I'll never pay more than $5K for any pinball machine. Ever!

I regret selling both of my previous TZs! Even bought a RS to keep the space warm for [hopefully] the final TZ to turn up. I wonder how well the recent crop of Stern games will be holding up in terms of reliability and reputation in 20yrs!

Plus i'm not buying Aerosmith, the band does nothing for me, and I've never bought any game as new.

This thread turned out to be the Chicken Little thread to a degree. I don't think a $200 increase is unreasonable for a nice Pro with an LCD.

Good news - You will likely be able to pick up a HUO pro within your range easily.

People keep posting statements like this and I've seen them in a dealer's for sale threads. Are the dealers supposed to say, oh no maybe I'll lower my price for this guy?

You guys have it pretty good, in Canada right now with taxes a Stern pro is 8K, only dream themes will cause me to even consider paying the current prices.

Since some people are convinced Stern is watching this forum too, I wonder whether this topic had any influence on the actual pricing of Aerosmith (although I doubt that if it did anyone will confirm that it did).

Nope, used or new I won't pay over $5K for a pinball machine. It's just my limit for a leisure toy, not a necessity.

You also have a first world infrastructure.

What are you talking about? We pay some of the highest rates for telecommunictaions in the word and our streets and bridges are falling apart. LOL

It's not yet another $200, it's the total price. People were paying $4400 for Pros not too long ago, and now they're $5200.

Either you get that and care or you don't, but dismissing it doesn't mean anything to the people who are feeling that wallet hit. Maybe your job is killing it with the year over year % increases in salary, I doubt it's keeping pace with what Stern is doing. If so then good for you, you're a baller.

Maybe you have money and just have a limit for what a toy should cost you. It's a personal thing, you can't scold people for setting up a threshold. If you're constantly letting it shift up a couple hundred bucks then it's really not any kind of limit.

Nope I'm done it's B/W classics for me from here on out

I think the issue is that all of the $100 and $200 price increases have added up over the years. An ACDC Premium in early 2013 was $6200 or $6400 shipped, now premiums are $6900 - $7k shipped...$500 price increase on average over 3 years.

Combine the price increases with getting less and less with new games, quality issues, and waiting 6+ months for codes updates that may never come and its easy to see why a lot of people are upset.

And in a single sentence, you've described exactly why my normal $100,000+ per year pinball budget has been entirely reallocated. But I'm just one small fish in a very big pond, so I'm sure this won't affect Stern's bottom line.

According to Gary Sterns latest email he sent to distros, Aerosmith is the first time they have increased prices in the last two years. Here is a copy of the email that was posted.

Dear Ladies & Gentlemen,

Today at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas we are introducing our next "Cornerstone" game, Aerosmith, based on the classic, high energy rock band and its music. We will exhibit to the Electronics industry our Spike 2 system with our new high definition LCD display. We are also exhibiting "Everything Pinball" including Batman, PBR private label pinball, smart phone and other digital Stern pinballs, Oculus virtual reality pinball and more.

Aerosmith pinball will be available in Pro, Premium and Limited Edition models. We will build only 500 LE's.

This game utilizes our new high definition display with custom animated content. Unique and new mechanical features include a "Jacky in the Box" toy box into which balls are thrown through the air and locked for multiball and the "Love in an Elevator" toy. An upper playfield is among the features distinguishing the LE and Premium models from the Pro.

We have again drafted Dirty Donny to provide art for the various Aerosmith models. All models use some color changing RGB LED lighting. Players can choose between 9 Aerosmith performed songs.

To learn more, please see the attached photographs and read the attached comparative features matrix. You can also watch a video of Aerosmith pinball at https://www.dropbox.com/s/w7b8wqzanesr8p1/1080p.mov?dl=0

We have announced a price increase, our first in 2 ½ years. We have or will soon discuss the pricing with you. We continue our LE game policies, requiring $2,000 deposit and thereafter full price prepayment . The charge to claim specific numbers 2-9 and numbers over 10 are unchanged.

We will begin production of Aerosmith Pro around the middle of January, starting with export deliveries. Limited Edition production will be a month later, followed thereafter by Premium.

We ended 2016 with very little game inventory. In January we will produce to fill both backorders and new orders for Batman Premium, Ghostbusters Premium, and Spiderman VE. In February we will make more of our great earning Ghostbusters Pro. We have a very few Metallica Monsters, Whoa Nellie and WWE.

Please review the attached Aerosmith pinball material. We will soon contact you for opening orders.

Best regards,

Gary

That is a great question! It's amazing how a well taken care of B/W machine from the 90's holds up. I want to see some of the 2016 sterns in around 5-10 years

Well maybe it's that I am newer than you in the hobby because I never knew a $4400 NIB pro. For $200 more than Ghostbusters Pro you get a pretty nice game with an LCD. All those Ghostbusters Pro owners are going to be at $5400 after they buy a Color DMD.

But Aurich, Gary said that this is the first price increase in 2 1/2 years!

From the Aerosmith thread:

Edit: Dr.Willy beat me, I missed his post.

Man I'm sure it will make a difference. Its the compounding effect of every lost sale that is bound to hurt at some point.

You weren't the guy in JJP's FB video promoting DI were you?

He's telling distributors this! Absolutely amazing. Maybe he really meant to 2 1/2 "months" and not "years"

Jack and Gary, gotta love em. They'll say anything no matter how absurd it is.

they are selling every pin they can build. seems all their issues and crappy code not affecting their bottom line.

For now. At some point it will catch up to them. Eventually they will ramp up to full production in the new factory, and then we will see.

Wow! The LCD graphics on Aerosmith look amazing already. Stern really has done it right. They may have been late to the market, but the LCD on this game and BM66 look light years better than WOZ and TH. To say the new LCD screen alone is not worth a $200 price increase is ludicrous. (And yes, I do realize an LCD screen is cheaper than a DMD.)

Ha, no. Based on the repairs I've had to make on both of my WOZ LE's, and my Hobbit Smaug, I really have nothing good to say about JJP either. And the LAST thing I would do, is spend $8,000-$12,000 on an unlicensed pin for the route. As it is now, people won't even put money into my brand new MMR. I'm not making that mistake twice.

Well, WOZ and Hobbit uses HD studio movie footage for their pins. Aerosmith uses animation, BM66 old TV footage. I wouldn't call it "light years ahead", just different. Maybe I'm missing something here.

And thank god we don't have Aerosmith "old guy footage" on the LCD, it would be like looking at a live MET Roadcase translite all the time (UGH!)

You're being serious? Light years better? I have only seen the videos and not in person, but it doesn't look anywhere near JJP (and I'm not even a fan of TH). A nice step up from DMD, but I'd give a huge lead to JJP. For the record, I like both companies about the same, so I'm just calling it like I see it.

Example: in the one Aerosmith gameplay video where the guy eventually gets the replay... the screen up to that point was kind of plain although I do like the font, but the replay is the standard annoying chirp sound, and had the southpark-like band playing on the LCD and reads 'replay' ... underwhelming. (Early code, right? We'll see.) On WoZ, when you get a replay, the LCD, light show, knocker, shaker ... it's amazing. Even more so on TH, the use of the screen is polished and tight, the quadrants - it's overwhelming at first but really adds to the game and often times stunning by comparison.

The BM66 newspaper headline effect is cool. But otherwise the BM66 LCD is just kind of plain. Lots of unused space. So what am I missing? How does it tie in with the game?

I know your comment isn't about the service menu, but this too... sheesh.

All that to say it's a nice evolution of DMD. Just not revolutionary.

Of course, JJP has had a ton of time to polish the game. But the way Stern has failed to keep up with many of their games in the code department, I wouldn't hold my breath on much advancement after it ships, but I hope I'm wrong.

Sorry but I can't stand the split screen bullshit in WOZ. A video clip is a video clip, that's not what I'm taking about. By the way, DI is a vast improvement on LCD usage too.

It's revisionist history. If you say something long enough people will start to believe it.

I want to see how the routed ones hold up. the ones in someones house should be fine.

Fair enough. Not trying to argue you -should- like the quadrant screen in WOZ, but, doesn't mean it can't be appreciated. So far TH doesn't do it for me, but I think it is beautifully done, LCD and all. When I first approached a JJP machine I was worried it was going to be too many video clips, but was pleasantly surprised at how it augmented the game -- shots remaining on certain targets, counters, etc.

Except instead of 'the sky is falling', it's 'the ceiling is rising'.

if they are that dirty, that actually can protect a PF.

I've heard it all now.....

Ah, too bad - just a few years ago the full featured games like Spider-Man were $3700 NIB. I think the Black Suit LE was $4500 or less Thooooose were the daaaaaays!

I would say 2 1/2 years is correct for no increases. I have been buying new sterns for 3 years and have not seen any increase. If you have seen any increase prior to this official increase that anger needs to be directed towards your disturibtor and not Stern.

TELL THEM NO (your dist, not stern)

Am I missing something? My GBLE cost much more than my TWDLE. Was Stern msrp the same? I didn't think so.

Stern must be talking about msrp only and not pricing policies. You guys are quoting street prices from the days where every dealer had a different price. I remember getting a quote on a MET pro early last year then not buying one until late summer after the price fix. It ended up costing me hundreds more even though msrp stayed the same.

I should of said I only buy pros so I don't watch the LE pricing. I bet you could of got them for the same price and I wouldn't call $200 "much more" over 2 years from twd release to gb release. The price increases people have seen over the last couple of years is mostly from dist trying to make more $ on sales. Nothing wrong with that, but don't blame stern for that.

Twd

Pro Model: $5,995 (MSRP)
Limited Edition Model: $8,595 (MSRP)

Gb

Pro Model: $US 5,995
Premium Model: $US 7,595
Limited Model: $US 8,795

Metallica launch MSRP for reference:

Pro Version: $4,995
Premium Version: $6,995
Limited Edition Master of Puppets Version: $7,595

of course, also due to the dollar VS euro rates, but i paid my MET pro NIB (something like) 4400 euros, if i want it now its 6000 euros...

The letter stated no price increases in the last 2.5 years. So what does a game released over 3 years ago
have to do with anything.

I'm not defending Gary or the accuracy of his statement but at least use a game
made in the last 2.5 years as a reference to dispute his claim.

Maybe it was ... a reference? You know, for this whole conversation we've been having about prices going up over time. I give no shits about what Gary says.
Here are some more:
Star Trek
Pro model ($5,395)
Premium ($7,495)
LE ($8,795)
Mustang
Pro Version: $5,395
Premium Version: $7,495
Limited Edition Version: $8,495

Added over 7 years ago: Edit to clarify those are MSRP prices.

So you don't know if Stern or the distributors are pocketing those price increases

Haha, I guess somehow Stern is being greedy by trying to make sure their distributors make a fair amount of money. Enforcing minimum pricing is an essential part of a lot more than just the pinball industry.

It's just a simple fact of life, everything goes up but ...WAIT stop & look at the amazing quality of Stern pins. With Borg behind the design & Dirty Donnie at his finest yet IMO ... it's a shear work of art! I just ordered an LE (yup, I paid another US$250. just to get #7 out of 500 & with the exchange will be close to CAN$14K & I can't f'en wait!! Going next to my MET Premium & yes, I love the fact Brenden Small is doing the "Jacky" voice on AS! He absolutely makes my MET the best music pin out there, hands down. I started designing my new AS topper complete with "Jacky in the box" which will be laser cut 6ml plexiglass ... just have to design the LED's to run behind it but hey, I gotta couple months to wait anyway!

aerosmith-topper-concept1 (resized).jpg

I'd like to read more about minimum pricing etc. I'll be the first to admit I'm not informed on this topic.
Does Stern get the same price per unit, or do they have bulk discounts to distributors?
How does it benefit Stern to control distributors pricing?

Just curious.