Computer from ‘WarGames’ going up for sale

The computer featured in 'WarGames' (Todd Fischer)
The computer featured in 'WarGames' (Todd Fischer)

Good news for anyone looking to buy a computer capable of starting World War III. One of the computers used in the 1983 film "WarGames" is going up for sale, IT World reports.

"WarGames," the classic hacker flick starring Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy, told the story of a high school student and computer genius (Broderick) who hacks into a military computer that controls the U.S. nuclear missile supply.

What could possibly go wrong? Turns out, a lot. Chaos and threats of nuclear war with the Soviet Union ensue.

The computers played pivotal roles in the thriller, and none was as important as the one Broderick's character used to hack into North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

Todd Fischer, who owns the computer, spoke via email to Yahoo News about the 8080 computer, keyboard, and noisy modem. With the exception of the dual disk drive (remember those?), all the props are still in working condition.

Fischer said he takes great pride in having contributed to the scene in which Broderick's character "inserted a floppy disk into an original 8" floppy drive to initiate the 'War Dialing' sequence that connects with W.O.P.R."

Fischer explained that while the computer is stock, "dummy boards and cables were provided to give the illusion of greater computing power and resources to boost the screen effect." Fischer said he never heard a single complaint that something wasn't correct. "I took great pains to ensure that all props offered from my end met the credibilities that the script called for," he said.

Fischer has yet to decide how he wants to sell off the famous props. Two years ago, he was set to auction off the computer at Christie's in London, according to IT World. However, Fischer called off the sale over "concerns about the safety of the props once they made it across the pond." At that time, the computer and accessories were valued at over $25,000.

This time, he says he plans to sell whenever "the right offer or proposition knocks on my humble door."