A Rare Two-Player Computer Space Arcade Machine Is Up For Auction

The sparkly cabinet is part of a huge retro tech auction focused on Steve Jobs and the computer revolution.

RR Auction

Before Atari, there was Syzygy Engineering, and before Home Pong, there was the Computer Space arcade machine. And then just a little bit after that, in July 1973 to be precise, there was the two-player Computer Space arcade cabinet. This sparkling emerald beauty is what we're talking about today, 56 years on.

Released to the public in late 1971, the single-player version of Computer Space is widely recognized as the first arcade video game. It was designed by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney of Syzygy Engineering, and distributed by Nutting Associates. Computer Space was a version of the 1962 PC combat game Spacewar!, and would later influence Asteroids. Its cabinet looked like a retrofuturistic stalagmite, featuring a small, bulbous screen wrapped in primary-color fiberglass. Its gamepad had four action buttons and no joystick, and it cost a quarter to play.

Video Game History Foundation

While Nutting and Syzygy reportedly sold more than 1,000 Computer Space arcade cabinets and made a significant financial return, the release marked the end of their professional collaboration. Bushnell and Dabney went on to change their company name to Atari and release Pong in 1972.

A second iteration of the Computer Space arcade machine landed mid-1973, this time with two-player gameplay and two joysticks. It was produced by Nutting without Bushnell or Dabney, came in a sparkly green color and remained $0.25 per round.

A custom white Computer Space cabinet was featured in the 1973 sci-fi classic Soylent Green, marking the first appearance of a video game in a Hollywood movie, and if you pay attention during the arcade scene in 1975's Jaws, you can see a yellow version of the machine. Despite the exposure, Nutting Associates closed in 1976. Atari, as a brand at least, is still kicking today.

Computer Space at auction

So is David Perry's two-player Computer Space arcade machine, apparently. Perry, the programmer of 1994's Earthworm Jim and co-founder of the game streaming company Gaikai, is selling a fully functional two-player Computer Space cabinet on RR Auction, and the bids are rolling in. As of August 12, it's sitting at $6,748 with 12 bids, and it's estimated to sell for more than $20,000.

Perry explained on social media, "I ran out of space and am selling my Computer Space arcade machine at auction (two-player). It's probably the rarest arcade game in existence, found in museums."

And here's how the cabinet is described on the RR Auction page:

"The front control panel features a 25-cent quarter slot, a coin return button, a red 'Start Game' button, a green 'Two Player Operation' button, and two original rotational joysticks topped with red 'Fire Missile' buttons.... The cabinet is in fine condition, with some slight scuffing and scratching to the body; the machine itself lights up, and the screen is functional. Original working 2-player Computer Space arcades are practically unobtainable and very rarely offered for public sale, with this example all the more impressive for its immaculate cabinet and original parts."

The auction went live on July 24 and it ends on August 20 at 7PM ET, though bids must be placed by 6PM ET on the final day in order to participate in the final round, which always gets wild. After 7PM, participants have 30 minutes to challenge the top bid, and the timer restarts after each new high bid. It's exactly the kind of tension-addled system that should appeal to fans of space combat sims, actually.

The Computer Space arcade machine lot is part of a broader auction called Steve Jobs & the Computer Revolution: The Apple 50th Anniversary Auction Part Two, which features a wealth of early-tech-days memorabilia, including personal belongings of Steve Jobs, signed photos of notable CEOs, an Atari Video System X 'All Black' Prototype Console, plus vintage computers, iPods and iPhones. It's all going down on RR Auction, and bidding ends at 7PM ET on August 20.

Reporting from Engadget contributed to this story.