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Pong's influence on video games endures 50 years later
A game that is easy to learn, but difficult to master. This was the concept Atari founder Nolan Bushnell instilled into Allan Alcorn, a then-24-year-old engineer, prior to the development of one of the most recognizable games of all time, Pong, 50 years ago.
Retro online gaming service Piepacker adds five Atari classics to catalog
Starting this week, you can play the PlayStation versions of Pong, Asteroid, Breakout, Centipede and Missile Command online with your friends.
Neuralink's brain-computer interface demo shows a monkey playing Pong
Elon Musk's Neuralink is building brain-computer interfaces, like the one that allows this monkey to control a game of Pong with its thoughts.
A mini 'Pong' arcade machine is on the way
The Mini Pong Jr has dual dial controls, so you can play with a friend.
Atari's latest attempt at milking nostalgia is a 'Pong' RPG
Atari is trying themed hotels, retro consoles and other efforts to reel in nostalgic gamers, but its latest may be its oddest yet: turn Pong into a one-of-a-kind role-playing game. It's developing a Pong Quest game that has you guiding a heroic paddle through dungeons based on (what else?) Atari games like Asteroids and Centipede in a campaign to save Pong World. You'll fight in "RPG-esque" battles wielding customized Pong balls and adorning your paddle in clothing and other gear.
Analog 'Pong' is beautiful, but so expensive
Nothing screams hipster more than a product that's both less advanced than what's already around, and yet far more over-engineered. It's also not an unfair description of Universal Space's (UNIS) analog Pong table, on show here at CES. The company has revived those chunky arcade tablets that we remember from the '70s, but with a mechanical, rather than electronic mechanism.
Intellivision’s Amico is the latest retro console revival
Intellivision, the video game maker that didn't survive the '80s, is back and ready to build something new on top of gaming nostalgia. After teasing the idea earlier this year, the company has announced plans for a new console called the Amico -- one part retro console and one part family-friendly modern gaming system. Intellivision plans to release it with a mix of classic titles and new originals in 2020.
Atari co-founder Ted Dabney dies
The game industry has lost one of its most influential early figures. Ted Dabney, who co-founded Atari along with Nolan Bushnell, has died after deciding against treatment for esophageal cancer. He and Bushnell created Atari's predecessor Syzygy in 1971 and produced Computer Space, the first commercially available arcade game. They then used that experience as the launching pad for Atari and, along with developer Al Alcorn, released the iconic game Pong in 1972.
Play giant-sized 'Pong' by shuffling your feet
You may have seen attempts at real-world Pong before, but rarely have they been so... athletic. Moment Factory has created GRiD, a Pong variant that uses a LiDAR sensor (the same tech as in self-driving cars) to create an enormous, 40-by-60 foot playing field where the paddle only moves when you and a partner shuffle your feet together. You could get quite the workout if the teams are evenly matched, and that's before the game adds wrinkles like surprise acceleration or an extra ball.
Swap your boring coffee table for one that plays 'Pong'
Remember that real-world Pong table that was supposed to become a product you could buy if everything went smoothly? Well, it's here... almost. The creators have launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to launch a production-grade, coffee table-sized version of the design. If you're willing to pledge at least $1,100 ($990 if you were referred by an existing backer), you can get living room furniture that uses magnets, motors and optical sensors to recreate the classic 1972 game. You can hide the controls when you aren't using them, and the table even throws in USB charging ports, Bluetooth music streaming and a coin-op mode to recoup your investment.
Who wants to play games on their smartwatch?
It's always been possible to play games on your smartwatch, but is that really the best way to use that device? The makers of that Minecraft Gameband your niece and nephew won't shut up about think so, and have launched a Kickstarter to prove it. FMTwo's Gameband is a smartwatch that purports to be the first "fully dedicated gaming smartwatch" that's "optimized for on-the-go-gameplay."
The Pongbot makes beer pong actually challenging
If you ever went to a party in college, chances are you've played beer pong. You throw a ball into a cup filled with beer, and a successful shot means your opponent has to take a drink. It's a way to make drinking a bit more social and competitive. It's also not something you do past a certain age -- maybe because of the frat house association, but also because it's not that hard. It's not supposed to be, given that the point is to get drunk. The Pongbot, a $40 device hitting Kickstarter today, shakes things up by making those beer-filled tumblers a moving target. You might not get drunk as fast, but you'll definitely feel the high of increased competition.
Real-world 'Pong' might just beat the video game
If you miss the days of playing Pong with old-school dial controllers but would rather not track down a vintage console or arcade cabinet, today's your lucky day. Daniel Perdomo and crew have built a real-world Pong machine that replicates the pioneering game with physical parts. Despite what it looks like, it's not just an Atari-themed air hockey table. Instead of letting physics take over, the machine maps virtual ball and paddle movements to objects. All the eccentricities of Pong gameplay are intact, just in a more tangible (and arguably, far more immersive) form. LEDs track the score, while the controllers are rejiggered hard drives.
ICYMI: Smashing bacteria, high-jumping roboroaches and more
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Today on In Case You Missed It: Researchers from Seoul National University and UC Berkeley developed a robotic roach that jumps more than five feet high because people weren't scared enough of robots as it is. A team from Brigham Young University wants to figure out how hard you have to hit bacteria to kill it. Apparently smashing them into walls at 670 MPH isn't hard enough. And one enterprising maker spent more than two years building a fully functional Pong table -- complete with a cubical "ball."
'Pong' comes to the Apple Watch
Tennis season is coming, and what better way to celebrate the sport than by playing it on your wrist? That's the idea behind A Tiny Game of Pong, a version of the Atari classic designed to run on the Apple Watch. It was created by developer Matt Wiechec in order to learn how to design apps for the wearable. Once installed, you can use the watch's digital crown to push your paddle back-and-forth across the display. Should you wish, you can also switch the theme colors from black and white to match those of your strap.
Taking gaming into the real world
Playing video games and enjoying the outdoors don't have to be mutually exclusive. Various creative minds have come up with ways to take gaming into real-world environments. Why chill at the crib when you could be out driving a real-life Mario Kart or letting hadoukens fly at Burning Man? We've highlighted just a few of these pioneering projects this week, so head to the gallery for a look at the gaming experiences you've missed by staying home.
Bing Pong is a wonderful, terrible distraction from your searches
We hope you aren't curious about Nolan Bushnell's game development history... you may find yourself sucked into a time sink. Microsoft has quietly added an option to play Pong in Bing (Bing Pong, get it?) if you search for the digital table tennis classic in your browser. It's not a novel concept, and it certainly isn't the most advanced -- Google's Cube Slam experiment is on another level. It's surprisingly addictive, however, and might offer just the right amount of '70s gaming nostalgia to tide you over when you're stuck at work.
Gaming hall of fame inducts 'Pong,' 'Tetris' and other classics
The results are in. After a selection process that lasted nearly four months, the newly created World Video Game Hall of Fame has announced its first class inductees. Doom, Pac-Man, Pong, Super Mario Bros., Tetris and World of Warcraft were chosen by The National Museum of Play for 2015, narrowing down the choices from a list of 15 finalists. So which games, which you helped vote for, were left out? That includes other classics like Space Invaders, Sonic the Hedgehog, The Legend of Zelda and The Sims -- although the museum did say these will likely be part of next year's nominee class.