aka: Barrel-Pong, Dr. Pong, Pong In-A-Barrel, Puppy Pong, Snoopy Pong, Tele-Games: Pong
Moby ID: 64135
- Overview
- Credits
- Reviews
- Covers
- Screenshots
- Videos
- Promos
- Trivia
- Specs
- Releases
- Patches
- Prices
- Forum
- Contribute
- Released
- November 1972 on Arcade
- Credits
- 1 person
- Releases by Date (by platform)
-
- 1972 (Arcade)
- 1975 (Dedicated console)
- 2004 (Windows)
- 2020 (KaiOS)
- 2023 (Antstream)
- Publishers
-
- Atari, Inc.
- Hunter Electronics Pty., Ltd.
- Sears, Roebuck and Co.
- TOPICS Entertainment, Inc.
- Atari, Inc.
- Developers
-
- Atari, Inc.
- Moby Score
-
6.8
#15,678 of 24.6K - Critics
- 86% (3)
- Players
- (30)
- Review Ranking
-
- #126 on Arcade
- Collected By
- 41 players
- Genre
- Action
Sports - Perspective
- Top-down
- Gameplay
- Arcade
Paddle / Pong - Interface
- Direct control
- Sport
- Ping pong / table tennis
Arcade Specs
- Input Devices Supported/Optional
- Paddles
- Multiplayer Options
- Same/Split-Screen
- Number of Offline Players
- 2 Players [ view all 10 specs ]
Included in
- Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration (2022)
- Atari Arcade 1 (2021)
- Atari Arcade Hits: Volume 1 (1999)
- Atari Flashback Classics (2018)
- Atari: 80 Classic Games in One! (2003)
See Also
- Pong (1976 on Dedicated console)
- Pong (1977 on Apple II)
- Pong (1977 on HP Programmable Calculator)
- Pong (1980 on Commodore PET/CBM)
- Pong (1992 on Atari 8-bit)
- Pong (1992 on Amiga)
- Pong (1995 on DOS)
- Pong (1996 on DOS)
- Pong (2016 on Windows)
Description
If you've been playing video games for more than a few years, you've probably at least heard the name "Pong" before. Atari's Pong is the first video game in history to truly become commercially successful. Pong is a simple game using analog circuitry and black and white graphics. It is a tennis simulation. The court is a black screen, the two sides separated by a dotted white line going down the middle. You control a paddle represented by a white line. One paddle is on each side of the screen, player one on the left, and player two on the right. Each players' scores are displayed above their paddles.
Spellings
- 컴퓨터 TV - 1976 Korean spelling
Groups +
- Pong series
- Pong variants
- Tele-Games series
Screenshots
Credits (Arcade version)
| Designed by |
|
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 86% (based on 3 ratings)
Players
Average score: 3.2 out of 5 (based on 30 ratings with 1 reviews)
The game that revolutionized the amusem*nt industry
The Good
When it was released 14 years later, it was the only game that stood out in the arcades. It was a wooden cabinet painted yellow all around, and the monitor was encased inside an upside-down trapezoid. The attract mode in the game just features the ball ricocheting off both sides of the black-and-white CRT monitor. A space-aged logo with no artwork served as the marquee.
I like how Pong is based around a simple concept. Two players pass a ball between them, and attempt to score a point by making their opponent miss. It is like tennis, only there is no such thing as “love”, “all”, or “deuce”. Also, the game is quite short: only 11 points needed for a win (or 15, depending on the position of the dip switches). The game can also do one player, but this would involve operating both knobs.
For a game released in the early '70s, Pong's graphics were not that bad for the time. The paddles are located on both sides of the screen, with a dashed vertical line in the center of the screen, representing the net which the ball spawns from. It was also the only machine that stood out. There are sound effects in the game, but they play a minor role. They are heard when you score a point, hit the ball with the paddle, and when the ball hits the bottom of the screen.
The Bad
Nothing.
The Bottom Line
If you know how to play tennis, you should how to play Atari's first game. Although the graphics and sound were primitive, they were good for the time. Just like
released 11 years later, Pong machines were installed in bars and taverns, where it was a hit with the patrons. Atari released several sequels over the years, and there were dedicated home consoles such as Nintendo's TV-Game 6. In conclusion: timeless!
Arcade · by Katakis | カタキス (43086) · 2018
Discussion
| Subject | By | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Atari's PONG for TV in Radio-Electronics Dec. 1975 | Andrew Fisher (697) | May 18, 2023 |
Trivia
1001 Video Games
Pong appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.
Awards
- EGM
- November 1997 (Issue 100) - ranked #1 (Titles That Revolutionized Console Gaming)
- The Strong National Museum of Play
- 2015 – Introduced into the World Video Game Hall of Fame
Analytics
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Rotating Pong
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Name of the Game
Released 1976 on Dedicated console
Identifiers +
- MobyGames ID: 64135 [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Michael Cassidy.
Dedicated console added by Kabushi. Antstream added by lights out party. Windows added by big jim. KaiOS added by pinklessence.
Additional contributors: Alaka, vedder, FatherJack, SoMuchChaotix.
Game added May 7, 2014. Last modified June 1, 2024.
