These things are pretty wild! Obviously it can never fully replicate a real game but having all the DOF effects and the ability to play 1000 different games in one cabinet is pretty awesome. Also you get to play all the digital tables that only exist digitally and have never been a "real" pinball.

Question: Is there an effect for magnets? Like the buzzing you get in your hand when a manga-save grabs the ball?
Also any idea if they can be upgraded to 120hz or higher 4k screens? Or maybe just connect a VR headset?

Not surprised to see this is a pretty dead thread here though, it seems most pinball machine owners have either no interest or a disdain for virtual pins.

I have been considering virtual pinball for some time and this one sounds pretty impressive.

As far as software and computer goes, I am pretty illiterate, so am concerned about any ongoing software issues or is it a case of when it is up and running, there should be no ongoing issues with things such as games not displaying or playing correctly?

I'll tell you what?
We'll wait a couple years and I'll list the resale values of my pins vs. the resale value of your virtual pincab.

I'd like to think there's room for both virtual and original pinball machines.
I love my old 1950s and '60s machine but I am certainly very interested in learning more about this technology

Digital pinball is a video game not a pinball machine and it never will be. I have both including VR.
Is there room for both? Hell yes!
Will digital replace real? Hell no!
Hell, half the fun for me is fixing them up and modding them out and dialing them in! And as far as the OP's comment about online play, my Hobbit already has the option and Stern does now starting with Godzilla. Not that I even want it!

100% agree. I'm building Vpinball and bought two real pins just today.

I own a real whitewater machine and also just got the new version of the vp ultra. it has 3,000 tables. yes it has gears and rumbling in it for magnates and such, it has a real knocker, a real tilt bob, flipper sounds, you can hear the ball roll on the playfield, surround sound, custom skins, etc., etc. i also have a 19" german made Sharpin hooked up to a nintendo switch and it runs zen fx 3 and has online competition and you can set up your own open or private tournaments. as much as i have loved and love real pinball tables, I play my virtual tables on my iphone, ipad, Sharpin, nintendo switch, and now my Ultra VP from Recroom World much, much, much more. i get the same joy if not more from it, just because of the online competition. the pup video packs are just insanely awesome too. as far as resale value goes, VP pins will go down in value as better technology comes out. older real pinball tables will either stay at their current high state, or become even more valuble

Sounds like a reasonable time line. We're super close to perfection but not quite there.

I want to see 1/4 length cabinets that are just basically a box for the computer and solenoid effects, no giant LCD screen. Instead a screen on the wall can mirror the action to everyone else in the room, and then a VR headset to play the games.

Now imagine putting your headset on and you're at the original Museum of Pinball in Banning. You can walk around in a totally immersive 3D space and see the entire collection. Walk up to any game and start playing it in perfect 3D with the finger feel of real solenoids in the cabinet. All this in 8k 120hz VR with 3D sound. The hardware for this experience is so close but making a really good VR world experience like that will take some serious development work.

The VR pinball experiences I've had so far are fun and novel but without the cabinet and solenoid effects it's super video-gamey. Also you need really high-res headsets and powerful GPU's which make it cost nearly as much as a NIB just for the computer hardware.

In the mean time I'm keeping floor space reserved for real games. I've seen the 1/4 length VR cabs from an Aussie distro but there were no solenoid effects. Wonder if someone will eventually market one like that in the US.

I think this guy is on the right track.

@ Flippy D, The VP Ultra is from Grove City, Ohio.. That's The US. (Columbus). it has all the solenoids, force feedback, gears, tilt bobs, knocker, everything a real pinball has. the technology is already here. and it does cost. they are 8,000.00 US. I've had mine for a couple of weeks and theres been a few problems. right now the computer wont turn on.. so, there is maintenance, and, software updates, computer updates, probably every 3-5 years just like your phone or pc. right now, only rec room world in grove city, and a company in Australia have the really good machines. look them up on youtube.

Yup, I bought the HP Reverb G2, lumber, decals and buttons and stick to build a stubby VR cab, and then the Covid shit happened and my planned video card for my new computer build to drive it all - went through the roof! Project will be on hold probably until 2023!! So I bought another real pin instead LOL!

I agree, but you will probably have more time in software updating then you will ever have in maintenance.

Really considering a purchase of the Ultra VP cabinet. Has anyone tried the Prima Games vpin? It comes in at about half the price and was curious as to the major differences and drawbacks it has.

I'm picking mine up tomorrow. In fact I took a friend over to try out the demonstrator machine today & he was hooked. He is picking his up tomorrow with me. I have 9 real pins he has 2. We both agree this isn't a replacement but such a great value for the money. I don't care about the resale value on this VP. In my opinion if I purchased just one real pin of the same price as the VP I would imagine I would get way more enjoyment from a machine with a 1000 titles & a jukebox vs the single machine.. I've played this & it is amazing. You can tell it's a quality built machine. I have spoke several times with Roland he is one of the developers & you couldn't meet a nicer guy. Just my two cents on the subject.

Post up pics of your artwork.

I'm hoping to get help tomorrow morning moving it down into the basement. After I remove the protective wrap I will post a couple pictures.

Here are a couple pictures of the graphics package I chose.

100_6915 (resized).JPG

100_6918 (resized).JPG

Looks great and also holds up next to the other pins...thanks for the pics.

Do these machines include any Spooky or Jersey Jack games? I saw a you tube video and it had Willy Wonka on it, but when I looked at the game list on the recroom website I did not see any JJ or Spooky titles on the list.

Canteau

I got my Ultra VP about a month ago. There are 1234 games on mine.
The only Jersey Jack game is "Wizard of Oz".
For Spooky Pinball there's "Total Nuclear Annihilation" and "America's Most Haunted".

I have been considering adding an Ultra VP in with my collection of actual pins. I'm not worried about resale value; I'm more concerned with being able to (a). play games that I have regretted getting rid of over the years and (b). play games that I've never owned, played, or had room for.

The show-stopper for me, at the moment, is that with the exception of one pretty thorough YouTube unboxing and walkthrough video from a Rec Room World customer, there are no reviews for the Ultra VP anywhere on the Internet... zero, zilch, zip, nada, none. The company's local Google listing: zero reviews. The company's Facebook page: reviews not enabled. The company has a video showing their warehouse filled with rows and rows of crates containing machines ready to ship, indicating that they have numerous customers, yet not a single one of those customers (other than the aforementioned guy on YouTube) has written a review anywhere on the Internet. Now, the guy with the YouTube video makes a pretty compelling case for the Ultra VP, and if he wasn't the only reviewer out there in the wild, I'd find it easier to believe he wasn't recruited by the company to produce said video.

To those here who (a). own actual pins and (b). have owned an Ultra VP long enough to experience its ins and outs... where does the Ultra VP now stand in relation to your actual pins? Do you play it as often? Was it worth the purchase (not from a resell value standpoint, but from an enjoyment standpoint)? Does it play like a "kinda cool video game", or does it actually help scratch your pinball itch?

Facebook group is fantastic. BUY 1. Roland has been around many many years and is very through on his products. I bought a awesome ARcade game with all the old school games and now back many years later to buy a VP.

I get your apprehension, Texas. I can tell you I've been looking for four years and this is one of the best one you can get. The challenge is some who purchase the machine might have expectations that are unrealistic, and if not met will broadcast negitive info publicly, making others shy away from purchasing the system. It is NOT perfect, but it is worth it. Very enjoyable, and the community is improving on tables regularly. The things I'd be critical about aren't make-or-break items, IMO. I've tried to do the front-end setup on arcade and pinball stuff so I feel my expectations are closer to realistic compared to others that don't have the hands-on xp. The stuff they've taken the time to setup is time-consuming, and the unit is solid. Highly recommend getting one!

Rolland told me that he would be offering VR support in February 2022 as an upgrade.

Yes, This Ultra stands up to the regular pins in my collection. I hate to say it but it gets more play than my other 8 regular pins. I still love my real pins and have no plans on selling them but this machine stands tall amongst them.

Owners of an Ultra VP: can you comment on the flipper “lag” inherent in virtual pinball?

delete

I've been on the fence about buying one of these or another NIB pin. It sounds and looks amazing but the final actual shipped pricing is a bit crazy, we are talking nearly $9500...In 3-5 years the thing will be worth half the price (if that) and there will be far better technology out. Speaking of technology I heard that the Ultra VP cabinets use a lower quality 4K screen at 60hz versus a higher quality 4K screen at 120hz? In a lot of videos the colors looked washed out, especially on the sides. I suppose you can't look at that way and need to realize you are buying one of these knowing that they will depreciate heavily yet still offer a ton of entertainment.

I think I'm going to give my VR Pinball cabinet another shot before pulling the trigger. Playing pinball in VR is pretty damn good as there's a full sense of depth that even the best virtual pinball machines lack. When I first got into VR pinball there wasn't a lot of table options out there but I see there's more options now.

https://vpuniverse.com/category/107-vr-virtual-reality-pinball/

752e65f7d683128704edf83adc77d274a089468f (resized).jpg

Good points. Yeah, I'm sure I'll buy one at some point. For classic Bally Williams titles, EM's, and games built just for digital pinball an Ultra VP seems amazing. There's a ton of games in those three categories alone that make an Ultra VP sound worth it to me. For today's LCD games though no way. I've seen what a digital version of WOZ looks like and other modern LCD games and they appear to look and play terrible. Unlike pre LCD games where ROM's could be used to build a digital game there's nothing like that for today's modern LCD games, everything including the rulesets has to be built from scratch.

I'm looking at this VP (recroomworld) and wondered if anyone else would like to share their experience? I see several opinions above and some testimonies. I'm just curious if anyone bought one and isn't happy? Is there anyone who would talk me out of it? Or into it? Why or why not? I see something about VR Pinball support for this brand in Feb 2022- Anyone seen it yet?

I've had an Ultra VP since the end of August 2021, and I've had alot of fun with it, but it has had nothing but problems since I got it. The software it came with origionally wasnt good and the company had to send me a new hard drive, they had to send me 2 new memory sticks, i had to buy a remote keyboard, i had to buy a hard drive copier, two of the solenoids have burnt up, alot of the tables dont load correctly, alot of the pup packs dont work correctly. Ive had my Real Williams White Water for 2 years now, and the only work ive had to put into that is replacing fuses every once in awhile. So dont believe for a second that virtual pinball is maintenance free. it has working parts and a computer running it, and its windows 10. so, plenty of problems. The owner, Roland Buck, will eventually help you with the problems, over the phone or even over video/zoom, whtvr, but if your not in the east coast time zone, it can be difficult to get your times right to get things done. Still, Im glad I got the Ultra VP. It's great to play all of the games, and i do play it way more than my real williams whitewater, even though thats my favorite all time. I dont however feel that the Ultra VP is worth the 8,000.00 price I paid for it. with all of the problems it has, and knowing how much people spend making them themselves, I think 5,000.00 is more like it. If it had no problems and ran everything its supposed to, I would feel better about saying its worth 8,000.00 If I were you, I would start out with a 19" Sharpin (400.00-500.00) and hook it up to an android box or nintendo switch and play the zenfx games and see if you like that. that was my jumping off point. now that i have an ultra vp i dont use my sharpin anymore unless i want to do tournaments. Although the Australian virtual pinball company extreme gaming? looks like they have superior tables and software to recroom world, I stayed away from extreme gaming because its overseas, and i read that the customer service is bad or non existant. thats where recroom world shines, because Roland bends over backwards to help you fix the problems and get back to having fun. So really, maybe the 8k pricetag is worth it, because the customer support Roland gives you is probably worth the extra 3k. mobile pinball mechanics charge 100.00-150.00 an hour and charge 75.00-100.00 just to come out... Roland's customer service is free (if you can get ahold of him). Do your research, watch videos on youtube. Dont get swept up in FOMO. take your time. its a large purchase. For me, ultimately, it was worth it.

FDCE696D-7D1F-4629-9ED2-A611B63EA35D (resized).jpeg

His service is fantastic. Enough said.

Rec Room World announced they upgraded to version 6.0 of their Ultra VP.

Plywood instead of MDF
120hz 4K, this is key
Better graphics card
Williams style shooter rod
VR support supposedly

I pretty much ran out of “well if they just changed this one little thing…”

So I ordered one! Now I just have to be patient until June.

The 6.0 units appear to be a huge upgrade over the 5.0 ones in terms of hardware, it's exactly the type of full size virtual pin I've been waiting for. The 49" 4K 120hz display, plywood cabinet, GTX 3060 graphics card, and the Williams Style plunger are things in my mind that make the Ultra VP 6.0 future proof for years to come. The 5.0 units are amazing but I always felt like I wasn't getting what I wanted in a virtual pinball machine. There's VR support too.

Now the only issue is the price...nearly $10k shipped for a virtual pinball machine. That seems insane and within 5 years it will likely be worth $5k. I suppose you can't look at that way, if you get a lot of enjoyment and use out of it who cares.

I'm trying to setup Visual Pinball X with VR to give that a try first before going ahead with an Ultra VP purchase. I've been reading a lot of good things about Visual Pinball + VR, some users say they are not even going back to their full size virtual cabinets. However VR pinball will always lack the social aspect of pinball, it sucks wearing a headset after a while, you can't easily drink a beer or grab a snack, and there's not the weight of a full size cabinet with mechs.

278291405_4927329754046642_5429028857605609841_n (resized).jpg

I'm done messing around with Visual Pinball VR, what a pain to even get it to work. Oh it doesn't work with this graphics driver on my PC, you need this version not that one of the launcher but this other version of these files, then there's bugs with that version but some are fixed in this one, oh and some of the lights are popping out of a few tables. Lol what a pain! You pretty much need to be running an "older" version of Windows with specific graphics card drivers and then hope you have all of the correct software versions and settings straightened out. I'm not building a separate PC for such a setup, forget it, my current high end PC is intended for modern gaming.

There's something to be said about a pretty much plug and play virtual pinball machine like the Ultra VP. Playing out of the box is part of the cost I suppose. I much rather just play then mess around with settings and table configurations for 100+ hours.

That Create table looks awesome on the Ultra VP, damn. Do most of the tables on the Ultra VP take advantage of the mechanical devices (solenoids, contactors, gear motors)? I was wondering if any of those devices work with the Pinball FX tables on the Ultra VP.