DPP #236 "The State of (my) Pinball"

Don's Pinball Podcast (regular feed)·podcast_episode·22m 12s·analyzed·Apr 16, 2026

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.031

TL;DR

Don assesses his pinball collection, decides to hold off new deposits despite upcoming releases, and discusses industry rumors.

Summary

Don Garrison discusses his current pinball collecting situation on Don's Pinball Podcast, reviewing his recent Pokemon LE acquisition, reflecting on his collection stability with 10 core games plus incoming titles (Evil Dead, Winchester, Yukon Yeti, Beetlejuice), and strategically deciding to wait on upcoming releases like Sonic (Jersey Jack) and Transformers (Stern) rather than immediately deposit. He speculates on potential remakes (Elvira Scared Stiff by American Pinball), discusses licensing delays affecting Pokemon code updates, and shares optimism about a strong pinball summer ahead.

Key Claims

Pokemon LE code is held up waiting for licensing approval, similar to 007
high confidence · Don Garrison discussing licensing delays and how committee meetings and approval processes can significantly slow code releases
Transformers from Stern is rumored to be releasing in the next four weeks
medium confidence · Don states 'practically at our doorsteps, Transformers from Stern Pinball, highly rumored to be coming out in the next four weeks or so'
Steve Ritchie stated Sonic is his fastest game ever made
high confidence · Don referencing Ritchie's statements at Pintastic: 'He's been quoted as saying that this is his fastest game ever'
Yukon Yeti production will not rush to complete all 500 units quickly, with some orders potentially waiting up to a year
high confidence · Don discussing production timeline: 'They're not in a rush to build all 500 of these in the next six months. So if you order today, maybe your game will be in towards that second later half of the line. Might be a whole year until you get it.'
Don is deposit #523 out of approximately 525 Winchester units from Kingpin
high confidence · Don states: 'out of the 535, 525 games they're making, I think I'm 523'
Three Musketeers from Hexa Pinball has been in customs/logistics issues preventing US release
high confidence · Don mentions 'The Three Musketeers will clear customs finally and get out' and references delayed presentations at TPF and Pinbrew
Elvira Scared Stiff is a licensable IP that could be remade by American Pinball
medium confidence · Don speculating: 'Elvira is a very licensable property. I wouldn't think that that would be like trying to get Raul Julia's likeness for Adam's family'
Brian Eddy has an original license game scheduled for 2027
low confidence · Don mentions 'Brian Eddy is supposed to be on deck sometime in 2027 with some original license'

Notable Quotes

“If you're going to be in pinball, you're going to deal with this stuff. If you don't want to deal with mechanical mishaps and shipping and whatnot, virtual pinball is sitting right over there.”
Don Garrison @ ~3:30 — Reflects community pragmatism about pinball ownership realities and mechanical failures
“The best part is when I accidentally brush up against the button when it's in attract mode, and then you just hear a Pikachu call out of nowhere. It's like, that's magical.”
Don Garrison @ ~10:45 — Highlights what makes Pokemon engaging—small thematic details and audio feedback
“I can't wait for a Golden Godzilla... If Godzilla ends up being Stern Pinball's greatest selling game of all time, I think it is totally appropriate to go down the road that Bally Williams did with the Addams Family and release a gold version of it.”
Don Garrison @ ~18:20 — Manifesting/speculating about potential limited edition variants, referencing precedent from classic era
“In Pinball, it's different. In Pinball, good ideas, make it around... it'll go around our entire phenomenal industry in about 10 minutes just by text messages and things and little quips online.”
Don Garrison @ ~50:15 — Reflects on the tight-knit nature of the pinball community and how ideas/rumors spread quickly
“I'm going to let Transformers come out, right? Decepticon limited edition version, whatever. I let it come out and I just let it breathe, right?”
Don Garrison @ ~28:30 — Strategic decision to wait on major releases rather than deposit, reflecting market saturation concerns
“Everything had to be cross T's, dot I's, out the door, you know, approvals before it gets out. And so do I want to get involved in yet another process on that?”
Don Garrison @ ~32:15 — Concern about licensing restrictions impacting code development and player experience
“I've got a solid lineup of like 10 bangers, plus the four horsemen... I think I'm kind of good and I'm kind of okay with that.”

Entities

Don GarrisonpersonStern PinballcompanyJersey Jack Pinballcompany Steve Ritchieperson Chris TurnerpersonPokemon (Stern)gameGodzillagame Transformersgame

Signals

?
product_concern: Pokemon LE #20 arrived with defects requiring return and replacement; defects were streamed live on YouTube, illustrating quality control issues in early production runs
high · Don describes opening Pokemon, finding 'busted bits,' returning unit #20, receiving replacement #60
$
market_signal: Don expresses satisfaction with 10-game core collection plus 4 incoming machines, deciding to wait on Sonic and Transformers deposits despite their hype; signals market saturation for individual collectors
high · I think I'm kind of good and I'm kind of okay with that... I definitely don't need a new pinball machine right now
?
code_update: Pokemon code waiting for licensor approval; parallels 007 slow code trajectory; Don concerned about achievement logging retroactivity upon code drop
high · I'm sure the code is hung up there... waiting for a Monday morning meeting that gets rescheduled for Thursday afternoon... the license owner owns the product basically
?
machine_intel: Transformers rumored for release within 4 weeks from mid-April 2024; described as highly anticipated Stern release
medium · Transformers from Stern Pinball, highly rumored to be coming out in the next four weeks or so
?
design_innovation: Don praises Pokemon's Pokéball shooter rod design for tactile feedback and golf-ball-sized form factor, contrasting with oversized novelty shooter rods like zombie heads
high · I don't want to feel like someone's head in my hand. I want to feel something that's round about golf ball size... the Pokemon Pokeball kind of lends itself to that textual feedback

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.067

0:00

It has been entirely too long. It's time to podcast again. Let's spool up 236 right now because I've got some input on what I think the state of my pinball reality is. And how's yours? Let's get into this. Also some Pokemon, I guess. Let's go.

0:30

Oh, you know we have to have the air horn. Too long. Too long it has been. It's April 15th, 16th. Taxes are done. Finally, that's done. Also done, I finished out those two houses I've been trying to sell. They're going to be on the market as of tomorrow, so why not relocate to Wisconsin? Why not get a house with a basketball court in it? They're going up. I've been busy every single day. And so has the Pinball World segue hashtag. I got Pokemon. Okay. I got Pokemon LE. Thanks. Thanks to Silvergun. Appreciate it. Thanks for giving me the spot. Thanks for Zach flipping out Pinball for getting it out to me. And thanks for him to being gracious and taking it back when there was busted bits in it when I opened it up. You saw the live stream. It's over on YouTube at the Don's Pinball Podcast channel. So, disappointment, sure, but stuff happens in pinball. If you're going to be in pinball, you're going to deal with this stuff. If you don't want to deal with mechanical mishaps and shipping and whatnot, virtual pinball is sitting right over there. None of the maintenance, all of the choice, but none of the true kinetic satisfaction that we get from these mechanical marvels. So, I got, in short order, I got a replacement LE, number 60 is here, Poliwag kicking butt downstairs, so we'll get into that. But the number 20 that has gone back showed up on the Facebook Marketplace, MSRP, been repaired, boom, gone, gone. So don't even speculate like, you know, MSRP for a game of slightly used. No, don't matter. Don't matter. It's gone. And the buyer, super happy, definitely scooped into it. Game's functional. That's amazing. I've been playing some Pokemon.

2:17

And, right, the code needs some help. I love opening up my new Stern games, logging in, getting everything registered, and then you play the first game and you get like 27 achievements. And like that only happens one time, you know, like the achievement for successfully plunging the ball, achievement for successfully not drooling over the start button. You know, those things that only happen one time. And then the magical first game that you play where it's just like bleep, bloop, bleep, bloop, bleep, super fun. And then over the course of the next five, you know, you get another 10 achievements or so. And then it's a slow burn. It's like the bronze, you got 50 orbits, 100 orbits, 150 lifetime orbits, and then they come in perpetuity. This has not happened yet with Pokemon, and I get it. I know it's not on Stern. I'm sure they've got the code pretty fleshed out as far as another big code drop. Of course, 1.0 is not going to be ready, but I'm sure it's there and just moving at the pace of licensing. When it comes to licensing, the license owner owns the product, basically. You can't do anything without their expressed written permission. And they might not be a priority for them. They might be waiting for a Monday morning meeting that gets rescheduled for Thursday afternoon, and then it was a four-day work week, it ran into the weekend, we'll kick that down the road. The committee will meet again in four weeks, kind of thing. And that's what can happen. So I'm sure the code is hung up there. What I'm wondering is all this achieving I'm sitting and doing, playing Pokemon over and over, like when they do a code drop, am I just going to get credited for all those achievements without seeing the physical bleep bloops on the screen? Or will they log in and all of a sudden they'll all run there? I hope that's the case. Because I really like that dopamine feedback we get when you do earn something and then it pops up with that audio cue. Love it. Super fun. Like my favorite part of the Insider Connected system. So my hope is that that is restored. It's not just, okay, Koda update came out. You've played the game 200 times. Here's your achievements. You have to log into the app to see you. Also, Pokedex functionality. Don, what do you think of the game? Game is simple. Five main shots, fun to play. The best part is when I accidentally brush up against the button when it's in attract mode, and then you just hear a Pikachu call out of nowhere. It's like, that's magical. That's what transforms this 5-6 shot basically Transformers from earlier generations. That's what transforms this into a more interesting game. Game's holding up well. I'm not having any of the orbit issues. I'm not having any flipper issues. How lucky am I that I got to unbox two of these LEs? The shooter rod, I do like it. It's a good size. I'm really into tactile feedback. Some people make these shooter rods where it's like a big giant zombie head. I think even Stern's Walking Dead official one comes out like that. I don't want to feel like someone's head in my hand. I want to feel something that's round about golf ball size. That makes sense to me. And so I like the fact that the Pokemon Pokeball kind of lends itself to that textual feedback in your hand. So get yourself one of these Of course we haven seen any Pokemon accessories Some people either saw or heard about the Magikarp Topper that supposed to be forthcoming I sure that probably done and ready to ship as well just again waiting on licensing approval But in lieu of that there a slew of people on pin side shelves Of course they selling third shooter bots Go ahead and get yourself that upgrade If you got yourself a pro or you got yourself a premium I would say I mean this is a game that going to have a million dollars A million modifications available for it. But I would say keep it simple. K-I-S-S. Keep it simple, Sam. And go with a shaker motor, for sure. Go with the interior expression lights and get yourself a shooter rod. Or if nothing, just a shooter rod. So you can go on to Pinside and get these from a myriad of people. Heck, I've even made a Masterball shooter rod. I got a friend testing it out right now. So shout out to him. Says it's working just fine. He likes it. I found a way to do clear coat at home. So that is super cool. And so in lieu of anybody else, you know, contact me. I'll make one and send it out to you. Super fun. I love these things. I love those little aspects. I'm having fun just like everybody else is capturing the Pokemon. It's quite satisfying. I just listened to Triple Drain and got a rundown of like what the actual rules of the game are. So I'm going to jump back down on it and see if I can't get to that Charizard Wizard mode or whatever. Is this game going to outsell Godzilla? Oh, I don't know. I can't really comment. I don't know that this game has the drive that Harry Potter did to just sell thousands and thousands of units.

8:50

Like, just take the Godzilla, just dip him in gold and like put him in there. Would the whole game be gold? Would it just be the trim? You'd have to gold the Godzilla. Would you gold the Mechagodzilla as well? I guess we'll have to wait and see on that. But let's keep that rumor out there. Let's manifest. I really want to see that. Main topic. I've been following everything for the last two weeks that I have not been actively recording, bouncing around the country, getting down to Florida, getting and getting over COVID again, finishing out my house, cleaning out the filthiest shed I've ever been inside of. I've been monitoring the pinball news industry as it is and I'm trying to come to a realization of where I am now. You know, I mentioned before like the four horsemen were coming, right? I managed to get a Pokemon LE, Evil Dead is here, Beetlejuice is still in the process of being constructed. Winchester is out there somewhere and then right on the horizon, practically at our doorsteps, Transformers from Stern Pinball, highly rumored to be coming out in the next four weeks or so. And then we have Sonic is really picking up steam now. We just had Pintastic out there in the New England area out in Taxachusetts. And like they did last year when I was there for the first time, Jersey Jack does a great presentation. And Steve Ritchie was there front and center, really kind of goading about his new game. I saw bits and clips of that. And so hype is really building. He's like, I'm very excited to be at this place. It's somewhere we can celebrate the accomplishments we're making in pinball, get excited about it again. I don't want to just rehash things I've done before. Like, I love hearing this from Steve. He's been quoted as saying that this is his fastest game ever, and this is a dude that's been known for fast games before. Even as recently, his recent release of Elton John plays very fast. And so, of course, you know, you got Sonic the Hedgehog, great video game license, The Master of Flow, fastest game he's ever made. Like, that's at the doorstep? And then you know the other rumored games are just you know right around the corner there Fallout is on the horizon We supposed to see Halo at some point At some point the Three Musketeers will clear customs finally and get out So like what are we doing If Sonic were to release next week would I be throwing down deposit money on it Knowing that for me personally like I got a great slew of like 10 solid games You know I talking Dungeons and Dragons Stranger Things Premium Pulp Fiction WWE Star Wars Premium Like these are my games man I don like the word bolted but essentially that kind of what they are I not looking at getting rid of any of these I had somebody reach out recently, what's up my Virginia friends, asking if I had any games that would be up available for sale. And I was kind of like, well not really, you know, not really right now. I do have an Ultraman butter cabinet running Halloween code, like I would consider parting with that one, only because I've already owned Halloween and I've had this Ultraman for a while, but like, that's about it. So I've got a solid lineup of like 10 bangers, plus the four horsemen. And like, you know, do I need to be putting down another deposit on the game? I already got a deposit on Yukon Yeti, right? The fifth ultimate horseman, right? The white Power Ranger is coming. So like for me, my state of pinball where I'm at, I think I'm kind of good and I'm kind of okay with that. Case in point, I got Pokemon Ellie downstairs. Fun game, fun layout, love the Pikachu callouts. I want more, right? And so this is again a game that I'm going to be playing. It's going to be very slow for code to come out. The game is probably going to be phenomenal when it's done, similar to the trajectory of 007. And this was the last time we saw Stern really have a licensor that was very nitpicky. Everything had to be cross T's, dot I's, out the door, you know, approvals before it gets out. And so do I want to get involved in yet another process on that? Or how about this? What if I let Transformers come out, right? Decepticon limited edition version, whatever. I let it come out and I just let it breathe, right? I let this game be out there. Maybe I'll get an invite to the media day. I'd love to go down there and play it. I'd love to pop over to Interium. I'll play it on location. We'll talk about it. We'll analyze the shots. We'll do all that business. But financially, I'll have a barrier, and I'll just let it breathe, man. Let it exist, okay? When I go and see it on location, I'll be like, oh, it's the new Transformers. Let me go play that. I don't already have it at home, you know, so I'll get to get that kind of, you know, interactivity on location. And then we'll let it mature, and then we'll come back to it. And we'll say, you know what, this game's been out for a while. You know, you got the Autobot mods in there. You know, they fixed the Decepticon spook problem, scoop problem that they were having. The Optimus mech has been redesigned now, so all the new ones that they're building now, it's functional. And then maybe I'll pick it up at that point. I'm gonna try it. I'm gonna try it. Now, I've said this before, and of course, you know, me being me, it totally has failed. However, I'm in a different situation right now where I got games on the cooker. I got Winchester still coming. UConn Yeti is ordered. I'm gonna get one of the first ones. So I'm excited about that. I'm glad that there's still some hype around the Yeti too, man. It wasn't just my imagination. Like everybody was having fun with that Turner game at the Texas Pinball Festival. We all want to play it again. Of course, the issue that has come up has been the build process is going to be slightly monitored, projected, protracted. They're not in a rush to build all 500 of these in the next six months. So if you order today, maybe your game will be in towards that second later half of the line. Might be a whole year until you get it. Nobody wants to be in that position. Put games in boxes. Let me buy them. I am fortunate that as soon as I was reviewing the trailer, I was putting my deposit in right then. So I should be at the front of the line. I talked to Chris Turner. He confirmed this. So that's a good place to be for the Yeti. I can't wait to get the Yeti. And hopefully I won't have to wait too, too terribly long. My question is, and this is a question for Kingpin, where's Winchester, right? Now, I think, you know, out of the 535, 525 games they're making, I think I'm 523. I think I was like 11th hour. I was in a parking lot of Pinball Expo the day before it started when I went ahead and confirmed, yes, I'll take that final one that you have. So, I don't know. People are getting them, though. I need to reach back out. I'll shout out to Kingpin. I'll give an update. But I wonder, realistically, if the Yukon Yeti production starts soon, like summer, like it's almost May, June is after that, I would reasonably expect that to be game shipping starting in June. If I'm at the front of the line, there's a chance that I could have a Yeti in June, and that may come before the Winchester? I don't know. We'll see. But with those coming, I think my summer is set. I think I definitely, not that any of us need a new pinball machine, but I definitely don't need a new pinball machine right now. So for me, for my state of pinball, I think I'm actually in a position where I'm going to wait on Sonic. I'm going to let it breathe. I'm going to let Transformers breathe.