Journalist Tool

Kineticist

  • HDashboard
  • IItems
  • ↓Ingest
  • SSources
  • KBeats
  • BBriefs
  • RIntel
  • QSearch
  • NName Review
  • +Health

v0.1.0

← Back to items

Who Will be Crowned The Ultimate JJP? | Also Scorbit Joins Us!

LoserKid YouTube·video·1h 12m·analyzed·Apr 30, 2026
View original
Export .md

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.031

TL;DR

Scorbit Connected Pinball platform expands tournament features across 14+ locations with cashless payment and legacy machine support.

Summary

Ron from Scorbit discusses the platform's history, capabilities, and recent tournament launch with LoserKid hosts Josh and Scott. Scorbit is a connected pinball platform predating Insider Connected (launched 2020) that works with nearly every pinball machine back to 1977 through hardware retrofits or code integration. The company recently launched asynchronous tournaments at 14+ US locations with prize pools funded by entry fees, and is expanding venue adoption through a revenue-sharing model to reduce operator upfront costs.

Key Claims

  • Scorbit was one of the first connected pinball platforms, launched in 2020, predating Insider Connected

    high confidence · Ron (Scorbit) stating on LoserKid podcast that Scorbit 'predate[s] Insider Connected' and came out 'back in 2020'

  • Scorbit can connect approximately 92% of all solid state pinball machines manufactured dating back to 1977

    high confidence · Ron explicitly stating 'we estimate we're about 92% of all pinball machines that have ever been manufactured we can extract the data from'

  • Scorbit tournaments were launched at 14 locations across the US approximately two weeks prior to the podcast

    high confidence · Ron: 'we just started rolling out uh the tournaments literally like two weeks ago' and lists specific venues (Lind Arcade, Capital Pinball Parlor, Ruos in Brooklyn, Quarter World, Minnesota Pinball, etc.)

  • Pulp Fiction by Play Mechanics (CGC) will include Scorbit code integration in its next code update

    high confidence · Ron: 'Pulp Fiction by Play Mechanics, manufactured by CGC, their next code update is going to include Scorbit code in the code. Um, we've been working very closely with them'

  • Scorbit originated from a conversation at California Extreme arcade show about 10 years ago between Ron and co-founders Brian O'Neal and Jay Allison

    high confidence · Ron: 'me and u my co-founders Brian O'Neal and Jay Allison were walking around California Extreme... we just kind of asked ourselves'

  • Scorbit offers a no-upfront-cost hardware program for venue operators with revenue-sharing payoff model

    high confidence · Ron: 'we have a program where we just uh provide the Scorbet hardware at no cost upfront' and 'we're able to share revenue with those um operators to pay off the hardware over time'

  • Scorbit had a tournament booth at TPF (The Pinball Fest?) with enough player interest to create a line outside the booth

    medium confidence · Ron: 'we were at TPF and we had a tournament going on in our booth. Um, and we had a line out of the booth'

Notable Quotes

  • “Scorbit basically is connected pinball. Um, we were actually one of the first folks on the scene doing Connected Pinball. We came out back in 2020. Um, so we predate uh, uh, Insider Connected”

    Ron (Scorbit)@ 2:17 — Core positioning statement: Scorbit's market entry predates Stern's competing platform by leveraging older machine support

  • “nearly every pinball machine dating back to 1977... we estimate we're about 92% of all pinball machines that have ever been manufactured we can extract the data from”

    Ron (Scorbit)@ 19:34 — Key competitive differentiator vs Insider Connected (limited to ~20 modern Stern machines)

  • “the whole idea is that you know scorbit is this kind of connector between the player and the machine and the data that comes through and that data mostly is scores right”

    Ron (Scorbit)@ 5:43 — Core philosophy distinguishing Scorbit from competitors; player-centric design and data flow

  • “we provide the Scorbet hardware at no cost upfront... we're able to share revenue with those um operators to pay off the hardware over time”

    Ron (Scorbit)@ 8:15 — Novel B2B model addressing operator cost barriers, directly addressing small venue affordability concerns

  • “Pulp Fiction by Play Mechanics, manufactured by CGC, their next code update is going to include Scorbit code in the code... people will be able to, um, do the code update and they've got Scorbit in in the machine”

    Ron (Scorbit)@ 20:49 — Announcement of manufacturer partnership expansion into non-Stern ecosystem; verifiable upcoming integration

Entities

ScorbitproductRonpersonJosh RPpersonScott LarsonpersonZach Nicole MinipersonBrian O'NealpersonJay AllisonpersonInsider ConnectedproductCalifornia ExtremeeventLind Arcade

Signals

  • ?

    product_launch: Scorbit launched asynchronous tournament product at 14 US locations approximately 2 weeks before podcast, with locations lighting up daily and expanded planned deployment at Pinfest

    high · Ron: 'we just started rolling out uh the tournaments literally like two weeks ago' with specific venue list; 'we're lighting up new locations literally every day'

  • ?

    technology_signal: Scorbit gaining traction with non-Stern manufacturers; Pulp Fiction (Play Mechanics/CGC) next code update will include native Scorbit integration without hardware

    high · Ron: 'Pulp Fiction by Play Mechanics... their next code update is going to include Scorbit code... in the final stages of testing'

  • ?

    partnership_signal: Scorbit has integrated with Pinball Map for location services and with Match Play for tournament score automatic ingestion

    high · Ron: 'thanks to our friends at Pinball Map that we have a great partnership with' and 'we have an integration with match play, so scores automatically get sucked into match play'

  • ?

    business_signal: Scorbit pioneering revenue-sharing hardware deployment model targeting small venues/operators; zero upfront hardware cost with ROI through tournament entry fees and coin payment revenue sharing

    high · Ron explaining no-cost hardware program with operator revenue share; acknowledging 'being a small business person is hard' and noting $20k+ costs for traditional card systems

  • $

    market_signal: Scorbit positioning digital payment (Apple Pay, Google Pay, credit card via app wallet) as necessity for modern operators; addressing friction of cash-dependent venues

Transcript

youtube_auto_sub · $0.000

0:08
Thanks for tuning in the loser kid pinball podcast. I am Josh RP with me my co- captain Scott Larson. >> And Scott we are going to be talking
0:14
And Scott we are going to be talking
0:14
And Scott we are going to be talking about technology today. But before we start talking about technology and how you could put those out any game you want. Where are you going to get those games from? Uh, so I'll call Zach Nicole Mini at Flipping Out Pinball. Definitely hook you up with all the new new games. If you want used games, too, they they usually have good deals on that. And if you want accessories for your games, so if you want to bling it out or get that topper, cuz we know that I like toppers except for the elusive uh Iron Maiden Egypt topper that I'm still trying to figure out where I can get that. But if you want everything else, go ahead and reach out to Zach Nicole Mini at flipping out pinball. >> And people, he is very picky. He keeps
0:51
And people, he is very picky. He keeps
0:51

Scorbit requires users to download the app and register an account to use digital payment and tournament features

high confidence · Ron confirming: 'it does require having the Scorebit app and does require being registered with Scorbit'

“we just hacked away on a Theater of Magic and we hacked away on a Meteor and a Future Spa and some other old machines... trying to figure out how to tap into them”

Ron (Scorbit)@ 17:55 — Technical origin story illustrating reverse-engineering approach to legacy machine support

  • “it's early in our deployment where I don't have the exact kind of numbers to share um because we're we're still measuring and we're still seeing what the impact is”

    Ron (Scorbit)@ 23:22 — Candid acknowledgment of lack of ROI data for operators; suggests early-stage rollout

  • “when you're standing in front of that pinball machine, you see you've got a little wallet icon uh on the app... I can say add one credit cost $1... it all happens magically”

    Ron (Scorbit)@ 27:18 — Describes seamless NFC/mobile payment UX for credit addition and tournament entry

    • venue
    Capital Pinball Parlorvenue
    Ruosvenue
    Quarter Worldvenue
    Minnesota Pinballvenue
    Flipper Roomvenue
    Atomic Pinballvenue
    Pinball Mapproduct
    Play Mechanicscompany
    CGCcompany
    Pinfestevent
    Flipping Out Pinballcompany
    Spooky Pinballcompany
    Barrels of Funcompany
    Jawsgame

    high · Ron: 'I think a necessity for the modern operator. You got to be able to take credit cards'; San Francisco bar change machine anecdote illustrating player friction

  • ?

    competitive_signal: Scorbit differentiated from Insider Connected via legacy machine support (92% of all solid state machines vs ~20 modern Stern games) and asynchronous tournament model vs in-person league format

    high · Ron: 'Insider Connected... only works on 20 or so machines. Um, Scorbet actually connects every nearly every pinball machine dating back to 1977'; tournaments vs 'in-person tournament where you know 60 people gather'

  • ?

    content_signal: Scorbit leadership making media rounds on LoserKid podcast to raise platform awareness in enthusiast community

    high · Ron appearing as guest; Josh noting 'I feel like it's not as well known in the industry. So Ron, thank you for joining us today'

  • ?

    venue_signal: Scorbit deployment expanding rapidly across US arcades/pinball bars with new venues going live daily; specific documented expansions at Flipper Room (Concord, CA) and Atomic Pinball (Wood River, IL)

    high · Ron: 'we're lighting up new locations literally every day'; Flipper Room 'just went live a couple of days ago'; Atomic Pinball 'just is, uh, connected a whole bunch of machines'

  • ?

    technology_signal: Scorbit achieved 92% compatibility with all pinball machines by reverse-engineering ROM/memory extraction from legacy systems (Bally, Williams, Gottlieb, Sam, Spike systems 7-95, etc.) over 5-6 year development period

    high · Ron detailing reverse engineering of Theater of Magic, Meteor, Future Spa and work on Systems 7, 11, WPC89/90/95; 'every different type of pinball machine is different'

  • ?

    product_concern: Scorbit lacks definitive operator ROI data despite 2-week tournament rollout; still measuring impact on coin/revenue per machine

    high · Ron: 'it's early in our deployment where I don't have the exact kind of numbers to share um because we're we're still measuring and we're still seeing what the impact is'

  • ?

    event_signal: Scorbit had booth presence at TPF (The Pinball Fest) with live tournament generating player enthusiasm and queues; planning Pinfest (Allentown) tournament deployment

    high · Ron: 'we were at TPF and we had a tournament going on in our booth... we had a line out of the booth'; planning Pinfest tournament 'this weekend'

    • And people, he is very picky. He keeps you guys keep sending me like aftermarket. He wants the real deal. He wants the stern Egypt topper. >> I think they made like 30 of them. I I'm
    1:01
    I think they made like 30 of them. I I'm
    1:01
    I think they made like 30 of them. I I'm not kidding. I think they made like 30 of them. And the problem is I know I can buy the Asus high topper, but it doesn't work with the Egypt theme. The the Egypt theme. There were no planes in Egypt. Come on. >> During World War II, there were.
    1:15
    During World War II, there were.
    1:15
    During World War II, there were. >> Okay, sure. But I mean, come on. We're
    1:17
    Okay, sure. But I mean, come on. We're
    1:17
    Okay, sure. But I mean, come on. We're talking about Pharaoh. This is >> okay. We're getting off track now. Let's
    1:21
    okay. We're getting off track now. Let's
    1:21
    okay. We're getting off track now. Let's get back to our guest. We have Ron on from Scorbit. And I'm excited to talk about this technology because I know that like people have known that it like integrated with JGP at some point in time. And like you guys are pushing on a competitive edge on well just competitive pinball. And so I'm glad to get you on to talk more about this because I' I feel like it's not as well known in the industry. So Ron, thank you for joining us today. >> Yeah, thanks for having me. big fan of
    1:48
    Yeah, thanks for having me. big fan of
    1:48
    Yeah, thanks for having me. big fan of the show. I was honored that you guys wanted to talk about talk to talk to Scorbet, talk to talk to me. You know, it's great to come on the podcast. So, thanks for having me. >> Definitely.
    1:56
    Definitely.
    1:56
    Definitely. >> So, Ron, for the average person, I want
    1:58
    So, Ron, for the average person, I want
    1:58
    So, Ron, for the average person, I want you to come up. So, we're at the pinball expo. You come up. I want you to tell me about ScorIt and why this should be part of our pinball playing uh universe. >> Sure. Absolutely. So, Scorbit basically
    2:11
    Sure. Absolutely. So, Scorbit basically
    2:11
    Sure. Absolutely. So, Scorbit basically is connected pinball. Um, we were actually one of the first folks on the scene doing Connected Pinball. We came out back in 2020. Um, so we predate uh, uh, Insider Connected uh, some of the other kind of apps and stuff like that that are out there. Um, and we actually as great, you know, Insider Connect is awesome. I love what Stern has done with it. Um, but it only works on 20 or so machines. Um, Scorbet actually connects every nearly every pinball machine dating back to 1977. Um we've we've been working super super hard to figure out how can we connect every solid state all the way up to modern machine that we possibly can um to our platform so that you could easily extract scores from the machines, you know, uh power leaderboards, power scoreboards, save them to your profile on the Scorbit app and then now uh with our new platform enable uh competitions at your favorite pinball locations. Uh, and so that's what we've been working super hard on. Uh, and it's, uh, been going great. So, >> one thing, too, is like I feel like
    3:20
    one thing, too, is like I feel like
    3:20
    one thing, too, is like I feel like you're associated with competitive pinball, but the app itself kind of gives you a little bit of like diversity. It's not necessarily about being competition, right? It's about just like connecting online with other people, right? >> Yeah. I mean, really, it's it's funny
    3:35
    Yeah. I mean, really, it's it's funny
    3:35
    Yeah. I mean, really, it's it's funny because, you know, my my when we originally had the idea for Scorbit, uh, believe it or not, it's going on more than 10 years now. Um, my original vision or hope for ScorIt was the idea that Scorbit could be a companion app for anybody who loved pinball. And that's, you know, that continues to be kind of our northstar and where we want to take Scorbet uh in the future. Um, so if you open up the Scorbet app today, the first thing you see is where is Pinball nearby, right? We, you know, uh, we're able to use the location, uh, services on your phone, whether you have an iPhone or an Android phone. We know where you are and we immediately, thanks to our friends at Pinball Map that we have a great partnership with, we can say, "Okay, we know where you are. Here's where the nearest machines are, the nearest locations are. We can go play pinball. Go play, right?" And then if you go to those locations, whether they have Scorbit in the machines or not, you can still go play pinball and you can take a picture of your score and upload it to your to your and upload it to your profile and remember that great score you had. Um, and keep track of all your scores in your profile and share them with your community, share them with your friends. Um, be able to, you know, remember that great moment that you've had with pinball. The experience just gets better if you happen to play on a machine that's got a Scorbet uh that's Scorbit enabled. Whether it's got a piece of Scorbbit hardware in the backbox that's connecting that machine to to the Scorbit platform or you're playing a more modern machine that has the Scorbit uh software installed on the machine itself to connect it to the Scorbit platform. That's when the kind of what we like to say when the magic happens where the score is automatically saved to the Scorbit platform. You get a lot more dynamic things happening. Um, and then a lot more kind of cooler things happen where you could either uh use Gorbit to pay for your game. You can add credits to a machine. Um, you can uh participate in the in the tournaments that we've recently launched. Um, if you're playing in a tournament at a location that has scored enabled machines, we have an integration with match play, so scores automatically get sucked into match play. Um, and all that kind of cool stuff happens when the machines are scorbit enabled. But um the whole idea is that you know scorbit is this kind of connector between the player and the machine and the data that comes through and that data mostly is scores right and and what you're able to do with it and how you want to share that with your friends. So >> if I'm an operator
    5:55
    if I'm an operator
    5:55
    if I'm an operator >> and I have four games at my bowling
    5:58
    and I have four games at my bowling
    5:58
    and I have four games at my bowling alley okay >> so how do I actually get on the score
    6:03
    so how do I actually get on the score
    6:03
    so how do I actually get on the score platform like what what do I do? Do I buy something? Do I install it? Do I aftermarket it? How does this work? >> Yeah. So, it's real real simple. Um the
    6:11
    Yeah. So, it's real real simple. Um the
    6:11
    Yeah. So, it's real real simple. Um the first the first thing as an if you're an operator or a venue owner. Uh the first step is get in touch with us. Um we on our website uh we have a a page dedicated to venue owners and operators. There's a form there that that you can fill out um to give us your contact information. We'll get in touch with you or you can just email us at contactscorbet.io. Find me on social media. If people like the ways people got in touch with us have been many different ways. people find me on Discord, but get in touch with us. Um, and we've got a great program for uh venue owners and operators where uh you know, previously we we do offer the Scorbet hardware to home users, right? So, if you've got all you guys have got your machines at home, if you wanted to out with Scorbbit, you can buy the Scorbit hardware to install them in your machines. Um, and and that's great and that's awesome for home users. Um, and we'll continue to do that for sure because a lot of people want to have the leaderboards and scoreboards in their game rooms and and that's really awesome. But for venue owners and operators, we recognize that, hey, you know, being a small business person is hard, right? It it not everybody has a ton of cash to invest in a new technology. You know, I've we did a lot of research and a lot of the like the card systems and things like that are very expensive to, you know, to invest in. um you know, if you wanted to if you wanted to open up an arcade and have that card system, sometimes it's a you know, a upfront cost of more than $20,000 just to get the kiosk and all the cards and all the stuff that you need for it. Um and we recognize that a lot of folks who do pinball are doing it out of, you know, out of passion. Um it might not be their full-time job. It might be because you know how many of us have bought so many pinball machines we run out of room and then we be we put them on location and now all of a sudden you're an operator and so now now you've got a pinball business and you might not have the money to invest in it. So what we wanted to do we want to make it really easy for operators and for venue owners to get on board with Scorbit. So um we have a program where we just uh provide the Scorbet hardware at no cost upfront. What we do is we uh provide the hardware to get the machines connected. Um and then we have a program uh where we're able to share revenue with those um operators to pay off the hardware over time um through the revenue that's that's driven both either from CoinDrop if they're using Scorbit to um to accept Coin Drop via credit card which we offer for digital payments or um or through the Scorbit uh tournaments uh product which is a uh asynchronous competition uh product that we just rolled out recently which allows people to compete using Scorbit um on the machines on location. Um so imagine where you could walk into a location, put up a high score and participate in a uh tournament that is that is always on. So you know uh different from an in-person tournament where you know 60 people gather on a Saturday and hang out for 14 hours and go through all the rounds and all that sort of stuff. Imagine competing on your own time. Um, and this is yet another way uh that we're providing operators to drive revenue on their machines because not every location might have enough machines to host inerson tournaments, right? You need a certain number of machines, you know, TGP and all that stuff that Josh Sharp has come up with over at IFA, right? If you're a a small dive bar with two machines in the corner, you're not hosting a league. You're not hosting tournaments, right? But you plug Scorbit into your machines and you turn on Scorbit tournaments. Now anybody can come in and compete on a tournament on that machine um and able to compete and win real money. Um and so we wanted to make it easy for operators to get on board with that. So by getting in touch with us, we chat with them, we send them the hardware, set it set it all up, get them connected to it, and then um and then basically, you know, profit, right? That's kind of how it works, right? So, um, you know, they they provide the operators provide the machines, the players provide the the games, we provide the technology, and hopefully everybody has fun in the process. So, >> so you talked about you can win cash
    10:08
    so you talked about you can win cash
    10:08
    so you talked about you can win cash awards and stuff like that. Like, how does how does that work? Like, who's financing the the stuff for that? >> Yeah. So, essentially um what happens is
    10:17
    Yeah. So, essentially um what happens is
    10:17
    Yeah. So, essentially um what happens is that the uh the players pay a uh entry fee to get into the tournament. So, just like if you were going to go to an in-person tournament that was like a pump and dump tournament or something like that where you're buying entries to get into the tournament, same concept. So, you purchase an entry fee, you pay the entry fee to get into the tournament and then um a cut of that goes obviously to us because we've got to make money because we are a business, right? A cut of that can also go to the operator because they're also a business. But then a cut of the entry fee also goes back into the pot um for the states where it is legal to do so. So, not every state is it's legal to have a rising jackpot, but the states where rising jackpots are legal, um the more people that participate in the tournament, the bigger the jackpot can get. And so, um it kind of gets really exciting when you have a tournament that's going over a two-eek period and you kind of keep an eye, you know, let's say you put up a great score and you're in the top, you know, in the top four and you're you're poised to win. Um and you're watching more and more people enter and you're watching that jackpot get bigger every day. Um, and let's say you're also a really good player and you know that you can come in on the last day and snipe and grab the jackpot, right? Um, you know, you can see it go from, you know, you know, it's it's a $100 on day two and by the end of the tournament it could be up to, you know, up over $250. Um, and you can kind of come in and and uh take, you know, and and put up a great score and take the jackpot. Um, so, you know, it is is funded by the players entering into the tournament. No different than an in-person tournament that where the more people that participate the bigger the jackpot gets. So >> if people are interested in this type of
    11:54
    if people are interested in this type of
    11:54
    if people are interested in this type of uh I guess tournament, where are the hot where are the hot beds for this? Like where where are they happening right now? >> So yeah, so right now so we we just
    12:04
    So yeah, so right now so we we just
    12:04
    So yeah, so right now so we we just started rolling out uh the tournaments literally like two weeks ago, right? which is so it's it's kind of you can tell I'm um I if I sound tired it's because we've been working non-stop on this but um so we're uh we launched the tournaments at uh about 14 locations across the US uh uh places like Lind Arcade in Seaside California um Capital Pinball Parlor in Sacramento, Ruos in Brooklyn. Um Quarter World in Spring Hill, Tennessee. Um yeah, there's a whole list of the locations that that we kind of uh that we launched. uh Minnesota pinball um in Bucks uh Bucks, Minnesota. Uh Bucks Mill Brewing, I think in Minnesota. Um in Detroit, it's actually in Detroit Lakes. That's the town. Um so yeah, so we've got a whole bunch of locations where we uh where we launch the tournaments at. Um and on the ScorIt website, there's a list of all the locations that are Scorbet enabled. Um and pretty much any Scorbet enabled location, uh we'll be running tournaments. Um and we're lighting up new locations literally every day. Um, so for example, the Flipper Room in Concord, California just went live a couple of days ago with a whole bunch of machines at their location and they're and they're uh connecting even more pretty much every day. As fast as they can get the machines connected, uh, they're doing it. Um, and so uh, Atomic Pinball in Wood River, Illinois just is, uh, connected a whole bunch of machines at at their location. So, you know, we're uh, we're on a mission to try to get as many locations uh, connected to the platform as possible. um because to give people more opportunity around the country to go try, you know, try a score connected experience and participate in these tournaments and just participate in in the whole connected pinball uh thing. You know, that's slightly different than Insider Connected, right? So, Insider Connected, we've all gotten used to, you know, kind of scanning your QR code and it's saving your score and, you know, the whole achievements uh and unlocking badges and things like that. Um with Scorbit, uh it's a slightly different experience. um you can tap into the machine. So, similar to the way that when you pay for, you know, if you go to the grocery store and you pay for your groceries by tapping the the the payment kiosk at the at the grocery tab with uh uh NFC on your phone, um you tap into the machine uh for Scorbit. That's how you tell the machine uh who you uh who you are. Um you're able to fund your account on the Scorbet app with a credit card. Um if you're at a location that's on CoinDrop, you can pay for credits that way. um which is really great. So no more having to carry quarters or anything like that. You can always just you know pay for a game uh just with you know with your credit card. Um and then participating in the tournament is a is another great way to uh experience Scorbet by being able to just you know it adds a level of excitement to the game. Um when you scan into the into the game on the Scorbet app, you have a little trophy next to your name and your name is kind of like highlighted in yellow and it it it just feels a little different. It feels a little more electric. Um, and you kind of see the leaderboard and you see how how where you land against everybody else. Um, we were at TPF and we had a tournament going on in our booth. Um, and we had a line out of the booth as people were trying to compete uh for the jackpot uh that was available there because the competition was just kind of so heated over the weekend. Um, and we're getting actually getting ready um, uh, uh, Pinfest in Allentown is going to be this weekend and we're talking to uh, an operator who's going to have a machine there that's going to be running a Scorbet tournament. Um, we just had a call earlier tonight about setting that up um with the hopes that a lot of people will be participating uh there and competing on uh on a game and having fun. And you know, the whole idea of it, the whole motivation for this was that we built Scorbit to kind of give back to pinball and give something new and different. And with this new iteration within Scorbit, it kind of taps into our love of locations and our love of competition and how can we use Scorbit to kind of promote competition at locations. And that's really what we're aiming to do. >> Okay. So, you mentioned that this
    15:59
    Okay. So, you mentioned that this
    15:59
    Okay. So, you mentioned that this actually goes back a little farther than Insider Connected. I we we all are used to the modern games with Insider Connected, but you're saying that you can do this with older games? >> Yes, we can.
    16:11
    Yes, we can.
    16:11
    Yes, we can. >> So, how does that how does that actually
    16:13
    So, how does that how does that actually
    16:13
    So, how does that how does that actually work with older games? >> Yeah. So, so actually Scorbit's origins
    16:17
    Yeah. So, so actually Scorbit's origins
    16:18
    Yeah. So, so actually Scorbit's origins lie within older games. Um because like I said, we came up with this, you know, about 10 years ago. So this is, you know, we predate I think we predate Spike 2 to be honest. I think Spike 2 was out when we came up with it. And um the whole Scorbit's whole origin was, you know, me and u my co-founders Brian O'Neal and Jay Allison were walking around California Extreme, which is a great show in San Jose in California. Um if anybody ever gets a chance to attend, it's a great arcade and pinball show. Um and we just kind of asked ourselves, we're like, "Oh, wow. I wonder if you could ever uh connect a pinball machine to the internet and like extract data from it and you know wonder you know it became like a technical challenge right and so we started talking to like old um uh techs and folks we tracked down people worked at Bali Williams and those old gray beard techs that you know that have been working on pimble machines back to EM asked them the same question and they all kind of looked at us really kind of funny and they all gave the same face they kind of furrowed their brow how and they're like they're like well I guess you could but it'd be really hard and and we were thinking like like Attack from Mars and Medieval Madness like how could you get into the memory of those machines and extract the the scores from the from the games and they're all like yeah you could but it'd be really hard why would you want to do that and that just that just motivated us even more to like to tell us that it was possible but it was really hard was like a challenge right so we we just hacked away on it for about five or six years of trying to figure out how to extract track the memory of the old Bali Williams games. Um, and we we hacked away on a Theater of Magic and we hacked away on a Meteor and a Future Spa and some other old machines as we were just like analyzing the data coming out of those machines and trying to figure out how to tap into them and then convert them into modern data that could then be manipulated in an app in a mobile app purely with the the goal of how do you you know how can you create a profile and save scores and like save it automatically. And so our origins were like in the older games originally. And so so then at that point it was all right well how do we do this across every game and then basically we got a list of every MPU that was out there and every type of you know every type of game system and it it's become a you know kind of game of whack-a-ole is like okay well how do we tackle you know system 7? How do we tackle system 11? How do we tackle you know WPC 89? And how do we tackle WPC 90 95 and and how do we tackle uh Stern and Sam and how do we tackle Spike One, right? Because every different type of of pinball machine is different and even, you know, even whether it's Gotautle or Bally Williams or Stern, even their different iterations within their own companies, they the engineers who worked on them always modified them a little bit from version to version, right? So there's never enough consistency that you find the exact same method within it to tap into. Right? So for um for our engineers, it became like a challenge uh for us. How do we unlock this type of of of of pinball machine? Um and so we've been working hard on it. It's at the point now where we're at we we estimate we're about 92% of all pinball machines that have ever been manufactured we can extract the data from. Um, and so that leaves, you know, things like Hanken, uh, those Australian pinball machines just because they're not on location. Like I think I I've only ever seen like two Hankens on location. They've only been on like Pinball Expo. Um, and I think and actually Atomic Pinball in Illinois, they have an Empire Strikes Back, which is a Hanken. Um, which now makes me want to make Hanken work so that we can work at that location, but still. um uh like the Zacharias um which as much as I love those Zachariah games, they're just you don't see them at arcades. So like we we really had to make the business decision, you know, is it worth our time to try to get them to these obscure games to work when they're not going to be on a location where we can actually make money with them. Um, so there's those and then um the more modern games, you know, like Spooky and Barrels of Fun and you know uh um you know other you Turner other manufacturers like that now um who as opposed to building a piece of hardware that can go in those machines, we'd rather take the route of um applying code that can go into those machines and do it without hardware. Um, so for example, uh, Pulp Fiction by Play Mechanics, manufactured by CGC, their next code update is going to include Scorbit code in the code. Um, we've been working very closely with them. Um, it's in the final stages of testing. So when that code does get released, which knock on wood is going to be very, very, very, very, very soon. Um, people will be able to, um, do the code update and they've got Scorbit in in the machine the same way Insider Connected is in a Spike 2 machine, right? Or a Spike 3 machine. So they'll be able to connect uh their pulp fiction to the Scorbet network and be able to have Scorbbit enabled on m on the machine without any hardware at all needed. Um and so that's the route we'd rather go with more the more modern machines. So it's just a matter of talking to those manufacturers and building a partnership and going that route which takes time and negotiations and all the things like that. But um on the older side of things, pretty much the majority of the solid states and the alpha numeric and the DMDs, we've figured out how to make them work and we've got them functioning in arcades across the country. Um and it's amazing when you see a, you know, a old solid state machine and we're able to press, you know, in the Scorbit app there's a big button that says start game and you can press start game and the game starts. The pinball machine starts without pressing the start button on the machine and it's just like magical, right? It's so cool. You can see you press add credit from the score app and the credits increment on the machine without putting a quarter into it. It's like really really cool. And then you see you start the game, you start playing and you see the scores coming through on the app automatically or you see mode information come through on the app. Um, and it's just it's so cool to see happen on like a game that was built in the 80s. Um, and it's done through like a ton of hard work and like, you know, uh, reverse engineering, uh, these old machines and and and looking at schematics and all that fun stuff. But, uh, that was part of the fun of this project and that's why, you know, it's the love of pinball that made us want to do it. The one question that's popped in my mind while you've been talking about all this is when you're talking to operators and stuff that are trying like getting ready to take the plunge on this um can you actually give like some numbers to us of what you see maybe ROI and because I mean we we're mostly like a cashless society for the most part I mean some people carry cash but the incentive of something as simple as score bit after it's installed be able to just take you know tap from the phone how much more of an increase does operator versus cash drop or coin drop. >> Yeah. And and that's and that's really
    23:13
    Yeah. And and that's and that's really
    23:13
    Yeah. And and that's and that's really what we're figuring out right now. We're we're it's early in our deployment where I don't have the exact kind of numbers to share um because we're we're still measuring and we're still seeing what the impact is. The hope and the plan is that not only by providing the coin drop uh functionality to those locations, we can increase plays because you're taking away the the need for to carry cash or the need to to to make change. One of the reasons why I've always wanted to do a digital payment system for pinball was like for example when I lived in San Francisco uh there was a bar bar called Gestalt that I used to go play pinball at and they were notorious for being awful about change. Uh the person who owned the bar told the bartenders they weren't allowed to give the pin pe pinball people change from the bar. Um they had a change machine on the wall. It was one of those wall-mounted ones and it was always it was one of the small ones. It would always run out of change, right? And the operator refused to put dollar mechs in the pinball machine. So you needed quarters. So, I would sit there with a beer and watch people walk up to the pinball machine, realize it didn't take dollars, go to the change machine, realize the change machine didn't have change, go to the bartender, be told that the bartender wouldn't give them change, and then watch them leave leave the bar. And I was like, there's got to be a better solution here, right? So, that's why digital payments is such a uh, you know, I think a necessity for the modern operator. You got to be able to take credit cards, right? And even the purist, the arcade purist who wants a world of quarters, it can still work with quarters, right? Especially Scorbbit with our digital payment system, it still works alongside Coinmex. It can still work alongside dollarmex. It's not all or nothing, but give people the choice to pay with credit cards, right? Um, so the hope is that you get people playing more, but the also the hope with what we're doing at Scorbid is that the tournaments product brings people in to play the games on location more often and increases whatever coin drop that is happening at those ga at those locations. Um, so that it's giving people a reason to go to the the location more often. They're competing in the tournament. They're they're they're playing more games than they would have. And while they are there, maybe they're playing the other games more or maybe they're drinking at the bar more or maybe they're ordering food from the kitchen more. And the hope is that we're we're a factor that is increasing overall revenue for the location. You know, rising tide raises all boats. We're adding another factor to bring people to the location. Um maybe, you know, you have league nights on Tuesday nights and you do tournaments on Saturdays and Sundays. Maybe, you know, Mondays and Thursdays are dead. So maybe Scorbit can be a way to get people coming in on Mondays and Thursdays a little more often and increase the amount of coin drop that's happening, increase the amount of business at the bar. And that's what we're measuring now with the with our first wave of um venues and operators that we're working with to hope that we can prove that out. >> So I just got back from Europe. I did
    26:15
    So I just got back from Europe. I did
    26:15
    So I just got back from Europe. I did not get any cash the entire time I was there. >> Wow.
    26:19
    Wow.
    26:19
    Wow. >> I actually just used my phone. So, is
    26:22
    I actually just used my phone. So, is
    26:22
    I actually just used my phone. So, is this a way of I this may be a pipe dream, but is there a way for people to go up to a Scorbit enabled machine and just pay with her phone? >> Yes.
    26:34
    Yes.
    26:34
    Yes. >> Okay. Like with Apple, sorry, with uh
    26:37
    Okay. Like with Apple, sorry, with uh
    26:37
    Okay. Like with Apple, sorry, with uh Apple, Apple Pay, Google Pay, credit card, debit card, whatever you want. And essentially the way it works is you set up your account on Scorbit and then you are able to uh identify your funding source whether you want to load a credit card or debit card or pay with Apple Pay or Google Pay and then similar to the way you know kind of the way Venmo works um where what you can do is you can add funds to your Scorbet wallet. So, you can say, "I want to put $10, I want to put $20, I want to put $50 on my Scorbet wallet." And you pull that from your credit card, put it into your Scorbet wallet, and now you've got a balance on Scorbbit that you can go use wherever you want to go play. And so, when you're standing in front of that pinball machine, you see you've got a little wallet icon uh on the app, and that tells you how much money you have. You see, you know, I've got a Jaws behind me. I see that Jaws cost a dollar to play. I can say add one credit cost $1. I say add one credit. Press the button, the Jaws lights up, credit has been added, a dollar gets deducted from your score balance, and you're ready to play pinball. You don't have to. It all happens magically. So, >> okay. But, but say I don't have the
    27:44
    okay. But, but say I don't have the
    27:44
    okay. But, but say I don't have the Scorbet app. Can you go up and just >> Oh, yeah. So, it does require having the
    27:50
    Oh, yeah. So, it does require having the
    27:50
    Oh, yeah. So, it does require having the Scorbet app and does require being registered with Scorbet. Yeah, it's not it's not as it's not like a you know, >> it's not like the subway like the subway
    27:57
    it's not like the subway like the subway
    27:57
    it's not like the subway like the subway like it was like, "Hey, I just need my Apple phone." So, you're saying, "Okay, yes, you do need to do it, but the barrier is you still need to install the app and use the app." >> Okay. Correct. And part of that is
    28:09
    Okay. Correct. And part of that is
    28:09
    Okay. Correct. And part of that is because we're trying to we we want to promote the the community. We want to promote you keeping track of your scores and participating in the tournaments. That's all tied to your user profile and and that sort of thing. And so, we didn't we didn't set out to just be a payments company, right? We didn't set out to just be, you know, a pay range or or NAX or other companies that are just creating vending machine payments services because that's kind of boring to be honest, right? We wanted to build a a pinball kind of experience kind of thing. And so yeah, so you do need to install the app, but we're hoping that we're giving you the player more reasons than just to pay for pinball, you know, like there's more things to do with Scorbit than just, you know, using it to pay for games. >> So is there some kind of signage you
    28:53
    So is there some kind of signage you
    28:53
    So is there some kind of signage you send, too? Because like I assume there's a lot of casuals that go into play pinball and how like how do you get them to convince them to download the app? >> Well, that's I mean that's the trick and
    29:02
    Well, that's I mean that's the trick and
    29:02
    Well, that's I mean that's the trick and that's the challenge and that's what we're that's what we're everyday learning and every day trying to figure out. Um we do have a product called Scorbet Vision. Um we do love our our names at Scorbet by the way. Um but um so Score revision is our uh our leaderboard and scoreboard product which really has evolved and kind of become uh a digital signage product for venues. Um so if uh you know a lot of you know a lot of modern arcades and bars all have TVs and they're all able to display stuff and you know obviously like Insider Connected has you know the the leaderboards and we're used to seeing that. Um so with score provision we enable um venues uh to put up dynamic leaderboards and scoreboards and uh also screens related to the tournaments that are happening in in score bit to show how big the jackpot is. But they also can integrate uh messaging in in rotation with those leaderboards. So, in addition to, you know, you can show the latest leaderboard for each game and kind of cycle through like a slideshow, but you can also insert a uh design screen to promote an upcoming in-person tournament or promote, you know, a special at the bar or promote trivia night, but also we have pre-esigned, you know, graphics to promote Scorbit and and with a QR code to download the app to explain, you know, you know, pay for your pinball game with Scorbit. here's how and kind of instructional graphics to tell the newbies how to do it. Um, so that's kind of where we're starting. Um, and then we're working with the venues to better understand what is the way to educate their customers because the one thing that I've found out now with talking to so many venue owners and so many operators across the country is that no location and no city and no arcade is like the the previous one I just spoke to. They're all unique. They're all different, right? And so they've all got different types of customers, all different types of crowds, all different types of communities. So what might work in one isn't going to work in another. And so a lot of it is working with the venue owners and understanding what works for them and helping cater messaging and cater banners or cater signage that works for them. Um, and then remembering that and keeping track of that playbook and keeping that in mind when you talk to another venue owner and saying, "Okay, I see a similarity here. This worked over here. It might work for you." but also being prepared to identify when that isn't going to work for them and come up with a different strategy to help them promote. So, but it's all about promoting to the to the casual player because that's really where we see the growth. Um, you know, so many so many people like us who love pinball, we're already converted, right? The hope is is that folks like us are going to play it and play as much pinball as possible. But if we want to continue to see pinball reach the masses, and that's one thing that we're hoping to score can do is that, you know, get introduced to new players and give them a new reason to engage with this hobby that we love. Um, and so part of it is figuring out how to bring them onto the platform and show them how to use it. >> I'm actually hosting a women's
    32:04
    I'm actually hosting a women's
    32:04
    I'm actually hosting a women's tournament on Saturday. Now, obviously, I have 10 machines in my basement, but I don't really have them Scorbit enabled. Like, what options are there for home users like me to use Scorbbit? So, yeah. So, like I mentioned uh for a home user, we sell this the Scorbetron, which is the device uh that connects uh machines to the Scorbet platform um in our store. So, you can go to the Scorbet website and and click the shop button. you're able to purchase the Scorpetron, install it in your machines at home, and if you have a TV in your in your game room or basement or wherever where they might be, that's where you can host um Scorpet Vision in your basement and have your leaderboards and scoreboards for your machines there uh and pull live data as well. Um you can have everybody who comes over tap in uh and be able to keep track of their own scores. If you're hosting a tournament that's using match play, uh we have a great integration with match play so that any machine that's got score bit enabled, it pulls in all the data from the machine into match play. And so, you know, no more having to type in the scores directly into match play, it pulls them in automatically. And there's also all this cool visualization stuff where you get kind of like score history throughout the round or you get a lot of um player data to see how they did on previous games and all this kind of cool stuff. We haven't really announced the matchplay thing as of yet. So folks who are listening to this is kind of who might not be aware of it, this might be news to them. Um but uh folks who have been playing in tournaments on score enabled machines with match play, when they see it, it's kind of like their heads explode because like whoa, how does it do that? And it's kind of like this kind of gamechanging element for tournament players. Um we're super excited about it. We're doing a lot more uh with match play about how we can get score working with match play to make tournaments even better. So um those are great options for people for folks. Uh, home users, >> we're excited for you, Ron. This is this
    34:00
    we're excited for you, Ron. This is this
    34:00
    we're excited for you, Ron. This is this product's pretty awesome. I can't wait to get my hands on it some more. Um, probably expose. Well, you said that Pintastics's this weekend. >> Well, yeah. Pinfest in Allentown is this
    34:11
    Well, yeah. Pinfest in Allentown is this
    34:11
    Well, yeah. Pinfest in Allentown is this weekend. So, um, so, uh, Scorb won't be there officially. I know we're we're sponsoring the live stream on the tournament. Um, a couple of our, uh, folks from our team will be there hanging out. Um, but uh I'm pretty sure there'll be a Legends of Valhalla in a booth um that will be connected to Scorbet and there might be a tournament running on that. So folks want to check that out. Um if all fingers crossed if all things go as planned, that should be Scorbbit enabled and you can go check out the tournament on that. I know we're working hard to make that happen. Um and then um we'll we'll definitely be at Expo later this year in October. Um already talking to Rob about our presence at Expo. We had a great time last year. Uh we were just at TPF this past March. Um I don't know if we have any other shows lined up, but uh but we're around and follow us on social media. Um and yeah, and please, you know, like we we're super excited about what we're doing, but so much of what we're doing is for the community and part of that is the feedback loop that we get from the community. Um, so much of the uh so much of the stuff that we're doing has been informed by uh comments, criticisms, suggestions, stuff from actual people, you know, playing on locations, um, from operators, from venue owners, from, you know, tournament directors, all types. So, if you, you know, if you've had a chance to check out Scorbid, if you have an opinion, please get in touch. We want to hear from you. um because we want to get as much feedback as possible to what we're doing because we're moving very quickly and we iterate pretty fast. Um and we just love getting as much feedback as possible because we're doing this for the pinball community. So, we don't want to do it in a vacuum. So, uh by all means, you know, we're, you know, join our Discord, um shoot us an email, DM us on Instagram, however you want to get in touch, but the more feedback we can get, the better because we want to make sure that we're doing right by the pinball world. So, >> Well, perfect. I usually ask how to get
    36:06
    Well, perfect. I usually ask how to get
    36:06
    Well, perfect. I usually ask how to get a hold of you, but it sounds like you've covered it. >> Yeah, there it is.
    36:10
    Yeah, there it is.
    36:10
    Yeah, there it is. >> Well, awesome. Thanks, Ron. We
    36:11
    Well, awesome. Thanks, Ron. We
    36:12
    Well, awesome. Thanks, Ron. We appreciate you joining us joining us and it's it's been great to have you here. >> Yeah, thanks for having me. Appreciate
    36:16
    Yeah, thanks for having me. Appreciate
    36:16
    Yeah, thanks for having me. Appreciate it. >> You're welcome. Once again, that was Ron
    36:19
    You're welcome. Once again, that was Ron
    36:19
    You're welcome. Once again, that was Ron Richards with Scorbit. It was great having him on, Scott. That was uh very informative. >> You know, it's actually Okay, I'm
    36:28
    You know, it's actually Okay, I'm
    36:28
    You know, it's actually Okay, I'm actually surprised. I'm surprised that you can actually integrate older games and yeah it does take a little bit of upfront but that's pretty amazing because a lot of things turn out to be like you know the the joke is the sternment right yeah is like everything is like stern because obviously Stern is the gorilla in the market gorilla is the uh they're the ones who actually produce the highest volume of games and you're going to see those mostly but the nice thing is being able to integrate other games into your tournament and have it seamlessly seems like a quite an quite a desirable thing for people on location and especially if you can pay with your phone. I that seems like an amazing option for me. >> Yeah. Well, I'm excited because we're
    37:14
    Yeah. Well, I'm excited because we're
    37:14
    Yeah. Well, I'm excited because we're you and I are both going to get uh the tap pads, which is crazy to me. Like it was funny cuz we were going through the the shop and we're like, "How do you do this on on spike 2?" And he's like, "It's literally just a tapad." The thing's only 50 bucks and if you have a a Spike 2, you slide it under you, he said, you just install the code, which if you've down if you've done Stern code through a USB stick, it's a piece of cake. And then the tap pad just slides under the glass. I'm excited to try this out. I think we'll do a video on this or we'll at least we'll update update y'all. We know that I don't know if you're excited about this, but I'm excited for >> Well, okay. I'm excited for the ability
    37:48
    Well, okay. I'm excited for the ability
    37:48
    Well, okay. I'm excited for the ability to do different things. And that's always the challenge is again Stern is the gorilla in the room because they do 85% of the business, but being able to integrate more things into pinball is a huge thing. And just as shown as like Beetlejuice being a huge seller and you know the Jersey Jack games integrating Harry Potter into the mix, there's a lot of options out there, not just Stern, which makes a a very desirable option, especially for location because especially when you're doing tournaments, too, because you don't want to have just a a modern lineup. You people love having those older games and the ability to do things. So, >> totally agree. So, I'm excited for this.
    38:34
    totally agree. So, I'm excited for this.
    38:34
    totally agree. So, I'm excited for this. I can't wait to get it in the house and uh you and I will >> Yeah. Yeah. We'll give it a shot. Yeah,
    38:38
    Yeah. Yeah. We'll give it a shot. Yeah,
    38:38
    Yeah. Yeah. We'll give it a shot. Yeah, give it a shot. Uh, one thing I'm excited about. It's been over a year. >> The shoes are finally back. So, we found
    38:46
    The shoes are finally back. So, we found
    38:46
    The shoes are finally back. So, we found out last year, we left them on the site and then Neil, who runs Silver Ball Swag, is like, "We got a problem." Like, what's the problem? People were getting their shoes and then the shipping company were refusing to give them their shoes unless they paid like extra $65 in or something like that. Well, okay. This is the challenge. This is the challenge with any sort of modern uh trade issue is that there's always going to be issues about crossing borders. And as we know, there's always going to be a lot of fluctuation in trade policy. So, we do appreciate that we've been able to get those back on the website. And trust me, I'm actually going to get another set. I have three sets. I have the Vans. I have the um I don't know what you would call them, the the the the low back with the laces and then the high the old uh Chuck Webster style. >> Yeah. Yeah. The old uh Yeah. the old
    39:36
    Yeah. Yeah. The old uh Yeah. the old
    39:36
    Yeah. Yeah. The old uh Yeah. the old Chuck Taylor. >> Sorry, Chuck Taylor. Chuck Webster.
    39:40
    Sorry, Chuck Taylor. Chuck Webster.
    39:40
    Sorry, Chuck Taylor. Chuck Webster. >> I love my Chuck Taylor. And I have some
    39:41
    I love my Chuck Taylor. And I have some
    39:41
    I love my Chuck Taylor. And I have some of the the the ankle high laces as well. >> Yeah. And Oh, and if you get the uh is
    39:47
    Yeah. And Oh, and if you get the uh is
    39:47
    Yeah. And Oh, and if you get the uh is it is it the bread laces which are kind of the the flexi laces that you can slide them in and off? Uh fast style. Yep. >> Okay. We are super excited about having
    39:57
    Okay. We are super excited about having
    39:57
    Okay. We are super excited about having those back on and so please, you know, go get some more shoes. Really, we do this for fun. >> Really, it's not like we are definitely
    40:06
    Really, it's not like we are definitely
    40:06
    Really, it's not like we are definitely not making a killing on this. We get a few bucks and it all goes back toward producing great content for you guys. So, we we appreciate that. But we actually I I just smile when I go around a show and I see people with our shoes or with our hats and it just it just makes me feel like we are enjoying uh pinball together. >> Well, and the other cool part too is
    40:26
    Well, and the other cool part too is
    40:26
    Well, and the other cool part too is like Brad Albby Bright had reached out yesterday when we started posting this and >> you know he's the one that did the art
    40:31
    you know he's the one that did the art
    40:31
    you know he's the one that did the art for this and now he's went on and done Winchester. He did Portal. I mean it's kind of cool cuz I remember when we first had him on seven years ago, six years ago. >> It's been a while. Yeah,
    40:41
    It's been a while. Yeah,
    40:41
    It's been a while. Yeah, >> it's been a while when he had just done
    40:43
    it's been a while when he had just done
    40:43
    it's been a while when he had just done the art for the Led Zeppelin homebrew >> uh for David Peek out of Australia. And
    40:49
    uh for David Peek out of Australia. And
    40:49
    uh for David Peek out of Australia. And it's cool to see how far he has come with all that, right? >> Yep. And you know what? When we were at
    40:54
    Yep. And you know what? When we were at
    40:54
    Yep. And you know what? When we were at Expo, uh my son picked up a few uh Brad Albreight 3D things. So, it's fun. We got a Portal thing and we got a Mario thing. And I man, I I'll have to go into his room and see what the other one he selected. But, uh, it it's been really fun to see, you know, Josh, we're we're long in the tooth. >> We're one of the old dogs out there.
    41:15
    We're one of the old dogs out there.
    41:15
    We're one of the old dogs out there. >> Yeah.
    41:15
    Yeah.
    41:15
    Yeah. >> Like, how does that feel? It still feels
    41:17
    Like, how does that feel? It still feels
    41:17
    Like, how does that feel? It still feels like I can't. >> It's like so long ago. It just feels
    41:20
    It's like so long ago. It just feels
    41:20
    It's like so long ago. It just feels like Josh texted me. He's like, "Hey, do you want to do a podcast?" I'm like, "Ah, sure. Why not?" >> Zach Manny told me I needed a co-host
    41:27
    Zach Manny told me I needed a co-host
    41:27
    Zach Manny told me I needed a co-host cuz I sucked by myself. >> Oh, okay. That's not true. That's not
    41:29
    Oh, okay. That's not true. That's not
    41:30
    Oh, okay. That's not true. That's not true. But it's it's certainly I I do like the dynamic that it's okay. You and I talk regularly. Yes. I if if not daily, at least weekly. And we have group chats with uh with the Triple Drain guys. And that is a super active chat. By the way, check out Triple Triple Drain Pinball Podcast. They are >> And if you haven't subscribed, make sure
    41:52
    And if you haven't subscribed, make sure
    41:52
    And if you haven't subscribed, make sure to subscribe. They're trying to get to a thousand right now. >> Yep. Um but yeah, it's it this is this
    41:57
    Yep. Um but yeah, it's it this is this
    41:58
    Yep. Um but yeah, it's it this is this has been great because this is this is really how we interact. Like when people are wondering how we how we do a show, I'm like this is kind of our our conversations that we have on the phone. >> Yeah.
    42:08
    Yeah.
    42:08
    Yeah. >> Like like when we call it's so it's been
    42:10
    Like like when we call it's so it's been
    42:10
    Like like when we call it's so it's been a lot of fun and we do we are planning to do another uh Patreon like a call-in show and again if you want to be part of the show this is pretty much what we do. We we we call and we talk like what do you guys want to talk about? What are the themes that you guys are thinking about? And also like what are the issues in pinball that you want to discuss? Yeah. Yep. So, uh, one other thing I wanted to discuss before we get to the bracket that we've been doing for almost a month now. Uh, Spooky, I guess, has in their code people are getting their beetle juices and finding the Goonies. >> Do you think this is just a troll? Do
    42:48
    Do you think this is just a troll? Do
    42:48
    Do you think this is just a troll? Do you think why the heck would you be finding Goonies in Beetlejuice Code? >> Okay, as we have seen in pinball, there
    42:56
    Okay, as we have seen in pinball, there
    42:56
    Okay, as we have seen in pinball, there are certain themes that bubble to the top. Yes. >> Dream themes, right?
    43:00
    Dream themes, right?
    43:00
    Dream themes, right? >> Yes.
    43:01
    Yes.
    43:01
    Yes. >> And so Goonies is definitely one of
    43:04
    And so Goonies is definitely one of
    43:04
    And so Goonies is definitely one of those where people of my generation, this is the show that we grew up with. This is the show and you talk to Zach Mini. This is like one of his dream themes. Now I am in the minority in that I saw Goonies once, I think. But I know that there's a lot of people who it is like one of their all-time dream themes. And again, if you are going to make a pinball machine that can incorporate dream themes with the the right demographic of people willing to buy a $10,000 machine and put it in their basement, this is a perfect vin diagram of overlapping and saying there's a need, there's a want. And Spooky definitely has their little market base of saying, "Hey, we are Spooky fanboys. We want to support the company." I they how how long did it take for them to to sell out of Beetlejuice, Josh? >> Uh I think it was sold out before it
    43:59
    Uh I think it was sold out before it
    43:59
    Uh I think it was sold out before it even shown it was right. >> And Zach May is claiming that the list
    44:02
    And Zach May is claiming that the list
    44:02
    And Zach May is claiming that the list is already full for the next spooky spooky title, too. So, I don't know. >> Good.
    44:08
    Good.
    44:08
    Good. >> I don't know.
    44:09
    I don't know.
    44:09
    I don't know. >> This is the best part about having a
    44:12
    This is the best part about having a
    44:12
    This is the best part about having a small company with a dedicated fan base is that you are going to develop a need. And now Josh, I I'm going to I'm going to ask you the devil's advocate. Is there any reason if you're if if I'm going to pitch Beetlejuice to you, why are you going to tell me Beetlejuice is a bad idea? >> As far as like theme for a pinball
    44:36
    As far as like theme for a pinball
    44:36
    As far as like theme for a pinball machine or >> Yeah, I'm going to make a pinball
    44:38
    Yeah, I'm going to make a pinball
    44:38
    Yeah, I'm going to make a pinball machine. I want it to be Beetlejuice. Why is this a bad idea? Go. Uh, depending on the size of your company, it might be a little too niche of a theme to be profitable for you. >> I'm spooky. I'm looking to sell,000
    44:51
    I'm spooky. I'm looking to sell,000
    44:51
    I'm spooky. I'm looking to sell,000 to,500. >> I Well, they sold out 888 in
    44:56
    I Well, they sold out 888 in
    44:56
    I Well, they sold out 888 in >> Yeah.
    44:57
    Yeah.
    44:57
    Yeah. >> less than 24 hours.
    44:58
    less than 24 hours.
    44:58
    less than 24 hours. >> Yeah, exactly.
    44:59
    Yeah, exactly.
    44:59
    Yeah, exactly. >> I called Bug at noon on So, it would
    45:02
    I called Bug at noon on So, it would
    45:02
    I called Bug at noon on So, it would have been It would have been 1:00 his time >> just because my cousin had called and
    45:05
    just because my cousin had called and
    45:06
    just because my cousin had called and said, "Hey, I really really want one of these." I said, "Well, I know Bug, so I'll give him a call." And he's like, "Dude, I wish I could, but he's like, "We sold out like two hours ago." >> Okay, perfect. I This is Okay, this is
    45:17
    Okay, perfect. I This is Okay, this is
    45:17
    Okay, perfect. I This is Okay, this is what I'm saying. You are finding a hard time to tell me not to buy this game. >> Yeah.
    45:22
    Yeah.
    45:22
    Yeah. >> Like, not to not to make this game. This
    45:24
    Like, not to not to make this game. This
    45:24
    Like, not to not to make this game. This is a perfect uh a perfect fusion of the right boutique company with the right boutique theme. >> Yeah. Like, and I I could totally argue
    45:37
    Yeah. Like, and I I could totally argue
    45:37
    Yeah. Like, and I I could totally argue if I were a Stern and I'm looking to sell 5,000 to 10,000 games, is there enough demand for a Beetlejuice? Is there enough demand for a Goonies? I could argue you may not be able to find that many that many buyers for that, but for a small focused company like Spooky, this is going to be a home run. >> Well, and I would argue also that you're
    46:01
    Well, and I would argue also that you're
    46:01
    Well, and I would argue also that you're going for an experience. The thing with Stern is they are now going for titles that have brought a pill that can fit into different locations. Even though locations, what did they say? It's like 3070 right now. 30. >> They're going for maximum penetration.
    46:15
    They're going for maximum penetration.
    46:15
    They're going for maximum penetration. >> Yes, correct.
    46:16
    Yes, correct.
    46:16
    Yes, correct. >> That's what they are trying to do. They
    46:17
    That's what they are trying to do. They
    46:17
    That's what they are trying to do. They are trying to find themes that will work for the broadest possible audience. Now, as a boutique company, that is not your focus. >> Yeah.
    46:27
    Yeah.
    46:27
    Yeah. >> Your focus is to cater to you are your
    46:30
    Your focus is to cater to you are your
    46:30
    Your focus is to cater to you are your super fanboys. And I blame it all on Evil Dead, man. That game is so good. >> So good.
    46:36
    So good.
    46:36
    So good. >> So great. And again, this is something
    46:38
    So great. And again, this is something
    46:38
    So great. And again, this is something that for me, it's not my demographic, but I tell them that this is a this was a home run in finding the the passionate people who are willing to pay money for this. And you know what? I would argue Evil Dead was springboarded by Texas Chainsaw Massacre. >> If you had told me, "Hey, I'm a I'm a
    46:59
    If you had told me, "Hey, I'm a I'm a
    46:59
    If you had told me, "Hey, I'm a I'm a pinball company. I want to make Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I would have thought you were crazy. >> Yeah,
    47:04
    Yeah,
    47:04
    Yeah, >> because it is one, it's super gory. Two,
    47:07
    because it is one, it's super gory. Two,
    47:07
    because it is one, it's super gory. Two, it's super old school and super fanboy. Everybody knows it though and so they were able to make it work. >> Yep. All right, let's move on to let's
    47:17
    Yep. All right, let's move on to let's
    47:17
    Yep. All right, let's move on to let's talk about the bracket. Uh, so about three weeks ago, started up the ultimate JJP game. They, you know, the rumored Sonic the Hedgehog should be coming anytime soon. And I figured what not a better time to see if we can crown a champion. >> The way that I did this is I took all
    47:35
    The way that I did this is I took all
    47:35
    The way that I did this is I took all the ratings from Pinside >> and then seated the games based on their
    47:40
    and then seated the games based on their
    47:40
    and then seated the games based on their rating. So first place is obviously Harry Potter. Second Selton John, third Pirates of the Caribbean, fourth Willy Wonka. Fifth Guns and Roses, sixth Avatar. Seventh Wizard of Oz eighth Hobbit. Ninth Dialed In 10th Toy Story 4. and 11th Godfather. I do find it interesting how far dialed in is down because personally me I think that is a one of the better rulebased games that they have. >> It is the man the Achilles heel for that
    48:12
    It is the man the Achilles heel for that
    48:12
    It is the man the Achilles heel for that is the sim card shop. >> Yeah the theme.
    48:17
    Yeah the theme.
    48:17
    Yeah the theme. Yeah. And and I totally get the people saying the the art is is probably too retro. It's probably in that weird spot where it's >> it's retro but not like cool retro is is
    48:34
    it's retro but not like cool retro is is
    48:34
    it's retro but not like cool retro is is John Yaoy was the one that did the art on that and he was the one that was doing all the original Bali Williams stuff back in the day >> and I do feel bad cuz I I remember that
    48:42
    and I do feel bad cuz I I remember that
    48:42
    and I do feel bad cuz I I remember that you and I were on with uh Headto when that game released >> and I did give John I'm like maybe it's
    48:47
    and I did give John I'm like maybe it's
    48:47
    and I did give John I'm like maybe it's time to hang up the reigns and I do feel bad but like >> Yeah, but it it it felt like it was it
    48:51
    Yeah, but it it it felt like it was it
    48:51
    Yeah, but it it it felt like it was it was close. >> Yeah. But it okay, I know what they were
    48:55
    Yeah. But it okay, I know what they were
    48:55
    Yeah. But it okay, I know what they were going for. They were going for the the everyman. This is okay. This is the hero's journey that happens in so many games. So, or in so many genres, right? You have Luke Skywalker, you have Harry Potter, you have all these things where you have this this nobody, this casual person who gets thrown into a situation where they have to convert to the hero and they are thrust into it. You know, the Matrix does the same thing where Neo's a a a average guy who basically is thrown into this. So, I I kind of wish that it was a little better implemented because I think it would have connected a little more with people. But, you know what? Okay, that being said, it's still a great game. It's still a fun theme. I wish the SIM card shot were more accessible. Yep. Well, that's the hard part, too. It's not a bad shot if there isn't a cliffy on it, but it gets beat pretty bad if you don't have >> If you're a home If you're a home game
    49:57
    If you're a home If you're a home game
    49:57
    If you're a home If you're a home game owner, seriously, just take the cliffy off. you you're not going to beat up that shot enough to in to warrant having the cliffy on there. >> All righty. So, the first round was the
    50:09
    All righty. So, the first round was the
    50:09
    All righty. So, the first round was the bottom uh six games because the way with 11 >> play in tournament. Yeah. Play in
    50:15
    play in tournament. Yeah. Play in
    50:15
    play in tournament. Yeah. Play in tournament. Yeah. >> So, first round, Scott, I'm going to
    50:17
    So, first round, Scott, I'm going to
    50:17
    So, first round, Scott, I'm going to read these off to you uh per matchup. >> I want you to decide who who you think
    50:23
    I want you to decide who who you think
    50:23
    I want you to decide who who you think should win it and then I'll tell you who actually won it. Ready for this? Okay. First round was Avatar at Seed 6 versus Godfather at seed 11. >> I'll take Avatar.
    50:31
    I'll take Avatar.
    50:32
    I'll take Avatar. >> Yeah, Avatar all all day, right?
    50:34
    Yeah, Avatar all all day, right?
    50:34
    Yeah, Avatar all all day, right? >> Okay. Godfather is a It's a great game.
    50:37
    Okay. Godfather is a It's a great game.
    50:37
    Okay. Godfather is a It's a great game. It doesn't have the eye candy that Avatar does. >> Yeah. So, Avatar did win that match, by
    50:43
    Yeah. So, Avatar did win that match, by
    50:43
    Yeah. So, Avatar did win that match, by the way. Shocker. Okay. Wizard of Oz versus Toy Story 4. You know, I'm going to take Wizard of Oz just because it is way more packed and it is the game that put Jersey Jack on the map. >> Yeah. Um Wizard of Oz was seed seven by
    51:00
    Yeah. Um Wizard of Oz was seed seven by
    51:00
    Yeah. Um Wizard of Oz was seed seven by the way and Toy Story 4 was 10. And I I was torn on this one because the the game play is actually pretty good on Toy Story 4. >> Okay. I agree. I agree with when you
    51:10
    Okay. I agree. I agree with when you
    51:10
    Okay. I agree. I agree with when you look at Wizard of Oz and I've got Wizard of Oz over my over my uh my shoulder there. Okay. You have two upper play fields that are packed. You also have the sculpts that are everywhere. And you look at this and you would be hardressed to remember that this game came out over 15 years ago. >> Yeah.
    51:31
    Yeah.
    51:31
    Yeah. >> Like this looks like a a it still looks
    51:34
    Like this looks like a a it still looks
    51:34
    Like this looks like a a it still looks like an advanced game now and it's it's 15 years old. >> Yep. I know. I totally agree. So, in
    51:41
    Yep. I know. I totally agree. So, in
    51:41
    Yep. I know. I totally agree. So, in that case, Wizard of Oz did win. Um, I want to say pretty close. It was pretty close. Let me hurry and see if I can scroll down. >> Toy Story is a good game. I Okay, I I
    51:52
    Toy Story is a good game. I Okay, I I
    51:52
    Toy Story is a good game. I Okay, I I really am on record. Toy Story is a good game. >> It is a good game. Um, while I'm still
    51:58
    It is a good game. Um, while I'm still
    51:58
    It is a good game. Um, while I'm still scrolling down, I do apologize. Uh, it was 56% to 44%. >> Definitely a closer It's a closer.
    52:07
    Definitely a closer It's a closer.
    52:07
    Definitely a closer It's a closer. >> It was definitely not the blowout of 80%
    52:10
    It was definitely not the blowout of 80%
    52:10
    It was definitely not the blowout of 80% to 20% with Godfather and Avatar. All right, moving on. Uh, so WS won that round. Moved on. Uh, dialed in at seed nine versus Hobbit at seed 8. Um, okay. I I really want to love The Hobbit. I really do. I am a huge Lord of the Rings fan. My kid is actually just signed up for a Lord of the Rings class in school next year. And and so the Hobbit, it's it's an amazing experience. It is beautiful. I can't tell you one mode from another. And for some reason, those axe things are so loud in playing the game. >> Yeah.
    52:58
    Yeah.
    52:58
    Yeah. >> So, I am going to take dialed in over
    53:01
    So, I am going to take dialed in over
    53:01
    So, I am going to take dialed in over Hobbit. >> Okay.
    53:03
    Okay.
    53:03
    Okay. >> But I will say that you could argue with
    53:06
    But I will say that you could argue with
    53:06
    But I will say that you could argue with Hobbit. You could. So, this is the one that shocked me cuz I felt like I'm kind of on the same page with you. I think Dialed In is a really good game when it comes to the gameplay. The the thing that it lacks the most is the theme, right? Like >> the theme immersion.
    53:19
    the theme immersion.
    53:19
    the theme immersion. >> Um, Hobbit, it came down to 5347 and it
    53:22
    Um, Hobbit, it came down to 5347 and it
    53:22
    Um, Hobbit, it came down to 5347 and it was Hobbit that won. >> Okay. How many times have we said theme
    53:26
    Okay. How many times have we said theme
    53:26
    Okay. How many times have we said theme immersion is so key to marketability of a game? >> Yep.
    53:32
    Yep.
    53:32
    Yep. >> And The Hobbit has theme immersion in
    53:35
    And The Hobbit has theme immersion in
    53:35
    And The Hobbit has theme immersion in spades. The only game that probably takes it over theme immersion would be Guns and Roses. >> Yeah. Speaking of which, so moving on to
    53:45
    Yeah. Speaking of which, so moving on to
    53:45
    Yeah. Speaking of which, so moving on to the next round. And so that that wrapped out wrapped up round one. We got to round two. Uh so the first matchup we had was Willy Wonka at seed 4 versus Guns and Roses at seed five. Speaking of your theme immersion, >> what do you think?
    54:01
    what do you think?
    54:01
    what do you think? >> So I will say that I think Wonka is a
    54:04
    So I will say that I think Wonka is a
    54:04
    So I will say that I think Wonka is a better shooter. Okay. >> I do think it's a better shooter game.
    54:08
    I do think it's a better shooter game.
    54:08
    I do think it's a better shooter game. Uh Guns and Roses, it is um it is over the top. Like it it is it's probably the most Guns and Roses game that you could possibly think of. I even if you think about the Guns and Roses music, it it borders on excess, right? And if you look at the game, the way that Eric and Slash co-designed this thing, it feels excessive in that you are baptized in a Guns and Roses concert. I still think Wonka is a better shooter, but I am betting that Guns and Roses is going to win because it sold way more games. >> And you would be wrong. Wonka won 70 to
    54:50
    And you would be wrong. Wonka won 70 to
    54:50
    And you would be wrong. Wonka won 70 to 30%. >> Wow. Okay.
    54:51
    Wow. Okay.
    54:51
    Wow. Okay. >> Yeah, it it kicked its butt, man.
    54:53
    Yeah, it it kicked its butt, man.
    54:53
    Yeah, it it kicked its butt, man. Okay, that okay. But I I will say if you're looking from a pure shooter, >> I think Wonka is a is a better more
    55:02
    I think Wonka is a is a better more
    55:02
    I think Wonka is a is a better more streamlined. The the uh Guns and Roses uh machine, >> I think it suffers from excess. It's a
    55:12
    I think it suffers from excess. It's a
    55:12
    I think it suffers from excess. It's a wide body. It's has so many shots. >> It but it's a little harder to
    55:17
    It but it's a little harder to
    55:17
    It but it's a little harder to streamline the play as What are your thoughts? Maybe I should ask you what you think you think about the uh Guns and Roses versus Wonka. That's my take. >> I think the other hard part too is I the
    55:30
    I think the other hard part too is I the
    55:30
    I think the other hard part too is I the one big complaint about Guns and Roses, it's very multiball heavy. Yes. >> It's very much like you get into the
    55:36
    It's very much like you get into the
    55:36
    It's very much like you get into the song and then you're playing the song forever and which then involves multiballs and I I think that's where it is definitely an experience you're playing, but I think it is hindered by the actual code itself. It it doesn't feel like in Guns and Roses that you're in jeopardy. >> Yeah.
    55:53
    Yeah.
    55:54
    Yeah. >> Like like in in in most pinball machines
    55:57
    Like like in in in most pinball machines
    55:57
    Like like in in in most pinball machines you are you feel a penalty when you drain. >> Yeah.
    56:02
    Yeah.
    56:02
    Yeah. >> It feels like Guns and Roses is you just
    56:04
    It feels like Guns and Roses is you just
    56:04
    It feels like Guns and Roses is you just drained. Now here's three more balls. >> Yeah. Where Willy Wonka was not that
    56:09
    Yeah. Where Willy Wonka was not that
    56:09
    Yeah. Where Willy Wonka was not that way. >> No. So uh All right. So moving on to the
    56:12
    No. So uh All right. So moving on to the
    56:12
    No. So uh All right. So moving on to the next matchup. Avatar at scene six which came you know beat Godfather to move on to go on to take Pirates of the Caribbean. Uh Avatar versus Pirates. Okay. I will say that Pirates is going to win this. However, I don't think it's fair. Um I like Pirates. I I do. It's a fun game. It is probably the most ambitious first design attempt by any designer in history. >> Yeah.
    56:48
    Yeah.
    56:48
    Yeah. >> With so many things. There are a lot of
    56:52
    With so many things. There are a lot of
    56:52
    With so many things. There are a lot of things in there that were planned, including the triple spinning disc and the opening and closing of the chest, but that that they ultimately decided not to do. >> Okay. Um, so I would say Avatar is
    57:05
    Okay. Um, so I would say Avatar is
    57:05
    Okay. Um, so I would say Avatar is probably a slightly better shooting game. Um, because it's a little more complete. I love the ambition of Pirates of the Caribbean. >> Yeah.
    57:19
    Yeah.
    57:19
    Yeah. >> Um, but I would probably just lean a
    57:22
    Um, but I would probably just lean a
    57:22
    Um, but I would probably just lean a little bit toward Avatar in this one, but I it could be a coin flip. I'm betting this one was close. >> Uh, it was 6040 with Pirates of the
    57:30
    Uh, it was 6040 with Pirates of the
    57:30
    Uh, it was 6040 with Pirates of the Caribbean, right? It wasn't terribly >> big wide gap, but it still
    57:35
    big wide gap, but it still
    57:35
    big wide gap, but it still >> But I think I agree with you. I think
    57:37
    But I think I agree with you. I think
    57:37
    But I think I agree with you. I think there's almost a legendary status to Pirates of the Caribbean, so it creates more clout for it, right? >> It does. And it's it's the it's the game
    57:45
    It does. And it's it's the it's the game
    57:45
    It does. And it's it's the it's the game that they made less than a thousand of. >> Yeah.
    57:47
    Yeah.
    57:47
    Yeah. >> Like, and so you're going to get a
    57:49
    Like, and so you're going to get a
    57:49
    Like, and so you're going to get a rarity if people want to get a Pirates of the Caribbean. It is it's over $20,000. But I would argue is does it feel like an over $20,000 shooter game? No, I I I don't think it does. Like, >> I do like the I like the rocking upper
    58:05
    I do like the I like the rocking upper
    58:05
    I do like the I like the rocking upper ship. I think that's a very cool unique idea, but I think that is pro part of the problem is like how much of it are you paying because of its rarity versus what the actual game is. Yeah. >> And it you could argue the same thing
    58:16
    And it you could argue the same thing
    58:16
    And it you could argue the same thing about the original Cactus Canyon. Like I would take the remake 20 times over the original Cactus Canyon, even though the original Cactus Canyon was super rare and at his peak was commanding $18,000. >> Yeah. Yeah. All right. Moving on to the
    58:32
    Yeah. Yeah. All right. Moving on to the
    58:32
    Yeah. Yeah. All right. Moving on to the next one. Wizard of Oz at seven versus Elton John at two. >> Okay. Um,
    58:40
    Okay. Um,
    58:40
    Okay. Um, this is this is a little bit more of that uh over-the-top excess immersion on Wizard of Oz that is kind of like Guns and Roses where it it has so much stuff going on. That being said, Elton John is a much more streamlined game and it is Steve Richie's third version of the layout. I mean, you you have Spider-Man, you have uh Star Trek. And by the way, both are good games. >> I would argue it's even further back.
    59:11
    I would argue it's even further back.
    59:11
    I would argue it's even further back. You could see remnants of that fl layout and Star Trek Next Generation. >> Yeah. So th this is almost like Steve
    59:19
    Yeah. So th this is almost like Steve
    59:19
    Yeah. So th this is almost like Steve Richie saying, "Okay, this is the best version of the layout." Um, you add in Elton John's music, you add in, uh, it is probably, okay, it's arguably the best shooting Jersey Jack game so far. >> Yeah. Yeah. Uh, it was 72 when it was
    59:41
    Yeah. Yeah. Uh, it was 72 when it was
    59:41
    Yeah. Yeah. Uh, it was 72 when it was released. I'll put it that way. >> Yeah. Okay. 7228, Elton John spanked
    59:45
    Yeah. Okay. 7228, Elton John spanked
    59:45
    Yeah. Okay. 7228, Elton John spanked Wizard of Oz. >> Yeah, I think so.
    59:47
    Yeah, I think so.
    59:47
    Yeah, I think so. >> And then the last one, I don't even know
    59:48
    And then the last one, I don't even know
    59:48
    And then the last one, I don't even know if I do I even need to ask you this. It's Harry Potter versus Hobbit. >> Yeah. I I Okay. Both win on theme
    59:55
    Yeah. I I Okay. Both win on theme
    59:55
    Yeah. I I Okay. Both win on theme immersion. >> Okay.
    59:57
    Okay.
    59:57
    Okay. >> Yeah.
    59:57
    Yeah.
    59:57
    Yeah. >> Harry Potter wins on fun.
    59:59
    Harry Potter wins on fun.
    59:59
    Harry Potter wins on fun. >> Yep. In 9010. Like not even close. Harry
    60:02
    Yep. In 9010. Like not even close. Harry
    60:02
    Yep. In 9010. Like not even close. Harry Potter >> Harry Potter slapped around Hobbit. Like
    60:05
    Harry Potter slapped around Hobbit. Like
    60:05
    Harry Potter slapped around Hobbit. Like just just owned it. All right. Which brings us to the round we're voting on right now. Okay. >> So this is like the the the semi-finals.
    60:14
    So this is like the the the semi-finals.
    60:14
    So this is like the the the semi-finals. >> Semi-finals. Yeah.
    60:15
    Semi-finals. Yeah.
    60:15
    Semi-finals. Yeah. >> Yeah. And then and then the the two that
    60:17
    Yeah. And then and then the the two that
    60:17
    Yeah. And then and then the the two that come out of this will go on to the the Super Bowl, right? The ultimate JJP. So, we've got uh so Wonka versus Harry Potter. Yeah. Wonka versus Harry Potter. What What do you think that one's doing? >> You know, I I'm just going to put Harry
    60:35
    You know, I I'm just going to put Harry
    60:35
    You know, I I'm just going to put Harry Potter, right? Really? >> I can call it now. So, this poll lasts
    60:39
    I can call it now. So, this poll lasts
    60:40
    I can call it now. So, this poll lasts for like another day, right? at at the time of this recording. By the time we put this up, it might already be done, but I can guarantee that Harry Potter it's 97 to 3% Scott. >> Yeah. Okay. But that's I mean what
    60:53
    Yeah. Okay. But that's I mean what
    60:53
    Yeah. Okay. But that's I mean what you're saying is Harry Potter is such a great game. >> Yeah.
    60:58
    Yeah.
    60:58
    Yeah. >> That it's uh you know it it's kind of
    61:00
    That it's uh you know it it's kind of
    61:00
    That it's uh you know it it's kind of hard. It's, you know, in some ways it's a little unfair because you're saying like you have the Beatles white album versus I I don't know, uh, rubber, you know, Soul or or uh, you know, it's not like an Abbey Road comparison, right? You you have like one of the the best arguably best games of of uh, Jersey Jack's history against anything. >> Yeah. and and you have a combination of
    61:33
    Yeah. and and you have a combination of
    61:33
    Yeah. and and you have a combination of the best theme immersion and you have Eric who really found his his shots in Harry Potter like that it it almost seems unfair. >> Yeah, I agree. So you I mean obviously
    61:51
    Yeah, I agree. So you I mean obviously
    61:51
    Yeah, I agree. So you I mean obviously Harry Potter wins that one. >> And then the last one is uh Elton John
    61:56
    And then the last one is uh Elton John
    61:56
    And then the last one is uh Elton John versus Pirates of the Caribbean. >> Yeah. And again, that's the uh Elton
    62:02
    Yeah. And again, that's the uh Elton
    62:02
    Yeah. And again, that's the uh Elton John is such a great shooting game. It it'd be pretty hard to beat that with Pirates of the Caribbean. Pirates of the Caribbean probably wins on ambition. >> Yeah.
    62:11
    Yeah.
    62:11
    Yeah. >> But if you're looking at the best
    62:13
    But if you're looking at the best
    62:13
    But if you're looking at the best shooting game and if you're a tournament player, you're going to take Elton John. >> Yeah. Well, honestly, it's it's almost
    62:22
    Yeah. Well, honestly, it's it's almost
    62:22
    Yeah. Well, honestly, it's it's almost 70 to 30. Elton John versus Pirates. Elton John with the lead. I really do see Elton John taking this, which would then mean that like it's Harry Potter versus Elton John. Me personally, I think Harry Potter wins. I think it's got the better theme, but then again, what do I know? What I find interesting about this uh this bracket that we've done so far based on all the seed positions, every higher seed has won its b its matchup, >> which tells me that it's they're rated
    62:56
    which tells me that it's they're rated
    62:56
    which tells me that it's they're rated appropriately. >> Yeah.
    62:58
    Yeah.
    62:58
    Yeah. >> Like and and okay, every time a game
    63:01
    Like and and okay, every time a game
    63:01
    Like and and okay, every time a game comes out, >> the the uh the fanboys, the fan girls
    63:05
    the the uh the fanboys, the fan girls
    63:05
    the the uh the fanboys, the fan girls all come out and they rank it. It's like, "Hey, I just bought this game. I paid10 to $13,000 on this game. I'm going to justify my purchase by saying it's the best game of all time. >> Yeah.
    63:16
    Yeah.
    63:16
    Yeah. >> Okay.
    63:17
    Okay.
    63:18
    Okay. >> Now, you could I will point out that
    63:22
    Now, you could I will point out that
    63:22
    Now, you could I will point out that Harry Potter took my hands down as the number one game last year. I still stand by that. I still even when I play it now, >> so does 110,000 people.
    63:33
    so does 110,000 people.
    63:33
    so does 110,000 people. >> Yeah,
    63:34
    Yeah,
    63:34
    Yeah, >> that clip went crazy, dude.
    63:36
    that clip went crazy, dude.
    63:36
    that clip went crazy, dude. >> Yeah. Okay. But okay, but you have the
    63:39
    Yeah. Okay. But okay, but you have the
    63:39
    Yeah. Okay. But okay, but you have the ideal theme. I This is the dream theme of all time, right? Uh for most people. Okay. Pokemon is like some weird outlier out there, but for if you're looking at the best theme of all time and then you have Eric who took an amazing design with the with the staircase with I would think say has one of the best upper playfields with the Quidditch. >> Yeah. Yeah.
    64:06
    Yeah. Yeah.
    64:06
    Yeah. Yeah. >> And so you have that and it's like it
    64:09
    And so you have that and it's like it
    64:09
    And so you have that and it's like it really is justifiably it should be the bestselling game of all time in JJP's catalog. >> Yeah. Well, they can't even keep up. I
    64:19
    Yeah. Well, they can't even keep up. I
    64:19
    Yeah. Well, they can't even keep up. I mean, they're still building them like crazy. They they said that they wanted to release a game every 9 months. >> Harry Potter released in May of last
    64:26
    Harry Potter released in May of last
    64:26
    Harry Potter released in May of last year, and Friday is May. >> Yeah.
    64:29
    Yeah.
    64:29
    Yeah. >> So, and and are they ready to release
    64:32
    So, and and are they ready to release
    64:32
    So, and and are they ready to release their next one? I I don't think they are. >> I think they could hold off even until
    64:37
    I think they could hold off even until
    64:37
    I think they could hold off even until expo. >> I actually think they should um I think
    64:40
    I actually think they should um I think
    64:40
    I actually think they should um I think they should build through the summer, keep building Harry Potter because it is still a hot seller. It has not suffered the it's not suffered the the hit that most games, especially high volume games hit after about a year and a half. >> And we saw this with Guns and Roses,
    65:00
    And we saw this with Guns and Roses,
    65:00
    And we saw this with Guns and Roses, right? >> Yeah. like Guns and Roses. You can buy
    65:02
    Yeah. like Guns and Roses. You can buy
    65:02
    Yeah. like Guns and Roses. You can buy Guns and Roses for a very reasonable price now, but it's suffering from they sold 5,000 5,000 of these, right? >> Well, and they've always capped the C at
    65:12
    Well, and they've always capped the C at
    65:12
    Well, and they've always capped the C at 500. And we had someone reach out last month or the month before and tell us they just got theirs their CE and they're at 7725, right? So obviously I mean they've done more than triple what they usually do on the CES for these >> and it's not it's not suffering from the
    65:30
    and it's not it's not suffering from the
    65:30
    and it's not it's not suffering from the standard FOMO which I is so smart with them because okay I I bought across from me is is uh is Metallica right and they kept that when they they probably could have sold 2,000 of those less. >> Yeah. and and and and being able to do
    65:52
    Yeah. and and and and being able to do
    65:52
    Yeah. and and and and being able to do that. And and I I am a big fan of this, especially for Harry Potter, that has the widest appeal to for everybody to get the version they want. And by the way, I would totally argue that you could get either version and be totally happy. And you can even get the excuse me, the arcade version and be totally happy. >> Well, and seriously though, like the
    66:13
    Well, and seriously though, like the
    66:13
    Well, and seriously though, like the arcade version I This is what's funny. Like people have like we just did Yukon Yeti and some of the comments were like well if he did an arcade edition I'd be entirely in. But the reality of the situation is though like look at Spooky. They stopped doing the other two tiers cuz they weren't selling them. >> Well, okay. How how how often have we
    66:35
    Well, okay. How how how often have we
    66:35
    Well, okay. How how how often have we said the most limited Guns and Roses is the standard edition? >> Yep.
    66:41
    Yep.
    66:42
    Yep. >> Cuz they made a like what was it? What
    66:44
    Cuz they made a like what was it? What
    66:44
    Cuz they made a like what was it? What did Jack tell us? It was like 140 of them, >> something like that.
    66:48
    something like that.
    66:48
    something like that. >> Like it was a crazy small amount of
    66:51
    Like it was a crazy small amount of
    66:51
    Like it was a crazy small amount of them. And because >> supposedly there's only 182,
    66:55
    supposedly there's only 182,
    66:55
    supposedly there's only 182, anywhere from 182 to 335 arcade editions out in the wild compared to the over,700. >> If you're going to buy it for the arcade
    67:05
    If you're going to buy it for the arcade
    67:05
    If you're going to buy it for the arcade for a location, >> get it. Get the arcade.
    67:08
    get it. Get the arcade.
    67:08
    get it. Get the arcade. >> That makes sense. Yeah, that makes
    67:09
    That makes sense. Yeah, that makes
    67:09
    That makes sense. Yeah, that makes sense. >> 100%. It's It's the It's the most
    67:12
    100%. It's It's the It's the most
    67:12
    100%. It's It's the It's the most straightforward. Hey, we're just we are making this uh to sell to sell and get on location and the play field is the same. You're getting bells and whistles. >> Guns and Roses Standard Edition. You
    67:24
    Guns and Roses Standard Edition. You
    67:24
    Guns and Roses Standard Edition. You ready for this, Scott? >> Yeah.
    67:26
    Yeah.
    67:26
    Yeah. >> 130 produced.
    67:28
    130 produced.
    67:28
    130 produced. >> Why even offer at that point?
    67:30
    Why even offer at that point?
    67:30
    Why even offer at that point? >> It's It's not worth your time as a
    67:32
    It's It's not worth your time as a
    67:32
    It's It's not worth your time as a manufacturer. >> Well, and your margins are so much
    67:36
    Well, and your margins are so much
    67:36
    Well, and your margins are so much smaller on those. >> They probably lost money on that.
    67:39
    They probably lost money on that.
    67:39
    They probably lost money on that. >> Yeah, it was a loss leader. Yeah. I
    67:43
    Yeah, it was a loss leader. Yeah. I
    67:43
    Yeah, it was a loss leader. Yeah. I >> Okay, but okay, Josh, if you think about
    67:45
    Okay, but okay, Josh, if you think about
    67:45
    Okay, but okay, Josh, if you think about it, you have a golden ticket for one game from JJP. >> Okay. And let's not talk about resell
    67:55
    Okay. And let's not talk about resell
    67:55
    Okay. And let's not talk about resell value because otherwise you'd get Pirates of the Caribbean because you can sell that. But >> which one if you had to own and never
    68:03
    which one if you had to own and never
    68:03
    which one if you had to own and never sell, which one are you going to take? >> Oh, right now it'd be a C. Harry Potter.
    68:07
    Oh, right now it'd be a C. Harry Potter.
    68:07
    Oh, right now it'd be a C. Harry Potter. >> Yeah, absolutely. That's what I would
    68:08
    Yeah, absolutely. That's what I would
    68:08
    Yeah, absolutely. That's what I would get, too. >> Yeah.
    68:10
    Yeah.
    68:10
    Yeah. Uh, it just it it's a great game. Like I >> I I really am. I'm crossing my fingers
    68:17
    I I really am. I'm crossing my fingers
    68:17
    I I really am. I'm crossing my fingers just getting some more space in my house because that is the one I'm going to get. >> Yeah, I don't blame you. It's I feel
    68:24
    Yeah, I don't blame you. It's I feel
    68:24
    Yeah, I don't blame you. It's I feel like it's the way to go. >> Mhm.
    68:26
    Mhm.
    68:26
    Mhm. >> It really is. If you like that that
    68:28
    It really is. If you like that that
    68:28
    It really is. If you like that that artwork, >> well, it goes back.
    68:31
    well, it goes back.
    68:31
    well, it goes back. >> It's the artwork of the book versus the
    68:33
    It's the artwork of the book versus the
    68:33
    It's the artwork of the book versus the artwork of the movie. Which one do you want? Now, I do have a friend who did point out, he said, "I don't know if I can get the wizard edition because the art, every single one is pointing a wand," which I'm like, "Huh, I never really thought about that, but >> people will find things that they
    68:54
    people will find things that they
    68:54
    people will find things that they gravitate toward on the different art packages." >> Yep. No, I agree. There's there's
    68:59
    Yep. No, I agree. There's there's
    68:59
    Yep. No, I agree. There's there's certain people that It's funny cuz like we had this whole explosion over John Wick not having any guns on there, but I know people that didn't buy Cactus Canyon because it had guns on the slings. Hey, you do you. There's nothing wrong with what however you feel about whatever, you know, but um it's just funny what different things people say, hey, this is what's preventing me from buying this. Um you you know just going back also to that like >> would you get Josh and just curious your
    69:24
    would you get Josh and just curious your
    69:24
    would you get Josh and just curious your personal thought would you do you have more of a connection for the CE artwork or the um wizard artwork?
    69:37
    I want to say it's the CE cuz I
    69:37
    I want to say it's the CE cuz I originally read the books before I watched the movies kind of thing. >> Mhm. So, um, from a sales standpoint,
    69:44
    Mhm. So, um, from a sales standpoint,
    69:44
    Mhm. So, um, from a sales standpoint, speaking of like your arcade edition and stuff like that, >> uh, in the HVAC industry, which I don't
    69:50
    uh, in the HVAC industry, which I don't
    69:50
    uh, in the HVAC industry, which I don't know if it applies directly, I highly doubt it, >> but when we were doing selling classes,
    69:56
    but when we were doing selling classes,
    69:56
    but when we were doing selling classes, they talked about the good, better, best, right? Like that's a model a lot of people know. And when it came to percentages, 20 went to the very base, 70 went to the middle, >> and 10% went to the top.
    70:07
    and 10% went to the top.
    70:08
    and 10% went to the top. >> Yeah. And so I can see if your margins
    70:11
    Yeah. And so I can see if your margins
    70:11
    Yeah. And so I can see if your margins are really tight and terrible why you would I mean it is 20% of sales. So is it worth it? Is it not? That's what >> I It's worth it to get it in arcades cuz
    70:23
    I It's worth it to get it in arcades cuz
    70:23
    I It's worth it to get it in arcades cuz that was the biggest hit with or the biggest criticism with a lot of Jersey Jack games to say I can't play this on location and and so being able to have a model that you can actually get into um into the arcades is a big deal even though location is only 30% of their business. >> Yeah. Well, I think that wraps it up for
    70:45
    Yeah. Well, I think that wraps it up for
    70:46
    Yeah. Well, I think that wraps it up for us, Scott. It has been a minute since we've been >> been on. I'm glad that we were able to
    70:50
    been on. I'm glad that we were able to
    70:50
    been on. I'm glad that we were able to to line the salt up. Uh I'm really glad we had Scorpit on. Um >> you know, that was really nice. Yeah,
    70:57
    you know, that was really nice. Yeah,
    70:57
    you know, that was really nice. Yeah, >> that was a lot of fun. Mainly because I
    71:00
    that was a lot of fun. Mainly because I
    71:00
    that was a lot of fun. Mainly because I didn't know a few things about Scorpit. >> Yeah.
    71:02
    Yeah.
    71:02
    Yeah. >> Okay. The fact that you can pay an older
    71:05
    Okay. The fact that you can pay an older
    71:05
    Okay. The fact that you can pay an older game with your phone, that's actually a big deal. >> Yeah.
    71:10
    Yeah.
    71:10
    Yeah. >> Cuz there are a lot of games I have not
    71:12
    Cuz there are a lot of games I have not
    71:12
    Cuz there are a lot of games I have not played because I have not had access to quarters. Yep. Same. I guess we're going to wrap this up. Yeah. If you want to get a hold of us, we are loser pinball podcast@gmail.com. You can find us on all the socials, you know, YouTube, all that stuff. Follow us, like, subscribe, yada yada yada. Silverball swag. Go get them shoes. Uh if you're part of our Patreon, you know, there's a secret uh discount code and my Patreon member. Yeah. So, it's worth it's worth trying out. >> It's worth joining the Patreon just to
    71:43
    It's worth joining the Patreon just to
    71:43
    It's worth joining the Patreon just to get the discount code. >> You know it. So, uh, uh, other than
    71:46
    You know it. So, uh, uh, other than
    71:46
    You know it. So, uh, uh, other than that, Scott, give us our last words. >> You know, I just want people to go get
    71:50
    You know, I just want people to go get
    71:50
    You know, I just want people to go get shoes. I have both the high top, the low top, and the Vans. And I will say every time I'm wearing them, people walk up and say, "Those are cool shoes." I'm like, "Yeah, yeah, they are.