Zero-Dimensional Pong

Pong, as one of the first arcade machines, has inspired a wide range of other games. While many are more advanced takes on this theme – e.g. Arkanoid or any number of tennis-themed games – others have reduced this concept to a single dimension via a string of LEDs that appear to bounce back and forth. Now that we’ve advanced well into the 21st century, perhaps the world is finally ready for zero-dimensional Pong (0DP) by creator senily64dx.

0DP reduces this linear LED concept down to a single two-color LED under pulse-width modulation control, which grows brighter and dimmer as if you were looking at the line of LEDs from the end. Hit the button when the ball reaches your "side" and it bounces back for the second player to deal with. Too late or too early and the other player scores. Although there’s some leeway between a perfect hit and a miss, the closer you are to the center timing-wise, the faster the ball returns to your opponent.

The unit runs on an ATtiny2313 microcontroller, but other devices could certainly be used given its minimal requirements. There’s also a segment display that shows the score and the difficulty level, as well as a buzzer for audio feedback. While the display technically adds more LEDs, this doesn’t count toward its 0D properties.

So the question then becomes is it fun to play? According to the project write-up, “Well, erm... with a lot of good intentions and goodwill, let's say maybe.” It does, however, look like an interesting build, and code, along with commentary on the process, is available if you want to try it yourself. Or you can just check out the demo video below: