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Dive into the Depths of Thrills with Stern Pinball’s New JAWS Pinball Machines!

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Just when you thought it was safe to go back into your gameroom…🦈

Get ready to embark on a heart-pounding adventure as Stern Pinball, Inc. introduces its latest masterpiece – JAWS pinball, featuring one of the most iconic motion picture thrillers of all time from Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment. Immerse yourself in the suspense and excitement of all four blockbuster JAWS films, brought to life with brand-new mechanical features inspired by iconic movie moments and cutting-edge technology. The JAWS pinball games are available in Pro, Premium, and Limited Edition (LE) models, offering enthusiasts a range of options to experience the adrenaline-fueled action.

A Journey to Amity Island

Step into the fictional world of Amity Island, nestled off the coast of Long Island, New York, a charming fishing community that turns into a hotbed of danger as the Fourth of July vacationers approach. Uncover the thrilling narrative where the Amity Island mayor conceals shark attacks to safeguard the island’s tourism money, leading to even more terrifying encounters. As a player, you’ll have the chance to play as Quint, Hooper, and Brody – the grizzled fishermen determined to save Amity Island’s residents and the Fourth of July celebrations.

Experience the Heart-Stopping Gameplay

The JAWS pinball games promise an immersive experience, with players grabbing their harpoons to tackle the most dangerous ocean creatures on the planet. Animated lighting effects create tension as you spot “blood in the water,” and the motorized “Shark Fin” target makes a splash across the playfield. Navigate the “Orca Boat” upper playfield, featuring a “Lookout Tower” ramp, a ship’s wheel horizontal spinner, and a “Radio” stand-up target to call for help. Brace yourself for the motorized custom sculpted “Great White Shark” bash toy, crashing through the bottom of a fishing boat and adding an extra layer of excitement to this thrilling pinball odyssey. Will you survive JAWS?

A Symphony of Sound and Vision

In addition to the gripping gameplay, JAWS pinball games feature custom speech by actor Richard Dreyfuss and the iconic movie theme music by John Williams. Immerse yourself in the world of JAWS with audio and visual elements that pay homage to one of the greatest movie franchises of all time.

The Limited Edition Experience

For collectors and enthusiasts, the Limited Edition model is a must-have, limited to just 1,000 games globally. This highly collectible version includes a full-color mirrored backglass based on the iconic JAWS movie poster by artist Roger Kastel, a reflective foil high-definition cabinet decal with hand-drawn artwork by Michael Barnard, exclusive custom “Great White” powder-coated pinball armor, Speaker Expression Lighting with JAWS-themed game effects, 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 President & CEO Seth Davis and Chairman & Founder Gary Stern.

Connect and Compete with Insider Connected™

Take your pinball experience to the next level with Stern’s award-winning Insider Connected™ system. Engage with the game and a global network of players through features like progress tracking, Achievements, special JAWS Quests, and the pursuit of a lifetime Bounty Hunter rank.

Seth Davis, President & CEO of Stern Pinball, expresses excitement, saying, “Honoring one of the greatest movie franchises of all time, we’re giving JAWS our most advanced software and hardware to date. We can’t wait to debut JAWS Pinball’s heart-pounding gameplay to the world!”

Are you ready to face the Great White Shark and save Amity Island? Grab your harpoon and dive into the thrilling world of JAWS pinball!

PS: Before we forget, the new JAWS pinball games will make their debut at Stern Pinball’s official booth (#16254) at CES 2024 (if you are lucky to attend, make sure you head straight there)!

Indicative Pricing ($AUD):

  • JAWS PRO – $11,950
  • JAWS PREMIUM – $15,500
  • JAWS LIMITED EDITION – $20,500

JAWS Limited Edition

JAWS Premium

JAWS Pro

image source: Stern Pinball, Inc.



Disclaimer: Press release supplied by Stern Pinball, Inc.

“The Move” – A Behind-the-scenes look at Stern Pinball’s recent factory move

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Whoa, 2024 has started in earnest with the pinball market leader, Stern Pinball, releasing “The Move”, a behind-the-scenes look at their recent factory relocation!

Being the biggest in the pinball market, Stern Pinball has been growing at an exponential rate, so it was only a matter of time for them to relocate to larger premises to have the production space to churn out their amazing pinball machines.

So stop flipping for about five and a half minutes and watch Stern Pinball’s, “The Move”!



Happy Codesgiving From Stern Pinball

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🦃 Gobble up all new game code with a Stern Codesgiving! 🦃

With the American national holiday of Thanksgiving fast approaching, Stern Pinball have done us a solid by releasing new code updates for over 20 of their pinball titles – how awesome is that!

Check out what’s new on your favourite Stern Pinball machine right here!

Right, we are off to fire up our Star Wars Comic Art Premium pinball machine and letting Insider Connected do its magic 😉

image source: Stern Pinball

We didn’t have to do anything, Insider Connected was already downloading the latest code update!

That was quick!

Woohoo, we have success! Time to play!



Jersey Jack Pinball’s ELTON JOHN Pinball Is Unleashed at Pinball Expo ’23

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It’s been a bumper Pinball Expo 2023 with new pinball machines being released, left, right and centre! Not to be outdone, the world’s second largest pinball manufacturer, Jersey Jack Pinball has unleashed their latest machine at Pinball Expo, Elton John Pinball!

Designed by The Master Of Flow, Steve Ritchie, Elton John Pinball features hand-drawn artwork packages from artists Christopher Franchi, John Youssi and Jean-Paul De Win. The machine’s rules and software design were done by industry veteran Bill Grupp.


source: Jersey Jack Pinball

This new JJP game will truly be music to your ears, with 16 Elton John studio master tracks with custom voice callouts by Elton John himself. Elton John Pinball will come in two models, a Platinum and Collector’s Edition, both consisting of feature packed playfields, including an interactive Elton John toy, a rocket sculpture with LED flames, a Tiny Dancer motorized toy, a Crocodile Rock physical lock toy, a grand piano three-ball lock with diverter, a micro LED piano marquee, 14 multi-LED star inserts, Rocka-Box three-bank drop targets, three multi-LED Bennie and the Jets bumpers, two rapid spinner targets, and much much more!

We must admit, Elton John didn’t really appeal to us (as a theme), but after seeing what JJP have produced, we reckon they are on a winner!

Pricing:

  • Platinum Edition US$12,000
  • Collector’s Edition US$15,000

NOTE: No Australian pricing available at the time of publication.

Collector’s Edition

Platinum Edition

image source: Jersey Jack Pinball



New Pinball Games To Be Revealed at Pinball Expo

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With Pinball Expo ’23 only a few days away, pinball manufacturers are clamouring to outdo each other in the new release stakes.

We already had Barrels of Fun announce their Labyrinth pinball game over the weekend (which will be playable at the expo), and now it’s Pinball Brothers’ turn with an Ellen Ripley edition of their Alien pinball machine. As Alien(s) fans, this definitely piques our interest!

This Ellen Ripley version of Alien pinball will come with new cabinet art, a loader battle translite, an updated software package (v4.0) and a bunch of extra movie scenes we have never seen in Alien Pinball before! Announcing their collaboration with modder Lior Rajwan from The Art of Pinball, this new machine will include hand-sculpted mini-screen, a hand-painted Xeno-head and a beautifully designed apron. Pinball Brothers are also planning an interactive topper which we hope they bring to the expo!

Alien Pinball – The Ellen Ripley Version

The Ellen Ripley Edition’s In-game Extras

Not to be outdone, Jersey Jack Pinball (JJP) will also announce Steve Ritchie’s next pinball machine on October 19 (US time), which is rumoured to be an Elton John music themed pin. We aren’t the biggest Elton John fans, but with Steve designing this one with a higher BoM (bill of materials), you can bet it will be an amazingly flowy (and possibly brutal) game, packed with cool mechs and toys – well, that’s the hope.

The Master of Flow – Steve Ritchie. JJP will showcase his latest game at Pinball Expo

Will it be Elton John? We’ll see on October 19 (US time)!

Oh how we wish we could be at Chicago this week to experience and play these new machines – if someone could fly us out to Chi-town, we’d be forever in their debt 😉



What I Love Most About Pinball and My Top 5 Favourite Games

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The silverball game lured me in 1986 and hasn’t let go since!

Have you ever stopped to think what you love most about the hobby you are really into? I must admit, I have never done that, but upon reflection, when I think about why I love pinball, it is of course the fun that it generates – there is nothing like flipping that shiny silverball into targets on the playfield, and the adrenaline rush you get when multi-ball kicks in – there is nothing quite like it! I have also loved (and still do) the pinball machine aesthetic – it is a work of art even when it sits there begging to be played. Equally, it is the people that you meet that have a mutual love for the same hobby you are into – I have made countless friends due to pinball, which makes it darn priceless to me. Oh yeah, the competition to get a high-score is another boon for pinball, but being a mediocre player, I tend to enjoy the socialising side of competition/tournament play.

Part of being into pinball is the ever difficult question of, “what are your favourite pinball games?”. This question is difficult as there are hundreds of games I enjoy on any given day, and with new releases coming out every year, it makes it even harder to pinpoint a favourite pinball machine.

As difficult as it is, I did promise Colin (Kineticist) that I would wrangle a top 5 list of games I really enjoy coming back to.

Here are my current top 5 pinball machines (which can change on whim!):

5. Star Trek LE (Stern)

As a Trekkie fan, I loved Steve Ritchie’s The Next Generation (Williams) widebody pinball machine, but with it becoming harder to find and play, it was Steve’s second bite at the Trek cherry with his 2013 Stern incarnation. The LE in particular was a stunning piece of art and more importantly, an absolute banger of a game. They don’t call Steve The Master of Flow for nothing!

4. Star Wars Premium (Stern)

Yep, another Steve Ritchie pinball game – do you see a pattern here? Star Wars (Prem/LE) isn’t particularly a flow-fest, and some don’t like it due to it being a drain monster, but the integration with the original movie trilogy with all of your fave scenes and characters are all there. The lightsaber battle with Vader, where all the playfield RGBs glow red (Vader) and blue (Obi-Wan) always get the heart racing. Oh yeah, I still reckon the hyperloop habitrail is still one of the best mechs in modern-day pinball (and hence why I only prefer the Prem/LE edition of this game)!

3. Dialed In (JJP)

Original themes aren’t as popular as back in the day (look at our number 2 fave game below!), but I still think Jersey Jack Pinball’s Dialed In is an amazing machine to play. Designed by the legendary, Pat Lawlor, this machine is full of innovations that (at the time) were well ahead of the competition, from the first-ever pinball machine to feature Bluetooth connectivity, a camera, to the additional player capabilities through a smart phone – which you could wreak havoc on your friends by taking control of the flippers with your mobile phone! I honestly still don’t get the theme (is it a city disaster you must avert), but I don’t care, Dialed In is one superlative pinball machine.

2. Medieval Madness (Williams)

I could have easily loaded this top 5 list with Brian Eddy games, from Medieval Madness, to Attack From Mars, The Shadow, Stranger Things and The Mandalorian, but that would constitute cheating.

When combining Brian Eddy’s design with the late (and great) Lyman F. Sheats Jr.’s coding prowess, you know you have a special pinball game. Brian and Lyman also worked on Attack From Mars, so you understand why these two machines in particular are still in many player’s top 5 lists. Medieval Madness has it all – an amazing flowing game with plenty to do and hit, some very cheesy dialogue and that amazing feeling you get when destroying the castle. Each shot on MM has purpose and doesn’t seem like a waste or like you are chopping wood, which is quite hard to say for many other pinball games.

1. The Walking Dead Pro (Stern)

TWD is Lyman F. Sheats Jr. magnum opus. The John Borg designed machine integrates the TWD theme quite well, with a unique look and feel playfield straight out of the first few seasons of the hit AMC series. But it is Lyman’s code that brings this beast to life – TWD is so deep, you probably need to own it for years and years before you get to see and experience every bit of Lyman’s amazing code. The machine isn’t the easiest to play (plenty of ways to drain), but it is balanced just right to keep you coming back to slay more Walkers! Having owned this machine since 2016, it is never going to leave our collection.

Just to be sneaky, if this was a top 10 list, then I would have also included America’s Most Haunted (Spooky), Haggis Pinball’s Celts, Spider-Man Vault Edition (Stern), Theatre Of Magic (Bally) and Monster Bash (Williams).

To say I can’t wait to play the latest games, like Labyrinth and Pulp Fiction would be a massive understatement. Pinball is in a good place right now (if only they could be cheaper). Now someone please make a Masters Of The Universe machine for me!

Long live the silverball game!!



Choose Your Fate in Jim Henson’s Labyrinth Pinball!

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Yep, you read that headline right, Barrels of Fun (BoF), a new pinball manufacturer based in Houston, Texas, is starting with an 80s banger of a pinball theme, Labyrinth!

This cult classic film from the 80s, featuring the iconic David Bowie as Jareth the Goblin King, is BoF’s inaugural pinball machine that will have you make your own adventure in Labyrinth. Made in collaboration with The Jim Henson Company, Labyrinth pinball aims to bring the world of the classic 1980s movie to life.

Quote from Barrels Of Fun about their first pinball machine:

Venture into the enchanting world of Jim Henson’s Labyrinth through the magic of collectible pinball! Limited to just 1,100 games worldwide, this unique experience will transport you to the heart of the Labyrinth, where fantasy and reality intertwine.


source: Barrels of Fun

Watching the trailer, we must admit that this machine has tickled our nostalgic nerve. Hearing David Bowie’s voice and seeing a lot of scenes from the movie being depicted on the playfield (and all the character sculpts!) and the LCD,is just so darn awesome.

Honestly, if we hadn’t ordered Pulp Fiction pinball, this would have been an easy decision to buy, even at the current crappy exchange rate. With 1,100 machines worldwide, we guarantee these will sell out (if not already!) before distributors start listing them on their sites. Choose your fate 😉

For those pinball aficionados scratching their heads about who is involved in building this machine, rest assured that some very clever pinball people have poured their heart and soul into this beauty, like David Van Es (CEO and Designer), Bowen Kerins (Code) and Scott Danesi (Sound/Music) to name just a few!

Some features of this awesome pinball machine to pique your interest:

  • Sculpted Goblin King Castle
  • Sculpted Goblin City and Hidden Ludo Toy
  • Goblin city, magnet Diverter
  • Goblin Gate Fork Trap
  • Humongous Smart Drop Target
  • Sculpted Humongous toy guard
  • Goblin Gate Spinner
  • Brick Keeper lift ramp and hidden home (scoop). Beware the Brick Keeper’s and their tricks
  • Begger Magnet
  • Bog Scoop
  • Helping hands scoop
  • Sir Didymus staff Up post. Befriend Sir Didymus and allow him to save your ball.
  • 3 ramps, goblin city wireform, metal right return ramp and wireform, and middle ramp
  • Two firey appearing toys
  • Sculpted Ello Worm Toy
  • Ello Appearing Post
  • Sculpted doors with knockers scene
  • Physical Ball Path Diverter
  • Sculpted Wise Man and Smart Drop Target. Complete his quests for special awards.
  • Wireform Skill Ramp with multiple Skill Shots
  • Mirror plastics
  • 14.9 LCD backboard for a true expanded world under glass
  • Playfield art by Johnny Bergeron aka Johnny Crap
  • Backglass featuring the goblin king himself, David Bowie by Nate Hallinan, or Mirrored “should you need us” alternative Backglass by Johnny Bergeron.
  • Powder coat pinball trim
  • Matching powder-coat LCD speaker panel with 15.6 LCD with labyrinth laser-cut speaker vents.
  • Light-up speakers
  • Crystal ball flipper buttons
  • Fanless power Supply
  • Fast Pinball controller System

For for our Australian audience, if you are after one of the 1,100 machines, get onto Mr. Pinball Australia right away, as the Australian allocation is bound to sell out quick!

image source: Barrels of Fun



10 Years Of Classic Gaming at PAX Aus

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Cheers to 10 years of inducing intoxicating gaming nostalgia at PAX Aus!

Another PAX Aus is done and dusted, but this was no ordinary year, it was the 10th year the event had been held here in Melbourne (Australia, not Florida).

For this celebratory year, the Classic Gaming (CG) area was moved from its usual Freeplay section to the main Expo Hall, rubbing shoulders with modern AAA gaming heavyweights and indie devs.

Starting the Classic Consoles (as it was known back then) area in 2013 with Retrospekt, Retro Domination and our (Ausretrogamer) team, we knew it would be a hit with attendees of all ages – which not even Melbourne’s inclement July weather could stop anyone getting their nostalgia hit at the inaugural PAX Aus event.

Over the years, the Classic Gaming area has grown from strength to strength, with its popularity ensuring that it returns at every PAX Aus – with an even bigger floor space! The inaugural teams may no longer be involved, but the baton change with the Weird and Retro and the Press Play On Tape Podcast crew has ensured the growth and sustained popularity of the Classic Gaming area.

For the tenth anniversary, the Classic Gaming area didn’t disappoint, with a plethora of amazing machines from yesteryear to tickle every nostalgic nerve in the body. From all of our old favourites from the 8-bit and 16-bit era (hello Atari, Commodore, Sega and Nintendo) all the way through to some darn awesome old-school PC power – and whomever thought of using the Dance Dance Revolution mat to control your (Doom Slayer) character in Doom (cheekily christened Doom Doom Revolution) should be given a knighthood! We hear that we have to now call Aaron (aka: Blahjedi), Sir Aaron of Press Play On Tape podcast, from now on 😉

Doom Doom Revolution!


image & video source: Aaron ‘Blahjedi’ Clement – PPOT

Back in 2015, Skott Kellett proposed to include pinball in the Classic Gaming area, which was an instant hit! The pinball section has now become a permanent fixture of the Classic Gaming area, ensuring gamers can get their mechanical hit via the silverball game. Skott is still the main wrangler of the pinball section, with games provided by Reality Games Australia, Mr Pinball Australia and the Australian Pinball Museum. We were lucky enough to experience some quite rare and hard to find pinball games, from Dutch Pinball’s The Big Lebowski, CGC’s Cactus Canyon Remake, Pinball Brothers‘ Queen, to American Pinball’s amazing Galactic Tank Force, complete with tank tracks and backbox turret!

But wait, there was more! PLAION Australia had the yet-to-be released Atari 2600+ console on display, which was impressive. We have been quite critical of Atari over the years, but even we are quite excited to get our hands on the new 2600+ console!

Last but not least, it is the people that bring the Classic Gaming area to life that we love the most, from the CG showrunning team members to the PAX Aus Enforcers, and the public that come in and reminisce with us about systems and games from a long long time ago.

See you at PAX Aus 2024!

We are going home – to the Classic Gaming Area!

Here are a few of the nostalgia inducing systems and displays!

Pinball in the Classic Gaming area is as popular as ever!

Classic Gaming is nothing without the awesome people that make it happen and for those that come and visit!



Cheers To 10 Years – See You At PAX Aus 2023

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Wow, we still can’t believe that PAX AUS is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year!

It is also hard to believe that the Classic Gaming area, or Classic Consoles as it was known in the inaugural year, has been at PAX AUS since the beginning. From the Showgrounds in Ascot Vale in 2013, where it was bitterly cold, we were quite excited when PAX Aus was moved to its new and much bigger home in 2014, at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. By moving PAX AUS from July to October, it also ensured that we would have better weather, but then again, this is Melbourne, so anything can happen, in any season!

We are indulging ourselves with nostalgia by reflecting on years gone by at PAX AUS – there has been countless awesome memories and meeting new and amazing people that we are proud to call our friends. Cheers to ten years!

We hope to see some (or all) of you at PAX AUS 2023!

slides created by: Aaron ‘Blahjedi’ Clement (Press Play On Tape podcast)