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Scorbit launches Scorbitron 2.0, new app, and digital payments for venue-based pinball competitions.
Scorbit has been around for almost 10 years, with the idea originating about 10 years ago and launching the Scorbitron in 2020
high confidence · Ron Richards (co-founder) speaking at Pinball Expo 2025
Scorbit was the first connected pinball platform, released before Stern Insider Connected
high confidence · Ron Richards claiming pioneering status in connected pinball space
ESPN's Ocho broadcast in August featured live scores powered by Scorbit during a heads-up Uncanny X-Men tournament
high confidence · Ron Richards at Pinball Expo 2025 seminar
Scorbitron 2.0 is compatible with 89% of all electronic pinball machines in the world
high confidence · Jay (CEO) announcing hardware compatibility at Pinball Expo 2025
The new CPU probe works with machines made from approximately 1977 to 2009 when they stopped using 4D-DIP CPUs
high confidence · Technical specification provided during hardware presentation
Digital payments and competition features will be rolled out through beta testing by end of 2025
high confidence · Announcement at Pinball Expo 2025 regarding launch timeline
Scorbit provides venue hardware at no cost and shares revenue from competition entry fees
high confidence · Jay and Ron Richards discussing business model for venues
Five initial partner venues for beta testing: Lynn's Arcade (Seaside, CA), LITT Pinball Bar (Minneapolis), Fun Spot (New Hampshire), Rulo's (Brooklyn), Quarter Bandits (Spring Hill, Tennessee)
high confidence · Announced during venue rollout discussion at Pinball Expo 2025
The new Scorbit app was completely rebuilt from the ground up with new infrastructure
high confidence · Ron Richards noting version 2.0.0 is a complete rebuild
“We win if more people play pinball. That was basically the North Star that got us all the way here.”
Ron Richards @ Early in presentation — Core mission statement revealing Scorbit's fundamental business philosophy and why they built the platform
“Our mission was to build a connected gaming platform... take vintage and modern machines and connect them to the Internet, connect them to a cloud platform and bridge communities and competition”
Ron Richards @ Mid-presentation — Explains the strategic direction and scope of Scorbit's vision
“The days of needing quarters hopefully are gone. Being able to enter your credit card into Scorbit or your debit card and maintain a balance and use your phone to pay for games.”
Jay @ Hardware/features section — Highlights major shift from coin-operated to digital payment ecosystem
“Wouldn't it be cool if I could just tap my phone to the machine and it knows who I am? That's what we've done. Super hard to do.”
Ron Richards @ NFC tap pad discussion — Demonstrates competitive differentiation vs. Stern's QR code approach and acknowledges technical challenge
“We've completely rebuilt the entire thing from the ground up, the infrastructure all the way up to the app that you have in your hand.”
Ron Richards @ App discussion — Emphasizes scope of product redesign and commitment to rebuilding rather than incremental updates
“If there are features that are missing that you're like, hey, where'd that go? write into us, let us know, because we want to get as much user feedback as possible.”
Ron Richards @ App features section — Shows openness to community feedback and iterative development approach
“In the new version of Scorebit, that is no cost to you. It is actually provided to you. No money down. No money down.”
Jay and Ron Richards @ Venue business model discussion — Key business model change removing hardware cost barrier for venue adoption
product_launch: Scorbit announced Scorbitron 2.0 hardware redesign featuring smaller form factor, faster performance, CPU probe for legacy machine compatibility, and NFC tap pad functionality
high · Jay announced: 'The Scorbitron 2.0 is brand new and much smaller and much faster. and now we're excited to announce that it's compatible with 89% of every electronic pinball machine that exists in the world.'
product_launch: Scorbit released completely rebuilt mobile app (v2.0.0) with new UI, NFC tap-to-play support, and preparation for digital payments and competition features
high · Ron Richards: 'We've completely rebuilt the entire thing from the ground up, the infrastructure all the way up to the app that you have in your hand.' App launched on iOS and Android at Pinball Expo 2025
technology_signal: Scorbit implemented NFC tap-to-play as differentiation vs. Stern's QR code approach, with animated RGB lighting and firmware update capability
high · Ron Richards discussed two-year development effort: 'we have to figure out how to make tap-to-play work' and described implementation challenges with machine noise interfering with NFC signals
business_signal: Scorbit shifted from venue hardware purchase model to zero-cost hardware provision with revenue sharing on competition entry fees
high · Jay: 'In the new version of Scorebit, that is no cost to you. It is actually provided to you. No money down.' and 'we share the upside with you for any additional revenue that comes in'
product_launch: Scorbit introduced digital payment system with credit/debit card integration, digital wallet, and real money jackpot competitions at venues
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NFC tap-to-play technology was a two-year development goal initiated by the founders
high confidence · Ron Richards discussing when the decision was made to implement tap-to-play
“If you're in a dark location, you can dim it. If you're in a bright location, make it super bright.”
Ron Richards @ NFC tap pad discussion — Shows attention to venue-specific installation customization
high · Jay: 'The new Scorber platform is introducing a digital payment platform. So the days of needing quarters hopefully are gone... win real money deposited directly into your account'
market_signal: Scorbit beginning beta rollout across five initial venue partners with plans to expand throughout 2025
high · Five venues announced: Lynn's Arcade (CA), Lit (Minneapolis), Fun Spot (NH), Rulo's (Brooklyn), Quarter Bandits (TN). 'By the end of this year, these locations will be the first ones where you can see Scorbid in action'
competitive_signal: Scorbit claims first-mover advantage in connected pinball (launched before Stern Insider Connected) and positions NFC tap as superior to Stern's QR code implementation
medium · Ron Richards: 'We were the first connected pinball platform we released before Insider Connected came out' and tap pad discussion: 'with all due respect, Stern's implementation of QR codes was great... Wouldn't it be cool if I could just tap my phone?'
operational_signal: Scorbit developed web-based operator dashboard enabling remote machine management including dynamic pricing, tournament setup, performance analytics, and scheduled settings changes
high · Example given: operator living four hours from venue can remotely schedule Saturday 1pm free play / 5pm paid play transitions via web interface
community_signal: Scorbit platform enables asynchronous venue competitions where players compete across days/weeks on same machines with notification-driven engagement
high · Kate (bar owner) described appeal: 'if we just always had stuff happening, we would get more people there. this just creates that all the time like whenever you want it'
technology_signal: Scorbitron 2.0 CPU probe innovation supports machines from ~1977-2009 with configurable CPU types (6800s, 6802s, 6808s, 6809Es, 6502s) without requiring game code modification
high · Technical specification: 'you can set it up for 6800s, 6802s, 6808s, 6809Es, 6502s for the Gottlieb friends... It allows us to, without changing game code, add credits, read memory, even start a game'
event_signal: ESPN Ocho broadcast partnership in August 2024 demonstrated Scorbit's integration into mainstream sports media for competitive pinball coverage
high · Ron Richards: 'ESPN actually called us... they had the heads up tournament with Uncanny X-Men... the live scores that were displayed on screen on the ESPN broadcast were actually powered by Scorebit'
product_strategy: Scorbit adopting phased approach to feature releases (v2.0.0 as foundation with payments/competitions coming later) and emphasizing ongoing updates and community feedback integration
high · Ron Richards: 'this is version 2.0.0. There will probably be an update today, tomorrow, and every day' and solicitation of user feedback for missing features