# Is Turner Pinball Bringing Out the Pinbar?

**Source:** Knapp Arcade  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2023-10-17  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.knapparcade.org/is-turner-pinball-bringing-out-the-pinbar

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## Analysis

Turner Pinball is teasing a hidden feature on its debut machine Ninja Eclipse ahead of Pinball Expo, with speculation that it may involve a 'Pinbar'—a touchscreen-embedded lockbar system originally developed by defunct Deeproot Pinball. The feature will be revealed at Turner's presentation on Friday, October 20th.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Turner Pinball is showing off teaser images of Ninja Eclipse in advance of Pinball Expo — _Article states Turner has been showing teaser images this week ahead of Expo_
- [HIGH] Turner Pinball is bringing two pre-production machines to Pinball Expo and opening orders — _Stated directly in opening paragraph_
- [MEDIUM] The covered portion of the recent teaser image includes the game's lockbar — _Article notes the portion covered includes the lockbar, then notes speculation about Pinbar_
- [HIGH] Deeproot Pinball's Pinbar is a touchscreen embedded into the lockbar for information display and service menu access — _Article provides definition of Pinbar functionality_
- [HIGH] Turner Pinball's presentation is titled 'Turner Pinball - Innovating Outside (& Inside) the Box' — _Exact title provided in article_

### Notable Quotes

> "Turner Pinball has been showing off teaser images of its upcoming debut pinball machine Ninja Eclipse"
> — **Knapp Arcade**
> _Establishes Turner's marketing approach and confirms Ninja Eclipse as debut title_

> "TOP SECRET TO BE REVEALED SOON"
> — **Turner Pinball (teaser message)**
> _Direct quote from censored teaser image, indicates intentional mystery-building_

> "The Pinbar essentially is a touchscreen embedded into the game's lockbar that both conveys information about the game during play and allows owners to access the service menu."
> — **Knapp Arcade**
> _Explains the speculated feature and its functionality_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Turner Pinball | company | Boutique pinball manufacturer preparing debut machine Ninja Eclipse |
| Ninja Eclipse | game | Turner Pinball's debut pinball machine; teasing hidden feature at Pinball Expo |
| Pinball Expo | event | Industry event where Turner will debut machines and open pre-orders |
| Deeproot Pinball | company | Defunct pinball manufacturer that originally developed the Pinbar feature |
| Pinbar | product | Touchscreen-embedded lockbar system for information display and service menu access; originally from Deeproot Pinball |
| Knapp Arcade | organization | Media outlet reporting on Turner Pinball news |
| This Week in Pinball | organization | Media source providing Pinbar reference images |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Turner Pinball debut machine and features, Pinball Expo announcements and pre-orders, Pinbar touchscreen technology
- **Secondary:** Pinball innovation and hardware features

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.75) — Tone is intrigued and speculative about Turner's innovation; enthusiasm for upcoming reveal; no criticism present

### Signals

- **[event_signal]** Turner Pinball debut at Pinball Expo with pre-production machines and order opening (confidence: high) — Article confirms Turner bringing two pre-production machines to Expo and opening orders
- **[market_signal]** Turner Pinball using mystery/teaser approach with censored images to build anticipation before Expo reveal (confidence: high) — Recent teaser with 'TOP SECRET / TO BE REVEALED SOON' message demonstrates intentional information withholding strategy
- **[announcement]** Turner Pinball preparing formal announcement of Ninja Eclipse features at Pinball Expo presentation (confidence: high) — Scheduled presentation title and timing confirms planned reveal
- **[technology_signal]** Potential adoption of Pinbar touchscreen lockbar technology by Turner Pinball, indicating innovation in pinball hardware interfaces (confidence: medium) — Speculation based on teased censored lockbar area; unclear if Turner is implementing Pinbar or different technology

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## Transcript

This week Turner Pinball has been showing off teaser images of its upcoming debut pinball machine Ninja Eclipse in advance to bringing two pre-production machines and opening up orders at this week's Pinball Expo.

In its most recent teaser photo, Turner censored the front third of the Ninja Eclipse machine with the following message:

TOP SECRET

TO BE REVEALED SOON

The portion of the machine that is covered includes the game's lockbar. This has led to some speculation about what Turner is going to reveal at Expo. Some believe that Turner may show off its version of the defunct Deeproot Pinball's "Pinbar."

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Pinbar, it essentially is a touchscreen embedded into the game's lockbar that both conveys information about the game during play and allows owners to access the service menu.

Turner Pinball's presentation, titled "Turner Pinball - Innovating Outside (& Inside) the Box" is scheduled for Friday, October 20th at 2:00 PM at Expo. I'm very curious to see what they have up their sleeve.

Pinbar pictures below courtesy of This Week in Pinball:

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: daca84e0-87b3-43fa-9699-18ec623d0a20*