Looks okay but does look a little stripped and like a lot of missed opportunities.

Where is the upper plafield with drop target/moving bookcase revealing batpole to batcave lower playfield?

Where is the batcave exit with lowering gate/sign to fire out pinballs to start multiballs?

I'll admit if there was a few more "big" features/toys based on the iconic scenes from the show I'd have been stupid enough to go for a SLE or at least settle for a LE.

???

I don't think I'm being deliberately obtuse, no. You're the one saying you'd expect to pay up to $1200 more just to switch to an LCD. That's ridiculous.

If anyone here thinks they have more experience developing content for a high rez LCD display on a pinball then I do I'll say "Hi JP, you're doing great work!"

I understand the costs to develop, I understand the costs to buy, and none of it justifies the kind of price increase you're talking about. If you think "it's new and shiny so they can just upcharage whatever they want" then okay, but I don't think that accounts for the realities of the market. More than $1000 price increase on a Pro? Not gonna fly.

Luckily what I'm hearing doesn't match your numbers, so we'll see how it all comes out in the wash on Aerosmith.

Sorry for the confusion, I was talking about the LE/Premium price point, not the pro.

And yes, part of it most certainly is the "new and shiny" and "new fangled" LCD screen that many people on this site have been *begging* Stern for for years, so obviously there is going to be increased desire/demand.

Your original post didn't say a single word about "developing content for a high rez LCD display" and you only referenced the actual cost of the LCD screen, which is precisely why I said you were being obtuse. But you already know that.

As far as I'vs heard,there will not be a PRO Model of this pin!!

Well there are obviously three costs, right?

There's pure BOM. And LCD is cheaper than DMD, hands down. You save costs with the switch.

There's cost to develop the hardware/software. Spike 2.0 or whatever it is. That's a long term sunk cost that you amortize over several titles.

Then there's the cost to develop the graphics for every game for the display. And that's a really wide spectrum of possibilities. Obviously if you're trying to make it look like a AAA modern video game for instance that's gonna cost you. On the other side of the spectrum if you are doing a license that comes with video assets, say Iron Man or Spider-Man (OG) etc then it's actually easier than dealing with dots.

The truth is that doing "true" dots is hard. It's an art to work personality and animation into 128x32 pixels and all in grey(red)scale. Working at high rez is often just much easier. Less compromise, more 'cheats'.

Batman66 hasn't really been revealed yet, the LCD content at Expo was really limited during the attract mode. And we haven't seen Aerosmith yet. I can't make any educated responses to what they're doing.

But I know quite a bit now about what goes on behind the scenes for the development process. And I just want to use that experience to tell people "don't get fooled", meaning great, everyone is on LCD now, I think that's a good thing, but don't just open your wallet for it. Make them earn it. Any company, Stern, JJP, Heighway, whoever. Don't shell out another $1000 just because you've got some color now. Don't compare the costs to adding a ColorDMD. Look at the value proposition.

There won't be, Rob and I are spit balling about the future.

Oh, don't get me wrong my friend, I don't intend to freely open my wallet for it, and despite how much I expected Stern to increase the price I am certainly not happy about it. In fact I'm pretty happy to see just how pissed off people finally seem to be getting about these ridiculous price increases.. I just read that thread about high pinball prices being bad for pinball, and it seems that perhaps we will have more people keeping their word about not buying at these ridiculous prices.

I certainly can't justify that cost. I wonder how many are? I'm really bummed about the whole state of pricing right now. Cancelled my BMLE order.

I'm seeing voting with our wallets in action! Here's to hoping the prices go back to reality.

It's easy to keep my word, that's for sure. When the "cheap" version is $8k and missing features (pick a company, more than one that's true for!) it's not exactly a struggle to walk away.

If I really wanted it I could afford it, but I'm not made of money, that's a genuine cost for me. I have to weigh that against what else I could spend that kind of cash on, including lots of great pins for a lot less.

Hi All,
I am excited about this pinball. I am also torn about if I keep or sell the SLE. If this is truly an event- The celebrating Stern's 30th anniversary then I am cool with the prices. If things go back to prior pricing with the three levels, pro, premium and LE. (Of course there will always be some sort of increase.) Then I am on board. If these high prices are the new paradigm them I will be afraid for the future of pinball. Well, new pinball. We are restoring and selling more classic pinballs than ever before. We are also selling record amounts of new pinballs as well. I guess that means the people want pinball. You just have to wonder what the price threshold is where people decide it is too much. I thought I knew where that point was. Since we announced we were getting a SLE we have been getting stupid high offers. I do know that we are at the threshold for vendors. If the pro prices rise too much more then pinball will disappear from the street. That has to effect the "next generation' pinheads.

take care- Jerry

I thought people weren't allowed to sell the SLE for two years after receiving?

Good catch, Pimp.

For me, my rule is trust no Pinsider <1yr saying they are in on an SLE. A few posts back another newbie "Leigh" was chosen for an SLE. I just assume it's Kaneda or close facsimile thereof. If the. <1yr is real... sorry, a few imposters have made it tough on you.

We are most likely keeping it on display in our showroom. In keeping with the 30th anniversary and to helps sell the LE's. My point was and is that there are many people who are willing to open their wallets wide. I have also toyed with the idea of bringing it home. Eventually it will be for sale. I imagine many of the other 79 will be too. Still in the box and on e-bay for $30,000.00. Before the incendiary devices start going off, I would never do that. In fact we are struggling with pricing the LE's and Premiums. We have a loyal customer base and are very sensitive to their feelings. In a way these kind of "specials" really put dealers in the corner. Being an old comic book kid, this pinball thrills me. I must say that I am looking forward to seeing this new format in the usual way. Where we have pros,premiums, and LE's. When dealers and buyers are on the same page life is far easier for the dealers. We tend to get our ears chewed on when customers have issues with the maker. It is rightfully so, we are usually the only people they can talk to on behalf of Stern. Having said that I always like it better when everyone is happy.

-Jerry

I don't see how the SLE would ever even get close to $30k. Honestly, it will be lucky if it's still worth $15k nib a couple years from now...the previous BDK had this same team and it didn't turn out very desirable. It's only minor differences from the LE and premium, it's all manufactured rarity. The best example I can give of this is BBB, BBB is worth $15k to $20k, but there's no other game like it on the market, and there are only 180. BM66SLE will only be 80, but there are 240 other games very similar, and a bunch of premiums very similar as well for 1/2 the cost. People think BM66SLE will be worth more than BBB? Seems pretty unlikely. Heck, if you're going to spend $15k, might as well spend up to $20k and buy a BBB, at least that has a reason for a high price tag.

When it is on display in my showroom you will easily be able to go to our website and see it. Just because I am new on pinside doesn't mean I am new. I have been working with pinballs for over forty years. The business was started 75 years ago by my grandfather. We have known the Sterns for many years. They have always been an upstanding and integral part of the industry. There was a time when the industry was a small tight knitted community. Almost everyone was kind and polite. I really miss that part of things. Luckily there are a few of us old timers around. Sometimes a cup of coffee and reminiscing about the early days of pinball are just the tonic for some of the new "pinheads" who feel they don't need to be polite and that they know everything about pinballs. I am heading into my fifth decade with the silver ball and I have to say that I learn stuff every day and it is wonderful! Life is short, this is a great hobby, be nice to the new folks as they will eventually add to this hobby of ours. Heck they may even be the next cliffy or marco or Lawlor, you just never know.

-Jerry

Yes there is.
It's the Premium.
Stern can call it what they want. But it is nothing but a pro model.

I'm trying to decide on a premium or not. Can do without the armour, topper etc, nice though they are. Like the prem artwork. Just want to see some rules or gameplay. Do they not release that pre sale, or is there somewhere to go for a look?

If history is any indication, you'll have to wait 6 to 12 months after the game ships before the rules really get developed. Most games change a lot early on.

Who's this asshole?

DSCN5048 (resized).JPG

Climbing up the side of the building they ran into Green Hornet and Kato. Classic!

DSCN5054 (resized).JPG

I would also add the fact that it was mentioned somewhere (in another thread I think) that clips would be used from the BM66 slot machine as well. Cut and paste from Kapow's library in conjunction with Aristocrat, which would save a lot of money in development fees to include all the other clips that didn't make it into the slots and you will essentially have another BM SLOT VE, personally I think it more fun to loose money on that one.

web1_G2EBATMAN_092513DB_006_1 (resized).jpg

20140513-161607-850x1124 (resized).jpg

So another special edition announced? The studio edition? Wtf......

huh ?
i'm lost

I swear i just read it somewhere in another thread ...in a email to a distributor? Maybe i mis read it..

Dialed In thread. ( different game )

LTG : )

We are continuing our 30th Celebration with our Batman ’66 Studio Edition game. We exhibited the Super Limited Edition, Limited Edition (Sold out )and Premium models at the Pinball Expo Show and during Expo’s tour of our factory. The attendees loved these pinball machines.
George Gomez, Lyman Sheats, and Joe Kaminkow’s Ka-Pow Studio have poured their hearts and all their combined years of design skill into our Anniversary Batman 66 pinball. Your customers will receive an amazing pinball experience.
You can read more about this game and its design team in the attached Press Release, which we originally published and distributed to you on September 15th.
We will begin to manufacture Batman 66 later in November.
You will not receive a new model cornerstone game, with Pro, Premium and LE versions, until after the first of the year
Attached are photos of the Batman 66, feature matrix, and September 15 press release.
Best regards,
Gary
Gary Stern
President
Stern Pinball, Inc.

Whats this mean?

hmmm... good question.
maybe they rushed it out and didn't proof read. words really matter sometimes

They've been calling these 3rd party partnerships (ie pabst, kapow) "studio" games. Pretty sure that's what he means here. Is a bit misleading though.

I'm guessing that they are calling "Studio Edition" this pricing model of 'boutique run' games vs. their cornerstone games.

The Studio version is a step above the SLE and comes with an official Batman utility belt complete with a rechargeable lithium ion battery and wireless shaker for total Batmania immersion.

batman-chargemycard-1 (resized).jpg

Ha thats what i thought since they allready raised the number of the sle ....lol.

If there actually was another BM66 version announced that was called the "Studio" version, then Iceman would likely flip out. We might have to call for a straight jacket.

Yeah no doubt D.C., me and a whole bunch of other people too. That's a scorched earth move right there

At first I thought I was back in a JJP thread and new edition announced

I think it means that they intend to go back to the regular formula for the next game. (Aerosmith?)

PinballAlley,I hope your right!! Anymore stupid jazz with this pin,and I may call it quits!!

dgarret, since I occasionally will be reading and posting on here I would prefer to be accepted as a real person. I don't know who Kaneda is, I guess I can now post the YouTube link to my application video. You can compare it to the story I posted and hopeful that will convince the forum that I am a real person and will take me seriously when I post <year in..

Oh BTW for the record, it's been 11 days since I received the email from stern and nobody has called looking for that deposit..

Here is the final line up..

image (resized).jpeg

Nice video. Thanks for sharing. Since you now seem to have the full-on pinball bug (like the rest of us) and appear to be here for the long haul, why not list your location and collection in your profile?

Thanks , I definitely will havent had an opportunity to do that quite yet. I'm in Texas, DFW area to be exact..

Here's how I see the three editions:

Premium - PROmium
LE - pLEmium
SLE - Somewhat Limited Edition

No matter which you choose, the price is still bonkers and Stern should be ashamed at the fleecing going on here.

I just came to the weird conclusion that I'm good with the new pricing. I'm also good with the changing of levels, and the price increase Gomez said was coming to the Pro model when they do the next cornerstone game. I'm not going to be a buyer at those new prices, so they don't matter. Enjoy your upper end clientele Stern.

It's often said that Stern saved pinball by keeping manufacturing going, but I think that ignores the fans that stayed in the game through the lean times. To see those same people get chased out by increasing pricing...well, that just hurts to see. I really hope there's a market correction that can occur that won't put any of the manufacturers out of business. But as things are, I'm not priced out, but I'm done paying the prices because it no longer jives with my logical plans for myself.

I still want Stern to be successful. I want JJP, Heighway, Spooky and all the boutique companies to be successful. I just think that things are on a dangerous course.

Nice collection! Wouldn't you rather have a BMLE and Metallica Pro than a BMSLE?

I don't get why people would rather have $5,000 extra worth of NOTHING, when they could get another entire NIB pin for that amount?

bm285 (resized).jpg

People are very rich...$5k is a drop in the bucket for some. Why not if you're that loaded I guess?

Buyers of the SLE would scoff at the notion of owning a PRO. METLE or nothing bit$&es!

why does everyone think you even have to buy NIB? There are 1000's of other games out of the box, that are just as fun if not MORE fun than these NIB games coming out. What's better, is that you can buy 2-3 or even 10-20 of the other games for the same price as 1 of these NIB. The last 10 games I bought before GB premium cost less than the GB. Buying a NIB here or there is fine, but it's not the end all or even a must have.