Macomb, MI
Quoted from dhalem:To use your own car analogy, a new mustang is faster, handles better, is more reliable, is safer, and is more fuel efficient than a '65 Mustang. The old ones have nostalgia value, but the technology has improved tremendously.
There's no reason to think that the new ones will be inferior in any tangible way.
New technology is awesome....and when it comes to Mustangs, Camaros and Vettes there was NO technology in them compared to todays offerings! All the new ones will run twelve second quarter miles with the A/C on right out of the factory with stock tires and get 22 mpg+ on the highway with much better suspension, steering, drivelines and braking. I've either had most of the old pony cars or been in them and can tell you they are no comparison to the new cars in any way, shape or form.
I'm not a computer expert by any means, but I'm sure someone on this site can give you some figures about how much faster the newer processor being used is, how much less heat it creates etc. Its only pinball folks...the switches tell the coils what to do and the processor registers the results on the DMD screen. The code that the new games from other manufacturers lack is not an issue....its locked in, time proven and will be near identical. The mechanicals are identical to the originals...and its the same stuff you would buy from Planetary to repair your old original MM with.
So the only difference that might matter is the quality of the wood in the playfield. And since most MM's out there have already been equipped with aftermarket playfields its a moot issue too. And why would anyone care what trademark emblem is on the game? The newer boards will be easier to find and cheaper to replace if you ever have an issue too. The backboard lighting will hopefully be better than the original mess that came with this game. Surely it cannot be any worse.
If anybody want to be a collector like with the original AC Cobras you can certainly find a perfect original MM somewhere for $20,000. But for those of us who want to buy a game to play on a daily basis we finally have an option at the comparable price of other NIB games. But we know that this game will have completed code upon delivery instead of hoping and praying that the manufacturer will finish the code "some day later on" which for some reason never seems to happen.
If you wanna put an MM in a museum pay $20,000+ for it and do it. There are games like that out there. If you wanna have fun and play it with your family buy the new one for $8000 and enjoy it without worrying that you will lose $10,000 if it gets too much wear on it.
