Atari Declares Today "Pong Day" in Honor of Game's 45th Anniversary

Forty-five years ago today, Pong was introduced to the world. In honor of this iconic moment in gaming, Atari declares today “Pong Day.”

What does one do in honor of “Pong Day,” besides maybe playing the game? Atari is releasing several products for the occasion, one of which being a Limited-Edition Speakerhat, a baseball hat with the added functionality of stereo speakers, microphone, and Bluetooth connectivity. Also available is Table Pong, a coffee table with the built-in ability to play Pong. You can find both items at AtariLife.com.

For more information about “Pong Day”, the game’s history, and the new products, check out Atari’s press release below.

ATARI® DECLARES TODAY “PONG® DAY” IN CELEBRATION OF SEMINAL GAME’S 45th ANNIVERSARY, LAUNCHES PONG ANNIVERSARY LIMITED-EDITION ATARI SPEAKERHAT AT ATARILIFE.COM

Atari Honors Iconic Game with Products that Blend Retro-Cool with Revolutionary New Technology

NEW YORK, NY (NOVEMBER 29, 2017) – Atari, one of the world’s most iconic consumer brands and interactive entertainment producers, today proudly celebrates “Pong Day” on the 45th anniversary of the influential Pong arcade game that first debuted on November 29, 1972. A simple-but-challenging table tennis simulation, Pong was the first commercially successful video game and an immediate smash hit that effectively established the video game industry. To commemorate this groundbreaking birthday, the company has unveiled the all-new Pong Anniversary Limited-Edition Atari Speakerhat which is in stock and available now exclusively at AtariLife.com.

Pong was originally meant to be a simple training exercise, assigned to newly hired engineer Allan Alcorn by Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, to acclimate him to creating games. Alcorn went above and beyond, adding appealing features such as segmented paddles that changed the angle of the “ball” and accelerating speeds as play went on. Alcorn also elected to retain a “glitch” that didn’t allow the paddles to reach the top of the screen, which added to the game’s difficulty. Lastly, Bushnell had Alcorn add cheering crowd noises and other sound effects. The game was so well-received that Bushnell and the team were able to rapidly grow Atari and an entire industry was born.

Atari’s Pong Anniversary Limited-Edition Speakerhat is the newest baseball-style cap with high-fidelity stereo speakers, microphone and Bluetooth connectivity. Pong fans will appreciate the sleek, low-key styling and nostalgic touches while enjoying phone calls, audio/music and voice control. The Pong Anniversary Limited-Edition Speakerhat, like all Atari Speakerhats, is precision-engineered to the highest audio standards to deliver a unique and powerful experience to a range of active consumers, including gamers and streamers, outdoor and fitness enthusiasts, skaters, musicians, sports fans, tech early-adopters and many others who want to escape the isolation of headphones or burden of carrying a portable speaker. Each Speakerhat is powered by patented Audiowear technology.

“Atari Speakerhats resonate with fans both new and old, and this new Pong design is something that people have been asking for,” said Atari Connect COO, Michael Arzt. “Atari’s social pages have been filled with love and accolades for the Speakerhats, and also with requests for designs based on our classic game franchises. We expect that unveiling the Pong Anniversary Limited-Edition Speakerhat on ‘Pong Day’ will make a lot of dedicated Atari fans and lovers of retro pop-culture very happy.”

The Pong Anniversary Limited-Edition Atari Speakerhat ($129.99 USD) is available to order now exclusively at AtariLife.com. Other Atari Speakerhats in the launch collection are also available, including the officially-licensed BLADE RUNNER 2049 Limited-Edition Atari Speakerhat ($139.99 USD) featuring a neon-teal Atari “Katakana” logo reminiscent of the film’s iconic Atari billboard canyon, the low-profile but stylish Fuji Blackout Atari Speakerhat ($129.99 USD) and the classic Atari Snapback Speakerhat ($129.99 USD), available in bold royal blue or rich black with a bold white Atari logo.

To complement the Pong Anniversary Limited-Edition Speakerhat is the remarkable Table Pong, an oversized Pong game embedded in a stylish coffee table, perfect for the home or arcade. Amazingly, it has no screens or digital software; instead, the game is recreated in three dimensions with motors, rails, pulleys and magnets to perfectly simulate the game’s familiar 2D movements.

Developed as a tribute to Generation X and its most iconic video game, Table Pong lets players experience the Atari Pong game on a whole new dimension that fuses the high-tech mechanical engineering of today with the beloved ‘80s game. The table easily transforms from a true-to-life mechanical game of Pong to a stylish living room accessory that features four USB charging ports, as well as a Bluetooth speaker so you can enjoy your favorite music while you play. After a successful Kickstarter campaign, Table Pong creator Calinfer Inc. now anticipates a first-quarter 2018 product launch.

In addition, Atari has a wide variety of partners offering an impressive assortment of officially-licensed Pong consumer products ranging from Flashback game systems, toys and collectibles, to apparel, housewares and accessories sure to please fans of Pong and many other Atari enthusiasts.

To learn more about Atari Speakerhats and future Atari connected-lifestyle products, visit AtariLife.com. Pong Anniversary and Atari Speakerhat imagery can be found here: http://uberstrategist.link/Atari-Products-PressKit.

To learn more about Table Pong, visit www.tablepongproject.com.

To stay up-to-date on all things Atari and retro-pop-culture, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AtariLife, and follow us on Twitter @AtariLife and Instagram.

ABOUT ATARI

Atari is an interactive entertainment company. As an iconic brand that transcends generations and audiences, the company is globally recognized for its multi-platform, interactive entertainment and licensed products. Atari owns and/or manages a portfolio of more than 200 games and franchises, including world-renowned brands like Asteroids®, Centipede®, Missile Command®, Pong® and RollerCoaster Tycoon.® Visit us online at www.Atari.com. Atari has offices in New York and Paris.