The Pinball Arcade is fun to play and get to know the rules of a game you could possibly buy better, but it is nowhere near the amount of fun normal pinball is. I usually play the pinball arcade to pass time when there isn't a physical pin around.

Nothing like real pinball at all. You might as well play video games.

Well, then there is the purpose of fake pinball.

I think most of my PA play happens when nature is calling.
Just sayin'....

But, I have found that PA is good for learning rules. It won't give you much of a feel for the physical shots(at least, not for me), but I have learned about shots and strategies that I have later used on the physical machines.

I would say it captures a lot of the fun of pinball and I still enjoy playing it, but it misses the thrill of actually physically interacting with a ball. It also doesn't compare in difficulty (much easier). Still, if you have one or two tables to experience the real thing and then pinball arcade to get your variety fix, it's not a bad deal at all. It's also amazing at teaching rules if you have a game on location you want to play -- much better than watching a youtube tutorial.

I usually watch Bowen’s tutorials, then play the game on PA so I know what to shoot for. Then when I find a game on location, I will know what to do to get a high score.

In the end it is a video game. But still fun! I built this controller which helps make it better. The flipper button relays snap and give tactile feedback.

https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/stern-pinball-arcade/page/5

Tables on Pinball Arcade look pretty nice, but ball and flipper physics need much improvement.

I recommend Visual Pinball. Community is great about helping newbs get up and running. It’s free! We love new folks:

http://vpinball.com

Here’s the latest version of Whitewater for VPX from Flupper, for example.

9CC9F1E3-D186-486B-86FC-15CFB3334009 (resized).jpeg

It's a reasonable approximation, however, if you play a game on the app, then a real example of the same game, there is certainly a noticeable difference.

I still enjoy TPA, though.

Keep in mind, you don't have to go for the high priced group of A-list titles. There are thousands of titles out there, many of which are still affordable. Also, if you learn how to repair games, you can get dead and broken ones fairly cheap and fix them up yourself.

All good points. I don't agree that you can make a shot over and over in TPA, any more that I can in my real pins, but TPA is just a little easier. They want the players to have fun playing so the difficulty is turned down just a little.

My favorite thing about TPA is that I never see a pin like Road Show in perfect condition in my travels, but I can play one in TPA that looks like I am back in '94 forever.

My mommy has given me permission to keep that lizard I found.

Pinball Arcade is a good substitute, not perfect but scratches the itch. The only thing I will never forgive Pinball Arcade of doing is calling pinball machines, "tables". Now everyone does this and it drives me crazy! Yes I know when they were countertop games in the 30's people called them that but now that name is just terrible and has been obsolete for 70 years. I know I'm not the only one. I wish Pinball Arcade would also do more diverse games, do we need both Firepowers and El Dorados? Other than that I love PA and they have done great things for pinball.

I picked up these from Amazon to use when playing PA on my iPad:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076Q125NT/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00

They make it a more comfortable experience.

My favorite aspect of playing PA is getting to hear the sounds and call-outs for all these great games. Often, even when you find a clean machine in the wild, the bar or arcade is so loud that game sounds are inaudible.

I could jam to the Genie soundtrack all day.

It's ok. The best for arcade video pinball. But it follows a strict pattern.

There's not the randomness that's in real pinball.
Just one example:
On PA funhouse you can catch the ball by holding the right flipper everytime it kicks out.

And it bounces the exact same everytime. On the real machine it's a completely different story. The random bounces and the physics aren't even close.

I actually use Visual Pinball, and I like it alot. To me Pinball Arcade adds too much stuff that isn't there for my liking. Makes it too much like a video game but VPin is a nice emulation software. And its free, and a lot of the tables are really amazing... And no... It will never replace a real machine, no matter how nice you get your cab with all the leds and all the shakers and solenoids... BUT! Some of the games it does emulate quite nicely. Single level games and old em's it emulates really well. It does a great job with breakshot... But, of course a real pin is a bit more fun... But, playing a virtual one is a lot less headache. I can resolve my issues with those in minutes, but with real pins... Hours or days. Still no one can really have like 300 pinball machines in there house and so I enjoy using VPin to get to know the rules and also just see if a table is something I'll like... But, I never ever rate a machine without playing the actual physical pin. Just a fun program and community.

Check out FX2 in VR with Oculus Rift. It blows my mind how great it is. Only if they could get the resolution up more. Only problem is it's a single player experience. It's not practical to share a head set. Also FX2 in 3D Vision is awesome! TPA supports it, but not since the directX11 update. And I will not give DX11 up, lighting is too good. FX3 also doesn't support 3D vision so meh on it for me.

It really is fun and I agree with you on the resolution -- we're about three years away from having pretty great pinball graphics in VR. There's still something more satisfying about the physical experience though.

I noticed more dimpling on Visual Pinball, which is why I prefer Pinball Arcade. I've read where it has something to do with the 'soft' ware they are using.

LOL!
No!
It's the 'Clear Code'

Odin, you crack me up!!

The worst part about pinball arcade is the vacuum like ramps. All you have to do is get it close. I doubt anyone has ever banked a ball off of the stand ups and up the ramp in High Speed in real life.

PA physics seems to change table to table. Cactus Canyon flippers seem gimpy.... Medieval Madness they rocket all over the place. Echoing what others have said, good to learn the rules for a table or see what you might be interested in playing at your next convention but doesn't hold a candle to the real thing

I will also add in that in TPA the games are purposely made easier than the real versions. I remember an interview with one of the TPA folks from a podcast (Sorry don't remember which one) where they mentioned them tweaking the physics to keep the virtual games a little more player friendly.

I wish they would add an adjustment that lets the user select between realistic or ‘easier’ physics settings.

Pinball Arcade was my introduction to Pinball, having only played occasionally as a youth, so I’m grateful to the developers. I love playing it on a large iPad Pro as it supports the native resolution of the 12.9 inch screen and looks and sounds great. It’s one of the few games in my opinion that actually plays better on an iPad than a console since the controls are simple, with the exception of nudging. It’s terrific for rules as everyone has mentioned. It’s also very good for comparing one game to another if you are considering buying a real machine.

So you're saying I wouldn't be able to replicate my 50 billion AFM scores on real tables . . .

Overall, I think it's a good thing the pins are easier in TPA. It's the perfect gateway drug. I'm not sure how many video game players are ready for the rough world of pinball at the start (I certainly wasn't). Plus I get to fantasize that I'm actually great at pinball playing TPA (until I see where I am on the leader board at least).

I'd agree with this for sure. It's not really "easy" still but eventually you learn that the kick outs, returns, etc. behave perfectly and consistently and you end up being able to predict them and adapt your play. That said, I love it for planes, just being lazy on the couch when I have 5 minutes before we need to leave the house, etc.

This is why visual pinball x is just plain better in my opinion. The “ball” is much more random

It's too consistent and "nudging" is obscenely effective. A single nudge in TPA is an epic 2 inch cabinet slide in real life, and you don't even get a warning for it. I like TPA just fine, but wouldn't waste room in my house with one of those virtual cabinets set up for it. When I play on a cabinet it doesn't feel like a pinball simulation, it feels like video pinball on a big vertical screen.

As others have said, it’s fun, it’s not really accurate in terms of how the ball moves, and you can get away with a LOT that a properly set up real game wouldn’t allow... but it also lets you play more pinball!

I would NEVER even consider getting rid of a real game in lieu of a TPA setup. Or VPX which has come an incredibly long way but is still ridiculously hard to set up to a non-tech user

I always wondered do you think a guy like Keith Elwin is actually better at real pinball than virtual and some video game wiz who can blow up TPA but is absolutely awful at real pinball.

comparing a video game to the real thing is never going to be the same when it comes to how things will actually happen. yes it can help with learning rules etc, but it will not behave like the real thing.

Another poster mentioned Visual pinball X which is a great and fun program. I have it and I use it. In fact if I know I'm going to pinball arcade or bar. I'll try to get a list of the machines they have, and play a few games of VPINX of those tables before I go. Just to get acclimated of the rules and what to expect. Now, you really won't know or be able to practice the shots as the scale will be off to fit your monitor, but that doesn't matter. And I seldom use nudge, but I know the VPINX can have some great nudging. Especially if you build yourself a cab, which I am doing... Anyway, I find that its useful. And nothing beats a real pin. I remember I played Jokerz. And I just kicked that pins butt in VPX, and while I got a few replies at the arcade. It was much more difficult. Had to deal with the drains and wild bounces while trying to lock the ball and go for the jackpot. So I view these programs as super fun and a great alternative. But, no they don't beat the real game. But, not everyone can afford a real pin, and also not everyone has space for more than a few in their house. So these programs are great to experience what you might never play in the wild.