Atari Pong is a legendary game that opened a new world of video gaming back in the 1970s. Now, more than 50 years later, Pong is available right here before you and just as enjoyable as in the beginning. Although you are playing on a device the game creators didn't even dream of in the seventies, the game is the same as it was back in the day. Hit play and travel back in time with the classic Atari Pong game!

Controls

You can choose between using the mouse or the keyboard to control the game.

Mouse - Press the left click to begin the game and drag up and down to control your paddle.

Keyboard - Press the up and down key to move your paddle

Just like real Ping Pong - except on the computer

Atari Pong game is simple table tennis, also called ping pong, simulator. Choose which side of the table you want to play at and move your paddle when the ball comes near, to let it bounce from the paddle. Your automated opponent will do the same, so try to beat his skills! Either of you can score a point by letting the ball go past your paddle. Whoever reaches 11 points first, wins the Pong game!

The beginnings of Pong

As mentioned before, the game has more than 50 years old history. To be exact, the Pong game was released by Atari back in 1972 in the US. This retro game is truly an original and an ice-breaker of the whole industry, as Pong is considered to be the first commercially successful video game and one of the first-ever arcade video games.

The original designer of the game, Allan Alcorn, created the game for the purpose of practice, as the co-founder thought he might need some more training. Instead, Allan's work was so impressive that the company decided to continue working on the game with the plans to release it. What made Allan's design of the game stand out was the sound effects he added when a player lost or won a point.

The first prototype of Pong was on black-and-white television, which was then put into a 1,2-meter tall wooden arcade cabinet. This first-generation Pong game machine was then installed in a local bar to test whether people would like it or not. After it got quite a lot of attention in the bar, Atari went on to pitch the game for potential manufacturers, but unfortunately, something did not work with the prototype. When Allan, the original designer, inspected the game, it turned out that the reason why the game stopped working was simply that the coin mechanism was too full of coins. After this grand success, Atari decided to manufacture the game themselves.

The road to success

The Pong arcade cabinet game was a total hit during the seventies and there were many game makers trying to copy Atari's success by making very similar games. Atari, however, felt confident after doing so well with Pong and continued releasing new games. What is more, in the upcoming years Pong also got multiple sequels, each of them offering more features to the base game. Another breakthrough for Pong came in 1975 when Atari released a Home Pong console, which allowed people to play their beloved arcade game from the comfort of their home. In the first year's holiday season alone, Atari sold around 150 thousand units of the Home Pong console. The original Atari's Pong arcade cabinets are now considered very rare and have become collectors' items.

Atari Pong was also recognized by mass media, Next-generation magazine adding Pong to its "Top 100 Games of all time" list in 1996. Moreover, Pong was featured on television series like "That 70's show", "King of the Hill" and "Saturday Night Live".

Now Atari's Pong is part of the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution, which consists of many museums and research centers in the United States, all of them keeping historic treasures and artifacts. Pong was added to the collection for the cultural impact it gave to the video game industry.

Want to play similar games?

Atari was a true pioneer in video game production and has made many classics that are loved by all generations. On our website, you can play a selection of the most popular classic Atari games for free and without any plug-ins. Almost as in the olden days! However, if you wish to discover other arcade games that will get you hooked, try out this collection of arcade games available online for free on our website. Retro classics or modern fun, we have the games you are looking for!