what can i do?

[NAH]

Ok lets say you're going to make a machine that only plays pong. Now pong isn't a MAME game so you're planning on using some program written just to emulate pong. Do you have to have a hard drive to do this? Or could the program be stored on a floppy disk? I'm wondering because I have a few old computers, but no hard drives.

Also what kind of interface could I have? I'd like to have two spinners like you're supposed to, but would this be possible with what I want to do above?

Thanks Brian

[SirPeale]

You could get one of those old 'pong' style games.  You can find them at yard sales and thrift shops.  Hack it, the controls, and off you go.

As for your question, something so small you could likely have on just a floppy.  I don't know about the controls, though.

[rampy]

I believe pong used potentiometers or "dials" for controls and not optics FWIW

Also note there used to be a version of mame with a simulation of PONG although it was removed because it was a simulation as opposed to an emulation.

I'm sure a clever person could find that PONG code around the net somewhere (misfit mame?) strip MAME down to just that driver recompile and run it in mame... but that sounds like a lot of work one game, (and for pong!)

peale's suggestion is the best... get one of those old school odysssey sears multi game as long as it's pong wood grained consoles at a tag sale and hack it up =P

rampy

[Howard_Casto]

Ok lets say you're going to make a machine that only plays pong. Now pong isn't a MAME game so you're planning on using some program written just to emulate pong. Do you have to have a hard drive to do this? Or could the program be stored on a floppy disk? I'm wondering because I have a few old computers, but no hard drives.

Also what kind of interface could I have? I'd like to have two spinners like you're supposed to, but would this be possible with what I want to do above?

Thanks Brian

Just a little side note.... most versions of pong used pots, not spinners.  Remember pong actually pre-dates arcade controls.  They used radio knobs on most of the earlier models.  As a matter of fact, if you look at most spinner knobs (spinners came shortly after for 4 player pong and other odd-ball variants)  they are actually dials off of 70's radios.  

Related to that, all home versions of pong use pot dials for the controls, so if you want to use spinners then you will be forced to use misfit mame on a 98 machine.  (Maybe dos, but it's super hard to get two mice working in most cases.)

[Spaced Invader]

--BIG BUMP--

I know this post is old but I found this and thought it might be what you are looking for.

Hope this helps!  

Oops forgot the...LINK!

http://www.geocities.com/dramamini/

...err this too...

http://www.emucamp.com/laser/wip/

[SirPoonga]

M.A.S.H. from mame world has pong working for mame.  Not sure if he went the dial or paddle route.  I thought dial as I use to put it in with analog+ mame to get dual spinner action.

[Howard_Casto]

gotta agree with spaced on this one.... although he doesn't say where the links go, the sname one is the best.  It's mame 37b stripped down to only 4 drivers. One of which is pong.  

Btw the pong driver uses a paddle, as it's intended.  

Also laser is a waste of time.  Sound is sketchy, you can't re-define keys, and it won't even go full screen.  

[Jakobud]

Something I've always wondered and perhaps now is a good time to ask, how come the orginal arcade version of Pong isnt in Mame?  I know there was an old arcade version.  I know some guy who even has a working cabinet.

[Howard_Casto]

Read the mame faq, your answer is in there.  

Long story short, pong can't be emulated because there aren't any roms.  It's all solid state.  

[Spaced Invader]

gotta agree with spaced on this one.... although he doesn't say where the links go
--snip--

Caught me being sloppy again...your starting to make a habit of that!  

...or maybe I'm making a habit of being sloppy...hmm

[AlanS17]

Naw he just liked correcting people and hearing himself talk.