About Pong
Pong is a two-paddle duel against a computer opponent. You control the left paddle, the CPU controls the right, and the first side to score 7 points wins the match.
How to play
- A point is scored when the ball gets past the other player's paddle and leaves the court at their end.
- The match ends as soon as either side reaches 7 points.
- The ball bounces off the top and bottom edges of the court.
- Where the ball meets the paddle decides its angle: the middle returns it flat, the ends send it away steeply.
- Each paddle hit makes the ball 6 percent faster, up to a fixed maximum. A new serve after each point resets it to the starting speed.
- After each point there is a short pause, then the ball is served towards the player who just won the point, at a random vertical angle.
- The CPU paddle follows the ball but has a capped top speed, which is slower than your keyboard speed, so well-angled shots can beat it.
Controls
- Mouse: move the pointer up and down over the court and your paddle follows it.
- Touch: drag your finger up and down on the court.
- Keyboard: hold Up and Down arrows, or W and S, to move the paddle.
Tips and strategy
- Hit the ball with the top or bottom edge of your paddle. Steep returns travel further up and down than the CPU paddle can move in time.
- Steep shots get more dangerous as the rally goes on, because the ball speeds up with every hit while the CPU paddle does not.
- Return to the middle of your side after each hit so you have the shortest possible move to the next ball.
- The ball can bounce off the top or bottom wall on its way to you; watch the angle rather than the ball's current height.
- The mouse moves your paddle instantly, which makes it easier to place an edge hit precisely than with the keys.
Background
Pong was released by Atari in 1972 and, built by engineer Allan Alcorn, it became the first commercially successful arcade video game. It was not the first electronic tennis game: physicist William Higinbotham showed Tennis for Two on an oscilloscope in 1958, and the Magnavox Odyssey home console offered a table tennis game in 1972. Pong's success helped launch the arcade industry and made the bouncing ball and paddles one of the most recognisable images in gaming.
Questions
- How many points do I need to win?
- Seven. The match ends the moment either you or the CPU reaches 7 points.
- Does the ball get faster?
- Yes. Each paddle hit adds 6 percent to its speed until it reaches a cap. The speed resets with each new serve.
- What counts as my best score?
- The number of points you scored in a match, so 7 is the maximum. It is stored in your browser's local storage on this device.