Kotaku: Pong

Police Academy Star Beeps and Boops His Way Through Video Game Sound-Effects History

Pierre Bienaimé — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:30:00 EST

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Join Michael Winslow—the noise-making star from Police Academy—on a cursory run through The History of Videogame SFX. Indeed the video is far from exhaustive, going from the blips of Pong (1972) to those of Portal (2007) without much in between: just a few other arcade legends and shooters. All sounds like a bunch of noise to me, but it's still a lot of fun! More »

This 8-Bit Atari Homage Takes the 'Cake'

Pierre Bienaimé — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 18:30:00 EST

If you can steel yourself for a post-modern jumble of space exploration and robotic sing-song, Upside Down Cake's "Star Strike" offers a neat walk through Atari antiquity. Some of these games certainly deserve the homage. More »

Let Pong Explain the Occupy Wall Street Movement to you

Evan Narcisse — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 13:40:00 EST

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Maybe you don't quite know what all the Occupy Wall Street fuss is about. May you don't care. The MK12 creative collective does, though, and they've used the Atari classic Pong to illustrate the basic philosophy of the social protest movement. The changes happen slowly at first in the video. Things seem evenly matched, even if one side keeps on winning. Then, you look up and the financial and institutional unfairness that the Occupy movement is protesting is made manifest in the giant size of the right paddle. You can probably figure out the rest. More »

The Simplest Video Game Legos

Stephen Totilo — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 16:00:00 EST

It doesn't take many Lego pieces to make these video game icons, as seen on Encaja en CAMON's Flickr stream. More »

These Lego People Liked The Older Games

Stephen Totilo — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 16:00:00 EST

Flickr user Sirekat likes to take Lego mini-figures out on the town. To the Louvre. To the Centre Pompidou. To the artsy places in Paris, including a museum for video games, seen here. More »

Atari Founder Was "Stupid" To Sell The Company

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 08:30:00 EDT

In 1972, Nolan Bushnell founded Atari. The company would go on to define video games during the 1970s. And just when things were getting good, Bushnell sold the company in 1976 to Time Warner — a move he now regrets. More »

The Evolution of Game Controllers

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 23:00:00 EDT

Scott Johnson chronicles the long strange trip from Pong paddle to motion-sensed human, leaving the commentary up to you. As seen on ExtraLife. Thanks, Jon! More »

The Video Game Alphabet

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 06:30:00 EDT

A is for Apple. B is for Bastard. C is for Carrot, and D is for...DualShock 2? More »

A Short History Of Gay In Video Games

Brian Ashcraft — Sat, 15 May 2010 13:00:00 EDT

As seen on GoNintendo. More »

The Best Way To Brick Your Console (And Have It Still Play Pong)

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 19:40:00 EDT

Guus Oosterbaan's dedicated Pong console, encased in cement, as seen on the creator's blog, via Make and Gizmodo. More »

Eyeball-Controlled Pong Could Be Breakthrough for Disabled Gamers

Owen Good — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EDT

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Engineering students in London have developed a controller that enables eye-controlled movements in a video game, signaling the possibility someday for people with severe physical disabilities to enjoy video games for the first time. More »

Who Remembers Their First Gaming Experience?

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 01:30:00 EDT

This Tuesday was a very important day. It was the first day my 1 and a-half-year-old son played his first video game. More »

gnop Let's You Be. The. Ball.

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 21:00:00 EST

How many times can the classic paddle game Pong be reinvented? The answer is now "one more" with the release of gnop, in which you control the ball, not the paddles, each screen a unique, sometimes difficult challenge. [gnop] More »

The History Of The World Of Video Game Music

Mike Fahey — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 12:40:00 EST

If the history of video games from the Atari 2600 to the Super Nintendo were turned into a musical, this would be its soundtrack. More »

Video Game Quintet Captures The Essence Of Pong

Mike Fahey — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 12:20:00 EDT

We've seen video game musical performances in the past, but none that have managed to convey the underlying sense of despair so prevalent in Pong as this particular quintet. More »

Pong, Kinky Boots, Whips, Sexy Times

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 05:30:00 EDT

Here's one way to sauce up a game of Pong: have you play the game using a pair of pointy boots. And if you lose, you get whipped. Literally. Confused? Let this creepy British man explain. More »

Atari Founder Returns To Development With Battleswarm

Mike Fahey — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:20:00 EDT

Nolan Bushnell, creator of Pong and founder of Atari, returns to game development with Battleswarm: Field of Honor, a real-time strategy / first-person shooter hybrid he describes as "a mash-up between StarCraft and Starship Troopers." More »

Ever See One Hundred Sheep Play Pong Before?

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 08:30:00 EDT

This ad for Samsung is trying to sell us on the benefits of an LED TV. Instead, it's selling us on the benefits of buying a camera and lots and lots of sheep. More »

Ikaruga & Pong Swap Polarities In Pong-Karuga

Luke Plunkett — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:00:00 EST

"GoS-CPT-Stewart" is a student at game design school Full Sail. As part of his studies, he had to make a Pong clone. So he took Pong and mixed it with, of all things, Ikaruga. More »

Atari Founder's Restaurant Is Not So Good

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:00:00 EST

The idea of restaurant uWink sounds great: Arcade meets bar. Ironic because American arcades started in bars! Even more ironic because the guy who founded uWink, Nolan Bushnell, kick started American video game arcades with Atari's PONG. uWink is outfitted with flatscreen TVs that patrons can use to order food and drinks and to play casual games. Like we said, great in concept. More »

Proto-Pong Honored at Nuclear Laboratory

Owen Good — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 15:00:00 EST

Some might think the men who wrote what is credited as the first video game ever, Tennis for Two, might regret not patenting his work. If they did, however, the United States government would have owned that patent. And it's fascinating to consider the Department of Energy as a founding investor in the multibillion-dollar video gaming industry of present times. More »

Pong Finally Ported To Whiteboards

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:40:56 EST

Pong, the classic table tennis video game, has been "ported" to just about everything. Tables, clocks, dresses, slot machines, t-shirts, watches... it seems there are few things that haven't been Pong-ed. Today we can add one more: whiteboards, a mainstay of corporate meeting rooms and cubicles. It may be painfully slow, the opportunities to cheat rampant, but still... ooh, aah! Our new president elect is gonna love it. More »

Barack Obama? Former Pong Lover

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 07:00:00 EDT

Barack Obama is a politician. He's running for president! In a probing interview with Entertainment Weekly, the publication has a hard-hitting and probing interview with Obama. Things like what Obama thought of Shrek 3, his favorite sitcoms and what's on his iPod. Here's the obligatory video games question: More »

The Daily Show Tackles Presidential Campaign Games

Michael McWhertor — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:40:00 EDT

Presidential hopeful John McCain is targeting the ~~directionless couch potato~~ youth vote with video games. Poorly. Barack Obama, on the other hand, is doing a kick ass job of it, according to The Daily Show. Unless we're mishearing things, Master Obama is sporting the "Yes We Cannon" in his campaign game, something that's not out of the realm of possibility — and sensibility — when you're holding a quarter of a billion dollars in campaign funds. Do not click through if you're offended by abortion humor. More »

Nolan Bushnell Doesn't Want To Mess with 47-Button Controllers

Brian Ashcraft — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:00:00 EDT

Nolan Bushnell (pictured) is a casual guy. As the Atari founder likes to point out, his games were easy to pick up and play, but difficult to master. And the controls for something like, I dunno, Pong? SIMPLE. Says Bushnell: More »

Nolan Bushnell Talks His 600 Trillion Games, Pong Dates

Leigh Alexander — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EDT

Atari founder Nolan Bushnell recently talked to GameDaily about his uWink business, a growing chain of restaurants that feature touch terminals on every table - not only do they let users order their food that way, but they can also play games together. More »

Leonardo DiCaprio to Star in Atari Movie?

Owen Good — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 16:00:00 EDT

OK, OK, kinda misleading headline — his production company is producing "Atari" a biopic about Nolan Bushnell, Pong's developer and Atari's founder. Paramount bought the rights yesterday. Indications are that he will star, but not knowing the story yet, I don't know if that means he would play Bushnell or, perhaps, another character through whom the story of Bushnell and Atari is presented. More »

Pong Table Blends The Real With The Virtual

Brian Crecente — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:00:00 EDT

I am a creature of basic interests. I love Space Invaders. I love Pong. In fact I own the first pair of Invader shoes and one of those limited edition Pong clocks, so when I saw this table I got way too excited... judging by the absolute silence that greeted my enthusiasm when I shared this with the others in Kotaku Tower. More »

Choose Your Own Adventure: Pong

Owen Good — Sat, 31 May 2008 13:00:00 EDT

Back in November we pointed you to Pac-Txt, Pac-Man as a text adventure. Now we deliver you Pong rendered as a 180-page Choose Your Own Adventure book. It's like someone sat around thinking "Hey, you know that game Pong? What if we could make it even slower and more boring. But admit it, you're intrigued. And you can read the entire thing after the jump. More »

C-C-C-Combo Game Breaker!

ogood — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT

Hey! You got your Pong in my Breakout! You got your arm rasslin' in my Tetris! I swear, the only way to make ~~boring~~ classic video games playable and entertaining in modern times is to rig them to insane controls or pair them with another classic. Here are two. More »

Atari Founder Working On An MMO

Luke Plunkett — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:20:00 EST

Nolan Bushnell created Pong. He founded Atari. And Chuck E Cheese. So, yes, he is a great man. He's also a man who fancies he knows where there's money to be made when it comes to videogames, which is why he let slip during an interview at GDC that he's working on an MMO. No further info than that, sorry, but he does say that "as compelling as World of Warcraft is, it too shall find that there are other ways to play a game". So long as it involves rolling a character that can pull off smoking a pipe in a hot tub, I'm in. More »

Nolan Bushnell Reminisces On NPR

Mark Wilson — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 14:00:32 EST

For those who may not have wasted away the weekend with a bottle of Jack and their favorite National Public Radio programming, Atari founder Nolan Bushnell made an appearance to celebrate the 35th anniversary of PONG. In his short interview, he talked about things like the public reaction to Pong "How does the tv station know what I've turned this knob?" before taking a few shots at the violent and complex games that followed. Listening to the interview feels a lot like eating the comforting, nostalgic food that only your mom could make right, and then cracking a carton of decade-old, freezer burned ice cream for dessert. Still, it's worth a listen. More »

Finally, Tetris On A (Fake) Watch

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 17:40:22 EST

The good news about this watch, with Tetris built-in, is that it looks just as playable as its Pong-playing counterpart. The bad news? They don't exist. These Nixon branded concept watches were knocked up by French product designer Lysandre Follet and are shown animated form at the link below. Music is included for maximum authenticity. More »

Pong Slot Machine Pays Out More With Pong Prowess

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 18:20:23 EDT

Bally, former maker of fabulous pinball tables, has introduced something new the world of slots with its Skill Series line of machines, the first of which is based on the classic paddle game Pong. While most slot machines are based on nothing but chance, Pong breaks new ground with its skill-based pay outs. During a 45-second bonus round, a random occurrence, gamblers will be able to play a round of old school Pong. Performing better naturally gives you a higher pay out. Even if you're clueless behind the paddles, you'll still get something, but power Pong players may walk away with a bit more of their cash. More »

Iraq Vet Writes Of His Return Home, Return To Gaming

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 21:20:00 EDT

The New York Times has been running a series of opinion pieces under the "Home Fires" banner, in which U.S. military veterans of the Iraq War write of returning to their lives after serving overseas. While some lean toward the intense, including contributions from a soldier blinded in a roadside bomb attack and one from a vet who responded to a bloody police station bombing, the most recent from former Marine Jeffrey D. Barnett writes simply of his love of gaming. It's not filled with earth-shattering revelations or the unique insight that only a Marine hardened by battle can provide, it's simply a thoughtful, down to earth op-ed from a rational gamer, one who just happens to be a foreign war vet. More »

Public Play Pong Dress

Mark Wilson — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 14:00:39 EDT

Atari Classics Evolve

Mike Fahey — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:30:23 EDT

Not just another retro arcade title compilation that screws with the classics with often hilarious results, Atari Classics Evolved for the PSP is over 70 games in one! Not only do you get 11 classic Atari arcade titles like Asteroids, Battlezone, Tempest, Super Breakout, and Pong in both original and evolved versions, but you also get more than 60 Atari 2600 classics. Over 60 games that were once a whole lot of fun but now only amuse for a good minute before that "Hey, I remember this!" feeling wears off. Games so simple you can close your eyes and accurately play them using only your imagination. Hell, they might even be better that way. Having said that, I still plan on picking up the compilation when it hits this fall, if only for the joy of peer-to-peer wireless Pong. More »

Atari Pong Commercial

fdemarco — Sun, 22 Jul 2007 11:00:00 EDT

Holy smokes! I think I may have just found one of the oldest home video game commercials in existence. Before the 2600, Atari came out with a home version of Pong which was making a huge splash in arcades and bars across the country and this is the ad they made for it. More »

T&A Pong

Brian Crecente — Fri, 04 May 2007 17:00:12 EDT

Father of Video Games "Had Enough" of New Fangled Gaming

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 07:00:25 EDT

Game site Gamasutra has a fantastic interview up with Father of Video Games Ralph Baer. Besides developing Pong, he also created the first commercial console (the Magnavox: Odyssey) and was the brains behind the first light gun. What does he think of today's games? Says Baer: More »