Self-Playing Pong Screensaver
Self-Playing Pong is a free, browser-based screensaver of a Pong match that plays itself: two computer-controlled paddles rally a single ball back and forth forever, with a glowing CRT look and a running score. There is nothing to download — open the page to watch the endless game and press ESC to exit.
How the Self-Playing Pong screensaver works
The ball moves each frame and bounces off the top and bottom walls. When a paddle hits it, the horizontal direction flips and the ball's vertical speed is nudged by how far from the paddle's center it struck — so off-center hits send it off at sharper angles, exactly like real Pong. If a paddle misses, the other side scores and the ball re-serves from the middle.
Both paddles are driven by a simple AI tied to the Paddle skill control. The paddle on the side the ball is heading toward tracks the ball's height; the idle paddle drifts back toward center. Higher skill makes the tracking tighter and the paddles faster, so rallies last longer; lower skill adds a wobble that makes them miss more often.
Ball speed scales how fast the ball travels across the court. Because a missed ball simply re-serves and the score ticks up, the match never ends — it just keeps rallying and counting.
The look is pure arcade: a dashed center net, two paddles, a square ball, and the score in a big monospace font. With CRT scanlines on, faint dark horizontal lines are laid over everything to mimic an old tube monitor, and your chosen Color tints the paddles, ball, and net.
A worked example
At the defaults — Ball speed 5, Paddle skill 7, white Color on a black Background, CRT scanlines on — the ball serves from center and the two paddles trade long rallies, each off-center hit kicking the ball to a steeper angle, while the score climbs above the net. Lower Paddle skill toward 1 and the paddles start fumbling for quick points; raise Ball speed to 10 for a frantic, fast-twitch match.
Settings & tips
- Raise Paddle skill for marathon rallies where the paddles rarely miss, or lower it so points come fast and the score climbs quickly.
- Use Ball speed to set the overall pace — gentle and watchable at the low end, frantic near the top.
- Turn off CRT scanlines for a clean modern look, and tint everything with the Color swatch for a phosphor-green or amber arcade feel.
Frequently asked questions
- Is the self-playing Pong screensaver free?
- Yes. It runs free in your browser with no download or install. Open the page and the match starts playing itself.
- Do I play the Pong game?
- No. Both paddles are controlled by the computer — it's a screensaver, so the match plays itself endlessly while you watch.
- How do I exit the Pong screensaver?
- Press the ESC key to close it. Moving the mouse or clicking also returns you to the page.
- Can I make the rallies last longer?
- Yes. Raise the Paddle skill slider so the paddles track the ball more accurately and miss less often, which makes rallies longer.
- What do the CRT scanlines do?
- They overlay faint dark horizontal lines to mimic an old tube monitor. You can turn them off for a clean, modern look.