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Stranger Things Pinball First Impressions

Cary Hardy·video·19m 38s·analyzed·Dec 23, 2019
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.024

TL;DR

Cary Hardy analyzes Stranger Things pinball: prefers Pro over projector-dependent tiers; questions durability and layout.

Summary

Cary Hardy provides detailed first-impression analysis of Stern's newly revealed Stranger Things pinball machine across Pro, Premium, and LE tiers. He expresses cautious optimism about the Pro model while criticizing the projector-based art system on higher tiers for potential durability and aesthetic concerns. Hardy predicts strong Pro sales but doubts the game will stream well due to lighting dependency and remains skeptical of the fan-layout playfield design.

Key Claims

  • Stranger Things pinball pricing is only $100 more than typical standard three-tier model machines

    high confidence · Direct statement about pricing across Pro/Premium/LE tiers

  • Pro model includes ball lock capability on ramp for multiball without telekinesis visualization

    high confidence · Visual analysis of Pro model images showing mechanical ball lock mechanism

  • Game will only feature content from seasons 1 and 2, not season 3

    high confidence · Confirmed in interview with Zach Sharp; stated as official limitation

  • Projector is positioned approximately 26 inches from playfield surfaces

    high confidence · Direct quote from Zach Sharp interview response about projector specifications

  • Actual actor for Hopper provided custom voice callouts for the game

    high confidence · Confirmed in Zach Sharp interview; speaker notes excitement about this detail

  • Game features 20+ tracks inspired by composer Ken Hale in addition to main theme

    high confidence · From Zach Sharp interview response about music implementation

  • Playfield layout is a fan-layout design with straight shots

    high confidence · Direct visual analysis of playfield images showing 'two, two, two, two, two, eight shots' configuration

  • Stern used plastic ramps rather than wire or metal ramps

    high confidence · Speaker explicitly critiques material choice and questions cost differential

  • Premium cabinet features powder coating on armor and side rails

    high confidence · Visual comparison of cabinet specifications across tiers

  • Game photos have been artificially saturated by manufacturer for promotional purposes

    high confidence · Speaker provides explicit warning about altered images and rationale for saturation

Notable Quotes

  • “pro is the way to go. And I think that's a good thing in a way. That the pro, in my opinion, is probably going to be your best bet when it comes to longevity for this machine.”

    Cary Hardy@ 2:17 — Core thesis about Pro model superiority due to durability concerns with projector technology

  • “a year or two down the road, this more than likely an LED projector goes out. And you have to buy a new one. And it may be only $100 or $200. But the fact remains is that small little portion like that goes out on your game. Then the game is still functional, but just cosmetically very bland.”

    Cary Hardy@ 5:13 — Primary concern about projector reliability and long-term maintenance cost/aesthetic impact

  • “I don't think that this game is going to stream very well without the proper lighting and positioning of the cameras and everything.”

    Cary Hardy@ 14:20 — Prediction about tournament/content streamer viability based on lighting dependency

  • “I've never been a fan of a fan layout... I don't own a fan layout game. And I don't know. That's just something I guess I've realized about myself is that I don't really cater to those types of games.”

    Cary Hardy@ 16:46 — Personal design preference critique affecting overall assessment of playfield design

  • “did he do that because it was playing it safe? Like he knew that these shots were going to work, you know, or was he forced to play it safe due to the licensor?”

    Cary Hardy@ 17:32 — Speculation about whether fan layout was design choice or licensing constraint from Netflix

Entities

Stern PinballcompanyStranger Things PinballgameBrian EddypersonZach SharppersonCary HardypersonJack DangerpersonLonnie RopppersonMike VinicorepersonBob SteblichpersonKen Haleperson

Signals

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Brian Eddy chose fan-layout playfield configuration; unclear if this was intentional design choice, playing it safe due to successful track record, or licensing constraint from Netflix

    medium · Speaker questions design motivation: 'did he do that because it was playing it safe? Like he knew that these shots were going to work, you know, or was he forced to play it safe due to the licensor?'

  • ?

    licensing_signal: Actual actor David Harbour ('Hopper') provided custom voice callouts, indicating tight IP control and premium production approach by Stern/Netflix

    high · 'they got the actual actor to do custom voice for the game, so that's pretty cool'; speaker expresses surprise and approval of this detail

  • $

    market_signal: Hardy predicts strong Pro model sales based on durability, cost-benefit, and design simplicity; expects LE/Premium to underperform relative to Pro

    medium · 'My other prediction is that the Pro will sell, more than likely, pretty damn well'; Pro selected as 'best bet when it comes to longevity'

  • ?

    community_signal: Brian Eddy designed straightforward fan layout after success with similar shot configurations in past games; possible risk-aversion or licensing constraint limiting layout complexity

    medium · Speaker notes Eddy's past game (The Shadow) had 'obtuse' non-fan layout and wonders if Stranger Things simplicity indicates playing it safe

  • $

    market_signal: Stranger Things pricing only ~$100 above standard three-tier baseline; relatively modest premium for Pro/Premium/LE differentiation

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.059

0:00
what's up guys and welcome back to my channel where I talk and do everything pinball so that sounds interesting to you then hit that subscribe button down below so stern has officially revealed They themselves have officially revealed their Stranger Things pinball machine. And as per usual, they have given the exclusive to IGN. Cesspool of advertisements. I'm telling you, when I'm on this website, I cringe, but I'm also very thankful for Adblocker because I don't know how much money they give Stern for an exclusive on these things, but I assume it's got to be a lot because they have so many advertisements that would be bombarding you if you didn't have an ad blocker going. And I'm waiting for the day when IGN finally implements that thing I see on a lot of websites that just completely keeps you from looking at their content unless you disable your ad blocker. I wanted to begin this video by letting everyone know in advance that every photo that you're going to see has been altered. now when I say that not by me these photos have been highly saturated there is obvious proof of that but like this is they do this on purpose just to make it much more eye-popping than it actually is because the the lights that they use to photograph these machines really dulls down the color so I understand why they do it but just so you know that these games are going to be a lot brighter and poppier than they're going to be in person in these photographs. Just like every other Stern, there's going to be three tiers, your Pro, your Premium, and your LE. LE is going to consist of $500. Price of these games is actually only, I want to say, like $100 more than your typical machines that have been in the past on a standard three-tier model. Let's start with the Pro model. Now, and I'm also going to tell you this right now, pro is the way to go.
2:17
And I think that's a good thing in a way. That the pro, in my opinion, is probably going to be your best bet when it comes to longevity for this machine. So what are you missing by not getting the premium or LE? You're not going to be getting the projector that projects animated art onto the playfield portions of the game, such as the whole centerpiece, as well as the ramps and your targets. Then you are also not going to be getting the telekinesis multiball locking system, both of which I'm perfectly content by not having. But we'll dive further into that in a little bit. So let's look at the pro model first. Here we have the whole centerpiece with the ramp down to show us what the art looks like. So instead of getting a projection, we're going to be getting a static image, like a decal or whatever you want to say, onto this back portion right here, as well as the ramps. And honestly, I think that looks a lot better. Picture of the playfield. I want to say the playfield art is consistent with all three models. We've been through the fact that they have chosen to use plastic ramps. I don't agree that that's what they should have used but it's it's whatever here's an image right here with the center ramp up basically the laboratory image right here there's not really much to say about what I'm going through here because it's all pretty much the standard pictures of what you see nothing's different they're just from different angles I mean the only real question I have on this machine and I haven't read yet what it does or how you access it but there is a shooter lane trough that's back here in the very back of the machine and I don't know how it gets fed. The pro doesn't give me a clear image of how that whole system back there works so let's move on to the next tier and see if we get something there. Here is the limited edition. Now take a look at that guys can you honestly tell me that that looks good this looks like the game whenever it was in the prototype phase when art wasn't available i mean and i get it i i'm not looking past the fact that this is innovative they have they are trying something new i understand that It just to me whenever you basically putting all your bang and buck on this projection system now Whereas the Pro you guaranteed for it to at least look very appealing Whereas, let's say for instance, a year or two down the road, this more than likely an LED projector goes out. And you have to buy a new one. And it may be only $100 or $200. But the fact remains is that small little portion like that goes out on your game. Then the game is still functional, but just cosmetically very bland. All you have is white ramps. And we also don't know how this material is going to be when it comes to getting dirty or banged up and how it's going to look over time.

“So I will give you props, Stern, for innovating and trying new things. I get you on that. So I'm all up for it. please continue to span out and try different things”

Cary Hardy@ 15:25 — Balanced acknowledgment of innovation while maintaining skepticism about execution

  • “these games are going to be a lot brighter and poppier than they're going to be in person in these photographs”

    Cary Hardy@ 1:48 — Important context about photo saturation affecting viewer expectations

  • “As with any projector, the brighter the room, the lighter the images, but the projector is pretty bright because it's only about 26 inches away from the surfaces.”

    Zach Sharp (quoted)@ 11:11 — Official specification addressing lighting environment concerns

    • David Harbour
    person
    IGNcompany
    Netflixcompany
    The Shadowgame

    high · Direct statement: 'Price of these games is actually only, I want to say, like $100 more than your typical machines'

  • ?

    product_concern: Projector-based art system on Premium/LE tiers poses durability risk; single LED failure would render playfield cosmetically 'very bland' while game remains functional

    high · Extended analysis of projector failure scenarios and white ramp appearance; comparison of Pro static art vs. LE projection

  • ?

    product_strategy: Stranger Things uses three-tier model with strategic feature distribution: telekinesis multiball lock exclusive to Premium/LE; static art on Pro vs. dynamic projection on higher tiers

    high · Direct comparison of Pro vs. Premium vs. LE specifications and pricing; speaker notes ~$100 price difference from standard models

  • ?

    product_concern: Plastic ramp material choice questioned for cost-benefit; speaker seeks clarification on cost differential between plastic vs. metal/wire alternatives

    medium · 'I don't agree that that's what they should have used'; 'I would really like to know the price difference between the plastic ramps that they chose to use and if they would have gone to a wire form or metal'

  • ?

    technology_signal: Projector brightness (26 inches away) may struggle in well-lit arcade/barcade environments; game streaming viability compromised without controlled lighting and camera positioning

    high · Zach Sharp confirms projector brightness adequate in 'ambient arcade or home environment' but speaker predicts streaming will be problematic; player environment variability noted as concern

  • ?

    licensing_signal: Netflix licensing limits content to seasons 1-2 only; season 3 excluded from game despite existing in show canon

    high · Confirmed in Zach Sharp interview: 'only going to be seasons one and two'; speaker notes season 3 imagery could affect 'motif'

    • 5:39
    These are just some concerns. there's something more to think about guys and why i'm leaning more towards the pro that's what it looks like with the center ramp up images of both sides this has got the the art blades right here but the playfield layout and the art on the playfield is the same signed by brian eddy the designer of the game so this is something i'm curious about also because i couldn't get a good look at it but as you can see right here this is a ball locking mechanism you're going to have this rod that comes up to keep the ball from going down the ramp this is going to be hopefully on the pro models as well so you're able to hit this ramp and lock a couple of balls for a multi-ball and this is when we get a better idea of what's going on back here in the back this looks like the ball comes over here and maybe rests and eventually can be fired out.
    6:43
    Can't really get a good image or an angle on how that is loaded. I'm going to assume that it gets loaded by hitting directly under the Demogorgon after you knock the drop targets down. So that probably goes directly in this way, hits that back wall and feeds down into this trough or out hole, eject hole, whatever you want to call it. And then eventually it fires out of the right orbit. So this is a different angle.
    7:15
    And we can see it looks like, yeah, it looks like it feeds the right orbit and vice versa. So I guess that's something to think about.
    7:29
    This angle is really throwing me off. you have your saucer right here this is a better angle than what we got on the video you can see that you've got art on these targets so it looks like the projector doesn't reach that far so let's talk about the playfield art i don't see a problem with it i mean it's fine there's a crap ton of inserts on this game it's not exactly clip art it is posterized i would say is essentially the term i would go and use for this type of art it's Basically, it's been altered to where it doesn't look exactly like clip art. This is pretty... It's okay. It's not horrible. It's not fantastic. But it's sufficient. I don't have a major problem with it. It's one of those where it's not going to win an award, but it shouldn't be dogged on. And the last three images here are to show you what the telekinesis ball looks like with one, two, and three balls on it. And from a complete overhead view, and of course you get this plum powder coating with the armor and side rails and legs on the LE. I don't think you get it on the premium. Cabinet artwork wise, this is your limited edition. Highly saturated. You can see the differences with the armor having powder coating on it with like a plum powder coating. Looks alright. This is your premium artwork. Premium looks good. This is what we saw in the trailer, but we didn't get to see the actual cabinet. We just got to see the back box and side of the back box.
    9:17
    yeah looks all right and you have your pro probably the least appealing of the artwork i mean i guess i'm content with what looks like on the back box right here and the side of the cabinet and even a little bit on the front of the cabinet but i'm not too fond of the back glass for the pro if I was going to get this machine which I not if I was going to get this machine i would redo the back glass on the pro to this i mean yes this includes season three which is not going to be included in this pinball machine it's only going to be seasons one and two but i mean that may or may not throw off the motif but i'm just saying that looks pretty awesome and especially in comparison to what we are getting here which i don't care for honestly now there's an interview that was done with zach sharp and a lot of the questions get asked here like how does the projector work and where is it mounted does it work well in lit rooms is it an on and off the shelf projector or custom so these are some concerns that were definitely brought up with the leaked reveal and that was how is this game going to work in a well-lit room not everyone has the same environment when they play pinball i personally like to play my games in a dark room so if i were to get this machine then i would have no issues more than likely because my room would be dark but you have a lot of locations out there and barcades and stuff like that that do not typically have their lights turned all the way down for you to see inside the machines. And that's brought up in his answer. As with any projector, the brighter the room, the lighter the images, but the projector is pretty bright because it's only about 26 inches away from the surfaces. In an ambient arcade or home environment, the images show up really well. Will the game feature clips and audio from all three seasons? Are there custom voice call-outs? Yes, there are all of those, but only for seasons one and two. And they've also got the actual actor for Hopper to do the custom voice speeches. This is something that I want to say I just heard recently that they didn't believe that that was the actual actor. I forgot his name. I feel bad. I should know it.
    11:53
    It's mentioned somewhere on here. But they got the actual actor to do custom voice for the game, so that's pretty cool. The main music theme will be featured in the game, obviously, along with 20 other tracks that are inspired by the talented Ken Hale. Is there a video mode? What isn't? No, there's not currently a video mode.
    12:17
    How does the upside-down work into gameplay? He states that basically the upside-down works just like it did in the show. it happens randomly you're not going to know when it happens but when it does happen there are specific shots that you need to make in order to get back to the real world so who did the playfield led the code and did the art so brian eddie was the designer for the playfield lonnie ropp led the code and rule design and mike vinicore helped out in the rules design and balance bob steblich did the custom art package for every model of the game, but it was really the whole stern pinball of mechanical engineers, programmers, video artists, musicians, and art support that made the game possible. This is showing you the top-down differences between the pros and LEs and premiums and stuff like that. Now, this is the LE, obviously, and I like how they have photoshopped in the images on these drop targets and stuff like that to give you an idea what it's going to look like with it being this bright then you have your what model is this one this is the pro without the projector and now honestly like i said i believe the pro is the way to go on this one guys i mean if you disagree with me fine let me know give me some insight on why you believe the premium and Ellie is the better choice for this game. So yeah, I'm kind of curious to see how this game plays. I want to say the rumor is that we should be getting a stream possibly tonight from Jack Danger. He will more than likely be playing the pro version if I had to put my money on it. If he plays the premium or Ellie version, I will be surprised. I just don't think that this game is going to stream very well. Prove me wrong. By all means, prove me wrong. I have no problems with being wrong. This is merely me on the outside looking in, suggesting that this game is not going to stream very well without the proper lighting and positioning of the cameras and everything. My other prediction is that the Pro will sell, more than likely, pretty damn well. I see this game as being something that is going to be pro But there are still some questions that I do not have answers for I would like to get a better visual matter of fact on one of those pictures i should have an answer to one of my questions well it looks like on the pro we still have that plunger that should lock a ball so even without your telekinesis ability up here to lock your ball you should still be able to lock balls up here on the ramp for a multi ball so you're just not going to get the visualization of 11 telekinesis wise locking the balls up here. It's a cool effect, but I can live without it. As far as the projection portion goes, conceptually, yeah, pretty cool. But overall and in practice, I think it kind of falls short. So I will give you props, Stern, for innovating and trying new things. I get you on that. So I'm all up for it. please continue to span out and try different things and I'm hoping that maybe that you will learn a lot from this machine that your future games will incorporate something maybe a little bit more, I don't know, integrated with the game. So going strictly by images what are my final thoughts about this game? Let's talk about just aesthetically art standing back looking in the premium i believe has the best art package cabinet wise of course the pro model is less appealing to me especially in the back glass play field art is fine no issues with it now when it comes to design and layout i'm i've never been a fan of a fan layout This is obviously a fan layout when you've just got straight shots all the way up here like this. Just like, two, two, two, two, two, eight shots to choose from. I've always kind of fancied the games that have a play field that's a little bit more obtuse.
    16:43
    I mean, none of my games back here are a fan layout. I don't own a fan layout game. And I don't know. That's just something I guess I've realized about myself is that I don't really cater to those types of games. I don't really care for them as much. So with that being said, I really wish Brian would have done a more obtuse layout, something a little more, I don't know, closer to the shadow. That was one of his games that I really loved. And the layout wasn't too strange or anything, but it wasn't a fan layout, that's for damn sure. I'm just wondering if this particular shot layout, although very similar to successful games that he has done, did he do that because it was playing it safe? Like he knew that these shots were going to work, you know, or was he forced to play it safe due to the licensor? I can't talk about music because there's not really much of it that's been inside photos or anything. We've had the trailer, which is essentially just the music main theme, which I love. So we'll see more about that later. As far as the visuals and everything like that, that's going to be down the road. So all I can really judge on is what I can see. So my feelings on this could totally change once I see it get played. So like I said, these are just my opinions on photographs and for what we've seen so far. I don't care for the plastic ramps.
    18:18
    I would really like to know the price difference between the plastic ramps that they chose to use and if they would have gone to a wire form or metal. Just so I know. I mean, we're talking like, is it like a $5 to $10 difference, or is it like a $100 or $200 difference kind of thing? I just, I need to know. So I'm pretty sure this video has gone off a lot longer than I wanted it to be guys And that's why I'm going to bring it to a close So what do you think about the Stranger Things pinball machine from Stern? Let's just leave the show out of it Okay, just as the machine by itself What do you feel about this machine? Let me know down in the comments section Let's have a discussion on this By all means guys, give me that thumbs up And if you haven't already, do not forget to hit that subscribe button down below That way you can be notified of whenever I upload something for your viewing pleasure. Until next time, peace out.