Pinfest in Newcastle Australia is a yearly (charity) event aimed at the general public and it attracts massive attendance mostly from "normal" families. It is on again Sept 24/25th. Fun for ALL ages and if the reaction from the kids I have seen attending is anything to go by, pinball has a long life yet! Pics below from Pinfest 2014.

kidanddad (resized).jpg

image_0018 (resized).jpg

Your comments only apply to a small percentage of pinball "collectors". The vast majority prefer pinball to be just that - PINBALL! Not glorified video games (using large LCD screens etc).

The entire appeal of pinball is the clunky mechanical action (mixed with the unique art). This can't be, and isn't, replicated with video or any video emulation like virtual pinball. WiFi and other technology "might" pacify some but won't make pinball any better. Cloud - don't make me laugh, look at how that is working out, security issues, storage qty issues - forget that.

Heighway and Dutch Pinball are essentially making conventional pinball machines in the traditional sense. Some new innovations for sure but MAINLY they are conventional pinball machines as we have known them for years - good on them both!

We have market research, as does Stern, that breaks down pinball collectors/enthusiasts/casual players and our results match. People who crave technological advances in pinball are very much in the minority. This might change as people age/die/interest wanes etc but that isn't what MOST people currently want or expect from pinball.

If the above wasn't true, current machines would be selling for $500 because "nobody would want them" and we all know that isn't the case at all.

Pinball companies using TV screens to replace backglasses/playfields etc will find the above out the hard way. It is NOT what the majority want. You can count on Homepin to be making REAL pinball machines with REAL clunking mechanical action including a REAL knocker and NOT a large TV screen with video running on it.

This is part of the problem. Many people will stop paying such ridiculous prices for a "fancy toy" and this is partly why operators are not siting pinball machines. The return on investment simply isn't there.

What we need is a bunch of affordable, fun games that attract the interest of Joe public - we do NOT need "technical innovation" - that is a nonsense.

When a pinball machine can be purchased by an operator for US$3~4K MAXIMUM we will see more on site because the ROI will be there for them to do so. This is not my opinion but fact based on research.

I wouldn't bet money on that

You are way behind it seems? My original comments were simply to clarify that Thunderbirds was NOT targeted at the USA market but rather a different area altogether. Some posters blew that out of proportion and twisted my comments to suit their own purposes and trolling.

We have been in discussions with USA and Canadian distributors for some time now and, when the time is appropriate, we will make suitable arrangements for distribution into most markets.

This is all a LOT trickier than some may imagine with existing pinball distribution agreements in place by others as well as dozens of legal and compliance requirements for different markets but we are working through all of that.