Pong
What is Pong?
How did Atari first learn that players liked Pong?
How did Pong help video games reach families?
How did Atari resolve the patent dispute over Pong?
Pong, pioneering arcade video game released by the American game manufacturer Atari, Inc., in 1972. Based on table tennis, the game allows two players to control paddles on opposite sides of a screen and return a moving ball. Launched by Atari on November 29, 1972, Pong became the first commercially successful arcade video game and helped bring electronic gaming to a mass audience.
Development and arcade success
American engineer Ralph Baer’s work on video games played on television sets led to the Magnavox Odyssey, a home video game console released in 1972 that included a table tennis game. Atari was founded that year by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. After seeing the Odyssey demonstrated, Bushnell asked Atari engineer Allan Alcorn to develop a table tennis video game. Alcorn designed Pong with simple controls that allowed players to move paddles vertically and return a ball across the screen. The game was first tested at Andy Capp’s Tavern in Sunnyvale, California. Its popularity became apparent when the prototype’s coin receptacle filled so quickly within days of being installed that the machine stopped accepting additional quarters. Pong also earned substantially more each day than the other coin-operated games at the tavern. Atari subsequently began manufacturing Pong arcade cabinets, and by 1974 it had sold more than 8,000 machines.
Pong for homes and the Magnavox patent dispute
In 1975 Atari introduced a version of Pong designed for home televisions. Sold through Sears under its Tele-Games brand, the dedicated console let families play without visiting an arcade. Its success helped establish a market for home video game systems.
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The resemblance between Pong and the Magnavox Odyssey’s table tennis game led to a patent dispute. Magnavox, whose technology was based on Ralph Baer’s earlier work, brought legal action against Atari and other manufacturers. Atari settled with Magnavox and obtained a license to use the relevant patents, avoiding a trial. Pong remained an important early commercial success even as new video games and gaming systems entered the market.