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Nintendo Switch Arcade and Pinball DIY Kit for your Arcade1Up Pinball Machine

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Take your Arcade1Up Pinball Machine to another level!

Almost a year ago we were gushing over IntecGaming’s Nintendo Switch Arcade Control Panel for the Arcade1Up pinball machines. It was promised to be released in 2022, and it now looks like IntecGaming has kept that promise!

If you have an Arcade1Up Pinball machine (even if you have modded with the additional Zen Pinball games), this new DIY Kit will take your A1Up Pinball machine to another level! We don’t have firm specs yet, but from the few bits and pieces we have found in our research, this kit will let you play your Switch games on the vertical screen, complete with an arcade joystick and buttons control panel for that authentic arcade feel. Of course you will still be able to use the flipper buttons on the side of the cabinet for your pinball gaming fix! For the Switch games that aren’t vertical (TATE), they can still be played, albeit in a letterboxed view on the vertical screen. The DIY kit will require tinkering to get setup, but we reckon it will be totally worth it.

We are just excited to play all of our vertical games using this kit, especially our library of shoot’em ups and pinball games (hello The Pinball Arcade, Pinball FX 3 and Stern Pinball Arcade!). This will breath a new life into our Arcade1Up Pinball machine.

The pre-order period begins on Halloween (Oct 31st U.S. time), with a special price of US$119.99! Who is in? We most certainly are.

PS: If you want to see this kit in action, check out ToyKade’s review video now!

image source: IntecGaming



Pinball Expo 2022 – The Homebrew Pinball Machines

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If you are into pinball and were in Chicago this past weekend, you would’ve no doubt attended Pinball Expo!

Being one of the larger pinball events in the world, among the many things to see, do and play is the homebrew section. The homebrew machines are so good these days that it could lead to a pinball designer gig at one of the many pinball manufacturers in North America – just ask Ryan McQuaid (Sonic Spinball) and Mark Seiden (Metroid Pinball), both are now pinball designers at American Pinball and Jersey Jack Pinball respectively!

For Pinball Expo 2022 there were quite a few eye popping and amazing homebrew pinball machines designed and built by enthusiasts that we just had to share with you all. Licensing notwithstanding, do you see any you would like being mass produced? We love the look of Elf, Pokemon and League of Legends!

image source: Pinball Expo via Facebook



Flippin the Script on Autism – Fundraiser Auction!

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This is something close to our heart, so we thought we’d share the below press release with you all 🙂

PinShades is a proud sponsor of Flippin the Script on Autism

We are excited to announce LoserKids and TPN teaming up to help children with Autism! Flippin the Script will be a 12 hour charity stream. So mark your calendars for October 20th (Thursday – US time) at Pinball Expo in Chicago. The stream is directly going towards Learning Solutions. An Utah based organization that helps with early intervention Autism therapy for kids that are as young as 2 all the way to late teenage years. The organization helps kids with Autism by giving them a one on one teachers to help develop skills like: Speech, social, and positive reinforcement to name a few.

Stern, JJP, American, Multimorphic, CGC, Haggis, Lit Frames, Flip N Out, The Pinball Company, PinShades, and others are donating products that will be auctioned off during the stream. LoserKids, TPN, Poormen, and others with be hosting the stream and interviewing some of your favourite people from the pinball industry including Keith Elwin and Eric Meunier to name a few.

We hope you join or stream us on October 20th at Pinball Expo!



MOTU Origins Eternia Playset: The Call To Battle Continues

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Masters of the Universe Origins Eternia Playset: The Call To Battle Continues

Bah, who needs Kickstarter or IndieGoGo when you can setup and run your own successful crowdunding campaigns!

That is exactly what Mattel Creations have done (and are doing)! Their Masters of the Universe Origins Eternia Playset campaign has reached its funding target in record time, and it still has quite a few weeks yet to run (campaign ends on November 10th). The campaign is fast approaching 7,000 backers, meaning all the bonus tiers are in play to get unlocked!

Early Backers get a bonus King Grayskull figure

We bet these will be unlocked before this campaign ends!

If you are a MOTU collector and need this playset in your life, then be prepared to fork out USD$550.00 (plus shipping)! Considering the original Eternia Playset goes for thousands of dollars, perhaps this isn’t a bad deal after all 😉

If you become an Early Backer (by 11.59PM PT, October 19), you get the bonus King Grayskull figure (see above)! We really really want this playset and are betting that once it is sold out, the scalpers will hit the regular selling sites with ridiculous prices – so the moral of the story is, if you are 100% keen, back it now to save yourself some tears and regret aftewards.

This thing is HUGE!

image source: Mattel Creations



The Super Mario Bros. Movie Teaser Trailer

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Just in case you have been living off the grid lately, check out the latest teaser trailer for The Super Mario Bros. movie! It’s a bit Game of Thrones-ish, which isn’t a bad thing.

Are you excited? We sure are! WAHOO!


source: GameSpot



Official ELDEN RING Fine Art Print Collection Is Available Now

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Working in close conjunction with FromSoftware, Inc., and Bandai Namco Entertainment Ltd., next-gen art gallery Cook and Becker has proudly launched a collection of 10 museum-grade-quality art prints from the game ELDEN RING.

The prints are official concept and key artworks used by FromSoftware, Inc. in the development of ELDEN RING.

The ELDEN RING collection consists of 10 prints, showing in-game characters such as Godfrey, and General Radahn and Leonard, or locations like Limgrave, the Debate Hall, the Lake Village Of The Albinaurics, and more.

The limited-edition prints are museum-grade quality, using only the best quality paper and archival inks to ensure longevity. All works are available for purchase unframed, or with a high-quality frame or finish.

Visit the full collection by clicking this link for information on pricing, finishing. For more information about Cook and Becker, please visit our website: https://www.cookandbecker.com



PAX AUS is THIS WEEK!

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After 3 years, PAX Aus is coming back home – in person

It’s that time of year where we all gather at PAX Aus for some amazing times. Naturally, we are biased by saying that you should all definitely come and check out the Classic Gaming Area for a hit of nostalgia (or if you are so inclined, to participate in the many tournaments to earn bragging rights!).

For now, to get you all hyped for PAX Aus 2022, check out our posts from the last in person PAX Aus in 2019. We hope to see many of you at this year’s event!



LEGO Unveils An Ultimate Collector Series of The Mandalorian’s Razor Crest

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*GULP* LEGO teased us earlier this week (see the below mind-blowing tweet) with the Ultimate Collector Series version of The Mandalorian’s Razor Crest set!

All you need to know is that it will be made up of 6,187 pieces and will be rich in details! The LEGO Star Wars Razor Crest set will include removable engines and a cockpit, an escape pod, and a minifigure-size carbon-freezing chamber, as well as minifigures featuring the characters of Grogu™, the Mandalorian™, Mythrol™, and Kuiil™ on a buildable Blurrg™ model.

Once built, you can proudly (play with it, or) display your creation with an innovative stand and information plaque. This ultra cool Collector Series Lego Star Wars Razor Crest set will set you back US$600 (~ AU$950.00)! Now hurry up and release it now, please!!!!!!!

source: technabob

 



Metroid Mike 64 Presents: Super Mario Bros. 5

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Yeah, you read that title right! Thanks to the hard and meticulous work over the last 7 years, Metroid Mike 64 has created Super Mario Bros. 5 using Super Mario Maker 2.

Metroid Mike 64 has fused classic NES/SNES 2D Mario platforming action with 40 full courses spread across 8 worlds. He has used elements from Super Mario World, Super Mario Bros. 3 and the one that started it all, Super Mario Bros.

We reckon Shigeru Miyamoto would be quite impressed with Metroid Mike 64’s wonderful creation! What are you waiting for, grab the Maker ID (0G9-XN4-FNF) and have some fun!

source: Metroid Mike 64 via Twitter



Stern Pinball’s James Bond Pinball Machines Are Shaken, Not Stirred

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SternPinball Announces New
James Bond 007 Pinball Machines
Featuring the Award-Winning InsiderConnected™

The world’s most famous British Secret Service agent gets the Stern Pinball treatment, all shaken, but not stirred! The world’s largest pinball manufacturer has unveiled their latest pinball machine: James Bond 007, celebrating the iconic James Bond films.

This new cornerstone series features the original 007 actor, Sean Connery, available in Pro Edition, Premium Edition, and Limited Edition (LE).  Stern Pinball will also release a special James Bond 007 60th Anniversary Limited Edition pinball machine featuring all six James Bond actors!


source: Stern Pinball

In Dr. No (1962) Sean Connery propelled 007 into the cultural zeitgeist, bringing the legendary literary figure to life through adrenalised action sequences, ground-breaking gadgets and effects, memorable characters, and timeless villains.

Stern’s James Bond 007 cornerstone pinball machine highlights film footage and iconic music from the films that built the 007 legend: Dr. No, From Russia With Love (1963), Goldfinger (1964), Thunderball (1965), You Only Live Twice (1967), and Diamonds Are Forever (1971).  Players are immersed into the world of espionage in this action-packed pinball experience, tackling assignments, teaming up with key allies, and stopping SPECTRE’s villainous schemes.

Gather gadgets from Q Branch as pinballs get ejected through the roof of a custom sculpted Aston Martin DB5.  Break through the Osato Chemicals drop targets to battle SPECTRE at the Bird 1 rocket base.  And hold your breath on the gravity defying, magnetic jetpack as it transports pinballs across the playfield.

All James Bond 007 pinball machines will include Stern’s award-winning Insider Connected™ system, which enables players to interact with the game and a global network of players in a variety of ways.  Through Insider Connected, players can track progress, earn new game-specific achievements, engage with the player community, and participate in promotions and Challenge Quests.  Insider Connected also provides an operator-focused toolset to drive location play through Location Leaderboards, build player loyalty, analyze performance, make adjustments remotely, and maintain the machines.  Registration for Insider Connected is available at insider.sternpinball.com/.

Limited to 1,000 machines globally, the highly collectible cornerstone Limited Edition includes an exclusive full-color mirrored backglass inspired by Thunderball, masterfully adapted cabinet artwork, custom high gloss and powder-coated pinball armor, a custom designer-autographed bottom arch, exclusive inside art blades, upgraded audio system, anti-reflection pinball playfield glass, shaker motor, a sequentially numbered plaque, and a Certificate of Authenticity signed by Stern Chairman Gary Stern and President Seth Davis.

Stern’s James Bond 007 60th Anniversary Limited Edition pinball machines will immerse players in the history of 007.  Limited to 500 machines globally, the highly collectible 60th Anniversary Limited Edition offers players a retro-inspired playfield packed with exciting mechanical action.  Control the chaos from Oddjob’s kinetic spinning disc hat, survive tactical precision shots against 10 drop targets, escape SPECTRE’s evil henchmen navigating pinballs through 4 fast-flowing optical spinners, learn assignments through an in-playfield LCD screen, and rack up high scores on classic-style score reels.

Fittingly, the new James Bond 007 pinball machines will be on show for the first time to media and public in London.  On September 26th the games will be on display and available to play as part of the Bond-themed Christie’s Late, a public event celebrating the forthcoming Christie’s Sixty Years of James Bond Charity Auction.  Shortly after, they will be a part of the James Bond at 60 weekend at the British Film Institute on the South Bank, September 30th-October 2nd.

Pricing and Availability:

Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (“MSRP”)*^:

*MSRP for sales to USA end-users, before any VAT, GST, Sales Tax, Duties, or other taxes.
^Australian pricing has not been announced at this stage

  • Pro Edition: $US 6,999
  • Premium Edition: $US 9,699
  • Limited Edition: $US 12,999
  • 60th Anniversary Limited Edition: Price Yet to be announced

James Bond 007 pinball machines and accessories are available now through authorised Stern Pinball distributors and dealers around the world. Pro and Premium Editions will also be available at the 007Store.com

PS: We love the retro inspired artwork, as it is in keeping with the time-based theme. George Gomez (Lead Designer) always makes extremely playable pinball machines, and this one looks to be in keeping with his design philosophy of making it unique and fun!

Limited Edition

Premium Edition

Pro Edition

image source: Stern Pinball Inc.