What is Pong?

The classic arcade game — bounce the ball past your opponent's paddle to score. Play against the computer with adjustable AI difficulty, challenge a friend in local two-player mode, or pick a special mode like Wall Rally, Speed Surge, or Zen.

The canvas runs at 60fps and scales to your screen. Single Player and Two Player are the standard match modes; pick a difficulty and a score limit and the first to reach it wins. Wall Rally turns the right side of the court into a solid wall so you rally solo and chase your longest hit streak. Speed Surge keeps accelerating the ball over time until someone breaks. Zen widens the paddles and slows the ball down for a more forgiving warm-up. On mobile, tap-and-hold either side of the screen to control the paddles.

How to use

1. Pick a mode — Single Player or Two Player for a classic match, or one of the special modes (Wall Rally, Speed Surge, Zen) for a different challenge. Adjust difficulty when you're up against the CPU.
2. Player 1 plays with W and S keys, the mouse, or touch on mobile. Player 2 uses Arrow Up and Arrow Down. Press Space or Enter on any overlay to start a new match.
3. First to reach the score limit wins. Ball speed increases with each rally.

When to use

• Quick coffee-break match against the CPU when you need a 2-minute mental reset.
• Local couch versus a friend or sibling using the same keyboard or phone.
• Practising hand-eye reflexes on the Hard setting before a real table-tennis game.

Result

Select Hard difficulty for a fast-paced CPU opponent. After a 7-5 victory, switch to two-player mode and challenge a friend sitting next to you.

FAQ

What keys control each paddle in two-player mode?

Player 1 uses W (up) and S (down); Player 2 uses Arrow Up and Arrow Down. The keys are polled every frame so both players can hold their key without losing input, and diagonal mashing won't lock either paddle.

Why does the ball move faster the longer the rally goes?

Every paddle hit adds a small percentage to ball speed, capping out roughly 80% above the start speed. This mirrors the original 1972 Atari Pong where a rally that lasts more than a few seconds becomes a reflex test.

Is the CPU on Hard actually unbeatable?

No, the Hard CPU still has a small input lag and a slight prediction error to keep matches winnable. Aiming for the corners and changing return angles by hitting the ball with the edge of your paddle is how you score on it.

Can I play on my phone in two-player mode?

Yes. Tap and drag the left side of the screen for Player 1 and the right side for Player 2. Touch controls run independently so two thumbs can press at once without the page registering a multi-touch gesture as a zoom.

Does this tool save high scores?

Scores reset each time you start a new game. Nothing is uploaded or stored across sessions so the page stays private. Refreshing or closing the tab clears the current score.

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