Stern defenders can rationally defend this move 'til they're blue (er, ultraviolet) in the face, but perception is reality. If customers feel like they got screwed, then it's a fail. You can't "logic" them out of an emotional reaction.

Breaking news from Stern’s PR department....
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Sorry.... I couldn’t resist.

Competition is key....Stern has none and can continue to get away with this bullshit time after time. If they had 50% of the market the couldn't pull this crap. Can't wait to see what Stern has up their sleeves with internet connectivity....lol, what a gong show that's going to be.

That's one hell of a slippery slope argument.

All Stern did was make a mod better than anyone else could because they integrated it from the beginning. If Johnny Jackoff Modman invented it everyone would be lining up to shell out $$$ and posting youtube videos of how awesome it is.

Are you also going to hate on spooky for upcharging customers of the blood sucker LE edition for.. shaker, knocker, rgb lighting, painted coin door, dbv reader coin door, coin box and lid, butter cabinet, etc? I mean the shaker and knocker code is in the game AND they make you pay extra? #sarcasm

This is exactly what should have happened. Instead of making this some "secret feature" - include it on the LE, since really it was the most bare and basic Stern LE in a long time - and let everyone know it's optional on the Pro/Prem.

Then you get some Prem buyers more likely to go for the LE, the LE buyers know they are still getting Stern's top of the line loaded pin, and Pro's convert to more profit for Stern because it's a add-on.

No one cares if this is a "special LE-Only" feature. I don't. But c'mon Stern, this should have been included at the minimum for LE owners and even Prem owners since they only get a projector and a ball lock that doesn't even work 100% of the time. The UV add on seems exactly what the Prem/LE was missing the entire time. It just feels like it was actually designed for this, removed last minute, and then sold later.

Now instead of Stern converting Pro buyers to Prem/LE... There is the opposite effect. A Pro with the UV upgrade. So now Prem owners may actually buy the downgraded model and less Pro owners will pay for the upgraded models.

Good job Stern marketing department !!

This is true, there's even an upcharge for freakin' target decals...in the end, it's about perception, and the details reinforce that perception, not the other way around. Stern is perceived as a money-grubbing corporate behemoth, and the way they rolled this out only makes them look shadier. There's plenty of upcharging in R&M but they are transparent about it up-front and cultivate good will in the community, so they get no grief.

No one is denying what a great mofe/feature this is.

Yes it’s really cool and yes it makes the game better.

What’s NOT really cool is the way they knowingly planned it into the game and then showed it on a stream like just some cool new reveal.

It’s a F’n cash grab that they are exploiting in any current owner or potentially new buyer of this game.

This upgrade should’ve automatically been included for Premium/LE owners even as an after the production add on. Then offered as a purchased add on to the all the Pro model owners.

But Stern is just to GREEDY for that!

Not to mention the timing of this mod.

They slapped it on people as they are just now receiving their machines. It's not as if they spent extra time later on to develop this "Mod" and then released it later.

I literally think it was supposed to be included the whole time, and some Stern corporate chode spent a day looking at it thinking of what could be removed and sold later. He then came up with this idea to remove this effect and sell the shit later.

That's the problem.

This isn't a topper.

It's not a shaker.

It's a feature that was clearly designed to be included, as even evidenced by the UV paint you PAID for with the purchase of the game that can't even be utilized unless you fork over more cash.

What next, magnets under the playfield you PAID for when buying the game, but then have to purchase the node board and code to activate them a month after the game is released?

Yeah, complain all you want, but Stern doesn't listen to any criticism even if it's constructive since they just view Pinside as a cesspool. Basically what they are telling us is, you don't like it? Then fuck off, we don't need you.

Eventually when enough people have had it, they will have to change their ways. Their annual growth WILL come to an end and investors will start putting pressure on the leadership there. Will see how well they have developed this so called "lifestyle brand" by then...

They listed these options... They didnt include a shaker motor in the build and then sound a "secret reveal," stating that for 280 dollars you can buy a proprietary button to turn on the shaker...

Fickle FOMO's will be right back at it with chants of "take my money now" on the next title. LOL

And the title after the that....and the one after that.....

I don't think I've ever seen a more "This food is terrible...and such small portions!!!" meltdown thread in the history of this place, and that's saying something. A bunch of people who think this game blows and have pledged to never buy a Stern again whining about something they don't need, don't want, and allegedly aren't buying, "white knighting" in the parlance of our times for the people who are.

And yet the game is selling. Just like the last outrage, the shitty Star Wars Topper nobody is going to buy that they literally can't keep in stock.

It's been alleged by Yancy that I masturbate to Stern offerings, which is pretty silly since everybody knows Stern cabinet decals disintegrate at the mere touch of semen and I'd never do anything to expose yet another Stern QC issue.

But if these outrage threads aren't messy circle jerks I honestly have no idea what is. As Rodney Dangerfield claims to have said first...get a room guys!

$8600 + $275 . I bought it. Don't pinstadiums cost $400?

The crybabies are just whining to themselves and pissing in the wind. LOL

Then pinside would have been screaming over 'I only bought the LE for this feature! they mislead me!' or "whats the point of a LE if anyone can add the stuff in..."

It's the equivalent of selling LE translights to anyone. Advertising something as an exclusive LE feature and then selling it to everyone would go over like a fart in an elevator.

LOL, yes it's mind blowing Levi, the fickle FOMO's are in epic whiner hate mode right now.

What's the impact on Stern? NOTHING

You said it, "and yet the game is still selling", just like JP and Elvira recently and the next ones coming down the line.

Pinstadiums, Color dmds, shitty plastic mods keep selling too. Why? It's what people want!

Let the circle jerkers continue, its funny to watch the hypocrisy on full display

And Stern know this, right from the days of GB ghosted playfields and 'no one was going to buy nib again'.

Wait until Led Zeppelin LE is released.

Sold out on day 1 however it gets marketed.

Lol, i said the exact same thing after GB. Then i saw progress and i saw great games i wanted to buy and did.

People have ZERO credibility bitching about one issue with Stern when you can't acknowledge the positives. And there are MANY. They continue to scratch their heads as they reach record sales each year.

TREX is a great toy and innovation, the game itself is a GOAT candidate. Elvira is awesome and only getting better. And yes, PF issues have been addressed. You want an acrylic pf, go buy a Celts!

Anything like this VERY COOL add on that goes against the hate narrative toward Stern and Stranger Things is just gonna be attacked while i buy it, have fun with it, and enjoy this GREAT THEME.

While code and rules are in the infancy stage.

So we'll see, the only thing you can count on is the same handful of haters stomping their feet and whining about anything Stern while they wait on their Bricks game. LOL

Correct - but that doesn't mean people get to create a new reality to bolster their emotional response.

The truth is this is no different than having a game pre-wired, bracketed, or software enabled for an add-on. But because it's a feature people think 'should have been included' - it's a riot over upcharges. Everything else is just alt-reality crap trying to make their case seem stronger.

And as others have included... people like Spooky are even making a coin box an 'upcharge' now... while the game's price increased over the last one... and no one bats an eye.

Why? Because 99% of the angst in this community is self-centered emotional crap - not rational thought.

But that's not a real standard - Just crap people made up to justify their anger.

People are free to their own opinions - but not their own facts.

help !

https://www.gofundme.com/f/spent-all-my-money-on-a-limited-edition-help?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cf+share-flow-1

There was a Metallica mod that had UV light rails, except the rails were mounted above the playfield, a few inches out from the side walls. These were out well before Pinstadiums. It was those UV light rails I re-purposed for TFTC and installed mine on the sidewalls, like the original Pinstadiums.

So stupid to have people buy another apron, extremely wasteful considering they had prior knowledge.

If leaving the UV LEDs and light board out was a BOM decision, the future is looking bleak.

Looks like you hit the playfield this time.

Yeah, that's the part that annoys me, just from a junk-filling-my-closet standpoint. Everyone ends up with a useless extra apron & plastics. Would've been a cheaper upgrade (or LE inclusion) without manufacturing redundant parts.

Crazy Levi is the largest Stern shill I have ever seen. I hope they pay you well, cause your explanations are horrendous.

wonder if they will start locking code features once the games are online and you have to pay to progress through the game Like in most phone apps “double flip to purchase extra mode” lol

When have I ever told you clowns to buy ANYTHING?

I don't think you know what a shill is.

In case you guys haven't figured it out yet, I'm not pro Stern. I'm anti-idiocy.

New Apron of destiny?!? Haha

This has been quite the welcome back to pinball experience for Brian Eddy.

I have no doubt something along those lines will happen. Internet connectivity opens the door for them to come up with a lot more creative ways to get us to pay extra for things that should have been included.

Should have passed it up. Stern ruined his return.

And when selling a game it’s percentage of unlocked code will affect the price etc... like NIB will be vanilla but used might have more stuff unlocked etc... who knows what the future will bring. But totally agree many many More ways for them to make more money off these things.

I wish we could all be as smart as you Levi. You are such a wealth of pinball knowledge and such a pinball God that it makes the rest of us feel like we arent worthy.

Or they could pull a Tesla move and take back the software upgrades when you sell your game to someone else. Same way Tesla just restricted autopilot and mileage upgrade to a reseller last week

No matter how you slice it, this was a bad business move.

Just hope that when stern does go digital... that they attach purchases to the machine... not the user. Imagine not being able to sell all the upgrades you bought for your games....

Stern really does have to tread lightly with messing with the resale value of machines (and I think they know this). I'm fine with the pinball hobby as an obscene luxury item if I can recoup a decent percentage of the money back eventually (actually it's the only way I can rationalize this hobby), but if it suddenly becomes a complicated mess to resell machines or the resale value starts tanking it becomes impossible to justify.

I guess they just go back to mainly selling to operators?

I wonder if we will start seeing dodgy roms that offer free upgrades etc...

Now we're clowns... You such a nice guy Levy.

Really good point. No way will the Digital Rights Management travel with the game. The upgrades will definitely be tied to the user account. This will take a direction exactly like video games. Every publisher has their own content pusher app and tie their content directly to the user/subscription account. If I sell my computer/Xbox/Playstation on Ebay, my games and upgrades stay with me...they don't travel with the hardware. This will hurt resale, but Stern is not in the resale business.

This is great stuff. I now have this marked as one of my favorites. I’m really enjoying this. Please continue.

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If they are smart, they already are thinking about phasing out USB updates in the future, and updating will/should be tied solely to the user account via wifi. DRM is real and alive in the PC/gaming world and the direction Pinball is going with connectivity, to offer the change for pirated Rom's to leak doesn't help their bottom line. Games used to have 21 + codes to enter to access upgrade features and play the game, but there was a crack code that afternoon, when account subscription became a thing, the game was then married to the account owner basically eliminating rampant piracy. It still exists but is far less than back in the day. Stern has roots in the gaming industry, I can almost say without a doubt, they are on it..It's why we don't see it yet on the machines, it's not about the hardware...It's about the account subscription creation and content provision model.

If only I could digitally remove my aftermarket plunger, playfield protector, powder coated legs/armor/habitrails...

I'm an LE owner and I'm not going to buy their paid DLC-type addon. Fuck stern.

The higher tech pinball machines become, the more susceptible to depreciation they become. I think I can speak on behalf of many of us- the reason we fork over this kind of cash for a wooden box filled with lights, sounds, and mechanical toys is that we know we aren't really going to lose a ton of money when we're done with them. Gone are the days of appreciation for newer titles, but these aren't investments.

But will people be able to justify spending $9K on a machine that will be $5500 in 6 months or a year? The higher tech we go with these the more outdated they become as time goes on in my opinion. That is why old mobile phones, tablets, PCs etc go down in value. Stern is trying to act like a tech company right now. This move they just pulled is effectively going to kill the pinball market in the long term.

Which is why many of us are bitching about it. This isnt just another $279 bling upgrade. Its a sign of whats to come and THAT, my friends, is what is upsetting.

You serious? You already got boned for 9k, what's another 300? I wouldn't want this game without this mod.

I think a lot of people on here take themselves way too seriously.

I think a lot of people on Pinside are overly reactive, emotional, and negative.

I think when the dust settles and more rational/logical thought returns, people will realize this is a great game.... it is brutal, fast, has great flow, an awesome ball lock, innovative projector, cool UB artwork, and a fun demo toy. I think it's going to be a special game when it's all said and done, and I think Brian Eddy and the team did some great work.

Stern isn't the devil. They make fun pinball machines. It's just weird to me that so many people complain so much about a completely unnecessary toy/purchase in general (Speaking of pinball in general...not the UV thing) I you don't like something...don't buy it. It's just pinball...in the grand scheme of things it doesn't really matter. I think most of us could use a little perspective.

If money is the big hangup, just buy one used or get a show deal. You want have to dial in a machine and you'll save money vs NIB.

The one thing I would really like to see change is for Stern to have true competition. I'm rooting for other companies to push Stern in the future. That's good for everybody.