Just talking out loud...

A NIB Stern Pro is ~$4500. It will likely have a theme that people relate to and may actually have interest in (getting non-pinheads to play Billy's Pinball Adventure is probably harder than getting someone to play Thor's Quest or something arbitrary). The 5-ball dilemma can be fixed by just putting it on 5-ball. The multilevel ramps/paths/targets/etc seems like something that WOULD drawn new players in - complexity mixed with intrigue.

I think the solution is to get the prices down a little bit ($4500 isn't terrible, but sub-$4k would be ideal) and to make at least one or two modes/multiballs VERY easy to start. I mean, TWD is just shoot he Prison like 3 or 4 times, right? MET is shoot sparky a few times. X-Men was hit Wolverine a few times. Stuff like that is actually pretty great for casual players.

However!

My wife is NOT a pinhead. You know what she wants to shoot at when she plays? Either a big bash toy or ramps. She's not aiming for targets or loops...She wants to see the ball go around the ramps or she wants to smack the huge toy and get a cool light show. Our non-pinhead guests are the exact same way. I tell them a few basic rules/goals, but they always go for the biggest toy or the coolest looking ramp.

I actually think the recent Pro models and features are a great step in the right direction. That said, I DO believe Stern should investigate $3995 as a price point to be more enticing to newer owners and ops.