3D-Printed Miniature Pong Console
This pocket-sized Pong device for one or two players runs on a Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32C3.
Pong, released in 1972, was one of the earliest video games, and was certainly a feat of engineering for its time. Today, as shown in this write-up, you can make a Pocket Pong Console with a number of inexpensive off-the-shelf parts, including a Seeed Studio XIAO ESP32C3 board.
As for the device's inspiration, according to its high school-age creator Athul:
Kids like me are now tired of boring mobile games. there is a trend of people being interested in 90s tech and old games. One of the most interesting games is Pong by Atari engineer Allan Alcorn, an easy-to-learn but harder-to-master game.
The game is played on a small 128x60 I2C OLED screen, and the two on-screen paddles are controlled by a pair of potentiometers. Two players can play competitively against each other, or it’s also possible (and challenging) to play against yourself, controlling both paddles simultaneously.
The device also features an on-off switch and a small buzzer. It's powered by a small LiPo, charged via the XIAO’s onboard battery-charging circuitry.
The enclosure is 3D-printed, with nubs that are melted with a soldering iron in order to capture the OLED screen. There are holes for the two potentiometers, and space inside for the build’s other components. Once the internals are in place, the top and bottom enclosure pieces snap together for easy assembly (and a lower parts count).
This particular pocket-sized unit was printed using a service, but print files as well as the model's STEP file, are available for your printing and/or modification needs. Code by Michael Teeuw can also be found in the write-up, giving you everything you need to make your own mini console.