Not my idea but wonder why this isn't pursued :

It would seem something like this coupled with a flipper button with a "curve" could make for a different take on shooting the ball. IOW, it should be possible to design a flipper button that would be graduated. So instead of being a flipper that was always pulsed or taken to 100% of it's action, a player could push the button 50% and the flipper would only travel 50%.

I'm also curious why some inventive machine shop operator hasn't "turned" out some custom posts to replace plastic components. There does seem to be a current trend to be inventive with lighting and rubber components. Maybe some of the hardware could benefit from a different point of view.

And, will any of the manufacturers make an effort to either lighten or balance the games? Obviously a key factor of any play is the ability to nudge a machine. Big heavy games play much different than many of the older, lighter wedge heads. I would think that if a proper effort was made to reduce as much bulk and place as much mass as low as possible the movement of a game could change significantly.