Localized internet outage in Madison, maybe?

That's the bottom line! ("how fun it is").

All new pinball machines are expensive! If Seawitch sells for ~6k (https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/for-sale-seawitch-6), it's hard to deny the street price for Beatles Gold isn't fair! It's new, faster, brighter, beautiful, lcd, timeless license, modern audio, etc.

The "fun factor" is personal & subjective, but if you like the game, it's "worth it". That's why many games are no longer in my collection. I either didn't find them fun or got bored. OTOH, I have 2 TRON's since I'm bi-coastal (a game I initially didn't like that much). I play it more than most games in my collection. Painful to pay over 10k for my TRON LE recently, however I love playing it.

I realize Beatles isn't for everyone, but if you like/respect the Beatles music and love pinball, it will start winning people over. I'm convinced the team gave it the love it deserved.

"All You Need Is Love" (buh-buh-dah-dah-dah.....)

Wait, that's a 2nd Beatles pinball machine based on assets from Rubber Soul through Magical Mystery Tour. Which of course should be followed by a 3rd machine with songs from The White Album though Let It Be.

Sadly, I don't think that's going to happen.

I always thought the early, well-behaved, tidy years were the most boring

A psychedelic pin, Beatles or no, would be good fun. If you can remember it.

God, I hope not. I would have to buy two more pins (to match my beautiful "Gold") and I don't have room. What if Stern makes a "Led Zeppelin"? That's another one I would have to get. Noooooo!!

i finally got to play it and i actually love it from the first game i played. The game play and rule set are fantastic. i played for a solid 4 hours. I dont like the beatles as a band at all (but respect them historically). to me it does not feel like seawitch as far as game play, esp since there is multiball action and a whirlwind disc that likes to do nasty things! imagine if someone re-themed it like they did with JM making the matrix. now, that is some music id listen to gladly while playing.

Finally got the chance to play several games on a diamond version yesterday. What a boring experience! The game really sucks. With all of the other machines out there now that offer so much more in features, game play, etc. why would anyone other than a Beatles fan choose this one? Just asking....

I felt the same way but then played it and was really taken back as to how much fun it is and just fun to shoot; really cool old school game and blows tna away to me at least

The “just asking” at the end of this post puzzles me.

As I said, why would anyone other than a Beatles fan choose this over all the other great machines that are out there now and more coming?

Because they want the Beatles?

Also, have you noticed that almost everybody is a “Beatles fan” to one degree or another? Just asking.

Also have you ever noticed that almost nobody will spend NIB money to buy an NIB game that has a theme they dislike? Just asking.

Do you realize that kind of renders the question you are just asking moot? Just asking.

Feel better now? Have a great day.

I feel like some people will buy xyz theme no matter what. It may play like a duck and they'll still buy/defend it. I read people say "Jaws I'll buy it sight unseen." or "Led Zep Take my money."

Some people don't care a bit about anything if the theme is good to them.

To me that's crazy but hey if they want the theme and Stern can make money it seems like a victimless crime.

Based on your collection, I'm not surprised you don't like Beatles gameplay. Have you ever played Fathom, Centaur, or Paragon? Doubt it.

Anyone that appreciates classic 80's "drop target" games will appreciate Beatles (just like they appreciate games like Fathom/Centaur/Paragon).

Actually, I have owned many pinballs over the last 40 years and I owned and played many that were drop target focused such as Gottlieb's High Hand and, I remember playing Paragon. Sorry, I just did not enjoy the Beatles game. I do like their music and I remember when they first came onto the scene. Great times.

Wow...40 year of pinball ownership! I'm only at it 15 years

Nothing to be sorry for! I just like trying to understand why. Everyone that has played mine really seemed to like it (and several weren't Beatles fans). These are folks that are tough pinball critics...not folks afraid of hurting my feelings

Lol, you must have been smoking crack. Beatles over TNA for old school lol.

It those games arent $8000.

I grew up listening to the Beatles. I also had no intention of purchasing one, until I played it. Then I thought keep it for a few months and flip it. Now that I’ve had it, it’s not leaving for a long time.

It’s one of those games that is just fun to play. Everyone that comes over, says the same thing. I have a decent size collection and it’s my wife’s favorite. So that means it’s staying!

When adjusted for inflation the original price is real close to $8,000 in 2019 dollars.

So you are saying games are way underpriced now. Dont let Stern know!

We have own well over a dozen NIB pins and "The Beatles" is the wife's all time favorite. One of my favorites. Not that it matters but the haters keep listing the price as 8K. I paid $7,700 for mine in early December. With a little checking around someone might find one for around $7,600.

What is fun to some is not fun to another, I’ll take Beatles over DI, Hobbit, Munsters, TNA and many other of the newer titles.

Just my opinion though so who gives a shit, other than POTC which I also have there isn’t a game at this price point I enjoy more currently. Can’t really put a price tag I what one perceives as enjoyable.

Different strokes for different folks.

Someone learned something today. Just saying.

May we please get back to what this thread is about, and post all the other interesting thoughts on the other Beatles thread?

Anyone got any idea how sales are going?

Assuming there are no more Platinums and Diamonds for sale, have distributors sold half their Golds?
Nearly all their Golds?
Hardly any at all?

Beatles sales are an embarrassment and may cause Stern to go bankrupt.

Or they are doing just fine.

These are the ideas people have on how sales are going.

Sale of the Golds.

On Feb. 15-19, I took this screen shot.

Screen Shot 2019-02-15 at 10.35.41 AM (resized).png

This afternoon I took this screen shot.

Screen Shot 2019-03-04 at 11.25.07 AM (resized).png

That is an 18 day spread.

14 pinsiders have joined the Gold club. Almost one per day.

7 more public locations have been added.

All but one or two of these numbers are from the U.S. And this is just for pinside.

1964 being produced. 350 are the big dollar pins. That leaves 1,614 Golds. 807 for US. 807 for rest of the world.

(45 + 42) = 87/807 = 10% of U.S. Golds have found their way to pinside. Nobody has jumped up and volunteered that they bought theirs from The Beatles Store. No idea how many couldn't care less on what happens on inside.

It's been a while since Vic Ireland has updated us on Beatles store sales.

I’ve played it (finally!) and I really like it. Can’t say if it’s worth $8K as a “pinball machine” in comparison to other available titles, but if you’re at that intersection of rabid Beatles fan and old school pinball nut I think you’d walk away happy if you bought one. The music and art are great and the theming is really well done, and it’s a lot of fun to play by yourself or multiplayer.

No that's not what I said.

When you account for inflation the prices really haven't changed a whole lot. Pinball machines were always kind of expensive.

I'm sure Stern also paid a fairly hefty premium for the rights to use what has to be the most sought-after music theme of all-time.

I think Stern probably paid a pretty good premium. But I'm not sure. How are you sure?

I was under the impression that Kapow did all the licensing work and not Stern.

I think Robert Kraft said the same thing.

I played it at the Louisville convention. It was extremely underwhelming.

I played it recently at Marvin's and I was shocked. I have been bashing this game from day one but I really thought it was just plain a lot of fun to play! Maybe a little overpriced, but I refuse to buy any more Stern's games over their mistreatment of their customers with incomplete code issues. Its hard to believe they abandoned the code on WOF, and it left a bad taste in my mouth. I don't want to be the next guy to own a game with abandoned code so it makes my game buying decisions a little bit easier.

Funny you should mention WOF as purchasing it NIB left a bad taste in my mouth as well. IMHO, the most woefully lacking code of any pinball game compared to what was promised (the shortcomings are obvious when there are features described on the playfield that never happen and lights on the playfield that are never used). As a result of my WOF experience, I had vowed never to buy another Stern NIB. I kept my vow, well, up until I bought a Beatles.

It's almost like you shouldn't bash a game until you play it or something. Crazy talk, I know.

As requested earlier, may we please get back to what this thread is about, and post all the other interesting thoughts, and complaints, on the other Beatles thread?

This thread is about SALES.

Any distributors out there sold all their stock yet or close to it?

Do have you any usef info to share. I'm sure if someone does, they will post.

THERE IS NO INFORMATION ON THAT.

You can beg, you can plead, you can cajole, you can whine. Nobody is going to release sales figures. It's all speculation. If you really want to know, you'll have to get a job with Stern or become a distributor yourself and see how the title sells.

This applies to every game released since Williams closed, by the way.

So does all this mean that the Walrus wasn't Paul?

Poor winner!! JK that's cool as hell..

JJP told us their sales numbers and Spookys own games sales numbers are part of the business model.

I use if distributors bring games to shows as a gauge. At Milwaukee one or two distributors had new games on the floor. Through the entire show I saw a tag on that said it was for sale, but I don't think they sold.

The Australian distributor sold out several weeks ago.

They are now taking orders.
Presumably for a second run of Beatles Gold.

It seems these machines are selling. Perhaps slower than Stern originally hoped for.
When demand builds sufficiently they'll do second run.

Time will tell just how big that second run will be.

Initially I thought Beatles was a dud but the more I play the better I like it. Still not my cup of tea but there is a lot of good stuff in there. Not every pin needs to be LotR.

Whose Bad!?

Hot Toys, Stern's distributor in Japan, isn't listing any Gold editions on their website.
AMD, Stern's distributor in Australia, is currently taking orders for Gold editions.

Does anyone know if any distributors in Europe and Asia are also sold out, or have no stock of Gold editions, and are taking orders for a second Beatles production run?

Joe Kaminkow says 80-85% of [The Beatles] are already sold.
The Aussie distributor sold out twice last year and is now selling their third batch.
Not bad for a machine with a $1,000,000 license (in Kaminkow's words, the most expensive license that has ever been on a pinball).

But does he mean 80-85% of the first production run or 80-85% of the 1,964 machines to be produced?