claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.017
Rob Burke showcases rare Bally sample games that failed market testing and never reached production.
Bally released Red Max with only 70 units produced, did not hit full production
high confidence · Rob Burke directly stating production numbers for games in his collection at Past Times Arcade
Bally's practice was to test games with select distributors before deciding on full production; unsuccessful games remained as sample models (typically under 100 units)
high confidence · Burke explaining Bally's historical market-testing methodology with physical evidence (test report cards found in coin door)
Only three games feature flip flags: Slapstick, B. Flip-Flop, and one other unnamed game
high confidence · Burke presenting specific mechanical feature fact about rare games in his collection
Test game report cards were self-addressed envelopes that distributors would complete and mail back to Bally with feedback on location type, player count, and performance
high confidence · Burke displaying physical test report cards found inside the unnamed game's coin door, describing the feedback mechanism
Burke acquired an unnamed rare game (110 units made) through trade with a collector in Missouri; the game was difficult to locate
high confidence · Burke describing the acquisition story and noting this was a game he had been trying to track down
“They only released 70 of these units. It did not hit full production. This was pretty common, so what Bally would do is they would release the game, test it to market with some distributors. If it didn't do well, they'd scrap the game and only release it as a sample model, usually less than 100.”
Rob Burke @ ~0:30-0:50 — Core explanation of Bally's market-testing strategy and why certain games remained rare sample models
“Little fun fact here: these are called flip flags, and there's only three games that have flip flags—this game, B. Flip-Flop, and the popular B. With...”
Rob Burke @ ~1:45-2:00 — Identifying rare mechanical feature across only three Bally games
“We picked this one up with a trade from a collector in Missouri, and what's really neat about this—only 110 of these were made. Very difficult game that Rob Burke was trying to track down.”
Rob Burke @ ~2:15-2:35 — Documenting difficulty of sourcing rare sample games and Burke's personal collecting efforts
“So what Bally would do, as I mentioned, is they put games out to distributors at select locations, and they get feedback from the distributor...Based on that feedback, Bally would then decide: are we going to continue this game to full production, or unfortunately, only leave it as a sample game?”
Rob Burke @ ~3:10-3:45 — Detailed explanation of Bally's decision-making process for market-tested games using physical test report evidence
collector_signal: Rob Burke's personal effort to track down and acquire rare sample games through collector networks demonstrates active secondary market for obscure Bally titles
high · Burke completed trade with Missouri collector to acquire the 110-unit game; notes it was 'very difficult' to locate
historical_signal: Detailed documentation of Bally's historical market-testing methodology using physical test report cards found in machine coin doors
high · Burke displays actual test report cards with self-addressed envelopes that distributors used to provide feedback to Bally on market performance
positive(0.85)— Burke presents this historical material with enthusiasm and appreciation for the rarity and mechanical ingenuity of these sample games. His tone is educational and celebratory of obscure Bally history.
youtube_auto_sub · $0.000