Hey Product Hunt, I'm Daniel, and this is my first launch! 😁

Poddle started as a last-minute hackathon idea. AirPods have motion sensors, so we wondered if one could work as a pickleball paddle, in Wii Sports fashion. And it worked better than we expected! We didn't win anything, but I kept building it anyway out of love for the idea of the project, and I've been having tons of fun with my friends at university clubs playing and testing it ever since.

Most of my time went into making the swing feel right. A motion sensor knows how your hand turns, not where it is, so the game reads the swing itself: speed and reach set the power, direction aims it, a scoop lobs it, and a wrist cut adds spin.

To move around the court, your webcam tracks where you stand. The video never leaves your computer. No camera? The game runs you to the ball automatically, like Wii Sports tennis, so you just swing.

Early into the project, I added phone support for ease of testing. It ended up staying, though, since everyone already has one, and the time to play was so much faster than AirPods.

You can also play Matt the bot at various difficulties, play friends online, earn trophies, run a knockout tournament, or watch live matches.

Poddle is free, and you don't need an account unless you’re someone who likes progression and tracking your stats. Any feedback on how the swing feels and on potential future features is greatly appreciated. Have fun! 🥒

Play now: https://poddleball.com
How to play: https://poddleball.com/how-to-play

P.S. See if you're one of the players who can beat Matt on Pro difficulty 😈

Poddle

Swing your phone, play pickleball on any computer!

Swing your phone, play pickleball on any computer!