# DPP #185 "JJP taking Pot-shots!"

**Source:** Don's Pinball Podcast (regular feed)  
**Type:** podcast_episode  
**Published:** 2025-04-10  
**Duration:** 28m 13s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/donspinballpodcast/episodes/DPP-185-JJP-taking-Pot-shots-e31bk6h

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## Analysis

Don discusses Jersey Jack Pinball's surprise announcement of Harry Potter pinball in three editions (Arcade $9,999, Wizard $12,000, Collector's Edition $15,000), analyzing the strategic timing against Stern and Barrels of Fun releases. He examines the leaked promotional image showing a golden snitch shooter rod with visible conference room glare, speculates on game design given designer Eric Minear's history, and provides business perspective on time-limited vs. number-limited CE strategy. Don also previews his upcoming trip covering media days and play sessions at Barrels, Stern, and Spooky.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Jersey Jack Pinball announced Harry Potter in three tiers: Arcade $9,999, Wizard $12,000, Collector's Edition $15,000 with time-limited CE window — _Leaked email from Jack (JJP head) to distributors with official pricing and deposit structure_
- [HIGH] The promotional golden snitch image is a photoshopped mock-up taken in JJP's conference room with visible glare reflecting the office interior — _Don's detailed analysis of the image showing ceiling tiles, HVAC assembly, door, and conference room reflections in the snitch glare_
- [HIGH] Deposits are $1,000 for Arcade/Wizard and $2,500 for Collector's Edition; distributors are already collecting cash despite official guidance not to — _Leaked email distribution terms; Don reports distributors already taking deposits_
- [MEDIUM] Harry Potter designer Eric Minear has internalized feedback from Pirates of the Caribbean and Godfather about multiball design and will apply it to Potter — _Don's speculation based on Minear's public appearances and reaction to past design criticism_
- [MEDIUM] Time-limited CE windows (vs. number-limited) maximize profit by capturing all available demand without overproduction or artificial scarcity manipulation — _Don's business analysis of CE strategy trade-offs and collector vs. operator value_
- [MEDIUM] Barrels of Fun's game is either Dune or still possibly Goonies; will be revealed at media day on April 17 (tax day) — _Don's speculation based on prior hints and marketing teases about features (thunder shaker, horizon lighting, infinity glass)_
- [MEDIUM] Stern's media day is April 17; Kong teaser coming this week with full reveal/pre-orders on Monday (April 21) — _Don's account of upcoming event schedule and Stern's announced timeline_
- [MEDIUM] The arcade edition with added aftermarket upgrades (shaker motor, powder coat, art blades) approximates the Wizard edition cosmetically at lower cost — _Don's analysis of tier differentiation and customization options for budget-conscious operators_

### Notable Quotes

> "Jersey Jack came in here...sucking all of the air out of the room like a freaking backdraft...they savagely snuck in there...it's like the flame is a beast. It sucks the oxygen."
> — **Don**, ~2:00-3:30
> _Don's assessment of JJP's strategic timing and competitive impact against Stern/Barrels announcements_

> "I think that's a bit of a miss. You could have put a mystical unicorn in a dark forest in the background of that...they're like, let's get this damn image out here. Let's capture these deposits."
> — **Don**, ~8:00-10:00
> _Critique of JJP's rush to market with unpolished promotional materials, indicating urgency to secure pre-order momentum_

> "I wish they would just be completely savage and no half measures here, man...Release that game right now. Give us the images. Release the sizzle reel."
> — **Don**, ~10:30-12:00
> _Don advocates for even more aggressive JJP strategy; suggests full game reveal would dominate news cycle further_

> "There's going to be cash left on the table with potential buyers...if you say here's 90 days, whatever orders we get in here, that's all the CEs that will ever be made...you will absolutely hit that number."
> — **Don**, ~13:00-15:30
> _Business rationale for time-limited vs. number-limited CE strategy; explains demand-matching approach_

> "Lawler came by and said, let's go with a cheaper mechanism and do a single spinning disc. And that's what ended up shipping, souring the taste of Pirates of the Caribbean...He remembers that. He remembers Lawler coming up and taking that mech away from him. That's a tattoo of hurt."
> — **Don**, ~31:00-34:00
> _Historical callback to design compromise on Pirates; suggests Minear will push back against cost-cutting on Potter given past feedback_

> "I'm going to go to Barrels. And hopefully they have barbecue again because everybody seemed to enjoy that...under embargo because the game is not releasing that day."
> — **Don**, ~44:00-46:00
> _Confirms embargo agreement on Barrels game reveal; suggests release timing separate from media reveal_

> "Are you eyeing a Wizard edition of this Harry Potter game if it turns out to be cool? Are you, like, totally done with the boy Wizard no matter how great it looks?"
> — **Don**, ~50:00-51:00
> _Don directly solicits listener feedback on Harry Potter purchase intent across tiers_

> "I think the Wizard Edition...kind of seems like...I don't want to say sucker bet...The Arcade will come with none. The Arcade will come with decals...the Collector's one is going to have the cool topper."
> — **Don**, ~18:00-22:00
> _Analysis suggesting Wizard tier occupies poor positioning; Arcade/CE likely stronger sales performers_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Jersey Jack Pinball (JJP) | company | Boutique pinball manufacturer; just announced Harry Potter in three editions with aggressive pre-order strategy timed to overshadow competitor releases |
| Harry Potter | game | Jersey Jack Pinball's upcoming premium title; three tiers (Arcade $9,999, Wizard $12,000, CE $15,000); designer Eric Minear; features golden snitch shooter rod and Quidditch playfield; $5M license deal |
| Eric Minear | person | Designer of Harry Potter; history with Pirates of the Caribbean and Godfather; known to incorporate past design feedback; reportedly wore Harry Potter gear at Pinball at the Beach |
| Don | person | Host of Don's Pinball Podcast; industry analyst and commentator; attending media events for Barrels, Stern, and Spooky; provides business/design analysis |
| Barrels of Fun | company | Pinball manufacturer with game announcement at media day April 17; possibly Dune or Goonies; features thunder shaker, horizon lighting, infinity glass; Don uncertain which title |
| Stern Pinball | company | Competitor manufacturer; Kong game coming; media day April 17; teaser this week; Don attending Thursday media event |
| Jack | person | Head of Jersey Jack Pinball; sent leaked email to distributors with Harry Potter pricing, deposit terms, and marketing guidelines |
| Mad Pinball | company | Distributor that received leaked JJP Harry Potter announcement; Jeff is contact; shared promotional golden snitch image on Facebook |
| Kong | game | Stern Pinball title; media day/hands-on coming; Don planning to see at Stern Thursday after Barrels embargo lifts |
| Spooky Pinball | company | Competitor manufacturer; Don scheduled to visit Wednesday during trip; will discuss upcoming games |
| Bash Pinball Podcast | organization | Pinball podcast with production quality Don praises; hosted by Donald Best and others; Don recommends to listeners |
| Jamie Birchall | person | Formerly of Wormhole Pinball; launching solo Jamie Birchall Show (JBS) podcast; Houston-area operator/content creator |
| Pintastic | event | Pinball event Don attending Friday/Saturday before Houston trip; scheduled prior to recent release announcements |
| Avatar | game | Prior Jersey Jack release; Don owns and enjoys; theme park-based; used as comparison to Harry Potter announcement timing |
| Epic Universe | event | Universal theme park in Orlando; Harry Potter Ministry of Magic ride recently opened; relevant cultural moment for Harry Potter pinball demand |
| Dave Van Ness | person | Associate of Don's; attended Texas event with Don and Barrels team; food/socializing buddy |
| George Gomez | person | Stern Pinball figure; Don planning to hang out with at Interium Wednesday after site visit |
| Pirates of the Caribbean | game | Prior Jersey Jack release; Eric Minear was designer; criticized for single spinning disc (cost-cut from triple) and underperformance; historical design lesson Minear internalized |
| Godfather | game | Prior Jersey Jack release; Eric Minear designed; multiball-heavy gameplay; CE had gold cosmetics and better art; design feedback Minear incorporated |
| Lord Lawler | person | Allegedly requested cost reduction on Pirates of the Caribbean (triple disc → single); historical figure in JJP design decisions; represents cost-pressure dynamics |
| Genghis | person | Host of We Are Pinball podcast; Don recommends to listeners |
| Pink Floyd | cultural_ref | Don uses Dark Side of the Moon prism album as analogy for light diffraction in pinball glass optics discussion |
| Breaking Bad | cultural_ref | Don repeatedly references 'no half measures' mantra as motivational frame for decisive game releases and business strategy |
| Dune | game | Speculated Barrels of Fun title; Don uncertain but leans toward this; would compete for Game of Show at TPF |
| Portal | game | Recent Stern release; available at Pintastic; Don wants more play time on it; mentioned as competition for Game of Show |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Harry Potter announcement and pricing strategy, Competitive timing between JJP, Stern, and Barrels of Fun, Promotional image analysis and production quality concerns, Collector's Edition pricing and time-limited vs. number-limited strategy
- **Secondary:** Designer Eric Minear's design philosophy and feedback integration, Don's travel schedule covering media events and game reveals, Barrels of Fun game identity (Dune or Goonies) and embargo
- **Mentioned:** Pinball glass optics and anti-glare coating technology

### Sentiment

**Mixed** (0.65) — Don is highly excited about Harry Potter announcement and JJP's aggressive strategy, praising the competitive disruption and potential game quality. However, he criticizes the rushed/unpolished promotional image execution and expresses uncertainty/frustration about Barrels' game identity remaining hidden. Generally optimistic about game quality but tempered by production missteps and marketing strategy concerns.

### Signals

- **[community_signal]** Don soliciting listener feedback on Harry Potter purchase intent across tier options, indicating active community engagement in pre-order decision-making (confidence: medium) — Don's closing: 'Are you eyeing a Wizard edition...Are you totally done with the boy Wizard...Are you going to try it for the secondary market? All of these are reasonable options'
- **[competitive_signal]** Barrels of Fun's game reveal was deliberately withheld from TPF show despite significant market opportunity; game identity (Dune vs. Goonies) remains unconfirmed; embargo on hands-on gameplay until release day (confidence: medium) — Don: 'I wish this was out at tpf...it would have been great to grab some of that money from the market...we've been told we're going to be under embargo'; 'I'm almost convinced is Dune but I'm having doubt put in my head because it may be Goonies still'
- **[event_signal]** Jersey Jack Pinball's Harry Potter announcement deliberately timed to precede Stern media day (April 17) and overshadow Barrels of Fun reveal (confidence: high) — Don's analysis of timing: 'Stern's coming barrels is coming let's get out there and say remember keep those dimes in your pockets until you see our game'
- **[licensing_signal]** Harry Potter carries $5 million license deal, representing significant financial commitment and raising expectations for mechanical/design ambition on par with budget (confidence: high) — Don: 'I don't think that happened at all...somebody going up to Eric Mineiro and his $5 million license...and say, you need to take that triple-spinning Quidditch disc out'
- **[market_signal]** JJP released minimal promotional material (golden snitch shooter rod image only) to generate hype and secure pre-orders despite incomplete game reveal (confidence: high) — Don: '18 minutes talking about Jersey Jack's new game. Just based on a golden snitch with the office conference room clearly in the background...That's all we got to go on. And like, look at the excitement, man'
- **[community_signal]** Designer Eric Minear has internalized critical feedback from Pirates of the Caribbean and Godfather regarding mechanical compromises and multiball design, likely applying lessons to Harry Potter (confidence: medium) — Don: 'Lawler coming up and taking that mech away from him. That's a tattoo of hurt...He knows, hey, man, Guns N' Roses, it was great, but too many multiballs, man...That feedback will be freshly in his mind for the design of this game'
- **[announcement]** Harry Potter pinball officially announced in three editions with pricing, deposit structure, and marketing guidelines distributed to distributors via leaked email (confidence: high) — Leaked email from Jack detailing Arcade $9,999, Wizard $12,000, CE $15,000; deposit amounts ($1k/$1k/$2.5k); authorization to share two marketing images; explicit instruction not to solicit deposits yet
- **[product_strategy]** Barrels game release timing unclear but embargo suggests release separate from media day reveal (April 17); implies possible later release window (confidence: medium) — Don: 'We've been told we're going to be under embargo because the game is not releasing that day'; 'the same day Kong comes out' as possible embargo lift timing
- **[product_strategy]** Harry Potter three-tier strategy differentiates via cosmetics (topper, powder coat, hydro dip for CE), art quality, glitter in clear coat, and possible exclusive audio call-outs (Hagrid/Snape voices) in CE only (confidence: medium) — Don's analysis of prior JJP games (Godfather, Elton John, Toy Story 4) showing CE had better art, glitter, extra audio; speculation that Harry Potter will follow pattern with Hagrid/Snape in higher tiers
- **[product_concern]** Harry Potter promotional image shows signs of rushed production (photoshopped cabinet, visible conference room reflections in shooter rod glare, lack of in-universe background editing) (confidence: high) — Don's detailed analysis: visible ceiling tiles, HVAC, door, time clock in reflection; 'they're like, let's get this damn image out here. Let's capture these deposits'; alternative blank shooter rod image for lower tiers suggests mock-up status
- **[sentiment_shift]** Don's initial skepticism about Harry Potter pre-announcement ('not wanting to know') shifted to strong enthusiasm post-reveal, driven by designer pedigree and potential game quality (confidence: medium) — Don: 'I don't know that this is definitely going to be a blockbuster game, but it's got all the makings of one...very much happy and excited that I get to see this game at some point'
- **[business_signal]** Time-limited (vs. number-limited) CE window designed to maximize profit by capturing all available demand without surplus inventory or artificial scarcity (confidence: medium) — Don's business analysis: 'However much demand there is for this collector's edition game, there will be a game for that buyer within that window...they'll hit that mark, and that's the only way to really maximize profits'

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## Transcript

 what's up everybody welcome back to don's pinball podcast free trip edition there's some new games coming out we're going to be there in person not only at barrels of fun but also stern pinball plus an appearance of pentastic and probably epcot what the heck is actually going on A little Randy Savage, Macho Man rapping, calling out Hulk Hogan for my buddy Donald Best. Is he the best Donald? I mean, probably, for Bash Pinball Podcast. Check out these homeboys with probably the best audio production values in pinball podcasting. I mean, honestly, man, I love that. Never miss a show. Going to get to hang out with these guys again. I get some good Dawn quality time. Also hanging out with George Gomez. Shout out to you, my road dog. We'll be hanging out at Interium if everything works out Wednesday night after a site visit to Spooky. There's so much coming up. I'm off work now. I haven't even been to bed yet. and I need to get packed. I need to get out of here because the flight is coming up soon. We'll talk at all about that in a little bit here. But, man, the moment belongs to JJP. The way they savagely snuck in there and are stealing all of the air out of the room like a freaking backdraft. Shout out to Mitch Johns. It's like the flame is a beast. It sucks the oxygen. It lies in wait. Check that door for heat, Tim, because the beast is coming. So Jersey Jack came in here. We had the confirmation of the media day from Stern. We know the teaser's coming probably tomorrow, Friday, tomorrow, Thursday. It's coming this week. There'll be a teaser, probably a fall release on Monday. The Zoom meeting with the distros and all that business. And the media day is happening on the 17th. Two days hence tax day on the 15th. So we can't wait for that. So we're all gearing up for that. Barrels has entered the chat. Finally, guys, where were you at? I hung out with you at Texas. We had such a great time. me and Dave David Van Es grabbing some food hanging out with the good Mr. Savage but what we didn't see was this new game that I'm almost convinced is Dune but I'm having doubt put in my head because it may be Goonies still I honestly don't know and at this point I don't want to know I want to walk in there on tax day and see what the heck these guys are bringing they've been sprinkling little treats for us about what's coming in this game, they're marketing themselves as one of the leaders in value in pinball delivered to the consumer. By that, they mean you don't have to buy all these extra accessories to put in the game. They come with them. You get powder-coated. You get a limited number edition. You get a back glass. Now you get not only the thunder from down under shaker motor and not only the infinity clear non-reflect glass, but also now horizon lighting, they're calling it, LEDs that surround the inside of the cabinet. They've been dropping these little things. So finally, they're starting to build up some hype. this is like the release man you guys should be out there in front of it i wish this was out at tpf i know they want a game in a box before they're released but it would have been great to grab some of that money from the market i just want to see the game so meanwhile these two entities are beating it out with each other um hopefully beating on that not the other one and then jersey jack is like hold my beer hold my snitch reach out and grab someone and i don't think that this was the plan all along. Because what do I see? Scroll on Facebook, what, like two days ago, and all of a sudden it's an ad for Mad Pinball. Email jeff at madpinball.com and it was the golden snitch there and the Harry Potter logo and Jersey Jack and like on Facebook, like, are you accepting deposits? Did something happen? Everybody's been going over to the Jersey Jack website where there's no mention of this game at all. Apparently what had happened and I got, someone leaked this email. An email came out from Jack himself, head honcho over there at JJP, two distributors saying, all right, here's the game, here's the three versions. You got the arcade edition, is what they're calling it, for just under a hair, under $10,000, $99.99. You got a wizard edition for $12,000, which is, okay, they're limited. And then the collector's edition for $15,000, flat, $15,000. So no price changes, no tariff taxes, you know, fine, good. I was fully expecting Harry Potter to be a $25,000 game. 15 great i love it we'll stay with that now they didn't confirm yet exactly what the terms are on the limited ability of the ce other than everybody that wants one's going to be able to get one as long as you're within that window what the window is i don't know they didn't even mention that but they said that here is two marketing images that you are allowed to share text stream get the word out not to solicit deposits which will be 1000 for the two lower tier levels two thousand and five hundred dollars for the top tier that's on parity with avatar but you can start collecting people on a list don't collect deposits yet but collect people on a list they didn't give a date when i guess deposits could be collected and i've heard from some distributors already taking some cash because why would you not they're non-refundable good so they come out with this and i think that they dropped it uh and i don't think it was a a non-hasty decision to do this just you know stern's coming barrels is coming let's get out there and say remember keep those dimes in your pockets until you see our game and then just like enter there and that's been everything all everybody's talking about so this golden snitch sticker image that we saw uh there was a photoshopped cabinet right we just just plain matte black armor and and coin door and all that business but the shooter rod was golden it was the snitch the little uh you know flying drone thing from the quidditch game where uh you know harry potter being a seeker is out and to grab that, which basically wins you the game. I think it's overpowered. Who did the rules for Quidditch? I don't think this was a Tanya O'Clyde deal. It definitely wasn't a Dwight Sullivan deal. There's hardly any flashers on the Quidditch field. But essentially, if you can grab the golden snitch, your team wins. It doesn't matter how many quaffles you've thrown through the whirly-do. I don't know what they call the rings there at the end. Regardless, it's from the film. And I love it. Yeah, it's going to fit good in the hand. It'll have some good texture on it. It'll probably gold. I hope it's metal and not like that pot metal, plastically feeling crap that we got with the Elvira daggers. I hope it's like a real heavy, feels cold to the touch, snitchy, kind of stitchy, whatever gold thing. But here's the reason why I think that this was a bit rushed out there. If you look at this thing with its high gloss reflectivity there is a glare in the golden snitch in the photo And you can clearly see if you look at it that it capturing the entire conference room that this photo was taken in uh this was not a photo of an actual cabinet it photoshopped cabinet they have another alternative version for the lower tiers where it's just kind of a blank rod that doesn't look like any shooter rod i've ever seen um you know so it's clearly a mock-up but this was an actual photo of this shooter rod which was probably sitting there uh in a box or some kind of display and somebody got a picture of it and that's the one that they used but they didn't invest the time to remove that glare and put like hogwarts castle back there or like a mountain troll or hagrid's hut or something in universe it was clearly the conference room at jersey jack and i think it's the very same one and the photo was taken with the shooter rod in the very same position that the avatar ce prototype play field was hanging there when we came to do the media event you can see the ceiling tiles the hvac assembly in the room the door you You can almost see the time clock in the corner there. And it's like, I think that's just a bit of a miss. You could have put a mystical unicorn in a dark forest in the background of that. And probably that's what they were going to do if they would have given the guy some time to do it. But they're like, let's get this damn image out here. Let's capture these deposits. Let's tell people, like, okay, you're going to see Kong. You're going to see Doonies. You need to be reminded that we have a game that's coming out, too. I wish they would just be completely savage. and no half measures here, man. Remember what Breaking Bad taught us, no half measures. Release that game right now. Give us the images. Let us see what it is. Release the sizzle reel. If they did that on Wednesday, the day before the Stern Media event, and just like, here it is, guys. This is our entire game. I think they'll probably position this $15,000 game at the best possible place to possibly put it. $5 million for the license of this thing. They need to sell a bunch of these. Okay, so I've commented before about the idea of the CEs being time limited and not number limited, and it makes absolutely phenomenal sense from a business perspective. On the collector side of things, this sucks, but here's what's going to happen. They are going to absolutely 100% hit the exact demand for this game on the market by doing it this way. There's no other way to do it. If you limit it too low and you sell out, there will be cash left on the table with potential buyers. If you come out and you sell 3,000 of them, and, well, if you make it available for 3,000, only sell 1,500, and then there's going to be games potentially in boxes, the value will never increase past that. If you say, okay, here's 90 days, whatever orders we get in here, that's all the CEs that will ever be made, and then once that time ends, boom, that's done, then there's a chance for overtime if the hype continues to build, new people into the hobby will see this and be like, oh, man, I missed out on getting one of those. kind of like how dialed in LE was back in the day. You will absolutely hit that number because however much demand there is for this collector's edition game, there will be a game for that buyer within that window. So whoever's out there that absolutely wants this, that's how many they're going to sell, and so they'll hit that mark, and that's the only way to really maximize profits while also retaining at least some kind of exclusivity going forward. Hopefully, this is just like 90 days. It'd be better if it was like 45. like this is your chance to get it and then people that missed out those are the ones that will drive and inflate that price and keep it from hitting the bargain basement going forward so from a business perspective i like it as a collector i like it a lot better than if they said there's going to be 10 000 ces potentially you know and there's always going to be extra available so i dig that i still think i'm holding strong to my opinion having not seen this game at all that the two versions that will sell the most will be this Arcade Edition, the $10,000 one, and then the Collector's Edition. I think the Wizard Edition, this limited in the middle, kind of seems like, I don't want to say sucker bet. I mean, the thing is $3,000 cheaper than the other one. But you know that the Collector's one is going to have the cool topper. There's going to be a plastic topper on the LE. There's going to be a really cool one on the Collector's Edition. And the Arcade will come with none. The Arcade will come with decals. The Arcade will come with no art blades. the arcade will come with a standard shooter rod. Maybe there'll be a shaker motor, probably not, though. And as an operator, you want the lowest cost thing because you're trying to turn a profit. It's supposed to be making you money. So stripping it down, that makes perfect sense. And the playfields, while they are reported to be the same along all three trim levels, as far as there's no extra upper play field that's removed for that arcade edition, there's no extra flipper that's not there or whatever, what I think you'll see is potentially better art on the higher tiers and that Jersey Jack loves to put glitter in the top coat the clear coat for their top end editions, it looks great on Elton John it looks great on Toy Story it looks, the Guns N' Roses CE, even today, a game that did not hold some value at all due to the propensity of them on the market the CE is the only one that's really still holding value and it's because of how beautiful it does look, so I get that And then remember, good friends, remember the cosmetic upgrades on the Godfather CE? I mean, that's the one with the gold lines, the gold wire form habit trails. You've got the Godfather himself there, not his son. The Elton John CE had the better Elton John in his sequined Dodgers outfit, not the Vegas Showgirl one. I mean, it's just like the art was better. The play field had the glitter in it. But also, Toy Story 4 had extra audio call-outs from the actor that did the voice for Bo Peep in the show. So you've got some extra audio call-outs. Now, does Bo Peep push you over the edge and do an extra three grand? Probably not. But if there's like some extra, you know, Hagrid call-outs that are in the collector's one that aren't in the other ones, that's what's going to push it over the edge, man. If you can hear Snape's voice in this version but not these versions, that's going to put that over the edge. So the limited version, if they stick with their 5,000 that they make, that's the one that would probably see the collapse in the value over time. CEs though, I think they'll maintain especially as the years go on and this becomes like a Pirates of the Caribbean edition situation where like it didn't sell that great initially or in this case it will sell through however much the demand is there won't be more demand than there are games because everybody can get one but over time if the demand builds up that's what's going to help preserve this game. So for right now having not seen this game at all I don't know anything about it. Somebody said three levels of play. Does that mean playfields? Does that mean lower playfields? Is it turtles all the way down? I have no idea. But without knowing that, I would say the two games I'm looking at getting, and I think I'm going to break my New Year's resolution here on Harry Potter, but if there was ever a game to break it on, this is the one. I think I would be in on CE or I would be in Arcade Edition, and the Limited and the CE will probably have powder coats They may do that hydro dip thing again for the CE the top level That not on the Limited But if you get yourself an Arcade Edition and throw a shaker motor in it and powder coat it and throw some art blades in there you can kind of get an Arcade version plus, and you kind of can approach the Limited as far as terms of how it looks without paying that limited price. And then you've got the Arcade version that when you're done with it, put it in an Arcade, put it in a pizza parlor, have it earn you some money, or sell it to an operator that wants to do that. I think that's a great way to go. Otherwise, if you're going to be a collector, you want this thing, and you're going to ride it hard to the end. It's your road dog. It's your ride or die. What do the rappers say? I think CE is the way to go. And that's knowing me and knowing how much fun I'm having with Avatar, having this theme park-based pin is what I'm calling it, and having Harry Potter right next to it, also a theme park-based pin. Guys, the new ride is opening. It just opened to previews now at Epic Universe in the Ministry of Magic, and it looks phenomenal. and I know nothing about it other than I've seen one of the ride vehicles. And so this is a very hot property right now, especially in the theme park world. And once people with money find out about this thing and come to it later, they don't want to be like those folks that were coming up at MGC to the spooky table, like, hey, here's my son. He's got an Evil Dead tattoo. This is the theme that he loves. We're here. Here's my checkbook. I want to have one. And then here, sorry, it's sold out. You think that guy's going to go home and never get that for his kid? this guy was ready to write a check for 10 grand and didn't even know enough about pinball to know that this game has been sold out and was completely available up until just a few weeks ago he's gonna go find one this man's gonna go find one a dealer a seller a flipper is gonna go find this person and he's gonna get it and he's gonna pay more than ten thousand dollars for it and he's gonna be happy to do it because he's gonna make his son's wishes come true those harry potter people are gonna find out about this eventually maybe this year maybe in two years maybe in four years a Harry Potter pinball machine came out. Oh, I saw that. Whoa. This one has the golden snitch shooter rod. This one has the sorting hat talking to me. This one has John Rhys Davies doing the voice call outs of Hagrid. That wasn't the actual actor, but that'd be kind of cool to see that. You know, this is the one with the custom call outs or whatever. That's the one I want. How much is it? 16,000 done delivered to me. And there we go. So I can see that happening as long as this game is good and it's going to be, come on. All right. It's Eric Menear. We know he's on this. Dude was wearing the Harry Potter grip at Pinball at the Beach, man. Just totally trolling. So if you would remember, it was a matter of a triple spinning disc at one point. With Pirates of the Caribbean, when it came out and this game was shown, it was shown with the triple spinning disc from the map or the compass or something from the movies. And then, you know, Lord Lawler reportedly came by and said, let's go with a cheaper mechanism and do a single spinning disc. And that's what ended up shipping, souring the taste of Pirates of the Caribbean at the time among buyers, and then it was reported, even though the thing was like $6,500, which is essentially free by today's terms, it sat and languished in boxes, eventually sold through, and then now, because the demand wasn't super high back then, not that many were produced, and then, of course, licenses elapsed, and now here we are with a game that wasn't produced much in antiquity and is worth a ton of money now. So he remembers that. He remembers Lawler coming up and taking that mech away from him. That's a tattoo of hurt, and he's got to live with that. Every time somebody comes up, like, man, it would have been cool if that triple spinning disc was still in there, man. Imagine chuckleheads coming up to you at shows. That's what they're telling you this whole time. That's going to stick with a guy. And then Guns N' Roses comes out, and the gameplay is very multiball heavy, and that's where it got complaints. There wasn't a ton to do in the play field, but I think it worked, man. And the theme was just great and the light show and stuff. But he knows, hey, man, Guns N' Roses, it was great, but too many multiballs, man. What the heck? And then Godfather comes out, and it's still kind of multiball heavy, and it's like not quite the theme that's hitting with everybody. He's been internalizing all of this. Okay, so come to Harry Potter. Like, he's arrived now. He's been through the trials of these other games that he's done. He's got the feedback, and he's got that in his head. And so do you think somebody was going to go up to Eric Mineiro and his $5 million license of this game, his magnum opus, and say, you need to take that triple-spinning Quidditch disc out of there and just put in a flat plastic. Hell to the nah, I don't think that happened at all. So we're going to see some triple-spinning magic disc, you know, figuratively speaking. In this game, we're going to see Code with very much attention on how easy the multiballs are to start. And all that feedback that I'm sure this guy has heard a million times between Pirates of the Caribbean and now will be freshly in his mind for the design of this game. And I, Mr. Listener, or Mrs. Listener, or them listener, am very much happy and excited that I get to see this game at some point, hopefully the next four to six weeks. That's all I'm saying. So I don't know that this is definitely going to be a blockbuster game, but it's got all the makings of one. And just like the perfect, perfect juicy Jersey Jack release. See, we got Kong coming out. We got a new Elwynn about to drop. And I spent 18 minutes talking about Jersey Jack's new game. Just based on a golden snitch with the office conference room clearly in the background of the glare on that golden snitch on a Photoshop cabinet that shows us nothing. That's all we got to go on. And, like, look at the excitement, man. It was a savage move. I'm glad they jumped in there and just, like, sucked the air out because that's all we're talking about now. Can't wait to see it, man. Can't wait to see it. I'm going to be over there at Stern on Thursday thinking, like, there's a Harry Potter in that warehouse a quarter mile away, and I can't go in there and see it. It sucks. I want to go see it. Oh, my goodness. Oh, my goodness. So, on the other hand, we've got thunder from down under shaker motor. We've got horizon lightings. We've got infinity glass, I think they're calling it. Now, look. All right. So I wasn't a physics major, but I did take a lot of physics in my undergraduate education. I was halfway to a minor. All right. I got my minor in chemistry. But in physics, you've got an interface, all right, when a light photon goes through different mediums, right? This is why when you're looking down through the surface of water at a fish, that fish is not actually where it looks like it's at. So if you're spearfishing in your caveman crow bag, you've got to throw like four inches in front of that fish to actually spear it, not where you're seeing it, because of the light diffraction. Look at the Dark Side of the Moon prism album cover from Pink Floyd. That's what's happening. Light is diffracting. The white light turns into a rainbow because white light is composed of every light, and every light has a different wavelength of energy, and so it diffracts to a different amount. So when you throw it through a prism, it separates like that, right? Okay, so bringing us to pinball, you've got two interfaces through the glass. No matter what kind of pinball glass you are, we live in the third dimension, so there's two dimensions there coming through the glass. So the light is going to diffract when it enters and diffract when it exits. And if it's just plain glass, it's going to have that same coefficient or whatever. And so you're going to get some glare coming from everywhere. The back glass is going to come down and then hit you in the eyes. depending on your height it where the back glass light is going to sit and you know what glare looks like And you know what invisiglass looks like that anti coating So whatever the stuff that they put on both sides of the glass is it offsets that enough so that diffracted light that's still happening doesn't come to your eyes. So to you, the viewer, it's as if it's invisible, right? That's how it works. And so this is not necessarily a proprietary technology. Whatever this coating is, and I'm sure I can look it up, It's probably essentially the same no matter who's making the glass. So I kind of feel like all this glass that we're seeing is all the same optical coatings that are put on these glasses. And, you know, somebody calls it voodoo glass. Somebody calls it HD glass. Somebody calls it ghost glass. Right. But I think it's all coming. Pin glass plus. Sounds like a place where you go buy go buy eyeglasses, you know, at the front of the Wal-Mart. I'm going to pin glass plus real quick. I got a coupon. I'm going to get an eye exam and get some get some readers. regardless I think they're all kind of essentially probably the same so you know you go down the glass supplier you could probably order this stuff I mean I could probably have dawn glass made and just like go and start shipping out sheets of dawn glass for $99 regardless everybody calling calls us something different but I don't know that one is necessarily any better than another unless of course you know you can get it with coding on one side which is probably good but coding on both sides is probably where you want to be Oh, think about it like noise-canceling headphones. You're still hearing the noise, but you have a speaker that's creating the opposite to whatever wavelength that noise is coming in, so it annihilates it. Same as if you have two waves crashing at the same time, and they can add up together or they can subtract themselves. So that's kind of what's going on with the glass and the optics. So there's a little physics lesson for you that you didn't think you were going to get here at Don's Binable Podcast. So it looks like the value is hard-baked into whatever this new game is, but I know Jersey Jack is coming out with Harry Potter. So I'm looking at Kong, Kong Premium, man. I got my eye on you, buddy. I got my eye on you. But I'm also hearing, oh, Harry Potter's over here. So that's the internal struggle that's going on with me right now. When it comes to my good friends at Barrels, I don't know what their game is. I don't know what it looks like. I don't know what the price is. None of that business. I don't know what deposits are. I don't know when they're being made. I know that there's a media day coming up, so we're going to see it soon. but I don't have any emotional hype invested in it. And that's why we all wish that they would have broke with their tradition and had a prototype of their game sitting there. Listen, if Doonies was at the TPF show, that would have stole Game of the Show bar none. It was up against Blues Brothers, ABBA, Evil Dead, which while great is now sold out and was already released, we already knew that game, and it was up against Portal. And if you don't think Doonies could have taken Portal out for Game of the Show, Absolutely. Absolutely it would have. With Horizon Lights and Infinity Glass and Thunder from Down Under. I think of like this all-male review show in Las Vegas when I hear Thunder from Down Under. So I just think it was an opportunity. And I get that they're sticking to their druthers, but man, I wish I would have saw it there. Because I don't know. I don't know. My heart is not going on like Celine Dion for what's in Houston just yet. I know it's going to be awesome, and I'm getting little teases, but no half measures, man. No half measures. What did we learn from Breaking Bad? So that's what's going on. So here's what's happening. I'm going to go to Pintastic because this was scheduled way before I knew there was any releases going on. I'm going to go check out this place. I'll be there for Friday and Saturday. Maybe I'll bring some t-shirts with me. Maybe. I'll see what I can bring. I'm flying spirits again. I know. I never learned. So I have to bring everything that can fit in a wallet, essentially. But regardless, I'll be there for a couple days. Give me a shout out if you're there. Let's play some games. Hopefully there's a portal there so I can get some more portal time logged because the Lord knows I need that. And then I'll be flying directly from there, probably down to Orlando for a day and a half. And then I'll be out in Houston hanging out with my boy Jamie and everybody else in the Houston area. Let's all go back to Barrels. And hopefully they have barbecue again because everybody seemed to enjoy that. We'll finally get to see what their game is. But we've been told we're going to be under embargo because the game is not releasing that day. What the heck? I'm trying to understand. so we get to get in there early play the game and I'll have all my impressions recorded ready to go as soon as that embargo lifts and it seems like it's going to lift I don't know like the same day Kong comes out okay you know if it was released already I could take my truck down to Houston and throw one of these games in my truck and drive away with it but that's not what they want to do so I'm going to play ball as best I can and try to support my boys there you'll at least know when the game does finally release what hands-on gameplay objectively feels like. So I'm happy to do that for everybody. And, I mean, I love playing brand-new pinball, so that's all cool for me. All right, then we're flying straight up to Sandusky, Ohio, Chicago. I'll be heading over to Spooky for a little bit to hang out with my boys. And then Thursday morning, after breakfast, we're all going to get together and be at Stern, the, like, cherry to cap off this week of insanity that just developed out of nowhere. And then we'll have gameplay impressions of Kong. You're going to hear all about it. I'll be recording locally. It's going to be amazing. Gear up. Get ready. But let me know what you think, right? Are you eyeing a Wizard edition of this Harry Potter game if it turns out to be cool? Are you, like, totally done with the boy Wizard no matter how great it looks? Are you going to try it for the secondary market? All of these are reasonable options, and I don't know which one is going to be the best one yet. But I do love to speculate. I do love to give you those hot takes. So thanks for joining me for another round of Don's Pinball Podcast. Check out the Bash Pinball Podcast. Great production values. These guys are amazing. Run on over to We Are Pinball with Cengiz. We have Jamie Birchall, formerly of The Wormhole, now from the Jamie Birchall podcast, JBS. It sounds like JBS. He's spinning off into that podcast. His first episode of the new solo venture is with myself and Cengiz. We're wappinating it. So we do a conversation with him on there, and then we paused, and then we kept going, and we did the second half of it on We Are Pinball, which you can also find on this podcast carrier. So go check out We Are Pinball. And if you're in the Patreon, which starts at only $5 and goes up to $250, and yes, we have members at all levels, you can listen to it right now with the bonus content. You get it early. And my God, are we rewarding our Patreon members like crazy over there? Are we rewarding the Patreon members of Don Pinball Podcast? Yes, trans lights are coming. Hopefully tomorrow. It's bedlam. It's nuts. I can't wait. New pinball. Don's Pinball Podcast is gmail.com to get at me, patreon.com backslash donspinballpodcast to support the show, win a Translight, and here's some new news and things. I drop stuff in there constantly, ask anybody. We are Pinball. Check us out over there. We're just having fun in Pinball, man. I'm having a good time. I'm going to Chicago. I get to see Retro Ralph again, hopefully. I get to hang out with Donald Best and Maddie from the Batch Pinball Podcast. These are legends. All right, later, guys.

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 43a061b0-22cd-494a-948e-794959b89dbc*