console’s simple design allowed for some very cool, striking, and unique special edition versions over the years. And the best part? You can see a ton of them live and in person right here at the National Videogame Museum! So come check them out and find your next collectors grail soon!

04/12/2026

If you’re a 70’s or 80’s kid, you’re probably still wondering: Where are all the holograms? Hologram technology was a fixture of speculative science-fiction across the board, and seemed like it would be the next big technological evolution for games and media. In fact, hologram technology was such an attractive idea that Atari began spending millions of dollars buying up various hologram tech patents in 1978 with the hopes of bringing the first ever hologram-based video game console to market.

This concept would result in the Atari Cosmos. The overall body of the console is similar to other tabletop designs of the time. The hologram technology came into play with a combination of lights and holographic overlays that could take the image of the game and make it appear as though it was floating outside of the screen rather than simply being displayed on it. While it created an impressive effect by 1978 standards, it wasn’t quite as revolutionary as Atari may have hoped and ended up getting shelved before any of their expensive patents could be put to use in the market.

Today, only a few Atari Cosmos units exist…which means that the National Videogame Museum is one of the ONLY places you can see this ultra rare Atari artifact in person!

04/02/2026

The National Videogame Museum turns 10!

10 years ago today on April 2nd, 2016, the National Videogame Museum welcomed a massive line of guests to explore the history of gaming with us for the very first time.

Since then, we've hosted gaming legends, opened tons of new exhibits, and brought tens of thousands of games, prototypes, and artifacts into the NVM Archive. Did we mention that we also happened to cap off our first 10 years by acquiring one of the most historically significant pieces of prototype hardware in gaming history, the Nintendo PlayStation?

Even outside of the NVM Archive, over the past decade we’ve given out scholarships, supported our local community, hosted late-night parties and birthday parties alike…not to mention weddings, proposals, and more birthdays than you can count.

It’s been an unforgettable first 10 years for the National Videogame Museum, and on behalf of our co-founders John, Sean, Joe, and everyone here at the NVM, we’d like to thank each and every person that walked through our doors and made this dream possible!

We’ve got a TON in store for the future as we continue to grow bigger, better, and like any great piece of video game history…older! So stay tuned and don’t forget to stop by soon!

03/30/2026

With only a few known consoles in existence, the National Videogame Museum is home to another priceless Atari prototype: The Atari Game Brain.

The Atari Game Brain is a prototype console that was designed to offer all of Atari’s popular dedicated “Pong” style systems into one cartridge-based console. While that idea was appealing in theory, the Game Brain was being designed during development of the original Atari VCS. Thus, the Game Brain became obsolete long before its planned release in 1978 and never reached store shelves. Not only could the Atari VCS play games by cartridge, but all you needed was a paddle controller to replicate the familiar pong-style gameplay––no Game Brain required.

Only 5 prototype cartridges were produced: Stunt Cycle, Ultra Pong, Super Pong, Video Pinball, and Video Music, all of which are on display alongside the console right here at the National Videogame Museum.

When it comes to Atari history and artifacts, there’s no better place to see and experience it all than the NVM!

03/23/2026

Some of gaming’s biggest myths and most infamous prototypes are a reality here at the National Videogame Museum. Case in point: The Atari 2700!

While the immensely popular, influential, and iconic Atari 2600 did get a follow-up console in the form of the Atari 5200, many expected to see an Atari 2700 first…and those people were ALMOST correct!

This unreleased Atari 2700 prototype (also known as the "Remote Control VCS", or “RC Stella”) upgraded the iconic Atari joysticks and paddles to sports battery-operated wireless controllers that allowed for both styles of gameplay at once. While wireless controllers may seem like a quaint upgrade today, back then wireless technology was still an exciting and untapped part of the gaming industry that could generate a ton of excitement in cord-tangled homes across America.

Unfortunately for Atari, making this wireless technology work reliably was difficult, and the complications within the controllers led to the console’s development stalling entirely before eventual cancellation. That said, the Atari 2700 still lived on somewhat, as the case design would go on to be used for the Atari 5200.

There are just a handful of known Atari 2700 prototypes out there, which means this model here at the National Videogame Museum is one of the ONLY places in the world you can find this historic piece of Atari history! For more looks into the many console prototypes we have on display and in the NVM Archives, you’ll have to keep on checking back!

03/15/2026

In the wake of our massive new NVM Acquistion, the Nintendo PlayStation prototype, we thought it would be a great time to highlight some of the other incredible and rare prototypes you can see here at the National Videogame Museum!

Next up: The prototype of the infamous Mattel Power Glove, as made famous on the silver screen in “The Wizard”.

The Power Glove started out as a $10,000 VR control device for computers called the Data Glove, developed by VPL Research. The technology they devised was then licensed to a group that drastically simplified the design and sold it to Mattel…and the whole world was playing with power not long after.

This VPL Research prototype is the ONLY known prototype still in existence, and you can see it on display RIGHT HERE at the National Videogame Museum as part of our VR exhibit.

For more artifacts and prototypes that tell the story of the evolution of VR in gaming, be sure to dive into our exhibit on your next visit!

03/04/2026

We're super excited to announce our latest acquisition!! A Nintendo PlayStation Development System Prototype - the MSF-1 Super Nintendo CD Dev System.

This Sony MSF-1 was originally utilized by Sony’s ImageSoft subsidiary in Santa Monica, California and is the oldest known existing Nintendo PlayStation hardware artifact. This unit is the original development system for Sony’s planned Super Nintendo CD peripheral. The unit plugs into a Super Nintendo system and the top cartridge slot was a pass-thru for existing SNES cartridges. This development system prototype is currently the only unit known to exist. The hardware technology developed for this system would eventually evolve into the 32-bit stand-alone Sony PlayStation that launched in Japan on 12/03/1994.

You can see this amazing piece of hardware technology on display daily at the National Videogame Museum. We look forward to seeing you!

02/25/2026

A lot of amazing and interesting artifacts have made their way into the NVM Archives over the last few years, but one we keep coming back to is none other than the mysterious Phantom console!

If you were into gaming during the early 00’s, you already know the name Phantom by Infinium Labs. It was the enigmatic, supposed “fourth console” that was sure to bring an end to the console war as we knew it. Allegedly with the capability to play game titles from almost any publisher in the industry, the Phantom was surrounded with mystique, as rumors about its capabilities flooded gaming magazines, online forums, and playgrounds across America. Fact and fiction became blurred, and what sounded too good to be true…turned out to be just that.

The actual concept for the Phantom was to stream content directly to consumers through the Phantom Game Receiver in place of your typical console. There were reportedly many pending deals with game publishers to establish a "critical mass of games" at launch at "various subscription levels." Infinium Labs had also intended to start "volume manufacturing" of "consumer units" to capitalize on the fact that 2004 would see no other major home console launches. The first definite release date given was November 18th, 2004 - "just in time for the holiday shopping season.”

Given that even tech behemoth Google couldn’t get a game streaming platform (Google Stadia) to take off even 15 years later in 2019, the Phantom didn’t stand a chance at that November 18th release date. Delays for the Phantom continued to pile up year after year as the rumors and hype slowly died down. At the end of it all, Infinitum Labs only had debt to show for all of the waves the console managed to make in the media.

But that didn’t stop us from getting our hands on an actual Phantom by Infinium Labs! This acquisition of ours includes the Phantom Game Receiver, a rotatable "lapboard", and early press information surrounding the console. We’re proud to be able to display the Phantom here at the National Videogame Museum and take you back to a time when anything seemed possible in the console wars!

02/05/2026

Calling all students, parents, teachers, and more! Our National Videogame Museum Scholarship applications are OPEN! Let the NVM help you start your journey into the video game and technology fields!

In addition to our three scholarship awards for graduating students from Texas 1 Title schools, Frisco Residents, and Texas Residents, we are proud to offer once again the Amie Dansby Women in Technology Awards. These two awards are eligible to female students; one scholarship is available to High School Seniors and the other to College Undergraduates.

Students must be pursuing studies in the technology, video game, or adjacent fields to be eligible. Whether you’re a female student dreaming of making an impact in these historically male-dominated fields, or a future game developer that needs an extra boost to keep up with the evolving technology landscape, the NVM Scholarship Program is a perfect way to kickstart a long and successful career.

We’d like to thank Amie Dansby and Protopasta for helping to make these scholarship awards a reality, and we look forward to reviewing applications soon! The deadline for applications is June 1st, 2026, so don’t wait to get those submissions in!

For more info on our scholarships, eligibility requirements, and the application process, visit our website here:

Empowering Future Innovators Scholarship Opportunities at the National Videogame Museum NVM Scholarships Eligibility Requirements How to Apply The National Videogame Museum is devoted to chronicling and preserving our industry’s rich past but we also look to contribute to the future of the videoga...

02/03/2026

While high-quality action figures, along with many other genres of collectibles have come back in vogue, finding a Legend of Zelda action figure in the 90’s and early 00’s wasn’t exactly easy. Few Nintendo action figure products were produced, and even fewer in high quality, which means tracking them down let alone being able to afford them is a tall task in today’s age.

Pictured here is one of the rarest Legend of Zelda figures you can find: The Nintendo Power Presents Link & Epona Prototype figure. Created by Joyride Studios, this special edition figure was released in 2002 and limited to only 500 serialized units. Retaining the original grey color of the prototype mold, any figure collector worth their salt knows that these kind of prototype figures are a must have.

Joyride Studios produced a few other Link figures featuring different poses and equipment, and while there were only a few other lines of Zelda figures at this time, this set stands apart as the among the most premium. Not only that, but the back of the packaging on some figures even includes tips and tricks for the most popular Zelda games at the time!

We recently unearthed a number of sealed Legend of Zelda figures just like this, so be sure to check back as we show them all off!

01/20/2026

Despite it’s peculiarities, the Gamecube Controller has become one of the most beloved video game controllers of all time…so it stands to reason that the officially licensed Nintendo Gamecube Game Boy Player controller by HORI is among the most rare and sought after of Gamecube accessories.

Combining the form factor of the original SNES controller and the buttons of the Gamecube, this Gameboy Player controller was the definitive way to enjoy your Game Boy games on the big screen long before Nintendo Switch Online or even the Wii’s Virtual Console. But before you think about going pro at Smash Bros Melee on this thing, it forgoes the Analog and C Sticks in favor of a more authentic Game Boy experience. The Z button has also been moved from the shoulder to the middle of the controller where it acts as a way to access the Game Boy Player’s internal menus.

The Gamecube was known for having a ton of different controller variations and peripherals, and you can see and learn about a ton of them right here at the National Videogame Museum!