Stern Electronics

Orbitor 1

Pinside Rating

This game received 83 approved Pinsider ratings and currently rates 6.529 _/10

6.529

Top 100 ranking

This game ranks #284 in the Pinside Pinball Top 100.

Score breakdown

Score breakdown in the 4 main categories:

Game Design: 6.318

Artwork: 7.354

Sounds/Music: 5.222

Other Aspects: 6.536

Pinside staff rating

This is how we, the very knowledgeable (wink wink) Pinside.com staff & moderators rate this game. 3 of us have rated this game.

6.58

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Found 53 ratings (with comment) on this game

There are 53 ratings (that include a comment) on this game.
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7.968/10

7 years ago

CLN

Clnilsen

Pinside member

Windermere, FL

9y 61,650 790 3 6

I don't know why, but I love this game. the playfield is hella fun to me, though I understand that it's not traditional or to everyone's taste. I like the space theme, and the bowl of the playfield works with the gravitational play concept.

5.246/10

7 years ago

RHO

spiroagnew

Inactive member

11y 121K 982 161

You gotta play it when you see it, I guess. It's an strange game that's fun to play in short bursts, but would be a bit too much of a one trick pony to own once the novelty wore off. It is kind of amazing to see what Stern had done mixing a pinball machine with a novelty game, and even more amazing when you get a look under the glass.

5.868/10

8 years ago

TBK

xTheBlackKnightx

Pinside member

8y 128K 4,097 137

There is just no real way to score this game in a conventional pinball sense.
It was a marketing novelty experiment by Stern.
It failed.
Next to last game made before Stern initially closed.
Nothing really really disastrous in terms of artwork (if you can call what was on the playfield?), but you don't play art anyway.
Backglass is a redeeming feature with its 3D planets and plexiglass bubble.
This is of course contrary to all those opinions of pinball collectors who spend $600+ powder coating their games, and then say "Oh, shiny"!

I personally dislike the game because it is more random than even Fireball with its spinning disk.
That game at least takes skill, this one does not.
Its like wasting money watching a pinball fling around doing nothing.
In a home environment, what exactly are you going to master or play here?
You cannot aim for any shots due to the "moon crater" undulations on the playfield and and catapult speed "pop bumper" type sling wheels.

Interesting collectible from the standpoint of pinball history, but I would not want to try and find game specific parts for this title.
Unique designs don't make a game an "instant classic" folks...WTF x 10e6?
I never have ever seen that happen in any type of collecting.

Belongs in museums, or VERY LARGE collections.
If this is the only game you own, I feel REALLY bad.
Let me find you something better like a really good EM or inexpensive SS and expound your pinball experience.

If you think the game is the "coolest thing ever" you have not actually owned one.

xTheBlackKnightx edited previous rating on July 04, 2016.

2 Pinsiders starred this!

6.366/10

8 years ago

YOS

Yoski

Pinside member

Sebring, FL

9y 88,150 456 17 133

Not really one of my favorites but certainly an interesting concept. A game you certainly have to play to believe it but the novelty wears off pretty quick. Too bad, I really wanted to like this game because it was truly innovative but it didn't keep my attention for very long.

6.559/10

8 years ago

BXV

dezaanster

Pinside member

11y 44,150 23 106

Played this one last weekend at the Dutch Pinball Museum. What an unusual game! I absolutely loved it and would really like to own one sometime.

dezaanster edited previous rating on September 17, 2017.

7.822/10

9 years ago

JVE

Jappie

Pinside member

11y 106K 1,071 56

A game you'll remember for the rest of your life, even if you play it only once. That alone makes it an instant classic.

Stern gets a 10 for originality and for the balls it had to make this game, especially during this period in time. It's pinball re-invented.

Sure, the playfield seems a little barren. But, with 13 drop targets and a lot of other targets,, it's far from shabby.

People say that you can't control this game. 2 words: play better. This game is certainly controllable. It's just so different that you have to learn how. No matter how good you are at regular pinball, there's always a pretty steep learning curve to O1. Want to see how it's done? Check out my video 'Orbitor 1: How the Hell do you Play it?'. You'll find it here on Pinside in the video section of the game.

Jappie edited previous rating on July 07, 2016.

3 Pinsiders starred this!

8.620/10

9 years ago

???

Rockyfrank

Pinside member

Downingtown, PA

9y 17,750 9 8

Only pin to have spinning bumpers and a wavy play field. Your guess is as good as mine as to where the ball will actually go when hit. Only one like it. How does this machine not get a higher rating simply because of its uniqueness.

7.977/10

10 years ago

BRI

LEE400

Inactive member

10y 40,650 186 4 25

Very cool concept I believe and I have to disagree with those that say that there is no skill involved in playing this game. After playing many games, there definately is a great deal of skill involved and keeping the ball in play and hitting intended targets is not just random or chance but can be accomplished by learning the contour of the playfield and practice.

5.179/10

10 years ago

DAN

BeaverBrewing

Pinside member

Beaver Falls, PA

11y 80,150 289 7 282

Plays insane with the bowed playfield! Worth a quarter if you ever see it for the gimmick...but thats about it. Can't see playing this one over and over.

6.321/10

10 years ago

GPS

onetaste

Pinside member

Adelaide Hills

10y 63,650 142 23 114

I played this a bit in the arcades when it was released, this game is freakishly creative, the movement of the ball and the spinning red bumpers is crazy. BTW, it was only recently that I found out the red bumpers spun. The look perfectly still. The movement off them made me think at the time that it was some kind of magnet turning on and off. The sad thing is that there is not a lot to shoot at and luck plays too great a part, although I would like to think that if you learnt the playfield well enough there is no more luck involved than a normal pin.

onetaste has this game on the wishlist.

6.479/10

10 years ago

EDH

TigerLaw

Pinside Moderator

Jennings, LA

14y 224K 20,100 24 240

Gee, what can you say about this game. It is a lot of fun and is really cool . . . but it is just not a game you would want in your lineup unless you had a monster size collection or were in the hobby primarily to bring games to shows. I do like the way the game looks though; if you have more than 20 games it is certainly something different.

TigerLaw has this game on the wishlist.

6.797/10

10 years ago

MAC

Mackin

Pinside member

Pflugerville, TX

12y 29,150 17 6 11

This is a unique machine, the playfield is concave with bowls. It's worth playing a few times because of this. But it's actually kind of hard to make any decent shots. I like that they tried to do something different. The spinners that make the ball orbit around the playfield are a neat touch. It just doesn't seem very deep, and doesn't have lastability.

6.867/10

10 years ago

SAP

seshpilot

Pinside member

11y 112K 2,530 169 3

Orbitor is a cool game! You gotta try one. You'll never play anything like it. It has this CRAZY anti-gravity feel to the whole thing. I really wish other pins would have implemented some of the ideas presented in Orbitor and ran with it in a normal pinball game!

The only downside is: there's just not much to do on this game. The anti-gravity effect is amazing, but without much to do, it's easy to get bored.

Takeaway: I'd buy this game in a second if the price was right. Just a super cool effect and game. But, this game can't be the only pinball in your collection. It's not that deep.

2.626/10

11 years ago

BOK

Bok013

Pinside member

11y 37,800 216 19

I get it that it's different and that they were trying something different but this game was just annoying. Spinning pops were neat and maybe could be used elsewhere. I couldn't wait to walk away from this game.

6.511/10

11 years ago

DC

Darcy

Pinside member

Leduc, AB

11y 124K 6,360 17

I have played this game only for 20 minutes. I was waiting for the parts guy to show up at J.E. Weatherhead . Orbitor 1 was set up in their showroom. Brand new, a sales person heard the pin running, he came over and ask what I thought about this game. I said it was hard to play, a totally different idea, and that the ball can actually be hit backwards. He said, "ya it is different". I never saw the game again. I never remember seeing an Orbitor 1 in an Arcade either.

Darcy edited previous rating on December 08, 2013.

1.987/10

11 years ago

JOR

Jor0822

Inactive member

Sunrise, FL

11y 20,150 66 1 27

This is just a gimmick. It can hardly even be considered a Pinball machine. Play it once to check off the list and then never look back.

5.301/10

11 years ago

???

fromthepinside

Inactive member

11y 18,650 23 153

A true novelty game if there ever was one. One of the coolest looking games ever. Too bad it's one of the worst playing pinball games. It truly is a pain to play it and there isn't much to do at all. It seems to be more about luck and less about skill. There's a reason why this game flopped. I will say that this game is better than Charlie's Angels, but only for the novelty and looks.

4.232/10

11 years ago

ZUL

Caucasian2Step

Evil McBooty

12y 163K 1,455 51 1011

Orbitor 1 from what I understand, is the game that broke Stern's back. This was a big chance to take on all sorts of new things in a pinball game. The gamble did not pay off.

The Pros:
You will never ever play another pinball game like Orbitor 1. The 3d vaccuum formed BG is a great effect. Spinning bumpers are great in adding a randoom factor to the balls trajectory. Watching the ball "orbit" around my flippers and drain is the most fun I have ever had losing a pinball in a game.

The Cons:
The novelty wears off quickly.

The Takeaway:
This game deserves a place in a collector's home who appreciates the unusual nature and place in pinball history that this game holds. I give the novelty rating high marks for being unique and play rating low marks due to the strangeness of play.

7.583/10

11 years ago

CAL

mojozone

Pinside member

Fort Dodge, IA

12y 51,400 2,557 4 32

Great Idea, im glad this pin is a reality. It feels like this game is pure luck, with not much skill in shots. Great backglass. Probably not a keeper, but you gotta try it.

5.742/10

11 years ago

ROB

RCA1

Pinside+ Addict

St Joseph, MI

11y 128K 8,681 28 11

Just don't like the concept.
I get that this is an experiment with something different. It may be good for some people, but not for me.
Nice that Stern was willing to experiment, but this just didn't work out, in my opinion.

4.666/10

11 years ago

AJA

Drano

Pinside member

Mississauga, ON

12y 110K 3,840 14 60

Just an odd game. It's something you just have to put some quarters into so you can say you did it.
Great attempt at reinventing the pinball machine though.

9.406/10

12 years ago

BUK

pinballslave

Pinside member

Litvinov

12y 138K 6,386 133 149

A truely mind bending game... feels like you've just walked off a boat after a rough sea crossing after playing it for a while! I love the spinning bumpers and all the physics around them... in fact the ball motion on the entire game is unique and amazing... just watching the ball is a buzz on this game! Several people have said that it's impossible to control the ball on this game... not true... you have to play it a few times to get the hand of it... it's a different set of rules for ball control, that's all... get used to it and you can control it and aim successfully at things, just like on a flat playfield...

pinballslave edited previous rating on September 27, 2011.
pinballslave currently owns this game.

4 Pinsiders starred this!

6.962/10

13 years ago

EMO

emo

Inactive member

Nailsea

17y 53,650 1,277 2 251

Fun and a revolutionary design! Not the best in terms of lastability.

6.178/10

13 years ago

K

Letter_K

Inactive member

Stockton, CA

14y 36,900 523 5 63

What an original game! The only problem is you almost never feel like you're playing it.

7.858/10

14 years ago

KAS

kaston1573

Pinside member

Abilene, TX

15y 56,650 67 24 113

Where do you start with Orbitor 1. I First played Orbitor 1 back in 1982-3 in our local arcade and didn't really like it much. Actually I really didn't remember much about it. There was an Orbitor 1 at the 2010 Texas Pinball Festival. I spent sometime playing it and had a blast. There isn't much to shoot at or hit so you would think it would be a boring game. Not So! The silver ball goes crazy on the playing field making it fun to watch and play. I can't think of any other pin like it. Almost seems to defy gravity. You can actually let the ball go behind the flippers, circle around and catch it without touching anything but the rubber and the bottom playfield. It is a must see. Words just don't describe it. This would be a great pin to add to large collection. I wouldn't recommend it as an only pin.

kaston1573 edited previous rating on August 18, 2010.
kaston1573 has this game on the wishlist.

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