# Transformers Pro '26 by Stern Pinball: First and only game. Recorded at Pinball Pirate.

**Source:** DRI374  
**Type:** video  
**Published:** 2026-07-04  
**Duration:** 13m 8s  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH4iexE-RHA

---

## Analysis

A content creator plays Transformers Pro at Pinball Pirate arcade, offering first-hand gameplay impressions and mechanical observations. The speaker notes playfield design elements including the left orbit, upper flipper, ramps, spinner, and Megatron scoop, while comparing Pro and Premium editions. Final score was approximately 200 million, placing off the high score board despite describing the game as having "flowy shots" and smooth mechanics.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] The speaker is waiting for their own Transformers Premium to arrive — _Speaker states directly: 'I'm waiting for my own uh Transformers Premium'_
- [HIGH] The right ramp on Transformers Pro is very steep and difficult to hit — _Speaker's direct observation during gameplay: 'the right ramp is like super steep. I just hit it once, I think'_
- [HIGH] The left orbit on Transformers Pro feeds smoothly to the upper flipper — _Speaker comments: 'how smooth the the left orbit feeds to the upper flipper. It's just Yeah. So cool'_
- [MEDIUM] The high score board at Pinball Pirate shows scores around 200 million for Transformers Pro — _Speaker asks 'What kind of scores are people putting up on this game? 200 million kind of felt like a big game' and mentions not making the board with 200 million_
- [MEDIUM] Premium edition of Transformers has additional wire form feed and a Grimlock sculpt compared to Pro — _Speaker speculates: 'on the premium then you have a an additional kind of wire form feed here. Then you have the lock there... you got a Grimlock sculpt'_

### Notable Quotes

> "And like how smooth the the left orbit feeds to the upper flipper. It's just Yeah. So cool."
> — **[name withheld pending review]**, mid-gameplay
> _Direct gameplay observation about playfield flow and design quality of Transformers Pro_

> "the right ramp is like super steep. I just hit it once, I think. in the right orbit. Super tight."
> — **[name withheld pending review]**, mid-gameplay
> _Notes specific playfield challenge and difficulty; indicates design intent around shot difficulty_

> "This is uh this is uh it looks so much better in person. It's just Yeah, just just fool myself every time, you know, you look at those studio pictures and other people's streams and videos and whatnot and just see it in person. It's just a different game altogether."
> — **[name withheld pending review]**, post-game reflection
> _Contrasts in-person gameplay experience with mediated content, suggesting visual/physical presence matters for machine appreciation_

> "I'm just trying to assess here... I'm waiting for my own uh Transformers Premium. I just want to kind of get a feel for it and get a sense of where the shots are and what to expect here a little bit."
> — **[name withheld pending review]**, opening and closing
> _Establishes intent: preview gameplay to prepare for upcoming personal Premium purchase_

> "And and having that big gobble hole in front of Megatron, it's actually uh it's actually quite cool and quite quite different in a way, you know, and that's always fun."
> — **[name withheld pending review]**, mid-gameplay reflection
> _Appreciation for central scoop feature and its distinctiveness in playfield design_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Transformers Pro | game | Stern Pinball machine, recent release, Pro tier version with 2-flipper configuration |
| Transformers Premium | product | Higher-tier version of Transformers by Stern with additional features (wire form feed, Grimlock sculpt); speaker is awaiting delivery |
| Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer of Transformers Pro and Premium editions |
| Pinball Pirate | venue | Arcade location where gameplay was recorded; hosts high score board and competitive player base |
| [name withheld pending review] | product | IP theme for this pinball machine; appears to include story episodes and character licensing (Autobots, Decepticons, Megatron, Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Starcream, Dinobots, Grimlock) |
| DG | person | Player whose initials appear on high score board at Pinball Pirate |
| Scott | person | Player mentioned as having scores on Pinball Pirate high score board (likely Scott Danesi, Spooky designer, or similar community figure) |
| TJ | person | Player mentioned on high score board at Pinball Pirate |

### Signals

- **[gameplay_signal]** Transformers Pro features asymmetrical shot difficulty: smooth, intuitive left orbit feed to upper flipper contrasts sharply with steep, tight right ramp that speaker struggled to hit consistently. Center spinner also noted as tricky. Indicates intentional variance in shot accessibility and skill expression. (confidence: high) — Speaker's repeated commentary on right ramp difficulty and left orbit smoothness during actual play; describes right ramp as 'super steep' and 'super tight,' hit only once during session despite multiple attempts
- **[product_strategy]** Transformers Premium and Pro editions show clear mechanical differentiation: Premium includes wire form feed, central scoop lock, and Grimlock sculpt. Pro appears to use simpler scoop configuration ('big gobble hole'). Strategy maintains value separation between tiers. (confidence: medium) — Speaker's comparative analysis: 'on the premium then you have a an additional kind of wire form feed here. Then you have the lock there. And what else is Yeah, you got a Grimlock sculpt'
- **[content_signal]** Content creator deliberately visits location to preview machine before personal Premium purchase arrives, indicating strategy to generate content and build familiarity with layout before ownership. Video framed as 'behind the scenes' with non-live disclaimer. (confidence: high) — Opening: 'not publishing this live or going live with this.' Closing: 'I'm waiting for my own uh Transformers Premium. I just want to kind of get a feel for it and get a sense of where the shots are and what to expect here'
- **[market_signal]** High score board at Pinball Pirate shows competitive scoring around 200 million range. Speaker's game of approximately 200 million did not place on board, indicating baseline entry is likely 210M+ or higher. Suggests active, skilled player base and machine has been in location long enough for score inflation. (confidence: medium) — Speaker asks 'What kind of scores are people putting up on this game? 200 million kind of felt like a big game, but um don't know if it was.' Response: 'Yeah, there's DG has been here. Yeah, of course. Uh, Scott. Uh, don't know that. TJ, of course.' Speaker: 'So, what did I get? 200. I didn't even get on the board. Yeah. Wow.'
- **[gameplay_signal]** Transformers Pro features mission-based gameplay tied to Transformers episodes/storylines. Multiball mechanics visible (2x multiplier when tech spec lit). Player must select missions via action button. Rules appear narrative-driven with episode framing ('This episode of the Transformers'). (confidence: high) — In-game audio: 'There's a mission store in the next episode of the Transformers... Mission select... Autobots transform and roll out. Transformers multi. is worth 2x when tech spec is lit.' Multiple episode intros with story narration
- **[design_innovation]** Transformers Pro features novel layout elements including central scoop with Megatron character ('big gobble hole in front of Megatron'), Dinobots targets, upper flipper with skill shot, multi-level ramp structure, and center spinner. Premium adds Grimlock sculpt. Layout appears Stern Premium-tier with strong thematic toy integration. (confidence: high) — Speaker's play-by-play observations: 'Dino targets activated... the center spinner there... big gobble hole in front of Megatron... you got a Grimlock sculpt... on the premium... wire form feed... lock there'
- **[sentiment_shift]** Speaker expresses significant appreciation gap between in-person experience and streamed/photographed versions of the machine. Notes studio pictures and other creators' streams do not capture real-world playability and visual impact. Suggests aesthetic and mechanical experience substantially improved by physical presence. (confidence: high) — Direct quote: 'This is uh this is uh it looks so much better in person. It's just Yeah, just just fool myself every time, you know, you look at those studio pictures and other people's streams and videos and whatnot and just see it in person. It's just a different game alto together.'
- **[gameplay_signal]** Left orbit on Transformers Pro demonstrates intentional horseshoe-style feeding back to upper flipper, creating smooth, intuitive ball flow. Contrasts with right ramp's steep, tight challenge. Suggests deliberate asymmetric playfield design balancing accessibility with difficulty. (confidence: high) — Speaker observation: 'The the left kind of orbit kind of feeds back. It's like a horseshoe shot there... how smooth the the left orbit feeds to the upper flipper.' Also: 'the right orbit. Super tight.'

---

## Transcript

All right, folks. Uh, doing a little bit of a behind thescene recording here. Just this is we're not going to I'm not publishing this live or going live with this. Uh, I'm just recording a a game of Transformers Pro here at the Pinball Pirate. Maybe going to play one or two games uh because uh I I need to get get on the road and the folks here need to go home, right? So, uh let's just hit it. Don't know if they have insider connected connected. They do. I just needed my brightness. All right. So, let's figure it out. Here we got the uh we got the tunes and we got an upper flipper. Shoot red flashing arrow for skill shot. I'm just trying to assess here. Oh wow. That's the path the ball took there. Yeah. So, that is then the virtual one. Was there a slingshot up there? Yeah, there's a slingshot up there. I had no idea. Yeah. So, let's just get a multiball out here and see how things go from there. Okay, so there's a mission store in the next episode of the Transformers. There's like a hole there. Hit action button to select. All right. Decepticons incoming. Autobots transform and roll out. Transformers multi. is worth 2x when tech spec is lit. Tech in place. You're finished. You seem to be losing your cool That was the whole thing. Give up. Should be able to backhand the mission. Has discovered the heart of Cybertron, a device of immense power. The Autobots down and Megatron to retrieve the heart. But are they up for the task as we begin this episode of the Transformers. That is all right. That short is just dino targets activated. Amazing. Good work, Dinobots. Now follow me. You got another lock lift there. Let's go for some mission. Woo! Not once have I hit the right ramp there. One shall fall. Transmission of data successful. So, what did I do now? It's just you and me now, Megatron. Then you better get some help. Let us stop Megatron once and for all. I'm supposed to shoot just one particular color, but I'm not sure like Jesus Christ. I'll aim for me. Is that what it says? Too much. Final blow. I win. Megatron. Do you Optimus Prime one. All always the good guy winning in this episode. The Autobarts join a race to raise money for charity. But who will car on top? as we begin this episode of the Transformers. I mean that spinner shot is like really tricky Shoot Captain Ball for playfield multiplier. 5 4 and away we go. 1. This will ground you for good. Laser bears. No. You can stop me with that attempt. No. Now I can take it from here. One shall fall, one shall stand. Oh, that's so cool. They got Bumblebee on the multiplier there. Just on the like on the original Transformers. I'm so excited. Give me your name so I may send Starcream to Why is there no Bumblebee on the captive ball? Then do you get that on the alien premium? We have a new champion. Better luck next time. Autobot. But hero. Yeah, that's hilarious. What kind of scores are people putting up on this game? 200 million kind of felt like a big game, but um don't know if it was. Yeah, there's DG has been here. Yeah, of course. Uh, Scott. Uh, don't know that. TJ, of course. Yeah. So, what did I get? 200. I didn't even get on the board. Yeah. Wow. Okay. Yeah. Anyhow, uh I'm just going to call it there. Um I'm I'm waiting for my own uh Transformers Premium. I just want to kind of get a feel for it and get a sense of where the shots are and what to expect here a little bit. But, uh, this was one hell of a kick with the with the flowy shots here. And like I don't know exactly what what the idea was there with the Yeah. The the left kind of orbit kind of feeds back. It's like a horseshoe shot there. It's just amazing. And and like how smooth the the left orbit feeds to the upper flipper. It's just Yeah. So cool. But the right ramp is like super steep. I just hit it once, I think. in the right orbit. Super tight. Love the center spinner there. Just need to find a shot. And uh having that big gobble hole in front of Megatron, it's actually uh it's actually quite cool and quite quite different in a way, you know, and that's always fun. So, and I guess then the on the premium then you have a an additional kind of wire form feed here. Then you have the lock there. And what else is Yeah, you got a Grimlock sculpt, but I don't know uh mechanically if there's anything else that's different, but it looks great. I mean, it looks fantastic. This is uh this is uh it looks so much better in person. It's just Yeah, just just fool myself every time, you know, you you look at those studio pictures and other people's streams and videos and whatnot and just see it in person. It's just a different game alto together. So, yeah. Awesome. Um All right.

_(Acquisition: youtube_auto_sub, Enrichment: v5)_

---

*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-08-04 | Item ID: e24b04be-f624-489f-a661-cd6bd3d929d6*