Virtual Pong Replaces The Ball With An Orb Of Light

Pong has aged nicely over the years, growing from that game you played with two bland paddles to its latest virtual iteration, Virtual Pong. Dubbed such by Shaper Image, this real-world version of the game ushers in a digital projected ball and two wireless paddles for hitting it, allowing players to get off the couch and compete face to face without the hassle of losing the ball or compensating for gravity. Essentially, and somewhat futuristically, it is indoor tennis played with light.

As you can see in the image above, the game revolves around a center base station of sorts (a console, Sharper calls it) that projects an orb of colored light back and forth between players. That light, obviously enough, serves as the ball, which players hit using the two "rackets".

They resemble Wii remotes to some degree, and work about the same. Gamers swipe them at the light as it nears, which bounces it back at the other player. It seems the ball is flung at random, with gamers scoring by not missing it. Two players can play at the same time, or one player on their own against the base station.

Sharper is light on the details about how the device works, saying only that the ball of light bounces off of surfaces and that the entire thing is powered off of batteries. Virtual Pong is available now from Sharper Image for $59.99 USD.

VIA: Gizmodo