PONG is back. Atari released their version of William Higinbotham’s “Tennis for Two� in 1972. In 2006, Atari has brought PONG back…only this time the game is projected on a wall and players use their hands to move the virtual paddles along the game board. The hand movement is picked up by cameras stationed next to the projector.

There are actually three ways to play PONG (or derivations of it) at NEXTFEST. Atari has their set up, another group has an air hockey game projected on a table, and an artist has a 3-dimensional representation where players move their LCD screens (and bodies) to rebound the ball to their opponent.

A good number of the attendees to NEXTFEST, including myself, were not around to play PONG in the arcades when it debuted. The amount of excitement over the newest iteration is proof that good game play stands the test of time.