Realworld physical version of Pong is faithful to the original

first_imgYou can have your fancy HTC Vive and immerse yourself in its digital worlds. But we’ll take this hand-built arcade gaming table that lets us bring Pong out of the digital world and into ours.To be clear, this is not one of those sit-down arcade cabinets like the ones you can play Pac-Man on while you enjoy a slice of pizza. In this Pong remake, the paddles and the ball are physical objects. They’re just as blocky as they were in the original game back when it was released in 1972, but they’re definitely real, three-dimensional objects.It’s also not just a cleverly-skinned air hockey table, though. A series of pulleys, belts, and strong magnets on the underside of the table move the paddles as your spin the controller. The ball’s flight is guided the same way, and the physics are remarkably similar to those in the arcade game.There’s an integrated scoreboard, and the edges of the play area are illuminated by a band of multi-colored LEDs. While the Pong table is sitting idle, they cycle through a soothing rainbow. Once play starts they go dim and revert to a more subdued state. Whenever the ball strikes the side, there’s a glorious burst of white light at the point of contact.Creator Daniel Perdomo documented the entire process over on this Facebook page. What’s next for the Pong table? It looks like Perdomo might be looking for a place to crowdfund it, which means if you lack the skills, free time, patience, or a combination of the three to hack your own Pong table together you might just be able to buy one.last_img

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