RetroBall: 4-player LED Pong on Kickstarter

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Devin Coldewey

A new Kickstarter project hopes to create a fun bit of nostalgia with this LED-powered Pong table. It's very much the Pong you know and love, but built into a handy enclosure and made for up to four players.

If you were born early enough to play the original Pong, you likely remember its addictive simplicity. RetroBall aims to replicate that experience with its new table: just a big bank of LEDs and a knob with which?each player controls their paddle.

RetroBall is actually a refinement of an earlier project by Brad Slattery called the Super Pong Table, which you can also build yourself if you've got the parts. In fact, if you want to save a little money, you can order the RetroBall table disassembled and put it together on your own.

The whole project will be open source, but those behind it need some cash to get the first run of the tables out the door, which is why they're running a Kickstarter campaign. A bunch of LEDs and a couple circuit boards don't sound too expensive, but once you factor in assembly, packaging, and shipment from China, the money starts adding up when you're making hundreds or thousands?of units.

There's a bit more information at the website for Slattery's other projects. He and his collaborator are hoping to raise $30,000 over the next few weeks, so consider pledging at Kickstarter if you like the idea of the project.

Devin Coldewey is a contributing writer for NBC News Digital. His personal website is coldewey.cc.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/gadgetbox/retroball-4-player-led-pong-kickstarter-1B5967746

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