Skip to main content

This 24-karat gold NES is the luxury video game system of your dreams

When excess is precisely the point

Source Analogue

Game hardware maker Analogue has made a name for itself selling the Nt, an exorbitantly expensive and beautiful version of a classic NES system. And yet somehow, the company found a way to outdo itself. To commemorate the 30th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda franchise, Analogue is selling ten limited edition Nt units plated with 24-karat gold.

At $5,000, the system is 10 times as expensive as its aluminum-encased predecessor, and about as many times more gorgeous. Each one comes with a gold-colored cartridge of the original 1986 Zelda game that kicked off the series.

the most unnecessary, luxurious, and awesome NES ever made

It has all of the original Nt's features. The device is region-free, so it can play both US NES and Japanese Famicom games. And thanks to its accessory ports, you can connect any old-school hardware to the Nt, including classic controllers and even the NES Zapper for Duck Hunt. A HDMI adapter is sold separately as a $79 internal upgrade if you want to take advantage of Analogue's digital upscaling feature, which the company says lets it optimize video quality for modern TVs with "no lag and zero signal degradation." (It's worth noting that some NES accessories like the Zapper only work on CRT monitors, so that rules out duck shooting in high definition.)

Of course, it goes without saying that this gold-plated Nt isn't for everyone. There's only going to be 10 available, and for the same price you could pick up nearly 15 PlayStation 4 or Xbox One consoles. So only the most hardcore of Nintendo fans and collectors — those who have a stash of old cartridges and money to burn — will end up shelling out for a gold NES. It doesn't hurt to dream though.

Analogue Nt NES in 24-karat gold

1/6