Transformers The Pin
Stern, 2012It was never $4,000. Amazon did that to make you think you're getting a marked-down product. From a review:
UPDATE*********** Jan 4
Well, something burned out. The pinballs won't deploy. Maybe something burned out but the machine is essentially toast. Luckily free returns!!!!
Well, they were at 16 available for 2 weeks, so it looks like they finally sold one.
That review is from a new fellow Pinsider, and appears to be the only real one.
Quoted from blondetall:Well, they were at 16 available for 2 weeks, so it looks like they finally sold one.
That review is from a new fellow Pinsider, and appears to be the only real one.
In the Xmas shopping season, I remember seeing the stock go down from approximately 12 to 6. I didn't watch it closely, so it might have gone down further. Since then, it appears that Amazon's inventory model saw fit to restock to 15 and increase the price from $3k: http://camelcamelcamel.com/Stern-Transformers-Pin-Pinball-Machine/product/B009AVLBS0 . That says something about the demand - it's not as thin as we might think here.
Yeah, it went decently low around Christmas, then it sat at 16 for awhile when they raised the price. I'd love to see some more real reviews show up.
Quoted from blondetall:Well, they were at 16 available for 2 weeks, so it looks like they finally sold one.
That review is from a new fellow Pinsider, and appears to be the only real one.
Who? Did he say what went wrong?
Here is the review. Very disappointing!
"I love pinball. I've never owned a machine, but grew up playing High Speed, Pinbot, F-14 Tomcat and others. I've always wanted one and my wife surprised me with this as a birthday gift. Fantastic! It was up and running in 30 minutes!
Gameplay is not very complex and is quick. The machine feels solid, just like a real machine, but scaled-down. There are more lanes to shoot at rather than targets. Lanes give you bonuses and allow you to collect autobots and decepticons. Music, sound and lighting are excellent. The machine is LOUD if you want it, but volume control is included. The body of the machine is great quality. The back is pretty flimsy and lo-fi, but that's where you are saving $ and weight, so there is a trade
The centerpiece is Megatron. If you knock down 3 targets, he is exposed. Hit that shot and points are multiplied 2X. Do it again, 3X. Yet again, 4X. The lighting when you hit the Megatron target is dark and decepticon like. Very cool. Honestly, this should be the best part of the game, but unfortunately, it's also its biggest problem.
The Megatron target is nearly dead center, releasing the ball directly down the play field between your flippers probably 40% of the time. Then, you are done. Finished. When the next ball is launched, the targets reset and you need to start over again. 
It's a bummer. Why not leave the targets up? The game does not have a lot going on, why make it tougher?
Now the next issue which I HOPE is limited to my machine. 1 week in, the Megatron targets would NOT reset. They are all in the down position. They try to reset themselves, but something is stuck. I'm no pinball repairman, so I'm not touching it. This is one of the benefits of Amazon / Amazon Prime. They are allowing me to return or exchange for free. An excellent benefit (hopefully it goes ok).
So will I exchange? No, not for the same machine. I am worried about spending $3K for something that shouldn't malfunction for years, but has a big issue in a week's time. HOPEFULLY this is limited to my machine, but wanted you to be aware out there. I can get a nice used / restored full-size machine locally for that price and will possibly go that route. A pinball machine, new or used, has moving parts. Things can and will happen, but that's the chance you take to play these classic games.
UPDATE*********** Jan 4
Well, something burned out. The pinballs won't deploy. Maybe something burned out but the machine is essentially toast. Luckily free returns!!!!"
Had to go look and find him, but the member is Guinnesstime. He's posted about it in a few threads... actually I thought he had in this one also but it appears not. Here is the main info:
I'll say that I had a lot of fun on those machines at CES (they even made me late for a meeting, LOL). The shots felt good and natural and the games were easy to understand. I think these are still a bit pricey at $2,500 but at $1,999 they are a big hit and would be a good bang for your buck for a brand new product that will presumably be low maintenance.
Quoted from BackFlipper:Any other ideas...in case they are reading it?
The cabinet artwork is horrible. These are items for the home, not an arcade. Someone wants to put this in a gameroom next to a nice couch and entertainment center. Don't make it look like a kids coloring book, make it look classy and fit modern design.
I seriously think thats where a lot of the "cheap" talk comes from. Just how the exterior looks. Guarantee if you had a black or silver cabinet that toned down the artwork a lot, it would look much more expensive. Because when you actually play the game, it doesn't feel cheap at all and I'm not sure how people can say it does (unless they think all Stern games are cheap).
Quoted from NYG:Is $2,500 the new retail price for these? Down from the original $3,999
They will be $450 before long.
I think this pretty much wraps it up. This kind of consumer screw job demands a jetting firestorm.
Quoted from AkumaZeto:You argument is moot though as they break no matter what. i have seen broken zizzles. They want to sell the CASUALS they need to bullet proof it before they do. Even a 50 dollar air hockey table stands a better chance then this. Coils burn diodes pop transistors pop. Led's go out. You cant get around this. To many moving parts to say fuck it and play it forever. Flipper links bushings all wear out. Rubbers break balls rust. Then what........your 3k CASUAL game is a 3k paper weight. I have been in front of this machine i have looked it over. Its a nightmare to get to the underside. So every time it breaks what happens? Send it back well that will last for 60 days then what?????? sorry kids cant play this game as i cant fix it? Anyone who has 3k to flush down the toilet on this purchase without researching it first is the kind of people Stern is counting on....I said it months ago and i will say it now....its PREDATORY SELLING!
Let me know who is going to service these for Stern.
THE BOTTOM LINE. STERN IS SELLING SOMETHING THAT CANNOT BE SERVICED TO PEOPLE FOR 3K. This is fine if the product was OVER built but its not. Its built worse than the CLASSIC line they tried years ago.
I am not debating if pinheads will buy this. I am saying Stern is apparently fine with essentially ripping people off on a 3k turd that they cant fix. Its not if its when it breaks. AS the above patron of Stern has found out. We cant even get good quality control on 7k games.
When a NIB Stern game hits my house my kids play the shit out of it and i am tearing it down and shopping it at 1,000 plays. That happens within a month of me owning it. So you cant say well its not ment to be played all the time WTF. Kids are gonna play the fuck out of that new toy until it breaks or the parents go ape shit from the noise.
Quoted from BackFlipper:There should be a button you push and the playfield glass lifts like the trunk on a Honda minivan.
That is a damned good suggestion! That would make it super easy to get in there quickly to move a stuck ball or fix something. Now, why didn't I think of that??!!!!!!!! 
Quoted from sturner:The "verified purchases" on Amazon (the people who actually bought the game) have given it great reviews.
Thats cause they rated it after ball 1 !
Wait till they play ball 2 and the game breaks !
AkumaZeto said:
You argument is moot though as they break no matter what. i have seen broken zizzles. They want to sell the CASUALS they need to bullet proof it before they do. Even a 50 dollar air hockey table stands a better chance then this. Coils burn diodes pop transistors pop. Led's go out. You cant get around this. To many moving parts to say fuck it and play it forever. Flipper links bushings all wear out. Rubbers break balls rust. Then what........your 3k CASUAL game is a 3k paper weight. I have been in front of this machine i have looked it over. Its a nightmare to get to the underside. So every time it breaks what happens? Send it back well that will last for 60 days then what?????? sorry kids cant play this game as i cant fix it? Anyone who has 3k to flush down the toilet on this purchase without researching it first is the kind of people Stern is counting on....I said it months ago and i will say it now....its PREDATORY SELLING!
Let me know who is going to service these for Stern.
THE BOTTOM LINE. STERN IS SELLING SOMETHING THAT CANNOT BE SERVICED TO PEOPLE FOR 3K. This is fine if the product was OVER built but its not. Its built worse than the CLASSIC line they tried years ago.
I am not debating if pinheads will buy this. I am saying Stern is apparently fine with essentially ripping people off on a 3k turd that they cant fix. Its not if its when it breaks. AS the above patron of Stern has found out. We cant even get good quality control on 7k games.
When a NIB Stern game hits my house my kids play the shit out of it and i am tearing it down and shopping it at 1,000 plays. That happens within a month of me owning it. So you cant say well its not ment to be played all the time WTF. Kids are gonna play the fuck out of that new toy until it breaks or the parents go ape shit from the noise.
..
Absolutely spot on !
The Classic series were cheaper (price wise), and a milestone better..
They shoulda tried that route again, they would have been dion the public justice compared to this turd..
I hope this isn't perceived as off-topic, but I hear a lot of frustration over the price - I don't think anyone here is saying that this would be a bad product for $500. (There are no bad pinball machines, only bad prices.) But it is not $500.
Does anyone else find it odd that pinball engineering and manufacturing does not appear to have evolved in decades? The underside of AC/DC doesn't look too different from the underside of Cleopatra - a maze of wires. Cars and airplanes (Boeing 787 anyone?) have moved beyond putting in a wire for everything and found cost advantages. I can't help but think engineering evolution, resulting in lower prices, would be possible except for the low sales volume due to general lack of love for pinballs.
The best new HUO pin for non-pinheads is from FarSight. No bulbs to burn out, no broken coils, doesn’t weigh a ton, cost a few bucks, you can play multiple classic games from your youth, and it has a smaller footprint than The Pin. IMO Pinball Arcade > The Pin.
Quoted from 72Devilz:If this picture is a representation of getting mobbed then they are delusional. I've seen larger crowds at the food sample table on a thursday afternoon at Costco. Regardless best of luck to Stern but I still think those "Pin" machines are ugly as sin......
quoted for truth, LOL! I've seen more action at the sausage cart OUTSIDE of Costco than in that photo in Brooklyn! heh... is it Stern's first rodeo at CES?
Quoted from Scuba_Steve:The best new HUO pin for non-pinheads is from FarSight. No bulbs to burn out, no broken coils, doesn’t weigh a ton, cost a few bucks, you can play multiple classic games from your youth, and it has a smaller footprint than The Pin. IMO Pinball Arcade > The Pin.
You must have known before you hit submit that you wouldnt get away with such a rash bold statement like that on Pinside 
I think Pin Arcade is a great way to introduce the inexperienced masses to the classics and then get them into the Bars/Pinhalls still around to test one out and or buy the real deal. That's like saying you'd rather masturbate than get the real thing, come on now - put down your "controller" bud!
Pinball Arcade has terrible physics and their QC is laughable. They promised no more bull crap like the rotation bug yet it keeps happening... Unsure if I will buy another title from them.
I am in no way advocating that The Pin is a good product - at all, but don't compare Pinball Arcade to the real deal. Still, Stern is so far off of their mission statement. If they were legitimately serious about bringing the pinball experience to the masses they would allow for their play-fields to be more modular for upgrades and customization that could be sold on a Stern Online Store, they could cut the price down another $1200 or so bucks... When you can get a real McCoy operator quality machine for $1000 (albeit an old one) how can you pass off a non serviceable The Pin for $3000+??? Their heart is in the right place, but the end product doesn't match up with what is coming out of Gary's mouth in the video advertisement.
I appreciate what Gomez did with Pinball2000 but maybe its time for some younger generation designers\thinkers to come aboard to Stern with some fresh ideas on how modern gamer's think today that could have a different perspective on tackling Pinball in the modern era of gaming glory.
Quoted from nosro:It's as close as some people will ever get to playing TZ, MM, STTNG, etc.
And it only cost a few bucks as compared to $2,500-3,000 for The Pin. Thats a lot of cash for something that might break down in a few weeks. For somebody who isnt a pinhead, like us, that can be a major point.
Quoted from nosro:Does anyone else find it odd that pinball engineering and manufacturing does not appear to have evolved in decades?
Gary Stern said the next gen was going to have "Just two wires" connecting the sub assemblies. I assume that means a serial interface of some sort.
Quoted from Scuba_Steve:Thats a lot of cash for something that might break down in a few weeks.
Your furnace cost more than the Pin and it can break down in a few weeks.
If it's still under warranty, Carrier sends someone out to fix it.
If it's not under warranty, you call someone to fix it.
=
I have camera lenses that cost more than the Pin.
If they require service, I can only pay to get them repaired.
Sure don't have a clean room to take those apart.
Mechanical stuff breaks, get used to it.
Quoted from vid1900:Gary Stern said the next gen was going to have "Just two wires" connecting the sub assemblies. I assume that means a serial interface of some sort.
How about a blue tooth/wireless system driving all playfield lights and coils, with one power supply in the head, and one in the cabinet, and NO wires between the two...
Quoted from HighSpeed1:How about a blue tooth/wireless system driving all playfield lights and coils, with one power supply in the head, and one in the cabinet, and NO wires between the two...
Tesla's pinball machine had all the power delivered without wires.
Quoted from HighSpeed1:How about a blue tooth/wireless system driving all playfield lights and coils, with one power supply in the head, and one in the cabinet, and NO wires between the two...
Talk about a latency nightmare.
If you don't have $2500 for the pin- there is always this-
losangeles.craigslist.org link
Quoted from o-din:If you don't have $2500 for the pin- there is always this-
losangeles.craigslist.org link
Hmmm. About six miles from my house ...
... nah, I'll pass.
Quoted from o-din:If you don't have $2500 for the pin- there is always this-
or this-
orangecounty.craigslist.org link
Quoted from eggbert52:or you can totally go in another direction and do this -
missed it
I think its great Stern is at CES - as someone noted previously they should have brought a PIN, a Pro, a Premium, and an LE though. As for pricing on the PIN - the problem with setting it at $2500 is someone wanting to get into pinball or have "a" machine in their cave can find a lot of nice titles in good condition at that price point (system 11 titles, some good DMD's like fish tales, and some good non B/W titles from sega, data east, and heck even used Stern titles). Its actually less risky for a causal buyer to purchase one of these used to as they've proven to at least hold their value. I can see alot of the PIN systems ending up in a land fill in 6 years where as those other titles will be refurb'd by some enterprising individual.
Anyway, the price point isn't completely out of line, but for the reasons noted above I'd slot it at $1,899, maybe $1,699
Everyone that has been waiting for the price drop, now is your chance. Only 13 in stock at a mere $2699.99! 
Quoted from frolic:Farsight has probably brought more people into "real" pinball than anything has in a very long time. Myself included.
Pinball Hall of Fame for X360 re-introduced me and re-ignited the fire I had for pinball.
Wow he's right... gotta be $10k by Christmas!
http://www.amazon.com/Pinball-Hall-Fame-Collection-Playstation-3/dp/B001L8DKIE
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