I agree on Code, but they do churn out titles, so I am OK to wait for some code.
I agree on playfield lifts and serviceability.
To solve pricing, shift production line to Merida, Mexico where there are qualified labor and facilities.
Ground shipping is not so bad. Keep some of the profit, and use rhe rest to lower prices back down from $1000.00+++++
I am a little shocked to hear folks suggesting to move production ( American jobs) out of the US just to save money.
I know it's hard to buy US but when I can I always support it, even at a higher price
American jobs aren't always filled by American citizens. Have you seen the Stern factory? Jesus dude.
Quoted from darkfaith:finished code/programming
Quoted from PinballHelp:Stop selling crippled versions of games. Make one good, game version. If they insist on selling LEs, just make the difference cosmetic and not functional.
Quoted from LTG:Price. When they were around $3600, now $5500 and $6500, the increase doesn't seem like you are getting $2K to $3K more worth of game.
LTG
I agree with all 3 of these, hence why I quit buying new Sterns about 3 years ago.
Bob
QC.
JJP is clear coating his cabinets!! Once WOZ and future games come out, Stern will have to improve their quality. For now, they are providing the next fix and they are doing enough for enough people to turn a blind eye to QC and incomplete codes.
As for incomplete codes, what bugs me is you don't know for sure if it will be done as there is no communication. Will X-Men have one, two, six code updates?? Who knows.
As for the Bally/Williams titles, if MM was brought out now as the next Stern game, it would not look dated. Quality would be better. If color changing LED's were added to MM. it would look like a 2012 new pin!!
Quoted from Shapeshifter:QC. JJP is clear coating his cabinets!!
This is a total waste of money. 90% of you will put your NIB game in the lineup and not move it until it's time to sell. Do you have friends with big belt buckles or something? And if you're worried about flipper button wear, just install some stealth protectors.
And people complain that pins are getting too expensive...
Quoted from Pinchroma:And you mean the ribbon cables used in stern machines (and bw) Arent old? Not a computer guy are you? Guess what.. Same cable used on a floppy drive on an 8086 pc in 1986
I was just trying to tweak the guy; I don't have anything against Molex. But ribbon cables are appropriate for carrying low voltage. If they fail (though they never do), you just replace them with a new one. Much easier than rebuilding a Molex connector, as I need to do this weekend to get my Fathom working again.
I'm not a "computer guy", but I'm a EE. If you have a cable DVR in your house, you probably have some of my code running in it.
Quoted from Monster_Bash:Absolutely hate the photoshopped animations...don't know why it bothers me so much. They just look terrible...and a step back in technology from like 1992ish
"photoshopped animations"??? Photoshop is a program for editing still images. And the animations
are on a crude, low-res DMD display anyway. I don't know what you mean by this.
Quoted from TheLaw:Programming for sure. Unfinished code stuff is just crazy horrible and shameful.
Amen! And I like the phrase "crazy horrible and shameful"--says it well.
Quoted from PinballHelp:Stop selling crippled versions of games. Make one good, game version. If they insist on selling LEs, just make the difference cosmetic and not functional.
Another Amen! At least Jersey Jack got that one right.
Quoted from Mike_J:The pricing is just plain silly and the increase is not easily explained. The increase in fuel prices in the last 5 years hasn't helped, but can't be the only culprit.
At the prices Stern is charging, the attention to detail has to improve. I haven't seen a new X-Men, but I am hoping it is an improvement over their last 2 releases in terms sweating the small stuff.
However, the machines seem to be selling so my opinion may not matter much.
It is pretty easy to explain, at least in part. If you haven't been paying attention, SPI has received outside financial support and it appears the bean counters are making most of the decisions there these days. I concur with your last point, but they are still selling new games at a good clip (HOT theme, quality and innovation be damned!!!) so why should they change?
An amusing thought (to me): Can you imagine this discussion playing out on Stern's FB page? 
I bet they wish they could kill Pinside threads, if they're reading this.
Quoted from DCfoodfreak:Agreeing to disagree. But not delusional and not kicking myself. Anyone that knows me also knows I can buy any game at anytime without blinking an eye. After playing the old and the new I have the same reversed feelings you have. I honestly would not pay 4k for an old game but I have spent about 40k in a heart beat on what I think are great games.
The lights, play,call outs etc.
Just saying that there are more and more folks like me as I talk to Pinheads.
This is a pretty recent thing with me, but I'm definitely starting to feel like you with regard to the new Sterns (specifically the LE models) making many of the B/W titles feel old by comparison. I just picked up HUO TF LE and despite some of the criticism that pin gets, it is super smooth and has an amazing sound package.
I've only had one Stern title in my lineup for the last 1/2 year or so, but with TF LE and XM LE on the way, I'm going to triple that to 3.
AC/DC is an amazing pin as well. I'd love to have that over most of the B/W titles that I've owned.
So, yes, things are definitely changing....for the better.
Quoted from DCfoodfreak:I am 47. To me Tron with Daft Punk or Transformers is much more interesting than Frankenstein.
I'm 47 as well, and also agree with the above. And I still like Frankenstein! Just not as much..
All I can say is the AC/DC and Trons sold super quick in the last week. Those AFMs are still hanging around...
Hopefully Av8 will have some good luck with his MB. There is one on RGP very nicely done for 15k : 0
Sadly that is the money for the Avengers and maybe a KISS, Resident Evil or JJP.
And of course all the Invisiglass that we now need : )
Quoted from robbiev:Nothing wrong with second place! I live in Richmond VA, they have a whole street full of really big second place trophies from the Civil War!
WHAT,The civil war ain't over yet!
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