No, they're not Stern games. They're Chicago Gaming Company. They run on a Beaglebone Black & big boards under the playfield. I've had mine since May 2015 with zero major issues.

IMO the electronics have proven themselves reliable. Ask yourself this. Do you want what the remake offers?

1. NEW. Games from the 90's, but new!
2. Higher rez color dots. You can't get CGC's new dot-work on a ColorDMD for an original. It's proprietary and looks awesome.
3. Shaker integration. Games come with coded shakers. Original doesn't have that.

There are a few more bits exclusive to the remake which could be pros/cons depending on your perspective - but those 3 are the main pros for the remake.

There are brightness and fade-style options ...you can basically make it look just like incandescent.