I just read the transcript from Stern Insider.

GG discussed the component that is currently missing from their products is the fact that users don't log into a pinball machine, so Stern doesn't know who we are. So, Stern came up with a way to log us all in, "seamlessly".

GG also states there will be a "huge data mining effort that's going to be happening post-launch on our end".

Stern should be careful here IMO. Don't forget your target audience is largely based in old school dudes and people - of several generations, from kids through people in their 70's - who play pinball because it's got old school charm and we want to escape the generalized connectivity of phones and internet and just whack around some balls or occasionally go for the GC on a brain-burning modern Stern.

In fairness, GG states that the platform is evolving and implementation is open-ended at this point, so who knows where it will lead? Could be a good thing, could be fairly innocuous? Let's hope for both of those.

I sincerely hope they give owners of their $6600+ appliances the option to either opt out of the connectivity or make choices in a menu for exactly "how connected" and "what features" a home owner can decide to participate in.