Computer Space Hits Auction As Possibly The Rarest Arcade Game In Existence

by Aaron Leong — Thursday, August 13, 2026, 08:20 AM EDT

Computer Space arcade machine up for auction - Image: RR Auction

An extraordinarily rare, fully functional two-player 1973 Computer Space arcade machine encased in its metallic green sparkle fiberglass cabinet has hit the block at RR Auction.

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.https://t.co/ZhwPKMGbYl pic.twitter.com/7J90fcMTm3
— David Perry (@dperry) August 11, 2026

Before Atari even became a thing, founders Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney worked under the moniker Syzygy Engineering. Partnering with Mountain View-based manufacturer Nutting Associates, they created the original single-player Computer Space in late 1971, making it the world’s first commercially available coin-operated arcade video game. Derived from the 1962 mainframe program Spacewar!, the game required players to navigate a rocket ship and dodge enemy fire. Basic stuff, although local tavern patrons often found the button control scheme controls too complex to master quickly.

Computer Space arcade control panel - Image: RR Auction

Seeking to improve on the OG, Nutting Associates introduced a refined two-player successor in July 1973, engineered by Steve Bristow. This variant replaced push-buttons with intuitive rotational joysticks topped with red missile triggers, while adding a dedicated green "Two Player Operation" button on the front panel. Inserting a quarter allowed two opponents to battle head-to-head across a simulated starfield, or let a single player test their skills against computer-controlled flying saucers.

Computer Space arcade cabinet — That martian green will go well with almost any decor - Image: RR Auction

The sculpted, space-age fiberglass cabinet was chosen partly to give arcades that space-age look and partly to protect the internal television hardware from theft. In fact, the machine earned a place in cinematic history when it appeared in Charlton Heston's 1973 sci-fi film Soylent Green, marking the very first time a video game appeared on the silver screen, before making another cameo in Spielberg's Jaws. Unlike the earlier single-player models that came in red, blue, or yellow metallic finishes, the two-player revision was issued exclusively in metallic green flake fiberglass.

Original ad for the Computer Space machine - Image: Video Game History Foundation

Decades later, working examples have become practically impossible to acquire. Historians and collectors estimate that Nutting produced only a few hundred two-player units, with the Video Game Preservation Society confirming that fewer than ten original working cabinets survive today. Maintenance presents a major hurdle, of course, as the game's discrete logic boards and vacuum-tube television monitors rely on components that have been out of production for half a century.

The unit currently on offer, carrying serial number 30644 and model number 724C, belongs to industry veteran Dave Perry, creator of Earthworm Jim and founder of Shiny Entertainment, who put the cabinet up for sale after running out of display space. Bidding on the machine forms part of RR Auction’s "Steve Jobs and the Apple Computer Revolution" event.