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When Sony released a special 20th Anniversary edition of the PlayStation 4, online pre-order slots were filled in minutes. Limited to a run of 12,300 consoles, gamers had to move quickly to secure a piece of gaming history.

The one thing missing from the December 2014 release, however, was the most important and prized possession of all: console number 00001/12300. That particular machine made its grand appearance at an online auction last weekend and sold for a price that is, frankly, jaw-dropping.

How much would you pay for the very first unit off a run of limited-edition PlayStations? $800? A cool $1,000, perhaps? How about 15,135,000 yen, or US$128,628.28 – the price that model number 00001/12300 went for last weekend.

While that may sound like a ridiculous sum of money to pay for a PlayStation 4 made to look like a PlayStation One, you may be pleased to hear that all proceeds of the auction will go to Save The Children Japan, a non-governmental organisation which works to support young people, including those affected by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. Sony will also be matching the total auction price, bringing in over a quarter of a million dollars for the organisation. Suddenly, we’re glad that there’s someone out there with so much cash to splash on a games console.

▼ After 1,585 bids, the first console off the production line
sells for the price of a luxury sports car

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The 20th Anniversary design, which harks back to the familiar grey of the original console while maintaining a sleek finish, extends to the controller and camera.

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If you missed out on securing one of these, take a look at the video below to see how it would feel to unbox the limited edition console.

If that’s inspired you to relive the excitement of your 1994 unboxing, you’ll be pleased to know that Sony are offering the next-best thing – the start-up sound of the original console as a special Anniversary theme at the PlayStation Store.

Sony’s baby might be 20 years old now, making it officially an adult in Japan, but there will always be something irreplaceable about those first sounds it made when it was just born. Until the 30th Anniversary edition, here’s to another great decade of gaming!

Sources: Yahoo! Auctions, はちま起稿
Images: Yahoo! Auctions