claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.038
FarSight discusses Arcuda cabinet, post-WMS strategy, and future pinball emulation plans
FarSight has had an Arcuda cabinet prototype for almost a year
high confidence · Mike: 'I think we've had it for almost a year. I don't know exactly.'
Arcuda cabinet will include 76 tables; all Stern tables excluded due to licensing restrictions
high confidence · Chris: 'And then of the tables that are missing, basically it's all the Stern tables. So obviously Stern said, you know what? We're not too cool with having a full-size cabinet that plays our games that you can still buy.'
The current Arcuda package is a one-off; future additions may be possible but not confirmed
high confidence · Mike: 'The package that people are buying is a one-off and anything that goes in the future will be kind of like an add-on but it's not designed right now to have any more DLC or add-ons come into it.'
Stern Pinball app will be free-to-play, designed for VR first with Oculus partnership
high confidence · Mike: 'It's designed for VR first. Because we're working with Oculus to get all of this designed and everything and have a big say in what's happening.'
FarSight plans approximately five Pinball Arcade releases per year, with AC/DC, Mustang, and Star Trek among first three
high confidence · Chris: 'Bobby had said is probably about five releases a year, and we're all guessing that the first three are going to be in whatever order, but AC/DC, Mustang, and Star Trek.'
Goal is day-and-date releases between Stern app and TPA for new Stern titles
medium confidence · Mike: 'I'm thinking that it'll probably release to both games at the same time' and 'I think that'll probably be our plan because we're doing well with Pinball Arcade. And Stern is going to have a new thing, so there's no reason why we'd stagger it.'
Arcuda cabinet does not ship with 3D camera; purchasers must source their own Kinect
high confidence · Mike: 'They're not selling it with that. You're going to have to track one down yourself.' Chris notes: 'In Australia, it doesn't seem to be a problem, because there's those for sale for about $40 here in Australia.'
“It does feel more like a real pinball table. But yeah, it's still our game. Feels like our game.”
Mike Lindsey (FarSight) @ ~13:00 — Describes the experience of playing Pinball Arcade on the Arcuda cabinet versus digital versions
“They don't have the cabinets yet. That's the problem. They're just trying to get the final manufacturing stuff done.”
Mike Lindsey @ ~26:30 — Explains why Arcuda cannot loan demo units to streamers; indicates manufacturing delays
“We're working with Oculus to get all of this designed and everything and have a big say in what's happening.”
Mike Lindsey @ ~37:00 — Confirms Oculus partnership in Stern Pinball free-to-play VR app development
“Because we have Stern and because pinball still is a pretty good income for us, it'll continue to be for a long time. And if we keep putting new things into it, I think it'll keep going.”
Mike Lindsey @ ~48:00 — Addresses community confidence concerns post-WMS licensing loss; positions Stern app as core business
“It would be really awesome to do some Jersey Jack or... imagine getting that. Yeah, that would be crazy.”
Chris / Mike Lindsey @ ~52:30 — Expresses interest in emulating boutique manufacturer tables as alternative to WMS loss
“Charlie Emery saying that, yeah, you know, he would be open to actually looking down digital pinball routes for it. So I think he's already open to the idea.”
Chris Frebus @ ~54:00 — Reports Spooky Pinball willingness to license titles for digital emulation
“We've been trying to preserve the history of pinball. You know, there's a lot of history that we haven't been able to. Maybe this is our chance.”
Mike Lindsey @ ~56:30 — Frames post-WMS pivot toward boutique manufacturers as opportunity to preserve pinball history
“You guys really got to work on making it do a Steam Cloud save so that it's not stored locally.”
business_signal: FarSight Studios pivoting business model from WMS exclusivity toward multi-platform strategy: boutique manufacturers (Spooky, Jersey Jack), Stern free-to-play app, and legacy Gottlieb/Capcom licensing
high · Mike discusses Stern app, Gottlieb prospects, Capcom interest, and potential Spooky/Jersey Jack partnerships as alternative revenue streams post-WMS termination.
community_signal: FarSight committed to addressing lingering quality-of-life issues (Steam Cloud save, auto-launch bug fixes, Monster Bash visual refresh) to restore customer confidence post-WMS loss
medium · Chris pitches Steam Cloud saves and Fireball auto-launch fix. Mike responds affirmatively on Monster Bash facelift possibility. Framed as addressing confidence concerns.
market_signal: Post-WMS loss framed as opportunity rather than setback: FarSight can now pursue boutique manufacturer partnerships (Spooky, Jersey Jack) and legacy emulation (Capcom, Gottlieb) to diversify and preserve pinball history
medium · Mike: 'We've been trying to preserve the history of pinball... Maybe this is our chance... It could actually open up a whole world of different boutique manufacturers.'
licensing_signal: Gottlieb licensing heavily restricted due to extensive IP licensing on Premiere tables; FarSight exploring de-licensing approach (similar to Doctor Who) as alternative; Scientific Games licensing negotiations ongoing but uncertain
medium · Mike: 'They're really heavily licensed... We have kind of dipped into de-licensing ourselves a little bit now.' Admits uncertainty on Scientific Games negotiations.
groq_whisper · $0.169
FarSight considered shipping demo Arcuda cabinet to community for testing but Arcuda declined
high confidence · Chris: 'I kept on trying to convince Arcuda to ship us a version of the cabinet... but they didn't seem to bite on that.' Mike: 'They don't have the cabinets yet. They're just trying to get the final manufacturing stuff done.'
FarSight is considering Gottlieb emulation, prioritizing DMD tables, then Solid State, then EM
high confidence · Mike: 'I think we're going to be doing a little bit of both probably more premiere... anything with DMD would probably be first, and then Solid State second, and then EM's third.'
FarSight has already de-licensed some tables and may consider re-skinning licensed Gottlieb tables
medium confidence · Mike: 'We have kind of dipped into de-licensing ourselves a little bit now' and regarding de-licensing existing tables: 'I'm inclined to think so, but I don't know.'
Chris Frebus @ ~59:30 — Direct feedback to FarSight about critical quality-of-life feature needed in TPA
licensing_signal: Stern Pinball actively restricting Williams/Gottlieb digital licensing to prevent full-size cabinet competition; Arcuda cabinet excludes all Stern tables due to licensing negotiations
high · Chris: 'Stern said, you know what? We're not too cool with having a full-size cabinet that plays our games that you can still buy.' Cabinet includes 76 tables but all Stern titles missing.
community_signal: Bobby (FarSight leadership) on vacation during post-WMS announcement period, limiting internal communication and customer-facing response during critical timing
high · Mike: 'As soon as I got back, Bobby went on his vacation. There's been like no... And the timing was also crazy because I had left, and then the day after I left, that was when the announcement was.'
product_strategy: Arcuda cabinet manufacturing timeline uncertain; prototype available for ~1 year but final production not ready; FarSight unable to loan demo units due to inventory constraints
high · Mike: 'They don't have the cabinets yet. They're just trying to get the final manufacturing stuff done.' Jared's visit plans described as requiring plane/drive schedule implications.
product_strategy: FarSight committed to ~5 Pinball Arcade releases per year; first three anticipated as AC/DC, Mustang, Star Trek; Stern app release strategy may prioritize Oculus first, then Steam/mobile
high · Chris: 'Five releases a year... first three are going to be... AC/DC, Mustang, and Star Trek.' Mike: Oculus priority possible, then other platforms.
rumor_hype: Planetary pinball manufacturer rumored to have lost some licenses despite acquiring molds/tooling and negotiating perpetual licenses with Scientific Games; details unconfirmed
low · Chris: 'Planetary actually lost some licenses there too.' Mike: 'Word on the street.' Chris: 'Massive case of smoke and mirrors. We really have no idea.'
technology_signal: Stern Pinball free-to-play app designed as VR-first experience with Oculus partnership; mobile-style progression model; represents strategic shift from traditional TPA model
high · Mike: 'It's designed for VR first. We're working with Oculus... it's a mobile-style game with all of everything. You can grind and grind and earn what you want.'