Pong — the 1972 arcade original, free in your browser

Two paddles, one ball, no instructions needed. You take the bottom paddle and slide it with a finger or the mouse; the computer takes the top one. Get the ball past it to score. Miss three and the run is over, and the number of points you managed is what goes on the board.

The opponent is not a pushover and it does not hand you anything. It works out where the ball will cross its line, wall bounces included, from the very first serve — so a ball returned down the middle comes straight back, every time. The only thing it has is a top speed, and out-running that with the angle off your paddle edge is the entire skill. It gets faster with every point you score, and the ball gains speed on every exchange of the rally, so the longer a point lasts the less time either of you has. Free, no download, and it plays identically with a thumb, a mouse or the arrow keys.

How to play

• Drag anywhere on the board to move your paddle, or use ← → / A D on a keyboard.
• Where the ball hits your paddle sets the angle — centre returns it straight, edges cut it away.
• The ball speeds up with every hit of the rally, and the opponent's top speed rises with your score.
• It never misses a ball it can reach — score by making it reach further than it can.
• Three misses ends the run. Points scored is your score; rallies are recorded beside it.

Why the edge of the paddle is the whole game

In the 1972 cabinet, Al Alcorn made one decision that turned a physics demo into a game: the ball does not bounce off the paddle like a mirror. Instead, the paddle is divided into zones, and where you make contact decides the outgoing angle. Hit it dead centre and the ball comes straight back at whatever angle it arrived. Catch it near the edge and it leaves sharply sideways. That single rule is the difference between rallying and playing, because it is the only way you can aim.

Against this opponent, aiming is the only thing there is. It already knows where the ball will arrive — it solves the trajectory, bounces included — so a ball returned straight is a ball it is lined up for before you have finished hitting it. What it cannot do is teleport. A ball cut hard to the far corner asks its paddle to cross most of the board inside the ball's flight time, and that is a race it can lose. The way you score is not by hitting harder, it is by making the ball travel further sideways than the paddle can in the same time. Watch where it sits when you make contact, and hit away from it.

This is also why long rallies are dangerous rather than safe. Every exchange adds speed, and a faster ball cuts the flight time for both of you — which shrinks the opponent's reach, but shrinks your reaction window by exactly as much. Trading safe returns down the middle just hands the initiative to the side that does not have to think. Take the angle early, while the ball is still slow enough that you can place it.

And remember that a paddle you are still moving imparts nothing here — unlike air hockey, speed comes only from the rally, so there is no reward for swinging at it. Position early, hold still, and pick your corner.

More games

More reflex arcade: Brick Breaker (the same paddle, one player), Dino Run, or the Aim Trainer. Or browse all games.