Let’s not put this all on Stern. Pins have been increasing in demand over the last 10 years both new and used. JJP entered the business and were already priced higher than Stern. Stern has tried to be competitive on prices with minimal increases. This is the first BIG price increase we have seen by Stern. They are a business and the goal is to make money. This is not rocket science but simple economics…when demand exceeds supply prices go up. When supply exceeds demand prices go down. Prices are only going to go down when people quit buying. I have said this for years now…..quit buying these overpriced games if you don’t like the price. Don’t buy into FOMO….there will always be another game. And remember people buy for different reasons….there are a HUGE number of people that just want a game or two for the house. There are businesses that need games for locations. There are collectors that need every title. And Pinside is a small fraction of buyers…..there is a whole world of people outside of here. There was a time when the buyers market was small and games were plentiful and cheap….that time is gone for now. Also know that at that time no one knew these games would jump in value to today’s prices. We live in an instant gratification society…..FOMO is a hell of a drug. You see it with all the whining from people that can’t get an LE because they are sold out day one when released.

I am not sure I understand what your comparison Panzer….a JJP LE is the equivalent of a Stern Premium…..So a JJP LE which would be a Stern premium still costs more. I get that a JJP game may have more features but regardless it’s a tiered model structure from both manufacturers and Stern has closed the price gap between them.

Let’s see if JJP raises prices again….if the market bears it then it’s just a matter of time.

Either way I think most of us can simply agree the price of games is just getting too high…at least to buy/collect as it was years ago.

If you are saying game feature wise a Stern Premium is not equal to a JJP LE then yes….JJP seems to have more features. SLE is not the standard Stern tier structure. That’s targeted to specific themes they know people will pay more for.

JJP CE = Stern LE
JJP LE = Stern Premium
JJP Standard/Special edition= Stern Pro

JJP tried to keep all levels the same gameplay on past titles but now with GnR they have started to remove features as they did on the SE just like Stern does on a Pro model. I bet we see more of this on future JJP releases. Gotta give people a reason to want to step up to the LE. Before JJP would just create a new edition (WOZ RR/ Yellow Brick Road etc.) and charge more.

Gordon Gekko says it best.

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I am not crying about the price increase….do I like it….of course not.
But since some pinsiders want cry here is my take on it…..
Stern and others are laughing all the way to the bank. For the short time I have been in the hobby I have observed nothing but games shipping with INCOMPLETE CODE and it was accepted/expected updated code would be released later….Wrong mentality. Why would people continue to buy games with incomplete/poor code? And with no guarantee code would be updated. Countless threads of people with diarrhea of the mouth saying they would pay $XXX this theme or feature. Manufacturers have been listening and you are getting what you asked for….numerous dream themes coming your way at absurd prices….updated code/features…you got it but it’s gonna cost ya cause now you have to pay for Stern Connected. Don’t forget your topper LOL!!! This hobby has become more of a sickness……FOMO, gotta be “In” the circle to know the next release and have a solid relationship with a distributor to PREORDER a game that hasn’t been released not even knowing if you like it. I am so glad I can take a step back and not be sucked into this horse shit. I can’t believe people actually sent in videos to Stern to be able to buy a BM66SLE…..how fucking arrogant is that. And Stern won’t spend a little bit of time to complete the code on WoF. People are willing to pay good money for a COMPLETE QUALITY product. Pinheads are willing to pay TOP DOLLAR for an incomplete inferior product. We all hate the cargument but think of it this way….
Let’s say Stern is like the Ferrari of Pinball would you accept a Ferrari with 3 wheels or a missing hood or brakes that don’t work? Hell no you wouldn’t. If Stern prides themselves on being the top dog then they should be held to that standard and as consumers I don’t think we have done a good job of that. All I hear is pinball is hard and we keep giving them a pass…putting a man on the moon is hard…..With today’s tech more companies/countries are capable but how many have done it…just saying. Regardless the market for games is hot and the price is the price. Stern just narrowed the gap with JJP who charges more. Accept it or quit buying NIB. Simple solution.

Besides this price increase now there is Stern Connected. No one really knows what this means. There has been mention of paying for this service (subscription based) to get code updates/access to additional modes/rules etc. Stern has updated code on machines after release but it’s at their schedule/discretion to do so. For most games it has taken 2-3 years to get pretty much completed code. You are telling me they are capable of offering this on a timely subscription based service??? Wait till people start bitching about paying for months of this service and no additional content. Will be interesting to see how it really works and what you get with it but I have my doubts.

Pre Stern Connect as they require no additional cost…