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‘Star Wars Pinball’ on Nintendo Switch

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By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

Playing “Star Wars Pinball” on my Nintendo Switch will never be as entertaining and fun as actually playing a standing pinball machine in an arcade or restaurant, but it comes pretty close.

When I purchased “Star Wars Pinball” before Christmas, I had no idea how much I would end up playing it in my spare time. I really enjoy playing pinball in my living room; I never thought it would be possible. Sometimes, I play it on my Switch when I’m in the backyard or I’ll play a quick game in the car when I’m waiting for someone. When I start playing “Star Wars Pinball” it’s hard to put my controller or Switch down. It took me a few days to explore every table option. My highest score is on the “Return of the Jedi” table with somewhere around 16 million.

I play “Star Wars Pinball” the way I watch the films; I usually stick to the original trilogy, and by “original” I mean the “A New Hope,” “The Empire Strikes Back,” and “Return of the Jedi.” However, the “Rogue One” table is a blast to play. Gareth Edwards’ “Rogue One” is my favorite Star Wars film behind “Empire.” Orson Krennic is prominently featured on the “Rogue One” pinball table. Ben Mendelsohn, who played Krennic, is underrated in the 2016 film. Krennic is sort of a tragic character; he’s the villain who’s killed by what he created and believed in.

The voices sound nothing like the original Star Wars actors, like James Earl Jones and Mark Hamill. Han Solo sounds like a voice actor attempting to do a poor, Harrison Ford impression.

My favorite pinball option is the Boba Fett table. Jabba the Hutt makes a cameo, and you can hit the ball into the Sarlacc that’s at the top of the table. Some of my highest scores are playing the Fett and the “Return of the Jedi” tables. The “Jedi” table has so many lights and colorful features that it’s difficult to see the ball at times. I like it when you’re playing the Fett table and the play stops as Darth Vader comes out, and tells Boba Fett, forcefully, “No disintegrations.” You get an appearance from Vader and Jabba the Hutt; probably my two favorite characters in the Star Wars universe.

The Boba Fett themed table is a pinball machine that you’d find in Jabba’s Palace, if it wasn’t fictional. It feels authentic to the Tatooine location that George Lucas created. Although, I don’t understand why they have Han Solo frozen in carbonite, hanging over the Sarlacc.

“Star Wars Pinball” has quickly become one of my favorite Switch games. Yet, “FIFA ’23” is still my go-to game.

Star Wars Pinball,Nintendo Switch,DC Cutler, David Cutler,Star Wars,Pinball,Star Wars Pinball on Nintendo Switch,gamer,gaming,videogames,gamers,Darth Vader



Operation Switch: Arcade1Up Pinball Mod

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Performing essential surgery on our Arcade1Up Pinball machine

The Arcade1Up Pinball machines have recently received a new lease of life with community enhancements, like Team Encoder’s brilliant A1Pinner software, which allowed owners of these machines to install other Arcade1Up pinball packs (Marvel, Star Wars and Williams) and the Pinball Arcade and Zen Pinball applications (Android versions) with their plethora of pinball tables. Team Encoder went as far as creating a custom launcher and the ability to change the display to 1080p, which was a bit of a hit or miss due to the limited hardware spec inside these pinball machines.

We came across IntecGaming’s Nintendo Switch DIY Pinball kit about a year ago and have been eagerly awaiting its release. Once IntecGaming had this kit up for pre-order, we immediately jumped on it. The improvement is great value with this low cost kit, and of course, playing video games, especially the pinball (and shoot’em ups) variety in 1080p is exactly what this machine should have had from the start.

The IntecGaming Switch DIY Pinball kit is a physical modification to the Arcade1Up Pinball Machine, so we had to get our hand dirty so to speak. With no soldering required, this was as easy as unplugging the old and replacing them with the new! Of course the control panel with its ball-top joystick provides the arcade experience we were missing when playing Switch games.

Without further ado, here are the steps (with photos) that we took to operate and modify our A1Up Attack From Mars pinball machine:

Time to commence Operation Switch!

Unboxing the contents of the IntecGaming Switch DIY Pinball Kit: We need to replace 3 boards (marked A, B and C)

One last look at the machine before we start operating

Popping the hood

Popping the rear to get to the smaller (DMD) screen

Following the instructions to unplug the controller wiring from the old board and connect them to the new (A) board

Board A attached and controller connectors rerouted to plug into the new board

Next, is the sound and solenoid driver board (board B)

Second board is totally removed from the A1Up and replaced by IntecGaming’s Board B

The metal casing is replaced with a breathable plastic cover for Board B

The main board hiding in its metal casing attached to the LCD

Last of the board updates – replace the main board with IntecGaming’s Board C

The original main board is unplugged

Got to follow the instructions carefully here, as any wrong move will render the machine an expensive doorstop!

Wiring up the replacement main board (Board C) and putting it back in the casing. Having two HDMI out ports is a godsend!

With the boards replaced and connections all plugged in, it’s the control panel that the last thing to add 

The new replacement lockdown bar is beefier than the original!

All modifications completed!

Instructions to sync the control panel and kit to the Switch

The plastic stand is perfect to keep the Switch and dock tucked away

Switch is docked, 3.5mm sound jack & HDMI are plugged in too

Success! All powered up and ready to go! The DMD LCD acts as our selection screen

First game we boot up, Zen’s Pinball FX 3!

Going to put the original boards & other parts in a safe place



Idris Elba in ‘Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty’

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image source: Cyberpunk 2077 via Twitter

By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

The most exciting moment for me during The Game Awards 2022 was the reveal of Idris Elba playing a new character in “Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty.”

Idris Elba is one of my favorite actors. Watching him on the award show address gamers about his “Cyberpunk 2077” role was a surprising breath of fresh air. If Elba puts as much passion and skill into his role in the game as he does in his film work, fans of the game are in for a treat.

Elba is perfect for the hit spy-thriller. He will play a character named Solomon Reed. Reed is a veteran New United States of America agent, and a character players can trust to help them achieve an impossible mission of espionage. The teaser didn’t show much, but the graphics looked incredible.

Elba’s performance in his last two films, “Beast” and “Three Thousand Years of Longing,” were excellent. “Beast” was sort of brushed off by critics for being a generic, creature attack film, but I found the film entertaining. There were moments of real tension and terror that were heightened by Elba’s exceptional, hopeful performance.

Elba never gives a bad performance. I first discovered his talent on the HBO series “The Wire.” He was terrific as the cunning antagonist Stringer Bell. He was authentic as Bell, and he was enthralling every time he was in a scene.

He was also great in Guy Ritchie’s “RocknRolla” with Gerald Butler and Tom Hardy. He’s a talented character actor who moonlights as an action star as well.

I’m curious to see what Idris Elba brings to “Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty.” Understated or over-the-top, he’ll bring something unique to the franchise.



Get the Stern Experience at the Pinball Hall Of Fame

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Vegas Baby! If you ever needed another reason to visit Las Vegas, then Stern Pinball Inc. has you covered!

The new Stern Experience at the famous Pinball Hall Of Fame (we visited the old Pinball Hall Of Fame in 2015) will showcase all the hottest and latest Stern pinball machines featuring the award-winning Insider Connected platform! The Stern Experience will offer players brand new high score leaderboards to compete on, the ability to earn exclusive achievement badges, and participate in exclusive Stern events and tournaments only available in this one-of-a-kind interactive exhibit.

Don’t forget, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!


source: Stern Pinball



Modding Our Arcade1Up Pinball With IntecGaming’s Nintendo Switch Panel

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There were a couple of things we were looking forward to this year, Stern Pinball’s Insider Connected Kit for our Star Wars pinball machine, and IntecGaming’s Nintendo Switch Panel for our Arcade1Up (virtual) pinball machine.

Well, it was almost 2 for 2 in 2022, however, our Stern Pinball Insider Connected kit was delivered incomplete – which means we will have to wait for the next boat to arrive down under.

On the flip side, the IntecGaming panel for our A1Up pinball machine arrived and we can’t wait to get it installed! Just in case you have no idea what this thing is or does, check out our previous post here.

We will write about our exploits of getting this mod installed, so stay tuned (and wish us luck)!



Playing NES’ ‘Championship Bowling’ was Educational

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By: D.C. Cutler, U.S.A.

Did Nintendo’s “Championship Bowling” make me a prodigy?

When I was ten, I played Nintendo’s “Championship Bowling” after school and on the weekends with an intense focus and delight. Through the 1989 game, I learned exactly which lane arrows to throw the bowling ball between. I’d put a slight right or left hook on the ball when needed. The results were usually a strike or spare. My highest score on “Championship Bowling” was a 261. I still remember.

I always found the soundtrack annoying. It sounded like a hodgepodge of instruments all being played at the same time with a violin bow at a frenetic energy. The baton twirlers on the lane were a bit odd.

After months of playing NES “Championship Bowling,” I talked my mother into letting me join a junior bowling league. I implemented the same techniques that made me successful playing the game, during Saturdays on my bowling team. I lined up on the arrows that I would line up on when I played the game; usually, three arrows over from the right gutter, and I’d give the ball a small hook.

I regularly began winning tournaments and team events on the weekends. I would see a trophy before a tournament and say to myself, “I’m going to win that.” It was thrilling to be exceptional at something new.

Once, after a state tournament, Charles, the man who ran my junior league, called me “a bowling prodigy.” I didn’t know what that word meant. I looked it up in the dictionary when I got home. I’ll throw modesty to the side for a sentence: I was sort of a prodigy.

The definition of a prodigy: a person, especially a young one, endowed with exceptional qualities or abilities. I took my scores seriously, so much so that I would bowl later with my Nintendo to figure out what I had done wrong during a tournament or league play. I was obsessed with the game for about three years. Then, I became fanatical about other great things in my life.

Now, when I bowl with Nintendo Switch Sports, it feels bittersweet. Bowling with my Switch is more physical and more realistic but playing “Championship Bowling” was more thrilling. Perhaps, because I was younger, and bowling was this brand-new, exciting sport that I had just discovered by accident through a gaming system.

I bet there’s a kid out there that’s thinking about asking their parents to join a junior bowling league because they love playing the game on their Switch as much as I loved playing “Championship Bowling.”



Hands On With The AYANEO AIR

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We have now had our Ayaneo Air (Standard) for almost two months, so we thought it’s a good time to tell you all about it – the good and the bad!

As already mentioned, this is a hands on and a first impressions article on our Ayaneo Air. Reason for this not being a full review is that our Air unit has been returned to Ayaneo for repairs, so once it arrives back, we will provide our final thoughts – wrapping up the review. However, please don’t get discouraged by us returning our Air for repairs, as Ayaneo’s support and service team has been nothing short of exemplary, with prompt responses and eagerness to resolve the issues encountered.

Specifications of our Ayaneo Air device:

  • Model: Ayaneo Air Standard
  • Colour: Polar Black
  • CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5560U
  • Memory: 16GB LPDDR4X 4266
  • Storage: 256GB NVMe (expandable via MicroSD)
  • Display: 5.5″ AMOLED Touchscreen (1920×1080)
  • Battery: 28W 7350mAh
  • Dimensions (LxWxD): 8.8” x 3.5” x 0.7” inches
  • Connectivity: WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.2
  • I/O: 2 x USB Type-C (top and bottom), 3.5mm audio combo jack
  • Security: Fingerprint Scanner
  • OS: Windows 11 Home
  • Price: US$629.00

Anyway, we know that over time we will discover new things to like and enjoy (or perhaps dislike) about our Ayaneo Air, so the more time we spend with it, we’ll be in a better position to provide our final thoughts. In the last two or so months we have had this device, we have set it up to play contemporary PC games (on Steam, Epic Games, GoG and Amazon Games) and of course, games from yesteryear using RetroBat – an awesome all-in-one emulation system for Windows.

Before we get to the gaming and setup side, we thought we’d start with the physical aspects, like the build quality of the Ayaneo Air and it’s packaging. With that said, the Ayaneo Air is all premium, with no corners cut, from the analogue Hall sticks (with no dead zones!) to the face buttons and shoulder Hall triggers, the integration of all the controls on the Air have been very carefully and meticulously considered for us gamers. The Air feels great in hand as it is light, meaning you won’t fatigue your hands and arms by holding a brick, like the Steam Deck.

The 5.5″ AMOLED touchscreen is an absolute game changer, with eye popping clarity and crispness that has to be seen to be believed – we just wish it was a tad bigger, like 6.5 or even 7″, then it would have been perfect, albeit heavier! By having a smaller screen, it means that Ayaneo were able to keep the Air’s size, weight/thickness and portability to a minimum – it’s 398g and 18mm thick)! The trade off it being slimline is that the battery doesn’t hold charge for long gaming sessions. Unfortunately, we could only manage about 2 hours or so on balanced TDP to play our games. If you do increase the TDP to play the heftier games, then expect a lot less battery time. If you are a gamer that expects at least 4+ hours on one battery charge, then you may need a juiced up powerbank to help you play longer – or go up to the Air Pro model.

Aside from the screen size and small-ish battery capacity, we are still quite impressed with it, as it doesn’t pretend to be anything else. Oh yeah, we are also using the Ayaneo Air as our primary PC to do mundane stuff like spreadsheets, answering emails and writing this article 😉

Before we forget, the packaging is top notch too, with the Air device and its peripherals all tucked in nicely and securely in foam, with the outer box feeling like it’s for the Apple iPad – it is that good!

Make your AIR look like a Steam Deck!

On the usability and software side, the Air can be summed up by saying that it’s all-round features and capabilities provide a lightweight and ergonomic device running Window 11 without an issue, but with some performance sacrifices to make it more portable than something like the Steam Deck. The AYA Space companion operating software is a novel addition, but it is still in beta, so tread carefully. The good news is, Ayaneo are constantly updating the AYA Space software and adding new and improved features (and stamping out bugs with each new update) – we can’t wait to see how this matures.

Nintendo Switch VS Ayaneo Air

We had no issues with setting up our games from Steam, Epic, EA, GoG and even Xbox (GamePass Ultimate) on the Air. Our library isn’t too extensive, so for the games we tested, they played well, with the controls feeling like second nature. The aforementioned TDP could be bumped up for the games requiring more CPU grunt, however, we haven’t tested this extensively as yet. The biggest test for us was how the Ayaneo Air would fare with emulation, from 8-bit classic systems all the way up to and including the Wii and Switch. Well, we are happy to report that we found no issues, no lag, stuttering or cropping, bar from a few high end PS2 and Game Cube games. We even got to play Ricky Carmichael MX 2002 on the Xbox core within RetroBat.

Speaking of RetroBat, it was our final choice when it came to a complete emulation system. We threw everything at it, and it worked almost immediately! We did have to tweak some configs to get TeknoParrot, Future Pinball and Yuzu (Nintendo Switch emulator) going, but these were quite simple, with plenty of online help to get you through it.

The Ayaneo Air is for the gamer that wants flexibility in their gaming device, unlike the limitations imposed by Nintendo with their closed system Switch. The Air allows its user to set it up exactly to their liking. But be mindful that this flexibility is a double-edged sword, as Windows is inherently difficult to get stuff configured on and working right, so if you don’t want to tinker too much, then you’ll just be playing the standard PC games on it.

This device is a good option for gamers who like to play their Steam library (and other PC gaming platforms) with enhanced and rich visuals – the Ayaneo Air’s ultra wide angle AMOLED screen provides amazing visuals no matter the viewing angle! If you are after a high quality Windows/PC and retro gaming handheld, then look no further, as the Ayaneo Air ticks all of the boxes!

The dreaded white screen (not of death) – our Air will be repaired by Ayaneo

NOTE: As mentioned earlier in this article, our Air is currently in transit to Ayaneo for them to check and repair the intermittent white screen we get on boot up (see photo below). Ayaneo had arranged DHL to pick it up and will also use DHL to deliver it back once fixed. Ayaneo has assured us that they are aware of the issue and can resolve it. We will keep you informed of how this repair transpires, so stay tuned!



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



Make Your SSD Sound Like An Old Hard Drive

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Do you miss the old sounds that your hard drives used to make when reading or writing data to disk? Ah, the platers making such a great sound – actually, we do miss that aural extravaganza.

With the advent of solid state drives (SSD), there are no moving parts, so sadly, that means no clickety clackety sounds being emitted. Alas, now you can, thanks to the HDD Clicker! This circuit board makes your SSD (or CF and/or SD cards) sound exactly like your old hard drives!


source: root42



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