when does it look like METALLICA will run?
AND when will RUSH PREMIUM run?

Last I heard late Aug/early Sept for Metallica Spike3 Vault. RUSH is October. Everything is subject to change, though. RUSH could get pushed up and MetS3V pushed back if there is a parts availability issue, etc.

Just finished playing my Maiden prem. Cyborg multiball is my favorite, get excited every time lol. Hope your right about Metallica PinMonk I have some cash burnin a hole in my pocket and a lot of good deals in the marketplace.

I hope this isn't too silly of a question.

Once they move over to Spike 3, will they upgrade any of the Spike 2 games to Spike 3. Say Rush is after Metallica, Rush will still be on 2?

Gomez said Spike3 is backwards compatible, so it would make sense from a parts inventory standpoint, but it hasn't been explicitly stated anywhere.

When they reran Iron Man, it had the cabinet backbox upgraded from the vertical wood DMD panel to the angled metal panel, etc. The panel changed between initial Metallica and the LED version, too, so it seems LIKELY future Spike2 re-runs will have the Spike3 parts and cabinet, but nothing's been confirmed.

Oh, boy, everyone get in line for $200 speaker lights. Be the first of your friends to burn your money.

https://shop.sternpinball.com/collections/accessories/products/pro-premium-speaker-lighting-system?utm_source=Klaviyo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20240805_SpeakerLightingSystem&_kx=c0RqC0MWRjrgEf45eELVfBmAP3xseD23Vv-JqUxloc8.We9d8V

I dont want pinball to fail ever i love the hobby, but fuck man 2K toppers $200 dollar cheap as dirt speaker lights... Stern needs a kick in their ass, i seriously hope their games just start sitting. I still get sick looking at 13K LE's... I understand everything has gone up but it feels like stern is trying to take advantage of there buyers with insane price gouging.

If they work like the ones in Jaws, they are worth it in my opinion.

I spent over $100 on Taco Bell last month. And that's feeding the grass in the ground right now somewhere. I don't know, they seem like a cool addition. For JAWS at least.

Is there any distinction between these OEMs and, say, the 3rd party Kenwood speaker kits seen here: https://www.pinballlife.com/rgb-led-round-speaker-upgrade-and-light-kit-for-most-stern-spike-2-pro-premium-machines.html

I guess. Why people want their sound holes to emit distracting, glare-producing light is beyond me in general.

Looks like these Stern speaker lights are compatible with Godzilla and Bond now. They'll likely push new code soon to have them interact with gameplay. Expect most Spike 2 games to get these as upgrades at some point.

Yeah the lights react to what's happening in the game, they are like the expression lights.

What's on the line this week?

I wonder if that means they're finally shipping? I ordered mine for my Jaws Prem when they announced them w/ the Topper & shooter. But there was no timeframe on the Speaker Lights.

Guessing sales have slowed to a crawl. It will be interesting to see if Stern can keep the new massive facility anywhere near capacity.

“your speakers will light up and flash! “

Wow

Presumably these are expression speaker lights. They have a node board (so the price considering that is a not insane, maybe).

If they put in the effort to tie these into the game code well enough, I can't see what anyone would buy the 3rd party speaker lights that don't tie into the game.

Note: some people are selling speaker light kits that tie into cabinet expression lights. That's a different node board, and presumably the coding / effects will be different between speakers and cabinet (e.g. John wick gun flash just happens on speaker lights)

Many many people have been paying for speaker lights for a long long time..there are many people making them, is that gives you an idea on the market. If it's not for you that's cool. I don't usually put the in my game either. Stern is simply taking the step of tying them to the game, and now is the time to throw shade??

Anyway will be interesting to see how this falls into various people's hierarchy of "bang for buck official add one". Surely won't displace art blades, but what about shaker motor? I'd probably get this before side armor or official shooter rod.

I also am foolishly hopeful spike 3 includes expression light blades/speakers at the premium level. They're gonna start designing all pins with these in mind and customers groaning about +$700 on top of every premium for full light show is not gonna help move pins....

Ligths look super good when the games are on but not being played (ie gameroom "Feel" which some people really like). when your playing you don't see them, though I thought the jaw video had the lights show a level completion of the chum bucket at a hit which actually would be useful and cool if they had completion levels added in.

I also hope they include this stuff at the premium level, as the prices have skyrocketed and the market is soft it wouldn't hurt.
(though prices on everythign have skyrocketed I mean a chik fil-a value meal went from $5 in aroudn 2010 to $12 today, so I"m not complaining about a 1-2K hike on a luxury (pinball) item, esp when things like insider connected and LCD screens have been added)

I seriously hope maybe Stern would stop making different mechanical games (pro vs premium) And instead make the same game and let the "Trim" levels be these types of ad ons, it certainly would save them probably a good amount of money having a single product line for each game while mostly the game is the same at the pro and premium, having differnet playfields, testing, R&D, support and parts for 2 different games for each game has to be a seriously cost to them that could be optimized.

I was just making fun of their press release.

“your speakers will light up and flash!" isn't exactly a compelling

When are Godzilla color Premiums next scheduled to hit the production schedule at Stern?

They are going to get crushed.

Here's hoping that means deals for buyers

Seems like the production updates have dried up. I was spoiled seeing them magically appear here. I appeal to the powers that be to restart the flow.

I think now that most games are in stock everywhere the production schedule lost a lot of interest

Nonsense. Show me the Godzilla color Premiums NIB

Correct, looks like a shortage of Zilla, Bond and Wick
everything else looks to be in stock
Just saying, with MOST games in stock the schedule lost a lot of interest

really on wick? my local place even has LE's in stock. I also have seen bonds in stock everywhere. I dont pay attention to zilla that game will always be popular.

https://www.orangecountypinballs.com/new-pinball-machines

yeah, idk. I didn't check every distro. Wick premium might be the only shortage, correct there seem to be LE's in stock.
For sure a lot of stock of games sitting out there

What about JP premium? Not many of those around.....

It was supposed to run in July but I don't think it happened....

Looks like Cointaker has them in stock

I really hope that isn't the case, but it has been on my mind since they announced that new factory. Upsizing in a big way in response to a surge in demand that was driven at least in part by the pandemic has me concerned.

It all reminds me way too much of Peloton, another pandemic darling.

https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/ohio-peloton-factory-canceled/

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/peloton-ceo-barry-mccarthy-exits/

I reallly hope I am wrong and just paranoid.

As does Little Shop of Games.

https://littleshopofgames.com/shop/machines-for-sale/new-pinball-machines/jurassic-park-premium-model-pinball-machine-by-stern/

thats what it feels like to me, they got this insane surge cause of covid and you can tell everything is calming down now they have this massive factory...

We have JP in stock. We have every current production game in stock except for color godzilla premium.

Classic Game Rooms I believe has color GZ, as of a Facebook post yesterday

SD Amusements has NIB Color Godzilla Premium,
Also a used Color Premium and an a used LE.

It's going to be really interesting where their price structure ends up for the rest of 24 into 25. People are already voting with their wallets. I cant' see them keeping a massive factory churning making a product that is not selling well.

They can't reduce prices, no manufacturer can, that doesn't make people buy, that just makes them wait for more price drops and they go without ever buying. Particularly for a product category where you worry about it holding its value - anyone whose machines just got undercut by a price drop sure isn't going to be buying more.

What they can do is quietly give distributors better deals - package/bulk pricing, loyalty discounts, rebates, that sort of thing. And let distributors quietly sell under MSRP and/or themselves offer those peripheral perks to end customers.

That said, there's Spike 3 coming. That might be enough of an excuse to introduce it at a lower price point. I'll predict Stern never reduces MSRP on Spike 2 builds of existing titles, but it's possible for Spike 3 including if they produce Spike 2 titles on it.

I'd like to see MAP pricing come to an end. Especially for games that are two or three releases old. I do think Stern built excess capacity foolishly, and now the volume is going to have to drop for a while. Just let distributors sell what they've already paid for, and be done with it. Then hope the market comes around.

When are "home" Xmen pros hitting the line?

Did anyone else get notification from their distributors... small batch of RUSH Pro and Pre just got made/being made this week?

any eta on x-men le production?

Was there a Factory Friday clip yesterday?

I saw they were being made first even before the Operator Pros.

So it wont be very long.