It’s actually comical to hear people say the games are more expensive to make today than before... that is flat out not true. Today you can just order controls in bulk, today you need less labor because of CNC machines. Go pick up older pinballs you break your back today they are a ton lighter because less parts are need to operate them.

Back in the day all these parts where not made in China, today almost everything is and that has brought costs down.

TV monitors are at their lowest prices ever.... the list goes on. It is even way easier now to create artwork, because of photo shop, they didn’t have sophisticated computers back then,.. cmon.

Everything today is faster, cheaper, and easier to do.

CNC equipment isn't free. Automated manufacturing equipment isn't free. The skilled workers who program and operate these machines are not free either. Graphic artists are not free. Photoshop doesn't run itself, and if you don't put a highly skilled person in front of it (who also isn't free), you get crappy looking art packages like you see on Oktoberfest and even the new Wonka to a point. Good artwork isn't free or easy, nor should it be. Yes, CNC equipment has brought the cost down some in large volume manufacturing, it isn't as much as you think. An argument can also be made that pinball machines are not made in high enough volumes to truly realize the maximum savings in bulk manufacturing.

Are you sure? Everything I've seen, heard and been told is that it's more expensive today for things like labor, legal, insurance, shipping, etc...

I think you misunderstood what DaveH was saying. Pretty much all manufacturers (in all industries) would like to sell fewer goods at higher profit margins.

The margins are not higher because they are making fewer goods (we can all agree that economy of scales reduces manufacturing cost...so more goods means less cost item by item), but the margins are higher if the manufacturer can charge you through the nose for the product due to scarcity.

If Xerox had zero competitors making copying machines and effectively had a monopoly to make copying machines, they would reduce their output and up the price to make for a fatter margin. The increased cost per single machine due to losing the economy of scale would mean nothing if Xerox raised the machine price 100%.

Earlier today I was reading through an old Play Meter magazine from December, 1983. Reading through the magazine there were some articles referencing poor earnings from all coin op equipment, especially video slowing down and pinball with barely a pulse. In the section for letters from readers an operator was talking about the difficulty to operate pinball machines because of the high cost of new pins. He said that "new pins should be $1100-1200, not $1900 as that is too expensive for a new pinball machine." I guess people have been complaining about the price of new pins forever.

Interesting enough, using an inflation calculator $1900 in 1983 is equal to $4885 in 2019.

so new Stern PROs are about $700 over priced?
I would agree with that.

Over priced more like it!!!!!!

Every since Stern was taken over the playfields/toys have become stripped while prices have gone up up up. And let's not get into the toppers- Printed flat plastics with LED's now for $400-500. 2D plastic representations instead of a $10 figure because it's cheaper.

I know, don't buy if you don't like it.. and I still buy them. But I can still be critical of how cheap the games have become even if I do like them. (This is about whether the games are underpriced, after all, not whether they are enjoyable).

when you see what you got for the best selling game of 1983 today's games look like a bargain https://www.ipdb.org/search.pl?yr=1983&sortby=name&searchtype=advanced

image (resized).png

If anything they are way over priced for what you get! BOOM!

If Stern Pros are overpriced then JJP games are ridiculously priced BOOM

It depends on the Stern. BKSOR Pro feels very over priced, Munsters feels right. But the built quality of recent Sterns is still very questionnable, when you play a JJP it doesn’t take much to realize that asking 7500$ for an SE is actually very realistic.

I’m still surprised every time I see Stern do that. How much is Deadpool Pro, $5800 delivered? And for that, all the characters in it are a flat printed piece of plastic? I have to move up to the Premium to get the $2 molded plastic characters? I realize it’s hard to differentiate models, but jeepers, that ain’t it. It just looks cheap and stupid. I’m not saying to give the Pro that cool left orbit shot around, I’m fine with that. But the plastic, blech.

Stern Pros are the best bang for your buck out there, especially with the rising cost of 90's machines. I think CGC Classic Edition Remakes are excellent as well but with only 2 on the market hard to say best bang for buck. If anyone is paying MSRP you need to find a new distributor, there are deals out there.

considering just 10 years ago, I could order a FULL version of LOTR for $3400 shipped to my door. No. and considering the 10 years before, the prices for NIB were $2400 and went up $1000. I'd say they are a little overpriced.