In Real Life

Two arcade cabinets for Nolan Bushnell’s Computer Space, regarded as the first commercially sold video game ever, have been listed on eBay. The games, which predated Pong by about a year, are currently going for $US1500 and $US2500.

Computer Space was developed and published in 1971 by Nutting Associates, not Atari, although programmers Bushnell and Ted Dabney did found Atari later. It’s based on Spacewar!, developed at MIT in 1961, which is itself considered one of the first video games ever.

There’s a green and a yellow version for sale. In addition to its cultural impact, the Computer Space cabinet is itself a funky piece of furniture, and a sure conversation starter for anyone visiting your rec room.

Rare Computer Space Arcade Machines Turn up on eBay [Technabob via Gizmodo]