The cost of the machine isn't just raw materials and assembly labor. They have to figure in development costs, and of course the investors want to be paid also. But even if development costs are $1 million as they use to tell us, that is $200 on each machine over a run of 5k machines. I do not know what Stern figures for their sales projections on a new title, but you can scale up or down from there. You can add another couple hundred per machine so the investors get their pound of flesh.

That being said, $5799 is too much for my blood when it comes to what I see Stern putting out these days. You can usually find them for $5200 if you call around, last time I called around. Even at that...its a bit too much. My sweet spot is $4500-$4800. I have no real evidence to back up that number, but that price range just feels right for when we get in a machine.

I think the good times are coming to an end soon, and the economy is going to contract a fair amount in the next 12-24 months. Stern is best equipped to weather the storm, but its probably going to be painful to watch. Enjoy it while you can.

If you think factory workers in the US are paid minimum wage, you are surely out of touch with reality. I'd be surprised if anyone in the Stern factory isn't making at least $12/hr, and that is probably low for the part of IL the stern factory is located in. This makes your minimum wage increase argument invalid.

edit: just did a quick search...all the entry level factory worker jobs I found in that area are $12/$13/hr to start.
https://g.co/kgs/uFBqep
https://g.co/kgs/RzwXVr

Factory worker wages have not doubled or anywhere close to doubled in that time period like minimum wage is about to. Your minimum wage statement is misleading.

You don't think I know that? I work in the large scale manufacturing industry and am acutely aware of what living wages are and the going rate for unskilled labor in the various cities around the country we have facilities in. That doesn't change the fact that the jobs I linked to are paying $12-$13 an hour. Non-union factory workers with no specialized training can expect to earn $12-$20 an hour on average. My company had a facility not far from the Stern factory up until a couple years ago. They moved it to BFE Indiana because farmer Joe works for half the money as what a union Chicagoland worker makes. Where I live currently, temps get $12 an hour. All the major factory warehouse type jobs pay $12/hr to start. 1 bedroom apartments are 800 to a grand a month. It's bullshit, but that's the world we live in...there are no winners in the race to the bottom.

Breathe deep friend, the only person getting huffy here is you.

No need to get tuned up just because I proved your point wrong with actual facts. Yes, wages have gone up. But bringing up minimum wage is pointless. That's my point. Factory wage increases don't mirror minimum wage increases. The average American factory worker is lucky to see 2% a year. But wages are not the only driving force on why the price of pinball machines have nearly doubled in 15 years.

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.