We’re thrilled to announce that the WATA Prototype Program is returning beginning today, September 3rd! WATA’s Prototype Program was last available in 2021 and many improvements have been made in order to make the service more streamlined and community-friendly moving forward.

Most importantly, we are proud to confirm that we are still partnered with Video Game Historian Frank Cifaldi in order to authenticate and evaluate all submitted prototypes. Frank is an industry leading veteran who is one of the most respected names in the video game and video game media preservation spaces. WATA previously worked with Frank to authenticate prototypes beginning in late 2020, and his work was invaluable in certifying the vast majority of prototypes to ever come through WATA’s doors.

A few of the major improvements coming to the Program are as follows:

  • All authenticated prototype reports will now be posted publicly via WATA’s free and unlimited cert verification tool. This change will offer significant transparency pertaining to the contents of these prototype items. Take a look at a live prototype report!
  • The vast majority of prototypes we have received historically are for the NES cartridge and jewel case disc case sizes. With WATA’s new holder design released in 2023, the NES cartridge and jewel case sizes offer some of the greatest space savings across the entire spectrum of case sizes. All compatible prototypes will be encapsulated in the new holder.
  • We’re expanding the range of platforms which we accept prototype submissions for, with hopes to further expand those offerings in years to come (info below)

Cert Verification Prototype Report Example

Here is the complete list of all of the applicable platforms eligible for the WATA Prototype Program:

  1. NES
  2. Super NES
  3. Super Famicom
  4. PlayStation
  5. PlayStation 2
  6. Xbox
  7. Xbox 360
  8. PC (Windows, MS-DOS)
  9. Macintosh CD
  10. 3DO
  11. CD-i
  12. Neo Geo CD
  13. NUON
  14. Sega CD
  15. Mega CD
  16. Sega Saturn
  17. PC Engine CD

Compatibility for prototype submissions are largely limited to complete cartridges (rather than standalone boards) and discs. Board-only submissions will be handled on a case-by-case basis and we may not be able to proceed in encapsulating them. For discs submitted without a jewel case, a blank, generic jewel case will be provided to enable encapsulation. In addition, simplified variants will be featured on prototype’s labels in order to defer to Frank Cifaldi’s full reports rather than truncating that info to accommodate label size limitations.

In order to submit items via the Prototype Program, simply complete the traditional WATA checkout process and select “Prototype” as your submission type at step 1.

Please note that prototype submissions require significantly more time to process than standard submissions. We strive to process your prototype items in an estimated 90 business days, but please allow for more time if necessary. In addition, partial refunds are not available for prototype orders which fail the authentication checks.

We can’t wait to authenticate and preserve your unique and historic prototypes for years to come!