Way back in 2017, a small French company by the name of Calinfer created a little electromechanical wonder, which simulated Atari’s 1972 video game PONG. Designed as an interactive coffee table, the idea quickly garnered a lot of attention and reportedly sold very well. Now, Alan-1, site sponsor and makers of the Atari Recharged arcade series, are bringing it back. Take a look…
A Quick History
Following from what was mentioned above with Calinfer, the electromechanical PONG idea was quickly picked up by UNIS, who produced that table for homes as intended, then turned to producing a few different commercial models, culminating in the Atari PONG Knockout 4-player game that was released in 2021. I documented these when coming across them at shows like IAAPA:
PONG Is Back
While these have been off of the market for a few years, consumer demand for them hasn’t disappeared. Atari and Alan-1 are now working together on reproducing these, starting with the smaller non-coin consumer versions. One of these will be at Alan-1’s IAAPA 2025 booth, and pre-orders for them are open now. That also includes separate orders for the padded stools that you see in the image below. I would note that availability is rather limited (under 300 units), but they are promising that pre-orders put in this month will ship in time to arrive by Christmas.
This version works all the same as had existed in the past, with the RGB LED trim around the playfield, LED time clock/scoreboard, large spinner controller, foldable control panel covers, and same sounds. The only differences are some very slight changes to the artwork on the control panel. Functionally, it’s the same as before, and this model cannot be retrofitted with a coin/card device.
There is a strong possibility of the commercial versions making a comeback too, although we’ll have to wait and see if those will be the same as above, or if they might take a different form. I haven’t followed costs on coffee tables, but this one definitely falls in the luxury category at $2999. At least it is interactive, lights up, and all that. Would you be looking to add one to your living room?
