Technabob » pong

Game Point Art Print: How I See Myself

Lambert Varias — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 20:00:13 +0000

A videogame is the only form of art that can not only simulate an experience but immerse its audience through interaction. That simulation is of course flawed and limited – Daigo Umehara wouldn’t stand a chance against a real martial artist – but still. A few hours into a game and more often than not, our description of gameplay won’t be in terms of pushing a button or moving a joystick. It’s about catching someone in your weapon’s sights, working hard to gather materials for our next masterpiece, beating the buzzer. I think this illustration by Bradley Oesch sums it up neatly.

You can order the Game Point art print on Society6 for $16-$45(USD). It’s also available as a stretched canvas or as a laptop skin.

[via it8bit]

Digital Pong Table Takes Four Players on a Boring Retro Adventure

Shane McGlaun — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 16:46:36 +0000

When I was a kid my dad owned a car lot. One day, he came home with the Pong game that the had taken as a down payment on a car. That Pong game was as boring then when it was new as it is now, but it certainly started something for a bunch of gamers like me growing up in the 80′s. A geek named Brad has taken it upon himself to build a new four person Pong coffee tablet and it looks cool.

Good looks aside, the thing is still pretty boring to play. The builder used four controllers with the knob on top that rotates from an old Atari to control the table. It supports up to five balls at one time on the screen, which makes thing slightly more interesting than the original.

It doesn’t use a modern LCD screen either. The game board is made using LEDs arranged in a grid. The display has 900 LEDs total in a 30 x 30 matrix. The table is controlled by an 8-bit microprocessor at 8MHz and power comes from four AA batteries.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

[via Instructables]

A Little Bit World: Classic Video Game Characters Make The World Their Stage

Lambert Varias — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 12:14:41 +0000

Made by Jonas and Simon Schwarzer, A Little Bit World sees classic video game characters emerge from a question mark block. It’s practically the low-budget version of Pixels by onemoreprod and Patrick Jean, though I wouldn’t call it a rip-off.

The animation is perfect, and it’s nice to see other games like Worms and Lemmings share the spotlight with the heavyweights:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

If you touch Pac-Man’s mouth, you deserve whatever happens next. You can download the soundtrack at Rams Le Prince’s website. It’s the one called Russian Stealth Fighter Test Flight.

[via Gamefreaks]

Wise Clock 3: DIY Pong Clock for Under $100

Range — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 14:05:48 +0000

While initially I thought that this was a Pong clock, it’s actually much cooler: it’s a DIY Pong clock. It combines many of my obsessions, including DIY, retro video games, and digital clocks.

This LED Wise Clock 3 by florinc is really cool. It’s got a bi-color LED matrix display and runs on an Arduino controller. It will tell you the time while it plays a game of Pong. Sadly, people can’t play Pong on this DIY LED clock; you have to let the Arduino do its thing.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The Wise Clock 3 kit costs $62 (USD), plus you’ll need to spend another $30 or so on a Sure Electronics 3216 LED display too. If you’re not interested in building a clock, florinc offers a completely assembled (but slightly older model) – the Wise Clock 2 for $125. Hopefully, he’ll start offering the new version assembled too.

[via Hackaday]

Bsod Belt and Pong Belts Are Perfect for Those Dressy Geek Occasions

Shane McGlaun — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 20:17:03 +0000

I will admit to an irrational fear of writing BSOD, saying BSOD, or thinking BSOD. I think Windows sits waiting like HAL for us to utter the word and then offers up the dreaded blue screen out of spite. How many times have we all been cut off in the middle of typing a word only to be greeted with the BSOD? So far, so good, my computer is still worki

Ok, I’m back. If you don’t share my irrational fear of the dreaded blue screen of death, you might find this belt interesting. The buckle has the BSOD error printed on it and the belt is some sort of woven material. You can also get the belt with Pong on the buckle.

It’s hard to believe that Pong was so popular once. If either of the belts tickles your fancy, you can order them up for $15 (USD) each. The buckle apparently uses a friction type buckle. Just beware; I heard one kid was cut in half while wearing this sort of belt when he kept pulling the belt trying to get it to release only to make it tighter each time.

[via BoingBoing]

Monochron Pong Clock is a Lot Geekier Than It Looks Like

Lambert Varias — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:54:40 +0000

Sander Mulder made a Pong Clock way back in 2005, but Limor Fried of Adafruit Industries ups the ante with the Monochron, a Pong-themed clock for tinkerers. If you want to have one you better know how to solder, because the Monochron will be delivered to you unassembled, and by that I mean you’ll have to install all the resistors and capacitors yourself.

By default, the Monochron can not only display the time – and a game of Pong that will literally go on until the end of time – but the date and year as well. It can also be used as an alarm clock, and the contrast of the LCD is adjustable. If your modding and hacking skills go way beyond basic soldering, you’ll be happy to know that it’s made to be “easily hackable”.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

You can get the Monochron kit at Adafruit Industries’ online store for $80 (USD).

[via Retro Thing]

Sportpong: Tennis + Football + Nerds

Lambert Varias — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 14:09:00 +0000

Sportpong is a Nintendo-like take on the classic game, requiring physical movement to block or hit a virtual ball. But instead of using their hands, players put on paddles in the form of reflectors on each feet and play on a projected field.

Projectors beam down the field, while a camera tracks the movement of the reflector. The Sportpong software was built using vvvv, a “multipurpose tool kit for real time video synthesis.”

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Frankly I’d rather play with an actual football, but then that wouldn’t be nerdy at all.

[via The Awesomer]

Tabletop Pong: More Fun to Build Than to Play

Lambert Varias — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:47:05 +0000

The Evil Mad Scientists are at it again, flexing their brains and soldering stuff in their lab-or-a-to-ry. Their latest creation still does not make them evil or mad, just creative, resourceful and geeky. They’re trying to make a real world version of one of the oldest video games, PONG. Did they succeed? Yes and no. Read on to find out.

Before they came up with the working prototype you see above, the Evil Mad Scientists did a brief analysis of what the hell PONG really is: it’s “a game somewhere between pinball and ping pong: Two players each have a single knob that controls the position of a paddle along a short track.” So they got a couple of tracks, and laser-cut plywood pieces to make two paddles, which would be moved back and forth by a timing belt.

“Using the paddles, they bounce the ball back and forth and try not to miss the ball, lest the other player score a point. The paddle surfaces are curved, so that the ball reflects in different directions depending on the position of impact.” For the curved paddles, they attached a quarter-section of a 1-inch thick PVC pipe to the plywood pieces.

Hardware nerds will notice the pusher solenoids attached to each plywood piece. They’ve been modified and installed with a spring so that they’ll bounce back. The solenoids are needed because the third element of PONG is the pair of powered paddles: “the paddles are powered, so that the ball keeps a fairly constant velocity between the two sides, and the speed gradually increases as the game is played.”

The next element of PONG is the playing field, which “is level and has a dotted line down the middle, and the scores are displayed on either side of that line.” So they made the field, and created a score wheel out of engraveable plastic:

Finally, the top and bottom walls of the PONG playing field are “springy”, so that the ball can bounce off of them. To achieve the elastic wall effect, the Scientists glued beryllium copper finger strips (yeah, I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about anymore either) along the border of each wall. For final touches, they added a rubber grip to the knobs, and of course got a ball – in this case, a 1-1/4″ steel ball bearing.

I imagine that was a fun afternoon! Scrounging for materials, laser cutting, hacking and modding, sawing and drilling, and just plain nerding out with their hands. That’s what they live for. But what about tabletop PONG itself?

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

That was freakin’ pathetic, and the Scientists knew it. They forgot about the fourth element of PONG: the level playing field. That ruined everything. Also, either the force exerted by the solenoids was too weak, or the ball was too heavy. Bottom line is, that prototype doesn’t look fun to play with at all.

I know that the Evil Mad Scientists will tweak their design until they come up with something worth playing, so before you check out their full walkthrough and Flickr photoset, let’s try to help ‘em out and give them suggestions okay? I’ll go first: make the playing field a bit larger, and come up with a way to automate the scoring; maybe you can install an IR detector on the left and right edges (that’s the only way to score anyway, when the ball goes past the opponents’ side) and motorize (or better yet digitize) the score wheel. And maybe use a ball and/or surface made of different materials to see what the best combination would be like. Finally: Air Hockey. That’s what PONG is like.

Pong Prom: the Gamer’S Way of Asking Someone to Dance

Lambert Varias — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 12:42:00 +0000

Ed Keeble must be smitten with a fellow gamer, because there is no way that his gimmick would work with other people. The aforementioned gimmick is Pong Prom, and here’s how it works: “Participants don specially-designed hoodies and engage in a game of Pong by slow dancing with each other.” Oooookay. I love video games more than food and I still think this is a weird idea. Cute, yes, but also weird.

Each of the two hoodies is equipped with a Lilypad Arduino, a microcontroller specially designed for wearables and textiles. The Arduinos handle the gameplay, the display and the communication. The patches of conductive fabric on the hoodies serve to connect the Arduinos, while an accelerometer attached to the back of the neck makes the “engage in a game of Pong by slow dancing” bit possible.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Keeble is working on a how-to for the Pong Prom, so if you think this will impress your (prospective) partner, bookmark his website and be on the lookout for the guide. I hear Keeble’s next project will be Dance Dance Prom aka Dance Hero, where you’ll have to execute dance moves as they appear on your partner’s shirt’s screen. And yes, I just made that up.

[via likecool]

Play Pong on Your Living Room Walls

Technabob — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:22:16 +0000

After a long day of immersed in a round of Uncharted 2, sometimes it’s nice to take a break from those cinematic next-gen 3D graphics and get back to basics. And there’s nothing quite as primitive as a good old game of Pong.

These wall decals let you transform any wall into a larger-than-life Pong screen. They’re perfect for video game and media rooms, and will look great alongside your PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii. They’re available in a variety of colors, and the set sells for $55 bucks (USD) over at VinylWallDesign’s Etsy shop.

And what’s with the eight-to-nothing score? Did somebody’s paddle break?

Tetris + Pong = Tetripong

Technabob — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 13:38:48 +0000

Hey, you got your Pong in my Tetris! Say, you got you Tetris in my Pong! Wait a second? Are these two great tastes that taste great together?

That’s what coder Jayenkai thought when he built Tetripong, a major mashup between the two retro classic games. While the objective of the game is basically the same as Tetris – stacking blocks neatly together – you have to deal with pesky Pong balls bouncing around and mucking up your handiwork. If it sounds weird, that’s because it is. Maybe this video clip will help you understand what’s going on:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Ready to play? Download the Tetripong game installer now (Windows only). And while you’re at it, you might want to check out Centipong too.

[via Superlevel]

Classic Video Games as They were Never Supposed to be

Alisha K. — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:18:56 +0000

We may have moved past the blocky look of pixels in modern gaming, but the designs of squares on squares that mark classic games continue to have special places in the hearts of gamers. But what if those storied jaggy characters and interfaces were thrust into the real world?

With his Jump ‘n’ Run series, photographer Patrick Runte aims to bring the pixels out into the park… or the hedge maze, as it were. The series includes Tetris, Pong, and Space Invaders, though not quite as you might expect to see them. A few of the images are collected here, but there are even more at Runte’s site, from this and other projects.

Now we just need to convince someone to build games from these concepts. If LEGO-everything can work, so can this!

[via GameSetWatch]

Pong Hat, for Playing the Classic Game With Your Eyebrows

Alisha K. — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 12:23:20 +0000

Oh, that Arduino. Is there anything you can’t accomplish with an Arduino and a little bit of know-how? Whether your project is of a serious nature, or dedicated to playing Pong with your eyebrows–like this one is–the potential here seems limitless.

But let’s get back to that eyebrow thing.

The Ponghatduino project is designed to allow the user–er, wearer–to play Pong against themselves by using the hat, and its pressure against your forehead, as the control input. Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? Ridiculous and yet completely awesome. This is all about novelty, folks, not brain surgery.

And, if you’re of a DIY-mindset yourself, this looks pretty simple to assemble, though you’ll have to bring your own hat.

[via Instructables]

8-Bit Video Game Neckties Probably Won’t Pass as Formalwear

Technabob — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 12:35:32 +0000

I’ve made it my goal in life to never have another job where I have to wear a suit and tie to work. But if I ever find myself in that situation again, I know exactly what I’m showing up to the office wearing around my neck.

These retro video gamer ties are perfect for making a statement when you don’t want to wear the boring old blue tie that you’ve got sitting in your dresser drawer. Wild Ties makes these neckties in Tetris, Pong, Space Invaders or Asteroids versions so you’re covered whether you’re looking for something colorful, or would rather go with something more minimal and monochromatic.

All four retro game ties are available over on Amazon for $24.95 (USD) each. And if you’re looking for a more generic 8-bit tie, there’s you can always try this one on for size.

Foldskool Heroes: They’Re Boxy but They’Re Good

Technabob — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 12:37:25 +0000

Got mad paper, scissor and tape skills? How about a fondness for old school video games and computers? Then have I got a fun afternoon project for you.

Graphic designer Marshall Alexander’s cutout characters includes a veritable menagerie fantastical creatures and critters all made from boxy paper cutouts, but his latest series, Foldskool Heroes 3, has got to be my favorite. These fun papercraft creations are anthropomorphic renditions of classic systems of our childhood. Heroes 3 includes the C64, an Atari 2600 and a loving tribute to Nolan Bushnell, Pong.

The best part is that Marshall offers up precise PDF templates for each of his paper toy designs, letting you make your own with those office supplies you stole from work. Head on over to Marshall’s site and print some out now!

[via NOTCOT via theawesomer]

Pong Watch Will Entertain You on Long Bus Rides

Karen M. — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:20:31 +0000

This homemade Pong watch will entertain you with retro gaming moves while informing you of the time.

The idea is inspired by Buro Vormkrijgers and his Pong Clock. You can’t control the game, but rather it’s a Pong game in which every minute the right side scores a point, and each hour the left side scores a point. The effect is that the score of the game is the time.

John Maushammer has spent a fair amount of time and energy on this, and has thoughfully shared not only a build log, but also, the technical plans and a whole series of movies showing the progress. Check out this nifty demo video to take a closer look at the watch.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

This is hot, hot, so very very hot! And how much do you love the name “Maushammer?”

[via NotCot]

Arkanoid Cross Stitch More Fun Than Actually Playing Arkanoid

Karen M. — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 18:03:16 +0000

Do you remember the classic video game Arkanoid? Some people do, and rather fondly, as evidenced by this elaborate cross stitched homage to it.

I’m not sure what’s up with the Philip K. Dick quote on there but I’m sure there’s a good reason for it. Artist Eunice Szpillman was asked to do the artwork for the Spanish video game mag SuperJuegos Xtreme. She documented the process with her iPhone camera.

Me, I always found Arkanoid a little boring. I mean, it’s essentially Pong with a couple more colors and an annoying high-pitched song. If you’re feeling pangs of rose-colored nostalgia about it, play a round or two and I bet you’ll agree with me.

[via Craft:]

Ipong: Multi-Player Pong on the iPhone

Technabob — Fri, 30 May 2008 04:18:24 +0000

This nifty proof-of-concept demo shows off just one of the many gameplay possibilities for multi-player video games on Apple’s wonderphone.

iPong is a variant of Atari’s classic paddle ball game, with a multi-device, multi-player twist. Using some clever trickery, players can actually bounce their ball off of their iPhone’s screen onto the display of another phone. While the game can’t actually detect the proximity of the devices at this point, it does appear to store the exit position of the ball on one screen and transmit that as the entrance point on the adjacent screen.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Given the fact that it only took the guy who developed iPong a couple of hours to put this game demo together, I can’t wait to see what sort of games emerge when there’s actually time to design and develop. Very cool stuff indeed.

[via Waxy via TUAW]

Pong Arcade Machine Up for Bid

Technabob — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 19:53:37 +0000

Here’s a rare find over on eBay. It’s an early PONG machine, circa 1973. The game was made by SYZYGY for Atari. The machine is in surprisingly good condition for an arcade game made nearly 35 years ago.

Sure, there are some nicks and dings on the cabinet, but that’s what’s gives it some charm. According to the machine’s internal mechanical counter, it’s had just over 12,000 plays (which works out to about one play a day over the course of its life). I had no idea how cheezy the innards of these systems were, but I guess that’s how they built ‘em.

The seller opened up bidding for the auction at just $1.20 (based on the original .25 cents per game adjusted for inflation). Now we all know it won’t sell for anywhere near that price (bidding is already up to $355, and the auction doesn’t end until September 18th.)

If you want to own a real piece of video game history, this is definitely worth a bid. The machine is located at the Microsoft offices in Redmond, WA, so if you happen to live in the Pacific Northwest, you’re in luck. Otherwise, shipping this thing is possible, but definitely a challenge.

[Auction Listing via GameSniped]

Playing Pong on a 500 Square Foot Display

Technabob — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 23:13:04 +0000

Some guys from a theatrical lighting supplier decided to crank up their fancy LED light curtain with a little round of Atari’s classic 1970′s arcade game, PONG.

The light curtains create a digital grid using thousands of individual LEDs. Two panels were used together to create a display that measures in at over 16-feet tall and 33-feet wide, making it the biggest game of PONG I’ve ever seen.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

The folks over at Creative Stage Lighting normally use these LED curtains for concerts and other events, but I can’t think of a better use than a good old game of electronic paddleball.