Would you like to own an exclusive Nintendo 3DS XL signed by visionary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto, which was awarded as the first-place prize at the 2015 Nintendo World Championships? The good news is that, despite not winning that massive esports event, you can pretend you did after buying this handheld on eBay. The downside is that it will run you at least $20,000.
A few days ago, Nintendo World Championships 2015 champ John “Numbers” Goldberg put the 3DS he won at the event up for auction.
“Alright, this is a big one, and I have thought about this for a while, but I’ve went and put my prize 3DS, from the 2015 Nintendo World Championships, up on eBay.” Goldberg wrote on X. “It was signed by Shigeru Miyamoto himself!” He then added, “I do wonder if there would be any takers on this. Guess we’ll see how it shakes out!”
The 3DS already has 52 bids for $20,100 (at the time of publishing), with another seven days to go. In one of the photos confirming his identity, you can see Goldberg’s NWC championship trophy, which he later clarified is not up for sale.
As you can infer from his X posts, Goldberg was surprised by the demand for the system, writing on his eBay page that the scope of the auction had gone beyond what he expected, and that instead of risking shipping mishaps, he would like to deliver the system to the eventual winner in person if possible. As an aside, a movie about John Numbers transporting his prized 3DS across state lines while narrowly avoiding mishaps and reflecting on his esports fortunes has all the makings of a Marty Supreme-style odyssey. A24, make it happen.
For those out of the loop, the Nintendo World Championship is an official Nintendo-sanctioned video game competition with three installments (so far): 1990, 2015, and 2017. In each, competitors from all across the United States were tasked with butting heads in an assortment of Nintendo games. Those who made it to the finals of the 1990 circuit eventually competed via a custom-made NES cartridge featuring mini-games based on Super Mario Bros., Rad Racer, and Tetris. One of these cartridges would eventually be sold for over $100,000. While the circuit has been dormant for a while, it also inspired the 2024 speedrunning game Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition.
As for the championship that Goldberg won, he bested a lineup of celebrities, everyday Joes, and professional gamers to claim the title. The final round between Goldberg and the world record-winning speedrunner Narcissa Wright took place in the then-unreleased Super Mario Maker, showcasing just a glimpse of the hellish levels that game would eventually unleash on the world. Interestingly enough, Wright, the runner-up, also received a signed 3DS from Miyamoto. Based on the numbers so far, the existence of this duplicate doesn’t seem to have hurt the value of Goldberg’s eBay listing in the slightest.
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