Here is my take on pinball in general. I like Pinball the way it is. I have no problem if anyone wants to take pinball to a new level.
Its been said before and it is true. Pinball has not changed one bit since the introduction of the DMD.
So we are looking at 20 years of no new innovation. Pinball in its current form works. It is just really down to the build quality. Theme and game play is really all it comes down to.
In reality, there is only so much one can do with a steel ball and a couple of flippers.
It is also seems that it is the same guys designing the pinball machine layouts that have been for the last 20+ years.
Mechanically speaking, what new advances in technology have even happened in the last twenty years? Face it, a slingshot is still a slingshot
Every advance has been in software, processing power and video monitors.
It appears that JJP is still a DMD pinball with a LCD monitor and some cool animation. A good designed rule set does not mean a physical innovation. An LCD monitor is not an innovation. More of an evolution.
That does not mean a new pinball can't be great based on the current platform, it can. But think about it. Todays pinballs are very interactive. Pinballs have been that way since the DMD. It is important to hear what is being said so one can follow what to do. At a typical establishment, it is improbable to hear what is going on. It is just flippers and balls at that point. Good luck in trying to figure out rule sets. And unless you come to pinside or similar, who even knows there are rule sets.
Does pinball play need to advance past the DMD era to be profitable and great? no. But some new consumer friendly technology needs to be introduced. There is your innovation.