That picture was taken at dusk and the billboard will look much better when it's completely dark out - G.S.

I'm almost in tears here. Good stuff.

I'd have came back to take the pic when it was darker, but Gary Stern yelled at me and told me to stop taking pictures of it.

Just drove by it myself, optimal lighting conditions for viewing are now met and tuned.

Also, thanks to kpg for that original image, had me laughing pretty good.

d669cee9ab3a1e2eb2127bee8a5bbd1369e028f9-01 (resized).jpeg

Don’t care about still images, when’s Jack going to stream it?

sounds like its gonna work if the surroundings are dark enough.

moonsurface03 (resized).jpg

.oops.

Pinside spelled backwards IS drama (** in some language)
-- when there comes a day when we're not up in arms over some stupid pinball-related shit, I know the apocalypse is nigh!

Thanks Jack

Gary said they’d be streaming the prem/le next week so will have to check that out.
You’ve gotta believe they’ve done their research re the capabilities of the projector etc and I can’t imagine Brian Eddy wanting his name associated with a steaming turd...
It’s not like they got to the end of development and thought “**** me, you know what this game needs? A projector!”

Pins ide

Edi snip

Don‘t snip Brian Eddys crotch!

This thread is getting so ridiculous. BTW when I said haven’t you heard of photoshop I was KIDDING!!!!!!! Does anyone around here have a sense of humor???

But this thread has gone from Dialed In, to comments about OMG everything but this game. I’m actually going to get some popcorn because this thread gets more and more interesting by the second.

Clearly this game has really stuck some cords with a lot of people. I will only say the video that I watched shows the brightness on the projector isn’t bright enough in a bright light space. There is no disputing that fact. I was also the one who said at a trade show the lights are SUPER BRIGHT so that isn’t really fair to the game. Personally I’m not worried about the brightness I’d be more concerned with the projector lasting very long in a pincade.

I was the FIRST one to tell everyone here, that was video mapping using a short throw projector, and it would have brightness issues. I said that go back and read it... I’ve done over 500 CGI FX in attractions including many where we had to use SHORT THROW projectors. When you use a short throw brightness will be an issue. It just is what it is!

Here is the bottom line though in a home environment it shouldn’t be an issue. Most LE are sold to people who keep them at home. So its really not going to be an issue honestly. I would however worry about the projector going bad after a while they do go bad, and they lose brightness over time.

I would not suggest getting a Premium or LE if you’re going to leave the game on all day... your projector will lose brightness.

I think people are (in my opinion justifiably) dejected by what appears to be Stern's continued drive towards cost cutting at the expense of end users.

It's not as if these pins are getting any cheaper either. I don't know the full BOM on a current pinball machine but at the volumes Stern are producing I would be amazed if a Premium/LE ran to even half the RRP, taking into account *everything* including the licence.

Pin prices are going up and up, the quality of the toys and more importantly QA and QC keeps going down. The change from drop targets to a single target bank on Munsters, and the super cheap and unreliable $400 topper felt like a nadir to me, but I wouldn't be surprised if people could point to earlier examples.

I also don't think it really helps if you want the market to take a stand with this stuff but it carries on buying these pins sight unseen. Stern have absolutely no motivation to change course while they carry on selling these things hand over fist, and I can't blame them for that as a profit seeking entity. They are clearly not in the game to be the darlings of a select few (relatively) Pinsiders, and from that perspective it feels pretty contemptuous.

Pictures dont do justice for this game with the projector. I think you have to see it for yourself in a gameroom environment.
Almost nobody use super bright game rooms when playing.
Everybody wants casino lightning.
So my game room is 100% dark because the games do all the lightning. So ST premium wil do great in most gamerooms. And the pro is for the arcade.
IMG_20170404_225455 (resized).jpg

Patience is a virtue.

did you see this??

Gary telling the guy don't stream stranger things???

this.

Gaz been on the drink the night before?? Well it is Vegas after all

This is the ballsiest risk Stern has done in a while. No competitor had a projector first. I do hope it's better in person and they were successful with it.

I'm just bummed that it doesn't demo well, to the point of Gary asking people not to record it.

No different than him telling people not to record Star Wars before their official stern reveal imo. Weird, but they’ve done it before. Randos that aren’t pinball people and the projector not having up to date code, aren’t going to do it justice anyway.

But it's been revealed by Stern already. The official Stern issued video was released by every website and it was focused on the premium and the projector. Now we have to wait for them to stream it live as well? Getting ridiculous.

What's happening is that Stern knows this feature looks like ass unless in exact dialed in setting and they want to control that. Good suggestion would have been to make that setting a reality at CES and avoid this nonsense.

You know, folks, this really isn’t that complicated. Stern isn’t creating a cure for cancer, they’re building games in a wood box. They’re a manufacturer of entertainment and they have to sell to stay in business.

Are you really surprised that they wouldn’t want this particular game streamed in that environment? Come on... and who really ultimately cares???

Here’s a basic primer for all of you so you can stop your bitching and start caring about things that actual matter in this world:

(1) Stranger Things has a projector. If you don’t like it, don’t buy it.

(2) Stern can discuss or not discuss... show or not show... anything it wants when it comes to its products. That includes game materials, technologies, product defects... anything. If you don’t like it, don’t buy.

(3) 99.99% of people on this planet don’t give a flying F about Stranger Things pinball and the projector.

Scanning through some of the posts in this thread is borderline scary. I think quite a few of you need to get a grip on reality. None of this anger and heated discussion is worth it. It’s just so toxic. You’re talking about a pinball machine for crying out loud! Get over it

Not every machine has to be a success and at least Stern tries. Look a WWE. They had a ring which was out of the box thinking and it sucked. That is a luxury they can afford when you have a monopoly and can produce multiple titles per year.

They will still sell a shit ton of pro's and the LE's are mostly sold already. Some people are canceling but not everyone is bailing and others in the hobby probably don't even know this title exists yet. So if anything this will effect Premium sales however between the pro and LE sales I'm sure they will make plenty of profit.

Not revealed until it’s been streamed by someone that knows what they are doing imo. The pinball people want to see this new tech in the best way possible. Random people on the internet don’t care about pinball. They will click the video, not even notice there’s a projector, then move on.

They know pinball nerds are going to beat this to death so they probably want it to look as good as possible. An uncontrolled environment like a trade show is a horrible way to show pinball nerds this stuff.

Those randoms streaming presumably don't have anything like the sort of sway that people who Stern would actually care about setting up an optimum environment for do.. e.g. the likes of Deadflip.

Expecting people not to stream something they see at CES in 2020 is a bit ridiculous, I think. If you don't want people filming stuff, make viewing it invite only, or in an auditorium with a velvet rope and VIP/controlled access, or something.

It's a double-edged sword.

Yes, an alarmingly increasing number of people here are absolutely out of their fucking minds when it comes to this stuff. Like, borderline "they should be locked up" insane.

But, that's the kind of mentally imbalanced populace Stern needs to thrive in this bold new business of selling pinball machines to lunatics.

Pinball home ownership is such a new thing. Like, imagine if for 70 years, the only places that could afford and house toasters were institutions or commercial establishments. And then, suddenly, toasters became small enough and affordable enough for your average schmoe to consider buying, and then the schmoe floodgates quickly opened; it would be a strange, awkward transition as toaster manufacturers - unaccustomed to selling toasters to people who might get upset at a minor defect in the finish, or become suicidal because their "dream toaster" isn't executed to their liking, or get upset about normal wear and tear, or the fact that the same toaster they've been happily selling for decades suddenly isn't "innovative" enough - try to adapt to this new broadened marketplace while also taking advantage of it.

I'm not sure where it ends up, but I know this: I will be keeping abreast of the Macho Pinball Podcast Pinball Podcast to observe this long, strange trip.

Toastergument is a new one. Prefer the cargument to be honest. I find all this very entertaining to be honest. There seems to be some urgency to determine whether the pin and the projector are any good. It just highlights how silly this hobby is when people gamble huge money on toys hoping they will be good enough to warrant such a high cost. If not good enough, there is hell to be paid because Stern is greedy and stole your money lol.

Look I'm the expert on carguments. I INVENTED the term for Christ's sake!

But the toastergument is more apt, as the very first toasters were in fact commercial devices, whilst cars have always been available and marketed to the general public!

OHHHH YEAHHHHHH

I like your response, I really do.

But, here you are, on a forum dedicated to discussing those games in a wooden box. Really, what is there to truly discuss about these things? With new games none of us really have had a chance to play unreleased machines so the majority of the discussion is speculation as buyers weigh the pros vs cons of what they are seeing prior to their purchase.

It's no different than a car forum discussing a model that has been announced, shown in promo videos, and no one has driven yet but finds an entertainment value and interest to discuss it though.

The tone of your message also seems hostile and upset. I mean, after all, we are discussing games in wooden boxes designed for entertainment and we come to pinside because its entertaining to discuss them. How about you look at the humor in some of the posts rather then come here to complain and get upset about it? Sit back, relax, and don't take it too serious.

After all, we're talking about pinball machines for crying out loud. Get over it.

That video was pretty embarrassing for Stern. Did he post security around the machine to prevent filming during the show?

True. You'll find they are on other forums giving a flying F about other stuff

But seeing that this *is* a pinball enthusiast's forum, full of members that do give a flying F about Stranger Things pinball and the projector....I'm not sure why you are using this as an argument

This.

If it's not people complaining about something, it's people complaining about people complaining. It's hilarious.

But but but but why don’t toasters have WiFi so we can make toast with other people at the same time!!!!!! Imagine making toast with your friends!!! Cuz breakfast should be a Fortnite!!!!

Heaven help us

https://www.engadget.com/2017/01/04/griffin-connects-your-toast-to-your-phone/

uh bruh LOL

https://uncrate.com/toasteroid-toaster/

edit: saw Levi beat me to another one lol

This one has graphic capabilities?!?!?!

Innovation off the chart. Seems to work better than a projector, but I don't think homeowners want images burned into their walls and ceilings.

Actually a toaster with 11’s Eggo waffles popping out could have been a cool toy for Stranger Things.

CrazyLevi innovation off the charts. U sure u don’t work for Stern?

Everything connects to your phone now. I saw a frickin' GRILL at Home Depot with app connectivity the other day.

I agree with Rarehero that online pin matches are stupid but there's a lot of stuff Wifi could accomplish, the best of which would be location games sending earnings reports to operators (should you even bother collecting the coins yet) and malfunction reports.

Oh yeah man, I have been using one for a few years now. I currently have a RecTec smoker that has an app and I can monitor internal temps with 2x probes and it will send me an alert anywhere I am when the temp is getting close to done. Then I turn the temp down or shut it off wherever I am at.. or in some cases, noticed the cook is taking longer than anticipated, I just turn the temp up right from my phone.

Technology is awesome. Then again, I am a career tech geek which is why I borderline obsess over geeky tech shit like pinball machines and projectors

That will drop to 99.90% when the masses at CES learn that Stern is also a lifestyle brand!

Everyone in this thread is talking big like they are going to send a message to them by not buying their game because of whatever reason, but if TMNT is as good as JP2, the same people will all be frothing at the mouth to order on day 1. Stern knows this, so they really have little incentive to change they way they do business.

Definitely amusing though I don't know if it warrants the 18 question marks you gave it.

Tickles my funny bone as I was once shooed away from filming an unreleased Stern game, Star Wars in Wembley, England a few years ago. I recognize that "don't film" tone from Gary!!!

It's cool though, he plied me with free booze and food so I took it in stride.

You dimpling people are seriously losing your minds. I just don't get it.

Every single pinball machine ever made "dimples" and "craters" and then "waves." it's normal wear and tear. Why can't you get this through your stubbornly thick noggins?

Here's two random shots of two random games in my shop that I just pulled off my phone and cropped. Every close up pic of any pinball machine that has been played will look exactly like this. Both of these games present and play beautifully and look gorgeous with the human eye connected to a sane brain.

STOP IT! You guys are ruining pinball.
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Now we FINALLY have the reason for your constant Stern shilling! /s Shoot, now that I know your vote is so cheap, I shall send you a carton of Tasteykakes in exchange for something more sinister.

Maybe someday we will be playing our real pins on our smartphones sitting on the couch. Half joking it would be pretty cool to play a pin over the internet and a good sales tool where you could test drive a new or used game before buying.

the whole point of this forum is to get excited about games in wood boxes and have opinions about them.

why are you here ?

Didn't someone do this last year?

yup, with batman 66

https://www.surrogate.tv/game/batman66

https://www.hackster.io/news/real-pinball-played-over-the-internet-33752afdba43

Stop gaslighting! You’re ruining Earth!

Those are pictures of normal playfields. Modern craters are different than dimples.

Regarding the cost of adding a grey screen I did a bit of quick googling (and this ignores the R&D cost for finding, sourcing, attaching, etc...) but:

67x188 inch screens (135" diagonal) can be purchased for $145 to $174. (Links at bottom).
If we assume the main screen area by demogorgon would need 5"x10" size you'd get about 140 cuts from this.
This would then result in a cost of ~$1.00 to $1.25 per screen.
Let's double that for ramps and drop targets, etc... and adding in cost of adhesive (need to be clear if going under ramps?)...

essentially you get to this costing <$3 per game... Something they definitely could have looked into. Or like with most sterns you can upgrade yourself once you get the game (e.g. coil stops)

Links:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1103201-REG/elite_screens_zrm_135hw_cinegrey5d_designer_cut_series.html/?ap=y&ap=y&smp=y&smp=y&lsft=BI%3A514&gclid=CjwKCAiAu9vwBRAEEiwAzvjq-5ak5xvqw2dqEpEu8jfyDXmo1_hQjz7HN-AqxhG7ZRXQk4esbOPnhRoCkvwQAvD_BwE
and
https://www.amazon.com/Carls-Ambient-Rejecting-Projector-Material/dp/B018J2EH3G/ref=asc_df_B018J2EH3G/

We need to create the Rarehero vs Levi dimpling thread to isolate all this garbage.