Quoted from iceman44:

If I'm any indicator at all then I doubt we will all be hopping back on the Stern love train, not with the "LE trap"
My first LE, a LOTRLE for $5200
Next Stern was an Ac/dc premium for I think around $6200 at the time? Reasonable
Then came TWDLE, had to have it because of the theme AND, you guys remember this one, Stern said they weren't going to make a premium version of TWD, collected the $$$ for the LE's and then changed their minds.
That LE was $7599 I think?
Now here come GBLE, had to have it, love the colors, theme, etc.....$7,999
Next up, I'm thinking it better be a F ing home run for me to buy another LE. And they slipped in BM66! I paid $9599 for that one.
At this point, things are out of control, kind of like "on tilt" when you are gambling. ASLE was a huge surprise, love it, $8299
And then again, here comes SWLE, wtf am I doing? $8499. Notice a trend here?
Backed off that one thinking alright, GOTG should be really good and then there is AFMLE and POTCE.
So now I'm really F ed. I'm in on the latter two, awaiting delivery.
Here we are today, GOTG looks like a home run from everything we hear. BUT, as much as I want it, its just not gonna happen unless I get it a year or two later like I did with Ac/dc when it was finished.
What will the LE price be? $8699. Premium? $7499? SHIT HAS GOTTEN WAY WHACK. OUT OF CONTROL!
Got to be picky, picky, so no Nibby, Nibby this time.
Patience baby, its a virtue they say

Quoted from snakesnsparklers:

This is 100% the case. Spike is not an improvement for the end user at all IMO. I know this video has been posted a bunch but just in case some haven't seen it, it goes over what has changed with Spike.
» YouTube video

Quoted from snakesnsparklers:

No idea, but he lays out the facts. Are there any errors in the info he provided?

Quoted from jgentry:

If there is some huge failure rate then that is concerning. There hasn't been a huge failure rate though. Sure some have blown and stern has replaced them. In my group of friends that all have games I do not know of a single blown node board, not one (that's 17 spike or spike II games). If one blows every 5 years or so and it costs me $200-$300 I am not worried about it. There's a good chance I won't even have the game that long. If someone can spend the price of a NIB game then $200-$300 shouldn't be much of a worry. If it is then they have no business wasting 5-10K on a toy. Most games I see for sale have $1000+ in mods alone in them so a $200-$300 board isn't going to make most people blink. Buy a node board or this ugly figure with LED eyes to tacky up my game?
If you break it down as blown node board on a stern pro is 5% or less then the cost of the game to replace and that's assuming someone doesn't start fixing them. For a premium is 4% or less, for an LE its 3.5% or less. If that is a high concern for you then you shouldn't buy a spike game until we know a lot more about the system and how it will hold up.

Quoted from HoakyPoaky:

My impression of Who-Dey after 2600+ posts....
Fanboy in self-denial, generally antagonistic attitude, and of all things....a Bengals fan
Three strikes you're out!

Quoted from Who-Dey:

Thank you....good grief! I don't know why liking Sterns games makes me a fanboy. I think Stern makes awesome games that look great and are fun. I don't like the problems that Stern has been having, mainly with the playfields. .....those I believe we're real and concerning problems. I think the cabinet issues were somewhat overblown and I think people complaining about the spike system is somewhat overblown as well. It just seems like hating on Stern is the cool thing to do for some people.
I like JJP games but they are just more than I am willing to pay. I'd be interested in POTC I'd it wasn't for the price tag. There's another company that I won't mention that I don't like their games but if they ever made one I liked I would consider it maybe. People can think what they want though about me and I could care less. I've made some good friends here and that's good enough for me. If someone doesn't like me because I say good things about Stern who cares? I know I don't that's for sure.

Quoted from HoakyPoaky:

Nah I don't use the ignore feature. It's good to hear different opinions & consider alternate viewpoints in the threads, instead of putting up a wall & living in a bubble. Too much of that stuff in general today. I enjoy reading the banter, even if I don't agree with some people.
But if Who-Dey starts proclaiming Vontaze Burfict is an angel straight from heaven & the cleanest player in the NFL.... that's a bridge too far for me. haha

Quoted from John1210:

I would take a proven reliable system that is more easily serviceable over an improved sound any day. Bittom line is that spike is notably unreliable and near on impossible to repair. Its a pay and replace system. Good idea Stern i say

Quoted from John1210:

yes everyone does have an opinion and different experiences. In my experience with friends who operate machines and my own personal collection I have had notably greater problems. Quote me again if you like. I have had next to zero problems with sam in quite some years and when I have its easily fixed. with spike ive had numerous game resets, replacement main boards, node 1 boards replaced. we are talking new games here. All are unfixable and its chuck out and replace.
This discussion about spike reliability hasn't just popped up because we want to have a whine at Stern. Spike failures are genuine issues that are much more widespread than sam games... hence the discussion. So yeah i stand by my comment 100%. My own personal opinion but if you havent had issues with spike you are very lucky. many just dont wanto accept that this new system is a step backwards for owners not forwards. Just my opinion and experience.

Quoted from iceman44:

The Circle of Life Hazoff. Give it time. More volume of pins, more issues and JJP will develop its share of hate with this crowd.
And i'm getting a POTC, i just don't give a shit what anybody else thinks or says.
It's funny how quickly the hate has turned into a lovefest with GOTG. Of course the hater brigade, which might be a little less in ranks this time, will eventually rear its ugly head.
I'd rather be a "fanboy" like Who Dey all day long, he's passionate about pinball and loves to talk about it. So what. It's better than the Debbie Downer DB crowd non stop. MUCH better.

Quoted from John1210:

It would be interesting to get a modding suppliers point of view on spike.
In some correspondence between some of the more well known mod providers they have expressed to me how difficult it is to work with spike and how temperamental or fragile the system can be.

Quoted from jgentry:

Honestly I think stern might have intentionally made it harder to mod. A little strange that they rolled out mods and now have approved mod makers when spike rolled out.

Quoted from cooked71:

Every single one of my 3 Spike games has experienced random "unexplained" resets at some point. No mods.
I have categorically never had a Sam game reset.
Just facts.

Quoted from iceman44:

I’ve got AFMRLE coming next week too!
Agree about that topper.
I’m anxious to see what I get for my POTCCE, been awhile since Woz for me

Quoted from John1210:

I agree its always better to be happy about everything and get excited. we wouldnt be in this hobby if we werent. However keeping it real and keeping a level head about games, issues, qc etc its important to talk about and discuss. I have spike games but i dont necessarly like the system. Doesnt mean im a hater. I wold just prefer Stern create a more user friendly system.
People who are quite vocal to the point of being pushy with their opinions always use that line "passion for pinball" as an excuse. Being passionate to me means using your ears as much as your mouth. That clown Kaneda who weaseled his way onto our forums over here (before he was given restricted access by the mods) always uses that as an excuse for the obnoxious garbage that he spews out. Bit over hearing that as an excuse for narrow mindedness and labeling others as haters.

Quoted from cooked71:

Which I'm doing...fact. My last 3 NIB games are not Stern.
Though nothing to do with Spike. The reset issues are annoying but nothing more. They'll sort it out eventually.
My last 3 games have been non Stern because I'm sick of the code waiting game and other games are just better games than what Stern have been producing.
Competition is great for customers and great for pinball as a whole.

Quoted from cooked71:

Not long now.
I'm not saying ill never own another Stern. No doubt I will - they have made some of the best games of the "modern" era. But because we now have options from other suppliers, there's no rush to buy every Stern game as soon as its released. There's more than enough games being released at the moment that we can pick and choose and not just accept mediocrity because that's all that's available.