MMr and Nellie are factory time only. Similar to how they re-run their titles all the time... Those reruns don't eat into the usual two-three releases you expect from stern a year

They are producing 4-6 different games all the time. It's the game development that is low throughput

and what about appeal overseas?

Metal ramps on the pro...

And can we all please realize... a premium will follow if there is demand? No whining over "I had to buy a LE..."

In the verge video you can see there are PCBs on the back of several of the brackets and attached to the bottom of the playfield. Looks like the new Spike system is using an addressable bus with maybe replaceable boards vs repairable boards?

Will be interesting to see once we get some good details on the new system.

Uhh.. the LE was already announced. Keep up

The driver circuits need to be somewhere... and they aren't in the backbox... so they are likely some of these boards

Wow... hello Mr Opto boards there on the center of the game

It shows just how much people get wound up in the theme vs the actual game. And frankly... validates Gary's belief on only doing licensed games.

are there more details out on the pin's electronics somewhere since it's already been in use for awhile?

Like most of the games already being built... they put LEDs on small chip boards when on their own.. and put lights together on boards when close together or part of an assembly.

Press Day off the show floor... exhibit floor opens tomorrow. I've not worked CES so I don't know how strict they are about bringing people onto the floor... obviously not too strict since Verge and others got interview time already

amazing swings here...

Based on images - worst thing ever
Base on some more images - wow.. really cool

Instead we don't really know how the new stuff plays/feels.. nor how the game itself plays. Can't we all keep it in our pants until we get some gameplay?

I dunno.. giving them props for finally letting go and many years later finally updating the plumbing?

For the company with the most resources, the greatest assets, and the highest volume to diffuse R&D costs over... they are the last to the party when it comes to migrating off the basic board set principles established in the 80s?

I don't think that is advancing technology... that is being dragged kicking and screaming.

And even still, where are they leveraging this new tech? Sound so far?

For the biggest in volume and resources... I'd hold the standard WAY higher than simply playing 'me too' if I were to give them any credit for advancing tech. P-ROC, JJP, and the P3 platform have all pushed tech further, sooner, than Stern has.

The interesting bit in that video is confirming that the games are already on the line and will be available in a few weeks.

I agree with you fully... just don't agree with people labeling Stern as a leader here because they finally got with the program (at least partially...). I'm sure their platform will have some great stuff, but leading the charge they are not

Did the theme save the data east game? No.

Why do you think the brand behind it is going to radically change anything this time? The pin market is narrower now than it was in 1994... With the upcoming segments being the hipster generation. How is that any more set for success than the public arcades of the 90s?

For all those saying the theme is great for the audience outside of pinball... WWE isn't just a trailer park thing, "it will do great on location" based on the theme, etc...

The closest example I can think of is NASCAR

- NASCAR has an extremely dedicated fan base (far more than WWE)
- NASCAR has many stereotypes about its fans
- NASCAR is HUGE... HUGE... but it's also very polarizing and doesn't necessarily have BROAD appeal. Size of a market and appeal are not the same thing!
- NASCAR had toys that walk up players could immediately interact with (bash car and ball loop)
- NASCAR is a huge property with massive licensing - but is mainly a domestic product, it doesn't have wide international appeal

I see the WWE licensing as a direct parallel to the above. Large, but polarizing property. Has many stigmas associated with it. Domestic, not global appeal.

Where is location pinball happening these days?
- bars and specialized barcades in urban areas
- specialized pin halls

Who are the audience in these locations? The urban/'burban 20-30 something white collar kids and existing pinheads. Where is the overlap with the classic demographic for WWE? Where is the location overlap for WWE fans and location pin? Pinball is not yet back in the convenience stores or truck stops like it used to be. (not stereotyping.. talking about where you can encounter games vs having to seek them out)

Even with the HUGE dedicated fan base of NASCAR... the license didn't cause the game to break out beyond the game itself.. it didn't break down any barriers... it didn't cause new cross pollination of the demographics.

The same thing happened for the last DE WWF title.. and that came out during a relatively successful period in pin when 'where you found a pinball' was still far more diverse than where you do today.

So what does all this mean? Pinball themes have to appeal to the demographics where you have games and are expanding. Don't look at the market for the brand that has no overlap with the pin market and think they are magically going to converge because of a theme.

No, it's based on WWE's own financial reporting. I didn't say it had ZERO presence, I said it's mainly a domestic product without wide APPEAL (not without presence).

By WWE's own numbers, in 2013 they put on 65 events internationally... vs 256 domestically. That's US vs the entire rest of the world. The tickets were 382k international vs 1.5 million domestic. (International numbers BTW that have been falling each of the last 3 years). PPV revenue was 2/3s domestic vs international. Their international revenue was only 23% of their total revenue and 1/3 of that was generated by the UK alone.

Before you claim others are talking out of their ass - you might actually try facing the facts. WWE is global, but is largely a domestic product. As much as the topic is polarizing here, its more so elsewhere. "Existing" is not the same as "wide appeal".

They claim to be in more than 30 countries... yet only generated 70 million in revenue from all but two of those countries.

84% of their business comes from TWO COUNTRIES. Facts... they often are hard to swallow for the fans.

I prefer the company's actual financial reporting... which shows their business is almost 80% domestic and international numbers have been dropping.

You are referring to the summary line - the complete thought is listed in the nascar bullets

And again, just because it exists globally doesn't make it have wide appeal. The product is very tiny globally.

But even as a location game... ball time is important on a location game, more so than a home game. 6 minutes on ball one... with large periods of time with the ball no where near draining... returns right to the flippers.. where are the risk shots? The center 3 bank?

Reminds me of champion pub

I hope there is some redeeming quality we don't see yet... because instant appeal?? not seeing it.

Yes... Because the way to convince customers that your product is great is embargoes... Instead of you know... Building a product people want.

Flipper skills don't change the way the game is laid out.

Sorry, next time you will only get to see it after submitting your email address again...