About Breakout

Breakout was designed in 1976 by Nolan Bushnell and Steve Bristow at Atari, with much of the hardware engineering done by a young Steve Wozniak. It was the single-player successor to Pong and became one of the defining arcade titles of the late 1970s.

Paddle physics tip

The ball's reflection angle depends on where it strikes the paddle. Hit the center for nearly-vertical bounces. Hit the edges for sharp sideways trajectories. Use edge hits to reach hard-to-clear corner bricks.