THIS:

COMBINED WITH

WILL EQUAL THIS:
Stern Pinball 2018... the only producer of pinball machines on the planet (if they survive that is)

I am sure that half of the new setups will not be around in 10 years
But for now they have been a breath of freash air in our pinball world

Let's face the facts. STERN answers to an investment group. Mustang is a great game with horrible sales. So what was Stern to do?

This is what it is and I'm not thrilled about the Iron Man remake, but we have yet to see how the figures look. The main worry is what did Stern do to future sales? If I were thinking of buying AC/DC or Metallica I may hold off for a future release on the new system. We have seen pics of AC/DC with the new system and we do not know if Stern may put older games out with a new LCD system.

i'm a 37 year old millionaire. try again.

Old fart. 29 year old millionaire here

EDIT: Forgot this is the internet. I'm actually a 19 year old billionaire, posting this from my yacht.

45 year ZZZZZZZZillionaire

i figured you could make a good living from flipping while the market was red hot, but dayam, i didn't think it was that good...

such dignity.

Makes for a lumpy bed though...

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Oh crap you've only made a zillion. I expected you would have made more.

You guys kill me as I suspect we will be measuring our man hood next.

I really did laugh out loud at the irony of this. Dude, if you're buying new/recent pins (as opposed to, say, EMs and SS games), this "hobby" involves paying many thousands of dollars to have a piece of commercial entertainment equipment at home. Compare this big outlay with, say, the price of a new video game console and a bunch of games, which is far cheaper. Look at the huge amount of space taken up by a single pinball machine compared to, say, a big flatscreen tv or a video game console. New pinball prices are closer to the cost of a car than of consumer entertainment systems. Pinball is all about discretionary cash, and (by average-income standards) lots of it. So it is indeed an exclusive hobby (unless you buy and fix older games--which is more of a "hobby" and more rewarding than just laying down cash for NIB games and sticking a bunch of LEDs and plastic toys in them).

Not everything that people want is affordable. I'd like a variety of motorcycles (and a place to park them!), a big boat in a dock, a sports car or 2, etc. Aww gee, these things are *expensive* and *exclusionary* because I can't afford them all! Bummer.

Get a hobby and passion that you can afford if pinball prices are too high for you. Or buy older games and recondition them, if you truly have a "passion for the hobby." But please stop whining. Damned first-world problems!

Was under the impression that they're privately held, literally by Gary Stern.

16 year old badgeillionare here. I might just go play with my wii or maybe my wee wee....

+1 -> 1999-2001 were some pretty lean years and prices reflected it
I think the pinball industry is in pretty good shape but hopefully we will see the new generation embrace what is a great hobby.

Sweet. Now we're comparing bank accounts. When do academic accolades or achievements factor into the argument?

IM is a phenominal game and I'm glad they're making more.

if directed at me, re-read the posts in sequence...

I hate guys that call me dude.... Anyway good rant. Of course its all subjective...dude.

well, are you?

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True it's not Exciting....IT'S FUKN AWESOME

Thanks Stern Thanks Lyman Thank GOD !!!!!!

I'm sure this discontent transfers over from the OP's IM for sale thread. This might be the worst possible time to try and sell an IM. For people that look at the pinball market like the stock market (i myself don't), Isn't the most basic principal of the stock market to "Buy low and Sell high". Im sure price will even out over time, but yesterday the IM resale price took a tumble, unless someone absolutely needs to distress sell, selling right now would seem insane.

Just to be clear.
Its not that I can't afford them, I can if I truly want to. There is not a game out there that I can't purchase but, I personally set limits. I was mostly speaking for others that perhaps can't.

No, you completely missed the point.

I'm insulting his manhood by implying he's a teenage girl.

I can't WAIT for the price drop to go further!

Gotta diversify your pinball portfolio, can't put all your investments in NIB games. This is your financial future we're talking about here!

Nope, Dave Peterson who was part of the investment team that resurrected the Harley Davidson brand, is the leader of the team that resurrected Stern.

Zing.

I'd disagree.

I remember when from TAF to MM things were on the roller coaster to hell and by late 1999 even Williams closed up shop.

I remember stocking up on light bulbs and rubber rings because their future was uncertain. Game specific parts, forget it or a fortune on Ebay.

Sega Stern became Stern and from Striker Extreme on, in the worst decade ever in coin op, Stern kept pinball alive and made great games like TSPP, LOTR, SM.

This was an important part of a hobby that was in it's infancy about the time of Williams demise. Stern alone kept it going.

And Stern set in motion everything going on today. The growth in the hobby made more pieces and parts available now than when Williams was open. Pissing off Jack made Jersey Jack Pinball happen. And this led to more small manufacturers, start ups, remakes, modders, etc. etc.

How anyone that can experience or be a witness to all of this not find it exciting ?

The day will come when your grandchild says to you, hey grandpa, let's go play some pinball, and you will do so and share in the excitement. The alternative would have been you taking him to a museum and seeing a dead pinball machine and having him ask "what's that ?" and you try to explain how that pinball machine used to be alive, and light up, and people would have fun flipping the silver ball around.

LTG : )™
Disclaimer : You'd have to be deaf, dumb, and blind, to not find these times exciting.
Disclaimer to Disclaimer : Heck even Tommy would find these times exciting !

Thanks vid. I learned something

I'll be in an old folks home before I ever see a Jpop pin at the rate he makes them.

LOOK AT MEEEEEEE!

Ya like boats are any cheaper as a hobby. BOAT = Break Out Another Thousand

Me I don't complain about the prices, I'm just here to have fun and enjoy. After all that is what any hobby is about, regardless of the cost.

I will congratulate you on the 50+ thumbs down on your original post if it's not a record already.....give it a few hours.

Absolutely. I'm not keeping a game that costs that much, especially when I've owned them before for much less. I just mean people can now buy an IM for $4800 instead of $6000, MM for $8k instead of $11k. And those who wait can buy them for even less.

Not really directed. Just having fun as,the thread started getting real silly. All in good fun and no offense meant.

You forgot Nascar.

Thanks dude!

Everyone forgets Nascar. As it should be.

I forgot about CC long before Nascar. So put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Ford Mustang=Nascar 2014. Both of them make me wish I smoked a lot more pot in high school and college.

Pinball has never been better...PERIOD.

Have you never heard of Metallica? It has some of the best artwork ever seem in pinball and complete code with v1.6.

It's cartoony, derivative hackery, if you ask me.

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gotcha...

The trolling and amount of butt hurt in this thread is fantastic. Glad I joined these boards now..

Tell me more about this Mustang pin.

When a giant within the hobby speaks, listen.

Perfectly said Lloyd. Couldn't thumbs up you higher or agree more my friend.

Absolutely perfectly stated, Lloyd. I couldn't have said it better myself. I agree, there is great excitement in the air from Stern, JJP and the 6+ independent entities making their own game(s). I'm trying to remember if there was an equal amount of companies in the 80s or 90s.

The indie pin startups I can think of are:
-Zidware
-Spooky
-Riot
-Whizbang
-Heighway
-Quetzal
-Dutch
-A few others I can't remember..

This alone has me VERY enthusiastic about future prospects. Let's all hope they expand and stick around for a VERY long time!