SNES Super Mario World PAL pre-release cart

Hello,
I found this Super Mario World cartridge on a flea market, it looks like a pre-release cart.

The game seems to be identical to the pal-retail version (played the first stage), but I don't have any dumping tools, so I can't compare it to the retail rom.
The only other info I found on this cart was here: http://www.nintendoage.com/forum/messageview.cfm?StartRow=1&catid=6&threadid=88289 (scroll down to "Package #6b")
Is it rare? How much is it worth?

 

I am not an expert on this, but I will share what I know. The cart you have is most likely the complete version of the game. Since the game was mostly developed in japan, the PAL region would only be localizing the game. This is supported by the fact that the back reads "Super Famicom" which is the Japanese name for the SNES. It was most likely created for companies to give reviews on the game and also possibly to use in stores as a demo.
Although it is most likely the same game, It is still rare and a good display item. It is worth far more then the normal cart (maybe 4 or 5 times the value). I can't say for sure.

 

So in other words, 4 to 5 bucks, instead of one

 

Send it off to VGA for grading then it'll be worth miiiiiiillllllliiiiions!

 

Open it up and get a picture of the board.

That'll at least tell you if it is a proto, or just a retail board in a replacement case.

 

It's even funny how it reads "PAL Version" on it. Since we know just too well that they didn't even shit back in the days to adapt the games properly to other TV standards than NTSC.

 

As others have eluded, this is most likely identical to the final version (and even has the potential to have a production PCB). I assume that carts with these kind of labels (and they are common) were produced by Nintendo of Europe for evaluation purposes. As for rarity, there are two copies of Super Mario World with this label, yours and Howard Phillips'. Probably worth a few hundred, purely on the basis of it being Super Mario world, but really, only interesting for collectors.

 

^ This

 

Wait, there are more than two?

(one Google search later) Apparently there are three types NTSC, PAL, and SECAM. (guess you learn something new everyday).

EDIT: I'm bored. I'll just poorly Photoshop the picture I guess.

 

Lol bootleg

 

Finally got a screwdriver
The one one the left is the non-retail cart, the right one is the pal retail version of SMW:

 

Well, it's an official proto/beta/pre-release/test cart.

Not a retail and not a bootleg.

Congrats on finding that at a flea market.

As for the contents of the ROM, given the fact that the PAL version came out so much later, there likely isn't much of interest in terms of beta content (this would have just been a language port), but it is still a proto.

Given that it's official hardware, Nintendo and Mario, it'll probably go for between 50-100 easy on eBay. Some collector will want the physical cart.

 

Well I like what I see here. There's nothing like pulling apart a cartridge and finding EEPROM goodness hiding inside!
Congratulations! Good find I say! Got an EEPROM programmer nearby? :friendly_wink:

 

Thanks
Sadly, I don't have one, and I don't know anyone who does. But in order to dump the EEPROM with a programmer, it would need to be desoldered, right? I'm not really skilled with a soldering iron, so I wouldn't want to try it. ^^"

 

Oh well, I understand your hesitation! :smile-new:
Too bad it doesn't have those cool sockets like on my Monopoly Mega Drive cartridge!
Would have taken them a long, long time to solder all those little things on there!

 

Good lord, don't use an EEPROM programmer to dump something unless you really know what you are doing. Remember what happened to that Estpolis II prototype.

The Retrode can safely dump the game without any kind of desoldering of the chips or risk of damaging them. Though I would fully expect this to be bit-wise identical to the regular PAL release.

 

EEPROMs =/= EPROMs...

Do not use a programmer to dump them, use a Retrode or a Kazzo to dump it.

Nice proto by the way.

 

What happened to Estpolis II? I assume it was not a good thing...

Whoops my bad, EPROM! It's not electronically erasable after all! :topsy_turvy:

 

Definitely not a bootleg. The sticker is exactly the same that the one used on this cartridge :


(taken from Player One 18 - march 1992)
This cartridge was first showed during the official presentation of the Super NES in Europe.

 

Someone who didn't know what they were doing with an EPROM reader tried dumping this unique prototype of Espolis II, because he was not willing to get a Retrode or send it to someone who had a Retrode, only to damage the chips. There is no reason whatsoever to use an ERPOM reader to dump prototypes now a days.