About Retro Pong
Retro Pong faithfully recreates the 1972 Atari original that launched the video game industry: two paddles, one ball, and a score limit to 11. Despite its simplicity, competitive Pong has genuine depth. Ball angle on rebound depends on where along the paddle it makes contact — hitting the ball with the top or bottom third of your paddle deflects it at a steeper angle than a centre hit, which is the cornerstone of placement strategy. Learning to intentionally mis-centre shots is the difference between a player who can rally and one who wins consistently.
Speed scaling is a faithful recreation of the original: each volley that stays alive adds a small velocity increment, until rallies at the 10-hit mark feel dramatically faster than the opening serve. The AI opponent runs at three difficulty settings: Easy (paddle follows ball with a 120 ms lag), Medium (70 ms lag, occasionally takes angular shots), and Hard (reacts within 20 ms and predicts ball trajectory to position in advance rather than just tracking). Hard mode is genuinely difficult to beat with a paddle-edge technique — it requires forcing the AI to commit to one side then redirecting sharply.
Two-player mode uses the same keyboard: Player 1 uses W/S keys on the left side, Player 2 uses Up/Down arrows on the right. This split-keyboard setup works comfortably on a full-size keyboard with two people sitting beside each other. Score history is displayed after each match, and a best-of-three series mode strings individual games into a match format for longer play sessions.
How to Play
- W / S — Move left paddle up and down (Player 1)
- Up / Down Arrow — Move right paddle (Player 2 or AI takes this side)
- Spacebar — Serve the ball at the start of each point
- Select AI difficulty before starting: Easy, Medium, or Hard
- Click vs AI or 2 Player mode from the menu
- First player to 11 points wins the game
Tips & Strategies
Use paddle edges to angle shots
Hitting the ball with the top or bottom third of your paddle deflects it at a steep angle. Train yourself to reposition for edge hits rather than letting the ball meet the centre every time.
Force the AI to commit then redirect
Against Hard AI, make a gentle shot toward one corner. The AI will start tracking toward it. Immediately reverse with a sharp angled cross-shot — the AI's correction lag gives you an open side.
Stay near your own centreline
Chasing the ball to the edge of the screen exposes your goal side to a fast angle return. Keep your paddle near the vertical centre and only move out when the ball commit is certain.