An arcade game simulating a baseball game. A player hits a ball suspended in front of him or her at a known initial position towards a detector assembly, such as an x-y grid of light beams. The initial velocity of the ball is accurately determined by calculating the speed of the ball by measuring the time it took the ball to travel between its initial and final positions, and by calculating the direction of the ball from the known initial and final positions of the ball. Audio and visual feedback may be provided to the player of the game unit based upon the results of the hit ball and based upon a baseball game environment. Awards can also be dispensed to the player by the game unit based upon a score accumulated during the game.