The hobby has changed so much in the last ten years it's crazy. It used to be a bunch of good old boys trading around some beat up machines and tinkering on them for hardly any money. Now it's a bunch of bougie rich collectors buying machines as status symbols. It's obvious when you look at the marketplace and see all these for sale ads with more dolls glued to it than games played. Games for sale with 30 plays?? I put that many on within the first day I open the damn box. Check out the the number of collectors with strictly modded out Sterns because they don't even know what a soldering iron is. I don't think pinball is gaining popularity as much as the demographics are shifting and total numbers staying steady. One person gets priced out and leaves and a rich noob begins. $tern has realized that catering to these noobs is their bread and butter and a great business decision. Moths to a flame that will buy anything since they don't actually play the games. It's great for $tern and the other manufacturers but bad long term for the hobby IMO.