As far as the Pinball Network announcement goes: I love the pinball content that Zach, Greg, Dennis, and all the rest of the guys make, so I'm excited for this new venture; however, the way this has been done feels a little dishonest. I personally think Dennis and Zach should have just said they were leaving to start a new podcast/video enterprise, rather than acting like they were done without all ready having something specific lined up. It was great publicity, but also just a little bit manipulative. I'm not saying it was intended to be that way, but I do feel like my emotions were messed with a bit. Especially, because didn't the Pinball Supernova guy write that he was getting out of the hobby completely, and now he's got a new pinball show? Overall, I would have preferred a little more honesty and transparency. At a minimum it would have felt better if they would have all just said "Hey, we're planning something new together, more info to follow." Something like that would have been nice.
Quoted from screaminr:
That's my gut feeling too . I like the thought of them when they were independent , now they are all going to be under the flip n out umbrella , it might make you question their motives when they say certain things . And you know we're gonna have to listen through all those ads .
I'm not worried about the guys remaining objective. I'm not generally a cynical person, and I've seen enough from these guys to feel like I've got a good sense of their genuineness. Besides, I don't base buying decisions solely off of what an online reviewer says, and there are plenty of other people on Pinside and elsewhere who are happy to criticize the pinball industry all day long.