Atari's Pong, and the Game Industry, Turn 40
On November 29, 1972, Atari announced the release of its coin-operated machine, Pong. It wasn’t entirely original: Another coin-op game, Computer Space, pre-dated Pong, but proved unpopular; and the first home console, the Magnavox Odyssey, also brought a Pong-like game to the market earlier in 1972, but it was expensive compared to the 25 cent investment required by Atari’s Pong.
By any measure, Pong became the video game industry’s first success, and the industry, along with Pong, turns 40 today. To celebrate, we’ve put together this list of trivia about the first game that mattered.
Originally written and published by at IGN PS3. Click here to read the original story.
