The Pin by Stern Pinball

Stern Pinball·video·4m 7s·analyzed·Nov 20, 2012

Analysis

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TL;DR

Stern launches The Pinball: accessible home machine at lower price with Transformers theme.

Summary

Stern Pinball announces The Pinball, a new home-focused machine designed for accessibility and affordability. The game features simplified mechanics, commercial-grade parts, a lower price point than Pro/Premium/LE models, and will launch with a Transformers theme via a Hasbro partnership. The machine weighs 125 lbs (half typical commercial weight), includes multiball, toys, ramps, flippers, wizard mode, and is plug-and-play without requiring coins.

Key Claims

The Pinball is designed exclusively for the home market with a lower price point than Pro/Premium/LE models
high confidence · Official Stern Pinball announcement video
The machine weighs 125 lbs, half the weight of commercial pinball games, but retains nearly the same usable playfield area
high confidence · Direct specification stated in announcement
The Pinball features commercial-grade parts and is manufactured in Stern's Chicagoland factory
high confidence · Manufacturing and sourcing details in announcement
The game includes multiball, toys, ramps, real Stern pop bumpers, real Stern flippers, and a wizard mode
high confidence · Feature list detailed in announcement
Hasbro partnership will bring Transformers theme to The Pinball
high confidence · Official partnership announcement in video
George Gomez and his design team simplified assembly and mechanics using a new, simpler electronic system
high confidence · Design philosophy stated in announcement
The game is permanently on free play with no coins or tokens necessary
high confidence · Operational model stated in announcement
Learnings from The Pinball will be incorporated into future commercial games
medium confidence · Design philosophy statement about future product integration

Notable Quotes

“We basically had to take a clean piece of paper and rethink every aspect of the pinball game experience.”
Stern Pinball executive @ Early in video — Emphasizes the fundamental redesign approach for this product line
“Gary told us that whatever we came up with had to be the highest quality and it had to be a real pinball game.”
Stern Pinball executive @ Early in video — Reflects design mandate from leadership to maintain quality despite lower price point
“This is not a toy. It's a real pinball machine.”
Stern Pinball executive @ Mid video — Key positioning statement differentiating from casual/digital alternatives
“The Pinball is really the perfect addition to any home game room. It'll sit right alongside a foosball, an air hockey table, jukebox.”
Stern Pinball executive @ Late in video — Market positioning as lifestyle consumer product for home entertainment
“Pinball is my passion. I want to share it with generations to come.”
Stern Pinball executive @ Closing — Personal mission statement reflecting Stern's growth strategy for the next generation

Entities

Stern PinballcompanyThe PinballgameTransformersproduct Hasbrocompany George Gomezperson Garyperson Chicagoland factoryorganization

Signals

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business_signal: Stern expanding addressable market downward to capture home consumers who want pinball but find commercial Pro/Premium/LE models too expensive or complex
high · Explicit acknowledgment of customer feedback requesting lower price point and simpler game; new product category created in response
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community_signal: Stern positioning The Pinball as vehicle to grow pinball resurgence and expose next generation of players to the game
medium · Statement about pinball resurgence around world and desire to introduce game to younger players
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competitive_signal: The Pinball positioned as entry-level home alternative to Pro/Premium/LE commercial models; targets family/casual market with lower price and simpler gameplay
high · Repeated emphasis on lower price point, simpler rules, consumer-friendly design, and appeal to all ages/skill levels
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design_philosophy: Stern re-engineered playfield design, electronics, and cabinet to achieve 50% weight reduction (250 lbs to 125 lbs) while maintaining nearly equivalent playfield area and commercial-grade parts quality
high · Specific weight specifications and design goals stated; George Gomez led simplification of assembly and electronics
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licensing_signal: Hasbro partnership to bring Transformers theme to The Pinball as initial launch title
high · Explicit partnership announcement; Transformers described as family-friendly theme

Transcript

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0:06

One of my favorite things about my job is I get to travel all over the world. I visit with our customers. I visit with pinball lovers. We knew that people wanted pinball machines for the home, but some people didn't want quite as much game as we were building. They needed something a little lower price point and a little bit simpler for them. So, we decided to make the pin. Making this game was an incredible challenge. We basically had to take a clean piece of paper and rethink every aspect of the pinball game experience. Gary told us that whatever we came up with had to be the highest quality and it had to be a real pinball game. The pin was designed exclusively for the home. We built a fun game that can be enjoyed by players of all ages and skill levels. We're really excited about partnering with Hasbro to introduce the pin with a Transformers theme. Transformers is a great familyfriendly theme. It appeals to players of all ages. We had several goals. First, we made the playing experience fun and exciting. That's not anything new. Every pinball game that we've made over the course of the last 26 years, the prime directive, if you will, is to make a fun game. You have an old school multiball. What do I mean by old school? You basically put the balls in a lock on the ramp one at a time. When you get all three on the ramp, the ramp releases the balls and you're in multiball. The game features several different ways to get multiball, which is one of the best features in any pinball game. It has toys. It has ramps. It has real stern pop bumpers, real stern flippers. Even features a wizard mode. Second, we work really hard to bring the cost down so that the retail price would be far less than our pro, premium, and limited edition models, but we still use commercial grade parts. The pin is manufactured in our Chicagoland factory, just like our commercial pinball machines. One of Gary's directives was that the game had to feel like a real pinball machine. We had to make it so that it was very consumer friendly. You take it out of the box and it's basically plug and play. I can do it. It's easy. Attach the legs in the back box, load the pinballs, plug it in, play it. Everybody loves pinball. We're seeing a huge resurgence around the world. We see the pin as one way to help the resurgence continue and grow to expose pinball to the next generation of players. We re-engineered the game. We added new technology, a completely new electronic system, modular, very modern, contemporary processor, all LED lighting. George Gomez and his design team simplified some of the assembly, the mechanics of it with a new, simpler electronic system. Designed a rugged cabinet that was also intended to make the pin feel modern and stylish in a consumer environment. This is not a toy. It's a real pinball machine. We cut the overall weight of the game from 250 lb average for our big games to 125 lb. It's half the weight of a commercial pinball machine. Yet, the usable playfield area is nearly the same as our other models. The pin features a lot of the same elements of our big game. High resolution art. The playfield is just slightly smaller than our big play fields. It's got the same music, sound effects, speech calls that our big games have. It's got a simple yet challenging rule set. It'll hook players of all ages and all skill levels. The best part is this game is permanently on free play. No coins or tokens necessary. A lot of what we learned here we will grow up and put in our commercial games because this thing is so right. the way that the thing looks and feels, the dimensions of it. It's more approachable. It's absolutely more approachable. The pin is really the perfect addition to any home game room. It'll sit right alongside a foosball, an air hockey table, jukebox. It's a great pinball machine. I love this game. I love this game. And George and his team did a great job. The game is simple yet compelling. And most important, it is fun. It is real pinball. Pinball is my passion. I want to share it with generations to come. Pinball's an activity that can be enjoyed by the entire family. Pinball is fun. We make fun games and the pin is fun.