I'm amazed that japan still embraces pachinko. It's really not even the same game anymore.

I've pondered that, but when you realize how much crap is under the playfield there's just no way unless you figure out how to embed all the lighting and coils in the middle of the playfield via piezo wires.

HUD is usually just an LCD on top of the dash projected up to the windshield. Of course there are transparent LCD's now (which is what slot machines are using), but they are still prohibitively expensive

You know that's not really electrifying anyone right? There's shaker motors inside and the handles are mounted on rubber gimbals. My brother used to work for gameworks, and he's never satisfied with anything so he added extra offset weights to bump up the vibration.

I just don't see VR going commercial unless you can clip on displays onto some sort of disposable helmet. Think about how dirty joysticks and buttons get at arcades. Now imagine that same scum getting put on your head. You can wash your hands pretty easily, head not so much.

With that said, I still think a VR-like experience can be made without glasses. You can simulate 3d objects pretty well with a transparent LCD and head tracking. I've seen some technologies that can create basic laser objects in thin air (this could get better over time). Pinball2k was a step in the right direction (but still had flat images and a dark playfield because of the technology). I would love to see graphics augmented over real game play. Had hologram pinball caught on, we might even see virtual balls mixed in with real ones (or make the real balls different colors).

I think it needs to be better than choosing. I think a pinball should adapt according to how you're playing in realtime. If you start playing really good, maybe the outposts are movable by servo control.. Or the coils on the slings adjust power to aim the ball towards the outlanes, or maybe a reverse kicker is inactive inside a gobble hole until you start having a good ball. Not saying this would necessarily work for tournament play, but for location pinball this would keep long ball times down (but give novice players a fair chance). this is how slots work, it makes you win at first, but then starts changing odds so you lose. It's what encourages gambling more. Imagine the same kind of adjusting difficulty on a pinball?

After completing all 7 levels on pinout app.. (below is a walkthrough, not mine)

I saw some cool things in there I've never seen in pinball. Yes, many of them could not possibly translate to real pinball (controlling ball direction without flipping, endless table length). However:

* I dug the power up mode (motion link) where the song slows to a stop, and speeds back up when you hit the flipper (almost as if you're pushing a turntable), then slows down again. It made it feel more real.

* I like the part where there's like 2 cross ramps that you have to shoot in order to unlock the wall blocking the next table. The ball also drains into the opposite side with great flow.

* I like the part where there's a ramped wall that's the apron for the next set of flippers. Would be neat to split a playfield into 2 even smaller playfields

pinout_ramp_apron (resized).png

Can't think of any game that has ramps that move horizontally but I like that idea. Doesn't STTNG have diverters in the habitrails?

im no programmer, but i dont see why this isnt feasible? logic today is smart enough to save the state (current score, whats currently accomplished, what ball number its on, how many extra balls, how many virtual balls are locked).