Price Gouging??? On a luxury item? What a joke!!! Charging $10 for a needed roll of toilet paper? THAT is price gouging.
Seriously, what function of a pinball machine is the topper making better? OOH, it flashes some light! I thought the $499 price point was ridiculous for a piece of plastic. That Ghostbusters topper looked like a Fisher Price made toy. I am probably one of the biggest KISS fans on this board, but do I own the KISS topper on my KISS LE? Nope, looks stupid to me.
Pinball seems to be trending much like automobiles. Am I ok with a base model Ford Escape SE(Stern Pro)? or do I have to have every bell and whistle as the Lincoln Corsair ( Stern LE or JJP CE)? Doesn't matter which one you have, they both serve the purpose of getting from point A to point B.
Then I equate the toppers to these aftermarket wheels that people put on their vehicle. Yep, those wheels bring the bling, can be expensive, and serve no more than cosmetic purpose. Those wheels make ZERO difference in getting from point A to point B, they just add style.
These topper prices are no different that say $18K for a Big Lebowski. This isn't price gouging, it's more like stupid money.
Nobody has to have a pinball, nobody has to have a topper. However, we all need to wipe our asses.
Now please excuse me while I go pick up a project EM today.