PS5 dev kit auction pulled from eBay after bids passed $3,000

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That's not where they're supposed to go

PS5 dev kit auction
(Image credit: eBay)

A PS5 development kit and testing kit went up for sale on eBay earlier this week before their auctions were taken offline, offering a rare look at the developer-targeted systems in the wild.

The little lost kits on eBay were spotted by Twitter user iDCx1337 (via Kotaku), who spotted that bids for the kits had reached €2,850 (about $3,375) by the time the auction was pulled. If you were paying attention to all the PS5 leaks and rumors before the console finally went public, you've likely seen the dev kit before: it's that big thing with a giant V on the top and vents all over the place.

While it looks like the kind of fake video game console you'd see in the background of a cartoon, it is legitimately the kit used by many developers to help create PS5 games. Meanwhile, the PS5 testing kit looks almost exactly like a regular retail PS5 with a couple labels that say "TEST" on them. Neither of them are supposed to be in the hands of regular consumers, which is probably why eBay canceled the auction and deleted the listing before it could be completed. I do have to wonder if some of the folks bidding just wanted a PS5, any PS5, and decided to go for the Hail Mary.

Even if this particular piece of modern PlayStation history has receded into the margins for now, PS5 owners have plenty to look forward to: allegedly leaked PS5 PSVR details point to an early 2022 reveal and some impressive stats, and the latest PS5 software update beta finally enables support for dropping in additional M.2 SSD memory.

Speaking of which, make sure you check out our guide to the best PS5 SSD in 2021 if you're planning to upgrade your storage.

Connor Sheridan
Connor Sheridan
Former GamesRadar+ News Writer

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and was formerly a staff writer at GamesRadar+.