Arcade Collecting > Pinball

Steve Ritchie Speaks (again)

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RayB:

--- Quote from: Xiaou2 on April 21, 2010, 01:11:00 pm --- - Pinball Didnt have a market about 10yrs ago.  However, pinball is
in the spotlight now... and demand Is rising.  Just not rising for Piles
that Stern is crapping out.
--- End quote ---
uh, What?!
Let me try to figure this out... 10 years ago there was no demand: pinball companies all shut down and "new" Stern was just starting up.

Now you say there is demand, demand is rising (I question that but will ignore for now). The ONLY company that's been in the game for the last 10 years is Stern.

So... I guess the logical conclusion is that Stern saved pinball and created rising demand as well as putting pinball in the spotlight now (your words).

Maybe you should stop crapping on the company that saved pinball. They obviously did something right.

Xiaou2:
Actually no... its more like widespread broadband internet saved pinball.

 Before the Internet, many people didnt even know you could buy a pinball machine...
even if you wanted too.   The price was thought to be well out of reach of the
common man... and where would you in fact get one?

 Today, anyone can pull up youtube and see a pin playing.  They can pull up
a pinball site, and get details, pics, specs..etc.  They can pull up Ebay or craigslist, and
get one shipped to their doorstep. 

 People are now more aware of Pinball shows and Auctions, because of the net.

 A whole world of opportunity exists now, merely because of the Net.

 Stern isnt saving pinball.  They are merely 'existing' ... for now.

Xiaou2:

--- Quote ---But here's the thing, Xiaou2 - with all this access to supply, the demand hasn't skyrocketed.  Games are the cheapest they've been in 10 years.  Sure, it's a recession, but we're dealing with a finite supply of parts and games here.
--- End quote ---

 Depends on what you are trying to buy.  Demand for an EM may be much lower
than a DMD...  and demand for a game like Jokers, will be much lower than for TOM.
The demand is based individually based on how good that game is.  Eventually,
you are probably going to see the top pins get out of hand, and start getting prices like
MM.

 
--- Quote ---And when push comes to shove, you're talking about an expensive, large, 300lb box that doesn't match anything in the living room.  It doesn't do anything else.  It's a game system that plays one game.  A TV that only has one show.  For everyone in here, what they do is enough.  For everyone else, it's not.
--- End quote ---

 This is not really a good argument.  Coin ops dont match furniture either... but this
entire site is loaded with them.  People have entire basements filled with mere original
machines - that have only One game.

 But unlike a video game... Pinball is a completely different experience every time.
A game of skill, and some luck.  And thats why a lof of collectors I know, have sold
off all their coin ops, and bought all Pins.

 Pinball is something that either grabs you, or it doesnt.  But honestly, I think its only
the completely boring people that dont get / like pinball.  And its merely a matter of
time before someone who didnt get into pinball, will eventually find and get into it.
And once you get the fever... those pins begin to multiply.

 As a side note..  Pinball can be so much more than it is currently.  You could for
example, sell upgrade kits which expand upon a games rules, sound effects,
musical score...  as well as entire new playfeild drop-ins.

 Pins could be hooked up to the internet, and live competitions could take place.
New features could be downloaded.  Custom features could be user made/programmed...
and spread to others.

 Pins could be networked together, and you could battle each other.  For example,
by hitting certain things, you could temporarily reverse your opponents flippers..
leave one of his flippers stuck up for a while, or leave it dead for a short time.

 Anyways, Pinball is just really getting started Imop.

smartbomb2084:
Pinball WILL eventually die simply because the children today aren't interested in it.  They have way too many other things now to entertain them. I still play pinball as an adult because I enjoyed it as a kid.  Gottlieb EMs were everywhere.  There was no internet, no PLAYSTATION, not even cable TV.  When all us 'old' guys die so will pinball.  The children of collectors may love the game when they grow up but it seems to me that most of those kids don't play their dad's games either.  If MY DAD likes it, it can't be COOL.

LLUncoolJ:
My kids love playing mine. And for the most part, anyone who comes over and goes downstairs, which we have set up pretty nice with the bar, tend to wind up playing the pins. Much moreso than the MAME or the Touchmaster or even the jukebox. The problem is exposure...not many kids are exposed to pins anymore. The only place I ever see them, other than auctions or the local pin arcade, is bowling alleys...and they usually have a non working flipper.

For a noob, pinball machines are intimidating. They are big, fragile, and have a ton of electronics and moving parts. I was always fascinated by coin-op stuff. I bought and sold an arcade game, then built a MAME before sticking my toe in the pinball water. I consider myself pretty far above average as far as willingness to take on projects I don't know much about. I think most potential home pin owners of average means are simply intimidated. I'm always asked by guests how I know how to do this stuff. I tell them you just read, research, ask questions, and tinker, the internets are a wonderful thing.

Xiaou2 actually has some cool ideas. It would be nice if Stern and other future manufacturers would build in easily accessible ports for upgrades.

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