Four months ago, an ultra-rare PlayStation SNES console prototype was discovered, photographed and revealed online.

Only 200 PlayStation SNES units were ever made - borne out of early plans for Nintendo and Sony to team-up and release a version of the Super Nintendo Entertainment system with a CD-ROM drive.

The vast majority were junked when the companies decided to go their separate ways. So it was a huge surprise when, in July, a surviving relic finally come to light. Now, it has been switched on.

Photos credit: Engadget

Engadget tracked down the unit's new owners, father and son Terry and Dan Diebold, who had carefully coupled the console to a power supply.

SNES games and controllers worked fine, but the unit's CD-ROM drive was not operational.

Attempts have been made to repair it - including X-rays of the machine to check if it had become damaged inside - to no avail. The drive is receiving power fine, which suggests the problem is a software error.

One explanation is that the drive was purposefully disabled before leaving Nintendo's clutches - as the technology inside it was no longer the company's to release.

Whatever the reason, the console is undoubtedly the real deal - and a true piece of gaming history.

Terry (left) and Dan Diebold.