Vintage 'Super Mario Bros' video game fetches Dh418,000 at auction

An unopened copy of a vintage Super Mario Bros video game has been sold for $114,000 (Dh418,665) in an auction that underscored the enduring popularity of entertainment created decades ago.

New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe: why the new game has something for everyone

Game review: Go back in time with Nintendo’s ‘Smash Bros Ultimate'

A bidder, who wished to remain anonymous, snapped up an early version of the pioneering Super Mario Bros game released in 1985 for Nintendo's NES console during an auction conducted on Friday by Heritage Auctions, which is based in Dallas, US.

The $114,000 price eclipsed Heritage Auctions' previous record amount for a video game, which was a $100,150 bid made early last year for an unopened copy of the same game.

“This unopened copy of this [Nintendo] launch title soared to record heights in part because it was part of one of the short production runs of the game packaged in boxes with a cardboard hangtab underneath the plastic, an indication that it was part of one of the first variants produced after Nintendo started using shrink-wrap to seal the games rather than stickers,” Heritage Auctions said of the packaging.

The Super Mario Bros copy that sold for a new record was part of a collection of video games from the 1980s and 1990s that sold to various buyers for nearly $700,000, which was well above Heritage Auction's initial target of about $500,000.

Other titles sold at the auction included Mike Tyson's Punch-Out! a 1987 video game based on the former heavyweight boxing champion, that sold for $50,400.

F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Key facilities

Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
Premier League-standard football pitch
400m Olympic running track
NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
600-seat auditorium
Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
Specialist robotics and science laboratories
AR and VR-enabled learning centres
Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

if you go

The flights

Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.

When to visit

March-May and September-November

Visas

Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.