24K Gold Plated Nintendo Wii Officially Auctioned

According to Engadgat, you now have a chance to own a one-of-a-kind Nintendo Wii… as long as you have enough money. Kotaku reports that Don – Dutch collector and owner of Consolevariations – is auctioning off a 24K gold-plated Wii from a famous game developer THQ that has gone bankrupt. This Wii was originally made for Queen Elizabeth II in 2009. It was seen as an advertisement for the game collection. Big Family Games.

24K gold-plated Wii is being sold at public auction Consolevariations

But the Wii was unable to reach Buckingham Palace due to policy Strict royal gifts. It goes back to THQ and came out in 2017 after a collector obtained it from the game’s developer. That unnamed owner eventually sold it back to Don.

Don first tried to sell a gold-plated Wii on eBay in October 2021 with an asking price of $300,000. However, the store had to terminate his purchase because a policy change had ‘flagged’ accounts selling items of far more value than eBay allowed. The new auction is currently taking place at Goldin, with a starting price of $2,000 and expected to close for an even higher price than the previous $300,000 Don offered on eBay. The auction will end on the evening of May 21.

According to the description, this is not a Wii made with solid gold, but only gold plated and the body has some signs of chipping. And since Nintendo shut down its multiplayer services and Wii Shop years ago, this ‘luxury’ device is probably just meant to be used as a showcase and reminiscent of the Nintendo Wii’s glory days.

However, it wouldn’t be surprising if someone would pay to own this Wii. Unlike many special edition consoles, this is a truly unique device with a story behind it. The 24K gold-plated Wii is a product of the ‘turbulent’ era in the gaming industry, specifically the anti-gaming protest. Inferno by EA and Dante for insulting Christian gamers in 2009, and its new owners will likely have a lot of nostalgia for that bygone era.