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Dead Flip: How To Stream Pinball

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Pinball streamer, ambassador and now Stern Pinball Designer, Jack Danger, host of Dead Flip has put pen to paper (or should that be fingers to keyboard?), and published an updated feature on “How To Stream Pinball“.

Jack has been a pioneer in the field of live pinball streaming since 2014. When Jack opens his box of pinball streaming tools, rigs and general setup, we take note. Jack has been a great (virtual) friend since we first conversed on Twitter almost 8 years ago. We don’t get much time to watch live streams on Twitch, but we always try and make an exception when we get the notification that Dead Flip is streaming live!

Jack’s video tutorials are a great reference for those wanting to stream pinball!

Dead Flip’s streams are always run like clockwork and are lots of fun to watch – with Jack’s engaging personality shining through our screens. Of course the rig setup also helps in showing off the pinball machine. For those live streams when the time zones don’t work, there is always Dead Flip’s YouTube channel to catch the action via video on demand (VOD).

With the plethora of current pinball streamers hitting Twitch (and other live streaming services), each of them owe a debt of gratitude to Dead Flip for paving the way. If you are interested in streaming pinball, then read Dead Flip’s How to Stream Pinball post right away!

From all of us, thank you Jack!

Dead Flip (aka: Herman Munster) and Gary Stern (aka: Grandpa) streaming The Munsters pinball machine

images source: Dead Flip



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.



Pinball Expo ’22 is Celebrating its 38th Year!

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Oh how we wish we could go to this year’s Pinball Expo! We’ll be watching from afar. But, if you are one of those lucky folks that will be attending, Pinball Expo’s Rob Berk reckons this will be the biggest and best yet…..

Playing Magic Girl (the broken one!) at Flipout 2018! Beautiful to look at, but that’s about it!

MAGIC GIRL IS BACK!

After seven years in the making, the elusive Magic Girl pinball game is finally complete! The storied history of this machine can be traced back to 2015 when its first designs were being formulated. Through a troubled development cycle only 19 machines were ever built… but none of them were truly complete and had many missing components. But, through the hard work of American Pinball and an intrepid team of builders in the Netherlands, Magic Girl has finally been restored and the first ever fully-functional Magic Girl pinball machine will be unveiled on U.S. soil at Pinball Expo 2022!

INTERNATIONAL FLAIR

Pinball Expo 2022 will also be hosting the first ever Pinball Expo World Cup Tournament! Players from around the world are signing up to compete, with tournament attendees on board from the U.S., Spain, and the Netherlands – and we’re looking for more! With guest speakers also hailing from Australia, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom, Pinball Expo’s global influence has never been greater!

…BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!

ENTERRIUM is opening its doors to Pinball Expo 2022 attendees to enjoy pinball, games, food, and fun! Come on down and catch up with old friends and meet new ones too at this upscale restaurant, bar, and arcade in Schaumburg, Illinois! The entire facility will be open with all pinball machines, arcade machines, bowlers, and more available to play at no charge!

And finally, the Vendor Hall this year will have longer show hours and will be packed with great manufacturers including Stern Pinball, Jersey Jack Pinball, Chicago Gaming, Pinball Adventures, American Pinball, Spooky Pinball, and – all the way from Sweden – Pinball Brothers who will be there to show off their latest games : Alien and Queen! And we’re working with even more manufacturers to have their latest creations on display!

…BUT WAIT, THERE’S EVEN MORE!

For the first time ever Jersey Jack Pinball will be hosting a tour of its pinball facility! Check the website for more details!

Pinball Expo is truly an “Everything for Everybody” show and you’re guaranteed to have a pinball experience to remember in 2022!

Visit www.PinballExpo.com for more information about the event and to book your rooms today!

Thank you,

Rob Berk
Pinball Expo Chairman

image source: Better.net

story source: IFPA



Is A Stern Masters Of The Universe Pinball Machine Coming in 2023?

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Will Stern Pinball join forces with Randy Martinez to create a cornerstone title based on Masters of The Universe in 2023?

Yeah, the title may be wishful thinking, but who doesn’t like a spicy rumour – we do, as long as it becomes true!

For those of you that know us well, you’ll know that we love the old 80s Masters Of The Universe and pinball! Since the silverball bug bit us over a decade ago, we have been patiently waiting (and praying) for a pinball manufacturer to acquire this license and make our dream theme into a real pinball machine – and according to this poll, we aren’t alone!

We usually stay away from rumours, but this time we are adding fuel to the already on fire rumour mill. At last month’s California Extreme expo, the amazing artist, Randy Martinez, made a point about his love for Jaws, Seinfeld, The Big Lebowski, Star Wars, basketball and MOTU to YouTuber/Streamer, Mike Mattsson (aka: DRI374), and how us pinball peeps loving reading into the smallest of tidbits that may (or may not) be true:

“I gotta be careful in how I say this. Well, I’ll give the answer that I gave at the other pinball shows that Stern was there for. These are purely my personal tastes, I’m not confirming or denying anything.”

Further to this, at the recent 2022 San-Diego Comic-Con, Randy stated that (about his love of Star Wars, basketball and MOTU art):

“And by the way, these styles have nothing to do with pinball. This is stuff that I’ve actually worked on before. I know how people talk out there. I’m new to this but I’m learning. I know how people take stuff and run.”

Yep, we have run with it Randy! If you have no idea who Randy Martinez is (Ed: shame on you!), he is the artist that created the gorgeous art packages for Stern Pinball’s The Mandalorian and Star Wars Comic Art pinball machines (which we own) amongst his many brilliant bodies of artistic work. So it stands to reason (and a lot of wishful thinking!) that Randy is again involved with Stern in developing the art package for a Masters of The Universe cornerstone pinball machine in 2023!

Randy Martinez proudly stand with two of his pinball artwork creations! Could he be making a third art package for Stern Pinball?
image source: Randy Martinez via Instagram

Randy tells Mike (aka: DRI374) that we will see a Stern Pinball machine with his artwork very very soon – meaning: in the next 18 months!

So what would a Masters Of The Universe pinball machine be like? Well, we would like to see us able to transform from Prince Adam to He-Man by lighting up the I-H-A-V-E-T-H-E-P-O-W-E-R targets which would then kick off a He-Man Battle multiball mode. Imagine if there was something mechanical in the game that would physically transform Adam to He-Man!!! Of course Castle Grayskull would have to feature prominently too, perhaps like the interactive castle in Medieval Madness, without the need to destroy it – He-Man would have to defend the Castle! The pin would be a classic good versus evil battle, with the ultimate goal being to defeat Skeletor and his army of evil-doers before he takes over Castle Grayskull and Eternia. We have so many ideas, but there is only so much you can fit onto a pinball playfield. Coupled with Randy’s comic art style, we reckon a Stern Pinball Masters Of The Universe machine would be an absolute winner!

So let’s will this rumour to reality and hope that Stern Pinball is listening 😉

source: From the personal MOTU collection of ausretrogamer



Stern Pinball Inc. Flexes Their Vast Pinball Muscle

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There is no doubt that Stern Pinball Inc. has played a huge part in the renaissance of pinball, so it is great to see the world’s biggest pinball manufacturer not sit on their laurels and bask in their success. Stern keeps striving and pushing the boundary of innovation, events and supporting the pinball community around the world with thousands of competitions.

Stern announced their The Godzilla Stern Heads-Up Pinball Invitational in partnership with Toho International Inc., owners of the Godzilla franchise, which is on August 10, starting at 7pm (CST local time). Catch all the action on YouTube!

The other announcement Stern made last week (August 3rd) was that they were launching new Insider Connected features, like mobile ID and Home Teams – which was great to see. However, we were quite excited to see that Stern had released the replacement arches for Insider Connected for their Batman 66 and Star Wars (Premium/LE) pinball machines. These replacement arches have quickly sold out, so we are keeping a very keen eye on one for our Star Wars Comic Art Premium machine! Go team Stern!

image source: Stern Pinball



Stern Pinball Launches INSIDER CONNECTED™ Leaderboards

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Global Stern High Score Tournament Starts Now!

Stern Pinball keeps innovating and expanding their Insider Connected service with the worldwide launch of leaderboards. By connecting the universe of Stern pinball machines, the award-winning Insider Connected platform continues to enhance and extend player engagement with games across both home and commercial environments. Through Leaderboards, players can compete against each other across connected Stern pinball machines.

Do you have what it takes to be the worldwide King of the Monsters? Test yourself by competing in the first ever global Stern Leaderboard on any connected Godzilla pinball machine! Starting now through June 30th, log in with your Insider Connected account to any Godzilla pinball machine at your home or at a location near you (must be logged in to Insider Connected account to view). Climb up the ranks, follow the action throughout the month here to see who will emerge victorious, earn ultimate bragging rights, and receive global Stern social media adoration.


source: Stern Pinball

For those looking for an in-person challenge, local leaderboards will be available at an entertainment location near you. Insider Connected Location Leaderboard functionality is now available to all Insider Connected Professional accounts. Location Leaderboard competitive play will drive increased gameplay and new player participation. This will extend any Insider Connected Pro operator’s location entertainment experience which will drive revenue and excitement. For more information on how to set up your own custom Leaderboard, visit Stern Pinball’s FAQs where you will find:

  • Leaderboard Set-up Video
  • Leaderboard Set-up Guides (PDF)
  • Leaderboard Set-up Guides for Location Displays (PDF); and
  • Leaderboard Player Discovery Guide (PDF)

Registration for Insider Connected is available at insider.sternpinball.com. Players can register at a connected game by scanning a QR code or at the Stern Pinball website. Once a player registers, they are issued a unique QR Code that can be used to identify that player at any connected Stern pinball machine anywhere in the world. When a player logs into the machine, they can track progress, earn new game specific achievements, engage with the player community, and participate in promotions and Challenge Quests.



Press release supplied by Stern Pinball Inc.

The Force Is Strong With This New Stern Pinball Code

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For those of us that have been consumed by the beautiful silverball game, Stern Pinball has kept spoiling us with some brilliant innovations, including their new online platform, Insider Connected.

When launching Insider Connected (IC), Stern Pinball announced that they would roll out the platform to all of their past Spike® 2 LCD games, dating back to late 2016 with the awesome Batman 66 pinball machine.

Well Stern have been quite busy in updating the code on their previous Spike® 2 LCD machines so that they can take advantage of the new Insider Connected platform. With that said, we were quite excited to see that Stern have finally released the new v1.20.0 code for their Star Wars pinball machines!

We can’t wait to update our Star Wars Comic Art Premium machine with this new code, but we still have to wait a tad longer to procure and install the Insider Connected kit (they haven’t reached Australia as at the time of this post) to unleash the full online potential of the Stern Pinball Insider Connected platform. The FORCE is indeed strong with this new code!

PS: If you haven’t already done so, don’t forget to sign-up for your free Insider Connected account here.



Godzilla Pinball – The King of Monsters Is Unleashed by Stern Pinball

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The King of Monsters is back and this time he is conquering pinball! 

Stern Pinball and Toho International have joined forces to take Godzilla from the swap to pinball, and boy are we glad that they did!

This awesome collaboration between two powerhouses has resulted in the creation of three Godzilla pinball machine models; Pro, Premium and the already sold out Limited Edition! Before we get into the nuts and bolts of this new cornerstone title, Godzilla pinball marks the debut of Stern’s Insider Connected system, which includes a QR code reader (bottom arch) that enables players to interact with the game and other cool platform features in a variety of new ways.


source: Godzilla Official by TOHO

As already mentioned, being a cornerstone title, Godzilla Pinball will come in a three model range, starting with the street level Pro, home collector Premium and the Limited Edition for the hardcore collectors – as at the time of writing, the LE is sold out! From what we have seen so far, this is a monster-packed pinball machine straight from the mind of Keith Elwin, arguably the hottest contemporary pinball designer on the planet. Coupled with Zombie Yeti’s gorgeous and eye-popping hand-drawn artwork, this complete package will satisfy Godzilla and pinball fans alike.

From the video and images, we reckon that Keith Elwin has been dreaming a lot about Kaiju and has captured the essence of Toho’s Godzilla, pulling material from the ten earliest, campiest and most iconic films. In this game, the players takes control of Godzilla, ridding the earth of the evil Xiliens, while rampaging and trashing cities along the way. The game consists of classic Godzilla sets, including a skyscraper that has a virtual lock for one of the six multi-balls. According to Stern, this title has an industry first ‘Magna Grab’ magnetic Newton ball directing the ball from 5 different directions, often setting the ball up for the upper (3rd) flipper – pure chaos, as it should be! Godzilla also has a scoop to change cities, 3 spinning targets, mind-blowing chrome wireform ramps, 13 RGB lights, and a new return lane chase lights that strobe as balls return to the flippers, just to name a few. The theme immersion is complete with movie scenes and audio from ten Toho Showa Era movies, the original 1954 Godzilla film score, iconic title song “Godzilla” by Blue Oyster Cult and custom speech in English and Japanese (with subtitles).

But wait, the rampaging isn’t over yet! The additions and changes on Godzilla Premium and LE models are substantial. The aforementioned skyscraper is motorised to collapse down multiple levels, with 3 balls locked on its roof by a vertical upkick skyway ramp. A breakaway bridge ramp that collapses to drop pinballs onto the playfield. The Premium and LE models have another motorised device – a rotating 3 bank of targets that reveal a spinning target and jump ramp. There is a 2nd magnet in a sculpted Mechagodzilla to catch the ball. Oh yeah, the game wouldn’t be complete without the star itself, so there is a Godzilla sculpted toy on the playfield too. You can check out the full feature matrix of each model here.

Pricing and availability:

  • Pro Model: $US 6,899 / $AU 10,650
  • Premium Model: $US 8,999 / $AU 13,250
  • Limited Edition Model: $US 10,499 / $AU 15,500 (limited to 1,000 machines – sold out!)

The Pro model will start rolling off the Stern assembly line next week, with the LE model to follow and then the Premium machines in October – these should start arriving in Australia in early Jan 2022.

If you are interested in grabbing your very own Godzilla pinball machine, please contact the good folks at Amusement Machine Distributors or Zax Amusements.

Now, enough words, time to feast your eyes on the awesome Godzilla pinball machines – scroll slowly and please mind your drool 😉

image source: Stern Pinball



Discussing the Stern Pinball Insider Connected Platform with George Gomez

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With Stern Pinball’s recent announcement about their new Insider Connected platform, we wanted to find out more about this new and exciting pinball innovation and player experience, so we sat down for a fireside chat with Stern’s Chief Creative Officer, George Gomez, to chat about Stern’s way of enhancing the experience of playing their pinball machines.

AUSRETROGAMER [ARG]: How long has Stern been working on the Insider Connected platform?
George Gomez [GG]: Since late 2018.

ARG: Will this new platform be open (APIs or the like) and be able to integrate with other online systems, like Scorbit?
GG: It is not an open platform. Interaction with other systems is possible only in tournament environments where the Insider Connected server would provide an API for integration of services.

ARG: Could you please tell us a bit more about the key Insider Connected features for each of the following user types;

  • Casual Player
  • Tournament
  • Tournament Director
  • Home Collector; and
  • Operator

GG: Player features like Achievements, Profile Badges and Challenge Quests are balanced across the spectrum of player skills; some things are easy, some things are harder and some are really hard. Treasure Chests are random and are not influenced by player skill. Available promotions can vary based on location and sponsors.

Tournament Players and Tournament Directors will interact with features that are scheduled for release in ’22. There is an entire suite of Tournament related tools, event features, leader boards, challenge ladders, etc.

Operators will get a very specific toolset designed to help them drive traffic to their locations, build player loyalty, analytics tools for location and game performance, service tools and notifications and other diagnostic features related to operating pinball machines and interacting with their routes.

ARG: When will the retrofit kit be available, how much will it be (retail price) and how easy will it be to install (will there be a firmware update or is it plug and play)?
GG: It is very easy to install. On PRO games; swap the bottom arch, plug the supplied RJ45 cable from the QR Node to Node 8(near the front of the playfield) and open the back box and either insert the Wi-Fi dongle into a USB port on the Spike 2 CPU or run an ethernet cable from your router into the backbox and plug it in. You will install a micro SD card supplied with the kit and then you will update the code via a USB stick for one last time. Once the game is connected, code downloads can be automatic via the network connection. Then enter the Insider Connected menu and connect to your network. The system will prompt you through each step.

On Premiums and LE machines set up is the same except you will remove the bottom arch and replace the right side corner plastic with the supplied QR module assembly.

The kits are expected to begin shipping around October 1. The price has not been released yet but the intent is to make the kits very affordable.

ARG: Could you confirm the seven titles that will be included at launch?
GG: Not at this time because we are still balancing features.

ARG: Do you have a roadmap of when the remaining 17 titles will be supported on the Insider Connected Platform?
GG: All titles will have the launch feature set by the end of December of this year. The platform is expected to get updates routinely throughout 2021 and 2022. The updates will contain both player and operator focused features.

ARG: Are there future features you can share with us now to whet our appetite a bit more?
GG: Right now we don’t want to reveal those features because we want the audience to enjoy the surprise.

ARG: Will the quests, giveaways and rewards for players be available worldwide or are they US only?
GG: It is dependent on each country’s laws.

ARG: We love trophies/achievements/rewards on our online gaming systems, so how will Insider Connected implement these (just like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Network)?
GG: The implementation is similar but unique to pinball. It is designed specifically around the nuances of the games and yes, all of those things that you mention play a role.

ARG: Will Insider Connected always be free or will there be some / premium features that will only be available via a paid subscription?
GG: Insider Connected will remain free. Insider Connected All Access will be a subscription based service just like the existing All Access loyalty program has been. Insider Connected All Access will have specific premium features on top of everything that has been described above.

We thank George for making time to speak to us about their new Insider Connected platform. For more information and to keep up with all of their pinball machines, hit the Stern Pinball site now. It is definitely an exciting time to be playing pinball – the future has finally come to the silverball game!



The Future Is Here – Stern Pinball Launches Insider Connected Online Platform

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The world’s largest pinball manufacturer, Stern Pinball, have launched their new online platform, Insider Connected!

According to their press release, Insider Connected is a comprehensive technology initiative to connect the universe of Stern pinball machines. The platform is designed to enhance and extend player engagement with the games across both home and commercial environments. It also presents operators of pinball machines with a robust set of tools to drive location play, build player loyalty, analyze performance, make adjustments remotely and maintain the machines.

Registration for Insider Connected is free; players can either scan a QR code at the games or go to the Stern Pinball website where they will need to enter an email address and create a password. Once players register for Insider Connected, they are issued a unique QR Code that can be used to identify that player at any connected Stern pinball machine, anywhere in the world. When a player logs into the machine, they can track their progress, earn new game specific achievements, engage with the player community and participate in promotions and Challenge Quests.

Challenge Quests can be issued by operators to drive play at their locations and build player loyalty or by Stern Pinball to highlight a game title or engage the community. When players complete quests, they receive loyalty rewards.

Key launch features of the Insider Connected platform include:

  • Gameplay up to 4+ players – friends or foes
  • Game achievements and promotions
  • Stern authorized Quests and Operator authorized Quests
  • Loads on loads of free play, pay to play games, rewards and treasure chests


source: Stern Pinball

All Stern Spike® 2 LCD games produced after the September 2021 launch will ship with the Insider Connected system installed; this includes new runs of previously released titles. Any existing Stern LCD game can be added to Insider Connected by installing a simple, inexpensive retrofit kit available from Stern distributors, dealers and the Stern Store® – we have asked Stern to provide more details about this kit. We will update this post once we receive their response.

By the end of the year, all 17 Stern Spike 2 LCD system titles will be added to Insider Connected, which means we’ll be able to connect our Star Wars Comic Art Premium machine! At launch seven titles will be supported, with the remaining Spike 2 LCD machines added over the next year.  with full system with added features will be rolled out. Once again, we have reached out to Stern to confirm the seven titles that be supported at launch – we will keep you posted!

We have written about internet connected pinball machines in the past, so it is great to see Stern Pinball finally enter this new age of online pinball play and cool tools to interact with pinball machines. This is a game changer for sure, so we will keep an eye out on the evolving feature set and will report back on what more we can find out from Stern Pinball about their Insider Connected platform – so stay tuned!



PS: We have reached out to Stern Pinball with a number of questions relating to their Insider Connected platform, so look out for a future update!