If there’s one thing modern gaming consoles are missing, it’s a stylish wood veneer finish. That’s what classic ‘80s consoles did best, and if you’re feeling nostalgic for those gaming machines of yesteryear, why not build yourself a retro version of Pong, complete with a pair of paddle controllers for two players?

Ever looked at the wireless remotes you use for shop cranes — boxy yellow things the size of shoe boxes, with industrial STOP buttons — and think they’d be perfect for controlling the world’s simplest video game? No, me neither.

Since Google acquired the artificial intelligence company DeepMind for $628 million last year, it's put the software to hard work...playing Atari 2600 video games. But no really, learning how to play 49 different Atari games showcases the promises—and the weaknesses—of DeepMind's software.

Two years ago, three German design students set out to solve the most first-world problem that ever was: what to do when waiting to cross the street. Their solution? A system that lets you play Pong with pedestrians on the other side of the street. A few years and one re-branding later, their system is bettering…

The world of videogames is a high turnover one, with new tech, stories, and characters constantly coming out. But that doesn't mean that you can't still enjoy the classics.

Today I found out "Pong" was originally meant only as a training exercise for a new gaming developer at Atari, Allan Alcorn, and wasn't intended to be released as a consumer product.

Controlling games with brainwaves is a vogue research subject—Patricia Hernandez herself tested out a demo that involved tossing trucks telekinetically—but a team of researchers have applied it to a competitive game—Pong—with the goal of allowing a paralyzed person to make the ceremonial kickoff of the 2014 World Cup.

Patrick Runte's photographs don't just imagine what old video games might look like in the real world — with blocky characters translated into three dimensions. They also imagine how those games might be played in our world — and they look like a good deal of fun.

In a publicity stunt to demonstrate just how quickly an electric car can accelerate, Smart created this unique test drive where a couple of electric Fortwos were used as controllers in a giant game of Pong.

This year, the video game turns 40. Let's call it an occasion to spend a few more hours in front of our TVs, the place where it all started.

Loathe them all you like (except when it's midnight; you've had a few drinks, and have 20 minutes to kill before your bus comes), McDonalds has done good with this billboard that lets iPhone users play Pong. It's that simple.

Firefighters have the coolest job. They get to play with fire each day and don't get in any trouble for doing so. Of all the firefighting jobs out there, the position of burn boss is by far the best.

Using the latest computer graphics is one way to make video games more life-like - but what about incorporating life itself into them?

New simulations suggest that Jupiter and Saturn may have played a bit of planet Pong with Uranus. That is, Uranus got in Saturn's orbit so it was tossed to Jupiter's orbit and then tossed back and forth until it finally settled.

If there's a video game console or dedicated game machine not covered in this epic 23-minute walkthrough, I don't want to know about it. In fact, there are plenty here that I don't recognize.

Ping! Pong! These ping pong paddles have integrated LEDs that display PING or PONG in mid-air when a player hits the ball. It's like a futuristic version of those unforgettable Adam West Batman fight scenes. Kapow!

Take an Arduino, accelerometer, and gyroscope-powered VR glove, some custom software, a projector and some funky interiors and you've got yourself the most futuristic game of Pong I've ever seen. Spoiler: the ball actually bounces off the stairs.