Atari's Pong turns table-tennis play into a simple video game, with players volleying a ball using vertically moving paddles.

Bushnell called the assignment a training exercise; Alcorn's unexpectedly polished result became Atari's breakthrough arcade hit.

Quarters packed the cabinet's cash box so tightly that the coin mechanism could not start another game.

The two knobs moved paddles vertically, giving Pong its instantly recognizable two-player control layout.