I don’t really know what to make of Spike and the node boards. I think a lot of people on here might be similar to me and fear not knowing how to fix a game when it goes down, especially when not knowing a good local tech. There’s also the worry of getting fleeced buying parts to fix a problem when you don’t really know what caused the problem. For me, I’m mostly nervous of having to troubleshoot problems of a system I know nothing about. I’m not super technical, but thanks to folks on Pinside and various historical threads on problems, I’ve been able to keep a couple of old Segas and two Williams going throughout the years. Fortunately, I’ve never had a single problem with any of my Sterns, other than flipper rebuilds.
So, I think uncertainty of the new system is part of the problem. That, and for some people like me, possibly nullifying what little maintenance skills I have.
Another concern for me is all the different systems now that other companies are making pins. Not only am I possibly back to noob repair status on new Sterns, but what about my MMR and TBL. I’ve never even looked close under the hood of those. Other owners might have the same worries about JJP and Spooky games as well. So, I think the worry might be bigger than Spike’s reliability and more about being a little overwhelmed technically. It is for me anyway.