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Don’s Pinball Podcast is live!

Don's Pinball Podcast Live Streams (YouTube)·video·13m 35s·analyzed·Jun 24, 2026
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claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.028

TL;DR

Don Pinball livestreams concerns about Sonic embargo and design choices ahead of JJP facility visit.

Summary

Don, host of Don's A A Pinball Podcast, livestreams from outside Stern Pinball headquarters in Illinois after traveling to see the newly revealed Sonic the Hedgehog machine from Jersey Jack Pinball. He expresses frustration about gameplay embargo restrictions preventing him from filming or sharing footage of the game despite it being officially revealed and available for pre-order, and critiques specific design choices like the lack of spinners on the main orbits. He plans to visit JJP's facility at 1 p.m. to play the game and interview the designer.

Key Claims

  • Sonic the Hedgehog was officially revealed/unveiled by Jersey Jack Pinball

    high confidence · Don states: 'we had the reveal, the unveiling of the long rumored Sonic the Hedgehog, the Battle for Pandora from Jersey Jack Pinball' and references 'yesterday' when this occurred

  • Jersey Jack Pinball is enforcing a gameplay embargo—no one is allowed to film or share gameplay footage of Sonic despite the game being officially revealed and taking pre-orders

    high confidence · Don: 'The word has come down. No gameplay can be seen at all...This is a game that's revealed. This is a game that they're taking money for. And we don't have any actual footage.' He also states: 'the fact that they're asking for money right now, distributors are asking for money, people are asking for purchases, but at the same time, they're not letting people show any gameplay footage'

  • Sonic the Hedgehog features a clear upper playfield

    high confidence · Don: 'There's a clear upper play field. Is it Plexiglas? Is it Lexan? Lucite? Or something else?'

  • Sonic does not have spinners on the main orbits, only a spinner in a horseshoe configuration on the upper playfield

    high confidence · Don: 'The Orbit lane does not have a spinner...There's one on the upper playfield in a horseshoe...if that's the only spinner that you can like rip and it's just in a 180 boomerang, whatever, U-turn, I guess that's not fun. I want like the main orbit of the game should have a spinner on it'

  • Don believes the lack of spinners on Sonic's orbits is a design flaw similar to a problem he encountered with Venom

    high confidence · Don: 'I don't want to compare Sonic to Venom, but Venom had the same problem. There was nothing kinetic on the orbit...I had to install a spinner on Venom on the left orbit just to get some satisfaction'

  • The gameplay embargo is dampening Don's confidence in purchasing Sonic

    high confidence · Don: 'It doesn't instill the confidence that I need for a large purchase...I think they had me for a little bit yesterday afternoon, not going to lie, but now I'm kind of like back out because I'm wary'

Notable Quotes

  • “No gameplay can be seen at all. So that sucks. You know, and this is a game that's revealed. This is a game that they're taking money for. And we don't have any actual footage.”

    Don@ 2:00 — Core frustration with the gameplay embargo contradicting typical industry practice for revealed games taking pre-orders

  • “It doesn't instill the confidence that I need for a large purchase. I think they had me for a little bit yesterday afternoon, not going to lie, but now I'm kind of like back out because I'm wary.”

    Don@ 7:38 — Demonstrates how the embargo is negatively affecting purchase intent and community confidence in Sonic

  • “How does Sonic not have just a rippable spinner? There's one on the upper playfield in a horseshoe, which sounds like horse shit.”

    Don@ 11:02 — Specific design criticism about missing mechanical elements from the game

  • “I don't want to compare Sonic to Venom, but Venom had the same problem. There was nothing kinetic on the orbit. I had to install a spinner on Venom on the left orbit just to get some satisfaction.”

    Don@ 11:34 — Personal modification history showing design philosophy about spinners and kinetic playfield elements

  • “Pinball is so secretive that you never know what's around the corner. And every time you do go in on a game, you blow your budget on what could potentially be there.”

    Don@ 4:36 — Commentary on broader industry secrecy and FOMO dynamics affecting purchasing decisions

  • “What I don't want to do is be muzzled about something. So I had the rest of the day off. I figured I'd drive in down Elk Grove Village on a bit of a rainy day.”

Entities

DonpersonJersey Jack PinballcompanyStern PinballcompanySonic the HedgehoggameMultimorphiccompanySpooky Pinballcompany[name withheld pending review]personElectric Bat Arcadeorganization

Signals

  • ?

    product_concern: Sonic the Hedgehog missing spinner elements on main orbits; only horseshoe spinner on upper playfield. Don critiques this as reducing kinetic satisfaction and comparing unfavorably to thematic expectations from IP and other recent releases.

    high · Don's detailed gameplay critique: 'The Orbit lane does not have a spinner...There's one on the upper playfield in a horseshoe, which sounds like horse shit...I want like the main orbit of the game should have a spinner on it so we can just rip the hell out of that thing.'

  • ?

    product_concern: Jersey Jack Pinball enforcing strict gameplay embargo on Sonic despite official reveal and active pre-orders. This is unusual and causing negative sentiment about purchase confidence.

    high · Don: 'The word has come down. No gameplay can be seen at all' and 'they're asking for money right now, distributors are asking for money, people are asking for purchases, but at the same time, they're not letting people show any gameplay footage'

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Don's confidence in purchasing Sonic dropped significantly after learning about gameplay embargo. Despite initial interest, he is now reconsidering pre-order due to lack of gameplay transparency.

    high · Don: 'I think they had me for a little bit yesterday afternoon, not going to lie, but now I'm kind of like back out because I'm wary'

  • ?

    announcement: Sonic the Hedgehog officially revealed by Jersey Jack Pinball. Game features clear upper playfield and is positioned as a major 2026 release competing with other prestige titles.

    high · Don: 'we had the reveal, the unveiling of the long rumored Sonic the Hedgehog, the Battle for Pandora from Jersey Jack Pinball' occurring 'yesterday'

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.041

0:00
YouTube live here. Massive day at pinball yesterday. If you will notice, we had the reveal, the unveiling of the long rumored Sonic the Hedgehog, the Battle for Pandora from Jersey Jack Pinball. I'm not certain if that's the tagline or not. I was working all day yesterday. In fact, I was working all day last night. All night last day. So I'm a little bit groggy. But we're here in Schaumburg, Elk Grove Village, Illinois, on a nondescript public sidewalk to do some filming. Some public filming, as it were. And to see what's going on in the world of Elk Grove Village. It's a bit of a blustery day, a little drizzle, a little drizzle, but for now, it's not raining too bad. So I figured I'd walk around. I have an appointment at this local place here on this street, down the street from Stern, and we'll see what happens. We'll see what happens. I represent the Electric Bat Arcade, one of my favorite places in Tempe, Arizona to be. Probably that and Wienerschnitzel, my two favorites if you're in the area.
1:07
So I got to consume everybody's content they were making yesterday. I still haven't got a good idea on exactly what all the shots are in this game. There's a clear upper play field. Is it Plexiglas? Is it Lexan? Lucite? Or something else? I don't know. I'm hearing people talk about it's clear-coded.
1:27
Ralph did a video and I watched parts of it, but it was so long. I work 24 hours and I don't get to sit and indulge. So I'm going into this pretty blind.
1:37

Don has an appointment scheduled with Jersey Jack Pinball at 1 p.m. to play Sonic and potentially interview the designer

high confidence · Don: 'So that's what I'm doing' and later 'I'm going to talk to the designer hopefully in a little bit. That's one of my questions'

  • Multimorphic has reached out to Don to appear on his podcast and may have multiple unreleased games in development

    medium confidence · Don: 'I've had Multimorphic reach out. They want to come on the show...I guess we'll find out. What I don't want to do is be muzzled about something' and references seeing games 'on the line' in a roll-up door, with mention of NDA

  • Spooky Pinball may be working on Evil Dead, Harry Potter, and Predator licensed games

    low confidence · Don mentions: 'Sperry Pintlejuice, Evil Dead, Harry Potter, Predator' in a context discussing potential Multimorphic or industry rumors, but attribution is unclear and may be speculation

  • Masters of the Universe and Barrels of Fun are rumored to be dropping soon

    low confidence · Don: 'Masters of the Universe? Barrels of Fun? Dropping Soon? What is this rumor I'm hearing?'

    • Don@ 6:12 — Shows Don's commitment to transparent content creation despite potential embargoes

  • “When I heard that Sonic the Hedgehog was coming out one of my first thoughts was I need that Sega logo The Sega when you start up the Genesis games right We not getting that.”

    Don@ 10:05 — Indicates missing IP/nostalgic elements in the game design

  • “At the end of every level of Sonic, he runs through the horizontal spinner. So I'm like, I'm sure there'll be a horizontal spinner...That's not in the game.”

    Don@ 10:17 — Shows expectation misalignment between IP theme elements and actual game mechanics

    • Portal
    game
    Pulp Fictiongame
    Venomgame
    Pokémongame
    Transformersgame
    Avatar: The Battle for Pandoragame
    Masters of the Universegame
    Barrels of Funcompany
    ?

    rumor_hype: Unconfirmed rumors circulating about Masters of the Universe and Barrels of Fun having games 'dropping soon'; Don treating these as candy-coated industry gossip.

    low · Don: 'Masters of the Universe? Barrels of Fun? Dropping Soon? What is this rumor I'm hearing? This is like candy-coated cheese for me.'

  • ?

    content_signal: Multimorphic has reached out to Don's podcast to appear; suggests manufacturer engagement with content creators for P3 promotion.

    medium · Don: 'I've had Multimorphic reach out. They want to come on the show.'

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Don advocates for spinner-based kinetic gameplay elements as core to satisfying orbits. He has actively modified machines (Venom) to add spinners and references games like Pulp Fiction with dual spinner setups as gold standard.

    high · Don's extended commentary on spinner design preferences and personal modification of Venom machine

  • $

    market_signal: Don notes that early pre-orders secure front-of-line delivery advantage, but lack of gameplay footage prevents informed early purchasing decisions in Sonic's case.

    medium · Don: 'when a game launches, if you could buy it right away, you're front of the line, man. You get it soon. What I don't know is if it's worth getting.'

  • ?

    design_innovation: Sonic the Hedgehog features a clear upper playfield (material type—Plexiglas, Lexan, Lucite—unconfirmed). This is a notable design element Don is trying to understand.

    high · Don: 'There's a clear upper play field. Is it Plexiglas? Is it Lexan? Lucite? Or something else?'

  • ?

    community_signal: Don emphasizing his independence from manufacturer sponsorships and desire to remain un-muzzled by embargoes; considering shifting to Patreon-only sponsorship model to maintain editorial freedom.

    medium · Don: 'I'm thinking about taking back all the sponsors and everything for the content that I do...I don't want to be muzzled about something.'

  • ?

    product_strategy: Don expected Sonic pinball to include iconic IP elements like Sega logo, Green Hill Zone loop, and horizontal spinner from original games. Absence of these creates thematic disconnect.

    high · Don: 'When I heard that Sonic the Hedgehog was coming out one of my first thoughts was I need that Sega logo...We not getting that. At the end of every level of Sonic, he runs through the horizontal spinner...That's not in the game.'

    • Pretty blind. I get to watch airplanes, though. Take it out for a little hair. Which is one of my favorite things to do. This guy's like, get out of my way, dude. I'm trying to get out of here.
    1:50
    Well, why don't you take that comment about the last hope for actual gameplay and flush it down the toilet? Because you ain't getting no gameplay.
    2:00
    I, yeah, I set this up, worked for weeks to get this set up here. Just received a call, a message. The word has come down. No gameplay can be seen at all. So that sucks. You know, and this is a game that's revealed. This is a game that they're taking money for. And we don't have any actual footage. We just, what's the game like? I mean, it's not the greenest flag I've ever seen. I don't know the reasoning behind it. I can only speculate, which is one of my specialties.
    2:38
    But who knows? I'll go see what I can find out. All I know is I show up the door here soon, supposed to meet, we'll see what happens. I'm here to get information. I'm here as somebody that's interested in buying new pinball machines. I have like-minded friends, listeners and whatnots. And so we all want to know, like, how is this game? You know, I'm not receiving one for free. I'm not receiving a massive discount to get one if I do want one. I'm honestly just a little bit curious about what these guys are bringing. There's a sign. It like going to Hershey Pennsylvania and seeing the Hershey factory in person That must be somebody office over there I don know what I can show or what I can What I not interested in doing is going into some kind of trim these trees going to some kind of extended embargo on information I'm here to find some information for myself and my own personal financial mishaps when it comes to buying pinball machines. And I want to share that with other people. What I don't want to do is come find out and have to sit on it because that's no fun for anybody.
    3:53
    It's early. It's early. Rain's kicking up. It's a little 180 here. I'll head back. Look at this tree.
    4:04
    Maybe they could take some of the proceeds and trim this guy up, man. It's like a forested canopy. It's like I'm on Pandora right here. This must have been the inspiration for Avatar the Battle of Pandora, The Legend of Curly's Gold. I had to duck down there. My little six-foot frame has to tuck around the bushes here. So I don't know. We all want to know the same thing. Is the game fun? Should I get one now?
    4:34
    Or should I wait for whatever's coming next? Pinball is so secretive that you never know what's around the corner. And every time you do go in on a game, you blow your budget on what could potentially be there. Masters of the Universe? Barrels of Fun? Dropping Soon? What is this rumor I'm hearing? This is like candy-coated cheese for me. For my rat face, I love hearing that kind of stuff. But then, you know, I want to play the Blue Bomber at home. In my mind, I was fantasizing. I was like, Don, they're going to invite you there. They're going to offer to let you purchase one of the CEs that is in the factory and take it with you that day. I don't think it's going to happen.
    5:17
    What's next for P3? What's what we all want to know, man? Something licensed, I hope. The follow-up to Portal.
    5:27
    I've had Multimorphic reach out. They want to come on the show. Sperry Pintlejuice, Evil Dead, Hary Potter, Predator. And if you were to peek in that roll-up door that's over there, you'd probably see some games on the line.
    6:07
    I don't know. They mentioned something about NDA. I don't know what you would NDA at this point. I guess we'll find out. What I don't want to do is be muzzled about something. So I had the rest of the day off. I figured I'd drive in down Elk Grove Village on a bit of a rainy day. I should have got an umbrella, an umbrella, but we'll do what we can. We'll do what we can.
    6:35
    So, otherwise, I don't know. I got 30 minutes and we'll find out. Ideally I would love to do a YouTube live Patreon live from the actual probably was probably from the actual game and show off some gameplay potato cam footage or whatnot
    6:55
    Perhaps it's such that they have a gameplay trailer, they want that to be people's first eyeballs on look at what the game's like, and so they don't want any potato cams out there. But like the game's released, man. Let's go. Let's go. Let's get some sales. Because just the fact that they're asking for money right now, distributors are asking for money, people are asking for purchases, but at the same time, they're not letting people show any gameplay footage. Has that happened before? Have we had a game release where people are still embargoed? I don't know. It doesn't instill the confidence that I need for a large purchase. So, I think they had me for a little bit yesterday afternoon, not going to lie, but now I'm kind of like back out because I'm wary, because I'm wary.
    7:49
    All right, I'm going to read some comments. Nice weather, right? There was a break in the weather, fortunately.
    7:57
    What's up, Captain? I'm going to hang out by the F-150 here. Where did my comments go? There we go. Gameplay then. Didn't I send it to you? I mean, wait, I can't talk about that.
    8:37
    Pinball Studios here. Can't go to JJP today as Stern is using you for their marketing this afternoon.
    8:44
    Okay, cuz. You know, I'm thinking about getting rid of all the sponsors and everything for the content that I do. And picking, I still want to be sponsored. I want to be sponsored by the people. So everybody on Patreon, I want them to be the sponsors. Spooky Luke, Spooky Jack Pinball, Red Bull, Red Bull, Spooky Jack Pinball. I could actually see what this game's like. I'm fortunate that I live close enough to Chicago. It's not a big deal for me to come in. Also, I like the food and culture of Chicago, so it's never a wasted trip. But I hope I don't attempt to be muzzled or I can't say anything. So y'all be good. And let me know your thoughts. Did you already buy a Sonic? Is all this hyperbole?
    9:54
    I do like the platform JJP has. Can I just talk about? Okay, so I haven't played Sonic the Hedgehog yet. This is the only time in my life I'll be able to say that because I'm going to go play it hopefully soon.
    10:05
    When I heard that Sonic the Hedgehog was coming out one of my first thoughts was I need that Sega logo The Sega when you start up the Genesis games right We not getting that
    10:17
    At the end of every level of Sonic, he runs through the horizontal spinner. So I'm like, I'm sure there'll be a horizontal spinner. Because imagine you're playing the stage mode, right? You hit the target, you qualify it. And then the last shot, a little spinner drops down in an orbit and you blast it. And that signifies, all right, I finished the mode, and now as many spins as I get, that's my bonus points, right? That's not in the game.
    10:44
    What else did I want? I wanted the Green Hill Zone vertical loop. I wanted, with the brown and green checker mark, the grass on top, that vertical loop from the first game, iconic Sonic. That wasn't in there.
    11:00
    The Orbit lane does not have a spinner. How does Sonic not have just a rippable spinner? There's one on the upper playfield in a horseshoe, which sounds like horse shit. But if that's the only spinner that you can like rip and it's just in a 180 boomerang, whatever, U-turn, I guess that's not fun. I want like the main orbit of the game should have a spinner on it so we can just rip the hell out of that thing. It works great on Pulp Fiction where there's two of them and they're on bearings. They spin forever and they're opto spinners. And it's like I love ripping those.
    11:34
    You know, I don't want to compare Sonic to Venom, but Venom had the same problem. There was nothing kinetic on the orbit. I had to install a spinner on Venom on the left orbit just to get some satisfaction of like ripping that orbit and get the spinner going. It wasn't connected to anything. I just screwed it in there. But at least I had a moving spinner in Venom. Helped the game. Made the game a lot more fun.
    11:59
    So how do you not have a spinner on each orbit in Sonic? I don't know. I'm talking to the designer hopefully in a little bit. That's one of my questions. Why not? I know spinners don't cost that much.
    12:12
    I can get some gameplay footage right now. But would love to do that. Spooky Luke, Spooky Luke, Spooky Luke. Awesome gameplay. Then by then, the order banks are going to be months full. There'll be waits. That's no fun. You know, when a game launches, if you could buy it right away, you're front of the line, man. You get it soon. What I don't know is if it's worth getting. And so that's what I'm here ostensibly to find out. And fortunately, the kind folks at Jersey Jack said, Don, come on by at 1 p.m. So that's what I'm doing. So if you want to come hang out, I'll be here. I don't know what I'm doing after this. I don't know if there's a game in Interium. There's a Transformers there, I think. If Stern's watching, send me a text. Let me come by and play some more Transformers or something. Let me see that Pokemon top. Let's do that. I'm going to move the track. You guys be good. Let's talk. Let's talk.