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Pokémon Premium by Stern Pinball: Unboxed! Streamed from Raccoon City Pinball.

DRI374·video·1h 17m·analyzed·Apr 5, 2026
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Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.028

TL;DR

Streamer unboxes Pokémon Premium, documents setup and design observations, notes layout similarities to Transformers.

Summary

A streamer unboxes and sets up a new Stern Pokémon Premium pinball machine at Raccoon City Pinball, documenting the process with detailed observations about physical design, manufacturing choices, playfield layout, and assembly quirks. The host compares the Pokémon layout to Transformers (noting similarities in ramp/orbit placement), identifies a potential ball feed issue with the super skill shot, performs routine maintenance (waxing, ball cleaning, leveling), and expresses mixed feelings about the game's current code depth and the Spike 3 platform improvements.

Key Claims

  • Pokémon Premium playfield layout has orbits, ramps, and captive ball in the exact same locations as Transformers Pro

    high confidence · Host directly compares the two games during playfield examination

  • The game ships with version 0.81 code with no newer version available on Stern's website

    high confidence · Host checks sternpinball.com/support and confirms no 0.81+ version exists

  • There is a ball feed issue where the plunge can launch the ball directly into the control gate, succeeding only about 1 in 3 times

    high confidence · Host demonstrates and analyzes the plunge mechanism with camera zoom

  • Pokémon Premium uses a new type of cabinet coating/finish that feels cheaper than previous generations despite button protectors

    high confidence · Host compares tactile feel to LE cabinet finish and old snake skin texture

  • The new Spike 3 cabinet includes a speaker mesh grill cutout that wasn't on Star Wars

    medium confidence · Host observes the feature and speculates it may be a Spike 3 standard

  • The Pro version has design flaws: side eject blocked by stand-up target and no subway underneath the catch flap

    high confidence · Host notes from previous Pro gameplay experience

  • There is currently 'not a whole lot' of code content in the game and players 'get bored with it pretty quickly'

    medium confidence · Host states this is what he 'keeps hearing' from the community

  • Japanese IPs (Pokémon and Godzilla) are the top two selling modern pinball games and the industry should follow this trend

    medium confidence · Host opinion based on sales expectations and market observation

Notable Quotes

  • “It's just a Stern Premium, but I kind of want to do a couple of flybys and stuff like that.”

    Host@ 0:20 — Sets expectation that this is a routine unboxing despite being an IP as significant as Pokémon

  • “I really look forward to all the DMCA strikes that will come pounding down from everywhere. So, it this game might be very short-lived just because of that.”

    Host@ 12:37 — Expresses concern about licensing enforcement on Pokémon IP in pinball community

  • “I really hope that this game will outsell Godzilla, right? And with that Stern kind of gets the hint, and everybody else gets the hint that oh there there's two Japanese IPs uh that are number one and two in modern pinball, right?”

    Host@ 35:28 — Commentary on market success and licensing strategy for future games

  • “The thing is like you know how it was, you know, when when Gary Stern kind of took over, 'Oh, we're not going to have any more subways, right?' And I kind of like that they're kind of going away there.”

    Host@ 38:48 — References design philosophy shift under Gary Stern's leadership at Stern Pinball

  • “That ramp flap there is in the center of the picture right now... So, what happens is that the ball gets airborne from from the plunge. And it just launches straight into... the control gate there... That is typically one of those things that that will probably work uh one out of three times, right?”

    Host@ 31:33 — Technical analysis of mechanical design flaw in super skill shot mechanism

  • “It's not a new take or anything like that, but like this artwork This style of artwork that they've done uh kind of adopted the Pokémon kind of, you know, uh art style and like to poke groovy and like the everything, right? It just translates so well to pinball somehow, right?”

Entities

Stern PinballcompanyPokémongameTransformers ProgameGodzillagameStar WarsgameRaccoon City PinballvenueSpike 3productGary SternpersonJack Danger

Signals

  • ?

    product_concern: Ball feed issue where plunge launches ball directly into control gate during super skill shot, succeeding only ~1 in 3 times; fix would require softer plunger spring or power adjustment

    high · Host demonstrates and analyzes the mechanism with detailed explanation of the physics and proposed solutions

  • ?

    product_concern: Premium cabinet finish feels cheaper than LE despite use of button protectors; glossy finish preferred over new matte coating

    high · Host directly compares tactile feel and visual appearance, noting the trade-off between protection and perceived quality

  • ?

    product_concern: Bare PCB exposed without protective plastic in upper playfield area, creating potential ball trap that could short circuit

    high · Host identifies and demonstrates the hazard during playfield inspection

  • ?

    code_update: Game ships with version 0.81 code with no newer version currently available on Stern's website

    high · Host checks Stern's support page and confirms no 0.81+ update exists

  • ?

    design_innovation: New Spike 3 cabinet includes speaker mesh grill cutout feature; new cabinet coating; updated flipper button brackets; thinner expression light stripe; metal stand-up target brackets for increased rigidity

    high · Host observes and catalogs multiple new design elements during assembly and inspection

  • $

Transcript

youtube_auto_sub · $0.000

0:03
All right, we got video and we have picture perfect. And doing a little bit of an unboxing stream today. I was kind of going back and forth, you know, am I going to do this or not or this that and the other because at the end of the day it's just a it's just a Stern Premium, but I kind of want to do a couple of flybys and stuff like that. I'm not doing anything in particular with the game either. I'm just putting some wax on and you know making sure it kind of plays okay, you know, I I I've seen some of the ball feeds and stuff like that. It's a little bit yankee and I might not fix it today if it has that issue, you know. But we'll we'll see once we get there. Um Yeah, let's just get it out of the box and the thing is the game is sort of like coming out of it here. We're going to put it up here and then slide it in there. I got my rig here, so I'm going to try to get that rolled over and at the end of the day we are going to see some gameplay.
1:27
All right, there we go. >> [clears throat]
1:32
For the folks watching this on YouTube,
1:32
For the folks watching this on YouTube, you might see a little glitch in quality there, but that's just a That's just life when you're running a one-man kind of studio. One-man one-man everything. One-man arcade, one-man production.

Host @ During art/cabinet examination — Positive assessment of artistic direction and IP adaptation for pinball

  • “We need more Japanese IPs in pinball. That's how simple it is.”

    Host@ 35:46 — Clear statement of industry direction preference

  • “This is not a keeper. Do you want to get in on the action down here?”

    Host@ 12:04 — Indicates host plans to trade/sell this machine rather than keep it long-term

  • “The thing is like I prefer, you know, I prefer the LE because it's much it they they always feels better to play on a... you know, glossy surface, right?... So this while this feels better, it just looks cheaper. Uh you can never win.”

    Host@ 21:43 — Trade-off analysis between Premium and LE versions

  • “I'm just going to put the balls in, put my real glass in, and um slide the game into place and get some gaming on.”

    Host@ 59:42 — Transition point toward gameplay testing

    • person
    Nintendo of Americacompany
    Stranger Thingsgame
    AFM (Attack from Mars)game
    X-Mengame

    market_signal: Japanese IP themes (Pokémon, Godzilla) identified as top two selling modern pinball games; host advocates for more Japanese IP acquisitions

    medium · Host expresses expectation that Pokémon should outsell Godzilla and calls for industry to follow this licensing strategy

  • ?

    community_signal: Community feedback suggests current Pokémon code lacks depth and causes players to tire quickly; host notes this is widespread feedback he's hearing

    medium · Host references hearing this repeatedly but indicates willingness to verify through personal play

  • ?

    regulatory_signal: Host expresses concern about potential DMCA strikes from Nintendo/Pokémon Company and suggests the game may be 'short-lived' due to licensing enforcement

    medium · Host makes direct statement anticipating DMCA action as a risk factor for the title

  • ?

    product_strategy: LE version differentiated through glossy cabinet finish and overall build quality feel; Premium offered as middle tier with new cost-saving measures

    medium · Host compares finishes and notes trade-offs between tiers during cabinet examination

  • ?

    design_philosophy: Stern making cost-saving modifications: single-screw flipper brackets, cheaper cabinet coating, new stand-up target mounting, zip-tied coin box to prevent loss

    high · Host observes multiple cost-reduction measures and references organizational changes under Gary Stern

  • ?

    operational_signal: Machine requires playfield leveling, software registration via Stern Insider, potential code updates, calibration of plunger power, and standard maintenance (waxing, ball cleaning)

    high · Host walks through complete setup procedure during stream

  • ?

    collector_signal: Host indicates this Premium machine is 'not a keeper' and plans to trade/sell it after review; suggests upcoming Stern release may be replacement machine

    high · Host states 'This is not a keeper' early in stream and references another new game coming

    • 2:01
    And how's everyone doing? Just find a
    2:01
    And how's everyone doing? Just find a >> [snorts]
    2:07
    I hope that nobody's home watching
    2:07
    I hope that nobody's home watching pinball unboxing streams on a sunny Saturday.
    2:20
    That's not what I would have done. >> [clears throat]
    2:31
    Yeah, we got the regular kind of you
    2:31
    Yeah, we got the regular kind of you know foam stuff here. Legs are [snorts] on the sides here. Just going to lean them backwards here so they don't fall out.
    2:46
    [snorts]
    2:46
    [snorts] >> We got the um
    2:48
    We got the um
    2:48
    We got the um kind of the basic setup kind of guide, you know, let's just nothing fancy in there. Never It's never will be. Just reminds you how to safely plug in um a power cord. >> [clears throat]
    3:16
    The game is red, so let's
    3:16
    The game is red, so let's Let's cut this open here. Yeah, I should have put new blades in this thing, I I guess. Starting.
    3:30
    But here we are. >> [clears throat]
    3:48
    Do do do do do do do do do do do do do
    3:48
    Do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do Is this new? This kind of looks new, right? This kind of speaker grill kind of cutout, right? Nah, it hasn't been there before.
    4:09
    Because the mesh is supposed to go on the inside, isn't it? It's really weird and and they just like drilled holes here through the cab and through the mesh, right? Is that for like a, you know, accessory a new base accessory? Yeah, so this is yeah, it's Spike 3. Yeah, so I I guess it is like a Spike 3 thing then. It's absolutely correct. >> [clears throat]
    4:42
    Ho ho ho ho ho ho let's see here. Need
    4:42
    Ho ho ho ho ho ho let's see here. Need Get the legs out. I also at one point need to get the cardboard out, but deal with that later. >> [snorts]
    5:28
    brackets on the cab. I don't know the story about around that, but it's probably cheaper. And they only put one screw in, so I guess they're making savings >> [snorts]
    5:41
    [snorts]
    5:41
    [snorts] >> there as well.
    5:43
    there as well.
    5:43
    there as well. >> [clears throat]
    5:50
    I like that they have black
    5:50
    I like that they have black leg bolts now. That's that's kind of been a pet peeve of mine.
    6:00
    You had to get aftermarket leg bolts for them not to stand out.
    6:12
    Pikachu. >> [clears throat]
    6:20
    Can't remember having that speaker mesh
    6:20
    Can't remember having that speaker mesh grill thing there on Star Wars, but
    6:39
    Or I paid attention,
    6:39
    Or I paid attention, pointed it out and forgot about it, which is more This is the most likely.
    7:59
    Yeah, so this cab has some side armor on the over the flipper buttons and they've somehow also changed the uh the the the coding on it, right? There's um
    8:17
    Oh, I kind of did this the wrong way now. Kind of did it the old school way. I completely forgot that I had the Escalera.
    8:29
    Let's see if I can do this still having the legs on. Should be able to. >> [clears throat]
    9:02
    So what's going to happen here? Yeah, I
    9:02
    So what's going to happen here? Yeah, I tilt it and I raise it. Yeah, that's that's how we do it.
    9:28
    Oh, you hear the cardboard. Shum. So, never mind.
    9:42
    [snorts and cough]
    9:42
    [snorts and cough] [clears throat] Yeah, locked enough. All right, so let's see.
    10:30
    Oops, the box is sort of coming with you. Don't do it like this. >> [clears throat]
    11:00
    I mean, at the end of the day, you should really be two people doing things like this. So, there's always that. >> [clears throat]
    11:09
    So, now it's much easier to put the legs
    11:09
    So, now it's much easier to put the legs on. Welcome to the stream, everyone. We're unboxing a Pokémon premium today.
    11:44
    It's going to be fun to follow the kind of, you know, the code updates on this game and see if they get the Pokédex in and all that good stuff, but I guess we're going to see a new game from Stern before that happens, unfortunately, so this is just making a very short visit in your cage until the next one. This is not a keeper.
    12:17
    Do you want to get in on the action down here? Yeah, here we go.
    12:25
    I really look forward to all the DMCA strikes that will come pounding down from everywhere.
    12:37
    So, it this game might be very short-lived just because of that. Yeah, I mean, Pokémon is as a, you know, franchise is just like it's just the the the kiddiness of it is just like
    13:21
    It is not my thing. >> [clears throat] I guess you have to buy an LE to get that kind of treatment.
    14:04
    Of course, there's one nothing. The bolt everything jammed.
    14:18
    So, there is five Pokémons on the cabinet. And I'm just assuming that those are the four Pokémons that are in the game, like in the actual gameplay, right? It's the cat face, the charred lizard,
    14:38
    turtle, I don't know what that thing is, the [ __ ] and Pikachu. >> [clears throat]
    15:05
    There's a very fun viral video out there
    15:05
    There's a very fun viral video out there about somebody kind of calling out Pokémons for something else, you know, kind of intentionally making fun of the names, I don't know. Calling like Pokémans. That's turtle man.
    15:25
    And that's third man what not, and that's free third man. Whatever. I kind of [clears throat] feel like that dude.
    15:42
    cut the strap. Save these. They're really good good good things to have.
    15:53
    Yeah, we got a shiny new game. Shiny new game with uh Very exciting. I am excited.
    16:09
    I actually played I played one game last weekend in a tournament. So, I have actually flipped it. And uh that particular game had like the issue with the you can't do a full plunge. The ball kind of get stuck in the
    16:30
    the gates above the pops there >> [clears throat]
    16:30
    [clears throat]
    16:30
    [clears throat] >> when you kind of do the super skill
    16:31
    when you kind of do the super skill
    16:31
    when you kind of do the super skill shot. So, I guess you're you're not supposed to do super skill shots.
    16:45
    All right. All right. All right. Ooh. Yeah. >> [laughter]
    16:54
    [laughter]
    16:54
    [laughter] >> Good thing I checked there. Almost
    16:56
    Good thing I checked there. Almost
    16:56
    Good thing I checked there. Almost jammed the cable going into the cap there. So, what's the code here? Okay, so you still needs to get the bolts in there.
    17:08
    [laughter]
    17:08
    [laughter] >> Uh so, I get I got a note here from from
    17:12
    Uh so, I get I got a note here from from
    17:12
    Uh so, I get I got a note here from from Gary. It's just, "Please update the software on this game." >> [laughter]
    17:16
    [laughter]
    17:17
    [laughter] >> Look at that.
    17:19
    Look at that.
    17:19
    Look at that. Yeah. Funny. They ship they they Yeah, I mean I mean, at the end of the day, why not? Like, you know, there's going to be updates. All right, I need to get the keys.
    18:03
    Hot. Hot. Hot. Need those later. Put them there. Oh, look at that. They put a zip tie on the
    18:20
    on the coin box. Guess people got a little bit upset finding the coin box in the bottom of the cabinet. Understandable. Uh >> [sighs and gasps]
    18:55
    [sighs and gasps]
    18:55
    [sighs and gasps] >> okay, I found the bolts. Yeah, let's do a little flyby on this once uh
    19:16
    once we have everything. Is this the same size or Oh, look at that. There is.
    19:30
    And the play the the one I played this weekend was also a premium, so
    19:38
    so I won't be able to compare, but yeah, I I just think that some of the weird design choices on the pro is sort of just completely disqualifies it for me.
    20:02
    They made some weird kind of
    20:02
    They made some weird kind of They blocked the that kind of side eject there with a with a stand-up target and obviously there's no subway for the for the catch there underneath the ball when the flap kind of goes up. >> [snorts]
    20:17
    [snorts]
    20:17
    [snorts] [clears throat] >> Oh, thanks for the follow. Let's see what Yeah, we need to get the glass out and
    20:35
    Yeah, the thing is like that they have new the there's like a new kind of trim, you know? So new type of coating or something, you know?
    20:51
    And like I don't I don't want to say it, but it just it's it just feels cheaper. We we Yeah, sure we got kind of, you know, the the we we we got the um protectors, you know, for the buttons, right? But the trade-off is that we get a cheaper kind of paint, but like at at the end of the day like so truth of the matter, right, is just like I prefer, you know, I prefer the LE because it's much it they they always feels better to play on a >> [sighs]
    21:22
    [sighs]
    21:22
    [sighs] >> uh you know, glossy surface, right?
    21:27
    uh you know, glossy surface, right?
    21:27
    uh you know, glossy surface, right? And the kind of the old kind of snake skin um
    21:33
    whatever you call it the the the the snake skin kind of kind of texture that that you have on the old pros. It just felt a little bit too coarse. So this while this feels better, it just looks cheaper.
    21:49
    Uh you can never win. Oh, that's right. I need to get rid of this glass as well and I did [snorts] not plan for that. Yeah, I have I have my temporary nice glass in TX sectors, so I need to deal with that as well later on. It looks like there's a bunch of stuff here.
    22:13
    So there's a there's a little bit bit of a kinky thing here. Like the the the meow there is sort of like He's kind of want to choke. Let's uh Let's have a look here. Let's have a flyby. Zoom.
    22:31
    All right, so he's got a little bit of a suffocation bag there, right? And that obviously needs to be removed. And there's also plastic on the screen that it needs to be removed. Uh one really weird thing that I've seen that you kind of store the They just leave things like this. Like this is like this absolutely bare behind There's like no plastic, no nothing, bare PCB. Um And to be honest, it just looks like a it kind of just looks like a ball trap where you can kind of short circuit it, right? So let me see if I can just show you what I mean here.
    23:07
    You know, I'm I'm always uh for finding issues. So I guess the balls are all greasy. Yeah, they're all greasy, of course. Let me just tidy one up and
    23:24
    Yeah, because it just looks like a ball trap up there. Behind there. Oh, now my fingers are all greasy. Yeah, I need to do this properly. Yeah, there we go. >> [laughter]
    23:33
    [laughter]
    23:33
    [laughter] >> Perfect little ball trap there.
    23:36
    Perfect little ball trap there.
    23:36
    Perfect little ball trap there. >> [clears throat]
    23:40
    Right?
    23:40
    Right? Right there. So you get an airball uh and that will most likely just, you know, short something. So that right like I mean
    23:57
    Yeah, I don't know. I wouldn't left that like that. Uh but what do I know?
    24:06
    What do I know? Yeah, I might just clean the balls and put them in while my hands are all greasy. I'm just going to do this over here.
    24:15
    Um you have to entertain yourself for a couple of minutes. Well, these are really greasy. Uh they're greasier than
    24:34
    Uh so we should not be afraid of having corroded balls, I guess. That's uh That's all I have to say about that.
    24:47
    See if you have any alcohol here. Yeah, you use isopropyl
    25:13
    [snorts]
    25:13
    [snorts] >> Yeah, I I don't know a lot of folks
    25:16
    Yeah, I I don't know a lot of folks
    25:16
    Yeah, I I don't know a lot of folks might and might not have seen my kind of game announcement break down. I kind of I kind of threw a fit when the um
    25:32
    Uh well, I need to lift the playfield. I don't know why I'm putting the balls in. Yeah. That's just dumb. I'll clean them anyway. Jesus. I should have had a should made a script. Follow that.
    25:51
    Uh I need to lift the playfield to put in the tilt bob and kind of make sure that that is somewhat centered and stuff. >> [clears throat]
    26:04
    Anyone in chat play Pokémon yet?
    26:04
    Anyone in chat play Pokémon yet? What do you think about it? Is it Is it fun? Yeah, what so where I was going was that I kind of I have the, you know, I kind of just feel that it's very similar to Transformers, right? Uh where you have basically you the this the lower part is somewhat mirrored, right, with the targets and the scoop. >> [snorts]
    26:27
    [snorts]
    26:27
    [snorts] >> That uh
    26:29
    That uh
    26:29
    That uh the the the the scoop Well, it's not a scoop on Transformers. It's sort of like a side lane like the uh like a Borg kind of side shot. But um uh where the Allspark is. So they put a scoop instead on on Pokémon, but the orbits, the ramps, uh the orbits, the ramps, and the captive ball are in the exact same locations uh on on Pokémon as on Transformers. And like I don't say that it's necessarily like a bad thing because Transformers pro, I'd say, is a very good game. It's one of my favorite Sterns.
    27:19
    Um If I had If I had room, I would have kept mine.
    27:29
    Without a doubt, but uh it's a very It's kind of a very It's very It's a very vanilla kind of, you know, layout on the game, you know? It's um Uh so as I had all the other games that kind of similar, you know, I had Stranger Things at that time. I kind of felt that yeah, ramps and orbits exactly the same and there's some stuff in the middle and you know, um
    27:56
    and then I got an AFM and all of a sudden it feels like that and that is kind of like the the pinnacle of uh fan layouts. So it felt like nah.
    28:11
    They all have to go. >> [clears throat]
    28:15
    And I kept the AFM, of course. Of
    28:15
    And I kept the AFM, of course. Of course. So now I Let's see see where I put my snippers.
    28:38
    Okay, so this entire uh thing in the middle here kind of like the battlefield It has a layer of mylar on it.
    28:52
    So I guess uh I guess that's a good thing because there's going to be a lot of action there.
    29:12
    Yeah, I'm just taking out the gate here. It's just You know, it kind of feels weird there. >> [clears throat]
    29:18
    [clears throat]
    29:18
    [clears throat] >> I wonder if uh the gate is not coming
    29:21
    I wonder if uh the gate is not coming
    29:21
    I wonder if uh the gate is not coming down properly or something. Oh, I see what it is now. I see what it is now. Uh so Yeah, so when you launch the ball, yeah, I can I I'll get the camera. Tell you how to design games.
    29:46
    All right, so where is the camera? Here is the camera. See if I can point this out. It's just very difficult to kind of showcase, but Um are we still Yeah, we're still going. So,
    30:02
    See if I can just zoom in here. It's just very difficult. Let's see, where are we? Dee dee dee dee There's Mew. There's Pikachu.
    30:17
    Yeah, it is very hard to show. But there it kind of is. So, there's like if you see the
    30:25
    So, there's a Now, I can't point at that, of course. Oh, and I can't hold the camera with that hand. So, there's a ramp in the back, right? There is There is the feed in the back here. Um That ramp That ramp flap there there is in the center of the picture right now. A little bit out of focus there. Here we go. That ramp flap feeds to the right ramp, right? When it comes uh on the left orbit and the plunge is coming on that other metal piece that you can see uh
    31:02
    uh on the uh on the on the right next to the flap there, right? So, and there's You can also see that there is a little bit of a lip there, right? So, what happens is that the ball gets airborne from from the plunge. It It gets airborne from the plunge. And it What And what happens is that that basically just launches straight into And it just launches straight into the uh uh to the to the um the control gate there, right? And uh That is typically one of those things that that will probably work >> [panting]
    31:39
    [panting]
    31:39
    [panting] >> uh one out of three times, right? But uh
    31:42
    uh one out of three times, right? But uh
    31:42
    uh one out of three times, right? But uh most of the time it won't work, right? Um So, the the remedy for that would probably be to kind of, you know, put in a put in a softer [snorts] spring, you know? Okay, I need to zoom back. >> [clears throat]
    32:07
    Uh put a put in a softer uh spring in
    32:07
    Uh put a put in a softer uh spring in the plunger, right? So, you kind of get a soft feed that that won't kind of, you know, just like smack the ball into the into the control gate. Uh and then you can also like the the auto the auto plunge is you can just adjust the power on that to the to that goes around uh perfectly every time, right? And And that's that's how I'm going to set up on mine. So, you you just hold the right flipper, and you basically when you want to do the super skill shot, you just hit the uh the launch button, right? And the ball will uh go all the way around all the time. Instead of some of
    32:53
    Do do do do do do do All right. So, that was that. All right. So, I need to put some wax on. Let's put some wax on. But it That needs to dry, and I need to wipe it clean.
    33:08
    [clears throat] >> All right, kids. This is the uh This is
    33:10
    All right, kids. This is the uh This is
    33:10
    All right, kids. This is the uh This is the magic stuff I use. It's It's um uh Can we get a
    33:21
    There we go. One grand. That is uh That is the magic stuff that makes pinball more fun.
    33:41
    It collects dirt. Easy to wipe down. You just clean it off with naphtha. Put on Put on new uh coat on, and uh the game will look brand new. Uh I only do like wide-open surfaces uh because the balls will attract the wax anyway, and you know, put it in places that collect grime and stuff, and easy to wipe clean, right? And I should get one of those kind of snake cleaners. They look really good to kind of wipe residue residual wax and grime and dirt and hard-to-get places.
    34:30
    Yeah, I kind of like the uh the the new take here. I mean, it's not a new take or anything like that, but like this artwork This style of artwork that they've done uh kind of adopted the Pokémon kind of, you know, uh art style and like to poke groovy and like the everything, right? It's just It just translates so well to pinball somehow, right? It's just uh It's just great. What is
    35:03
    What is the Get it Get off my feet. So, I really hope that this game will outsell Godzilla, right? And with that Stern kind of gets the hint, and everybody else gets the hint that oh there there's two Japanese IPs uh that are number one and two in modern pinball, right? And just follow that. Yeah, like I'm I mean, just look at that and do something about it.
    35:44
    Right? We need more Japanese IPs in pinball. That's how simple it is.
    35:54
    So, hopefully like they they just announced that they're going to do a live-action Gundam movie, right? Uh That's obviously going to flop, but uh we all know the worse the movie the better the pinball. So,
    36:13
    They did announce some names and stuff,
    36:13
    They did announce some names and stuff, and I've already forgotten, and that's how forgettable some some of these Hollywood names are these days, but
    36:25
    that's mainly on me. Oh, we got a power cable here. Yeah, so I'm really excited to to get to know this game at the end of the day. Like and uh
    37:09
    follow the code journey because all I all I keep hearing is that there's not a whole lot in it at the moment. Uh And you kind of get bored with it pretty quickly. So,
    37:23
    we'll see how much of that actually is true. Oops. Oops. Oh, do we want to have a look in the under the playfield? Yeah, let's do a flyby. Let's do a flyby.
    38:00
    Yeah, sorry. There's just [ __ ] on the floor everywhere. Okay, we got [clears throat] a the big old node board in the back there. So, Mac that kind of controls the the cat face. Bunch of
    38:28
    Got the pop bumpers. And oh, wow. Look at this subway. Metal, huh? Wow, knows. No expense is spared there. Jesus Christ. Look at this. I got the They got got those clever tabs there.
    38:44
    Oh, that's uh that's really brave. I mean, the thing is like you know how it was, you know, when when Gary Stern kind of took over, "Oh, we're not going to have any more subways, right?" And I kind of like that they're kind of going away there. There's my premium magnet. Paying premium for that.
    39:02
    Other than that, there's nothing else exciting. It's kind of like Italian bottom and some exciting stuff in the back here. And uh wow, look at these Look at these stand-up banks here. They're They're sort of like sitting on its their own metal bracket here.
    39:25
    So, I guess And that's smart because now you can't twist these, right? And that's And that's good, right? Because they're Well, you can if you if you really want, right? I mean, it's still But that will make you It's much more difficult to kind of just get those get those targets up in a jumble. Yeah, this is the
    39:53
    the captive balls there. Oh, now my arms are getting tired. Imagine having your own little camera guy doing all these things. >> [snorts]
    40:05
    [snorts]
    40:05
    [snorts] >> Okay, I need to get the Mr. Mr. Tilt Bob
    40:09
    Okay, I need to get the Mr. Mr. Tilt Bob
    40:09
    Okay, I need to get the Mr. Mr. Tilt Bob in place. Make sure it's centered somewhat. Yeah, I can't center it now because the game is not flat, but
    40:49
    Okay, make sure it's centered sideways at least. Then then it's going to tilt a little bit more forward. Yeah, I think that looks good. Uh it's good.
    41:06
    And there it plonks. >> [clears throat]
    41:08
    [clears throat]
    41:08
    [clears throat] >> Plonk plonk. All right.
    41:10
    Plonk plonk. All right.
    41:10
    Plonk plonk. All right. Let's see what we got in the goody bag. It is very upsetting that they kind of staple them into the into the side of the cabinet. You staple it to the bottom.
    41:39
    There's like a node board instruction sheet and uh couple of spare rubbers, spare plastics.
    41:53
    I think uh didn't Jack put in like flipper toppers or something?
    42:03
    Oh, instructions in German, Italian, French. Sweet. Oh, there's a bunch of keyrings. They're normal stuff.
    42:20
    What? No. No. No flipper toppers. No flipper toppers from what I can tell. I think Jack put that in in X-Men, didn't he?
    42:44
    So, they done a really weird thing here with the with the flipper button. I don't know. It's a bunch of metal brackets and stuff in the in the cab. I mean, I I I can't remember when I when I looked at the Star Wars game I had here for a week or two. Uh what it
    43:07
    uh what actually the differences were, but there's a bunch of metal brackets and stuff in the cabinet I haven't like paid attention to before.
    43:37
    Just getting the staples out so nobody gets hurt. >> [snorts]
    43:52
    The glossy black surface. And if you're like me, you don't want that. Don't like that.
    44:06
    Another thing I've haven't really paid attention to a whole lot is that the They're somehow like changing the expression lights. I haven't seen what the new I haven't paid attention to what the new ones look like because the the the plastic stripe in the cab is much smaller. Much thinner.
    44:27
    [cough]
    44:27
    [cough] [clears throat]
    44:32
    Uh I don't know why I haven't really
    44:32
    Uh I don't know why I haven't really paid attention to it, but uh it's just one of those things that it's just like ah whatever.
    45:00
    It is getting [clears throat] hot in here. All right, I need to put in my
    45:10
    I need to put in my uh HDMI and audio capture. So, let's get this thing down.
    45:32
    The Star Wars game I had, the the like getting the translite out was a wrestling match like no other. Let's see if they fixed that.
    45:54
    They fixed it. Good. All right, let's get the Should have the harness ready to go here.
    46:38
    Yeah, I was supposed to get a new HDMI cable for this, but I didn't. I did not. So, here's my favorite hack. You You cannot take this little cap out here in the top where the topper usually goes, right? You need to kind of pinch that cap a little bit, right?
    47:01
    And then you just pinch that in one of the cable holders here, right? It fits perfectly here.
    47:10
    Oh, no. Yeah. No. Yeah. So, that kind of So, that's being held there. So, you know that that's being held there. So, when you get rid of the game, you just you know where it is. It's just one of those things that otherwise just disappears.
    47:41
    just because I like to. Um the thing is depending on your situation, you might want to grab the audio through the HDMI port instead, but I don't. I want to have the audio go directly to my mixer.
    48:15
    Do do do do. All right. I just hang the cables on the hinge. Oh, is that too Is that going to be too short? No, it's going to be perfect.
    48:59
    I made a little
    48:59
    I made a little kind of like a hook. So, you just kind of hang the cables on the hinge here, and it's a little bit flimsy, but uh most it kind of works most of the time.
    49:57
    Then you just get a microfiber cloth of Needs to be somewhat clean.
    50:07
    In the sense that you shouldn't have like Yeah, this is already dry. It's perfect.
    50:43
    Okay, so there's already a software update for it. So we are going to have to wait for that. Is that what's going to happen or should I just download a new SD card? That's the question.
    51:04
    Yeah, I should probably just download a new SD card. Let's check what it says.
    51:26
    Yeah, the clock clocking and clocking is the balls in the in the the trapped balls making that noise.
    51:48
    Yeah, make sure there's no lumps anywhere wax. Easy to kind of miss spots here and there.
    52:06
    Yeah, it just looks like like when you kind of you know, when you kind of look at it you know, you know kind of shimmer, you know, it's just like you can see every contour of every insert and
    52:17
    some of the print and it's just like I would just wonder how thin the the um the clear coat is on the these things. Oh, they put Snorlax at the drain. That's uh so fitting. That's the only Pokemon I know. It's my favorite.
    53:02
    How far in are we here now? 51 minutes on the recorder. Should be able to see some gameplay here soon, right?
    53:15
    Yeah, so let's figure out what version this thing is on. >> [clears throat]
    53:19
    [clears throat]
    53:19
    [clears throat] >> If I can get some power down here. Because I I won't have time to sit and wait on the game to kind of download stuff. That would just take way too long. >> [clears throat]
    53:42
    So let's see if it powers up.
    53:42
    So let's see if it powers up. >> [clears throat] My DRI374 Pokemon logo that Nintendo of America even had opinions on.
    54:23
    Okay, so this says version 0.81. Let's go to Stern's website and check it this out.
    54:35
    You go to sternpinball.com and then you go to support.
    54:44
    Game code. Dungeons and Dragons, King Kong. Uh no, there is no 81. That's it.
    54:57
    There is no new code. Huh. Good stuff. Uh all right, so I might as well just uh step through this uh free play. Yes.
    55:21
    [snorts]
    55:21
    [snorts] >> Get Wi-Fi. Do do do do do. See if you come to my house, you can log into my wireless.
    56:18
    Oh, the screen is completely blacked out there anyway. Yeah. Because I have a polarized filter in the
    56:29
    in the camera. So you can't see it anyway. Privacy. Stern Insider connected. Unable to connect. Is it down or
    57:02
    Replay at 350 million. That sounds a little bit rough. Pokemon pre-connected game registration.
    57:46
    Do do do do do do do do do do. Yeah, I need to get the game in place.
    57:55
    Now I need to log into Stern IC. Probably login expired, really? Are you sure?
    58:34
    Don't know why my password manager is not recognizing the the app.
    58:49
    Nope, I don't want notifications. >> [snorts]
    58:50
    [snorts]
    58:50
    [snorts] [clears throat] Complete registration. Registration completed. All right, cool. Yeah, I'm I'm just going to put the balls in, put my real glass in, and um
    59:48
    slide the game into place and get some gaming on. Get some gaming on.
    60:12
    So, how is this ball going to work now? There's not a lot of action here, IS THERE?
    60:24
    ALL RIGHT, THAT WAS SOMEWHAT THAT. Just going to get my invisi-glass out, my TX sector.
    61:28
    That's going to be difficult to get out of the game later, for sure.
    61:35
    Cuz the glass have anti-rattle tape on it. I'm getting too old for this. I need to have a crew of kids to doing this for me.
    62:16
    All right, all right. >> [clears throat]
    62:23
    So, how can we do this as uneventful as
    62:23
    So, how can we do this as uneventful as we possibly can? Yeah, the thing is with the coin boxes, I just like I just I just don't understand like why they can't [ __ ]
    63:00
    try to do a little bit more kind of intuitive. All right, all right, I need to roll things around here a little bit. Going to have to take go go for a little bit of a run. All right, there we go.
    63:46
    And as per usual, I forgot to put the
    63:46
    And as per usual, I forgot to put the cup holder on. >> [clears throat]
    64:07
    The game is so dusty and coming from a directly from the factory floor.
    65:27
    Sometimes I just un question myself. It's just like, what was here before? Did it actually fit? It's like barely half an inch.
    66:01
    Alien, Pokémon, and Avatar. What a trio. Oops. Can deal with this some other day.
    67:06
    Yeah, wow, it's really it's it's sticking out like a sore thumb here in the lineup. That's hilarious. It's just put you folks over here while I get the the rest of it done. You can see my ass climbing under the game, getting it set up.
    67:32
    Yeah, I need to My my floor is kind of lean It's a garage floor, right? So, it's kind of designed to have the water uh flow towards the door if the
    67:45
    you know, if the boiler kind of breaks or whatever it does. on the legs uh on the leg levelers? I can't remember.
    68:18
    Sure feels like it. >> [cough and clears throat]
    68:18
    [cough and clears throat]
    68:18
    [cough and clears throat] >> All right, I need to dive under there
    68:20
    All right, I need to dive under there
    68:20
    All right, I need to dive under there now.
    68:27
    [clears throat]
    68:27
    [clears throat] >> All right, see you laters. Yeah, so what I usually do is I just put it straight in the back, and then I use the front to kind of adjust the the pitch.
    69:18
    Wow.
    69:18
    Wow. >> [sighs]
    69:19
    [sighs]
    69:19
    [sighs] >> It's like an eighth of an inch
    69:21
    It's like an eighth of an inch
    69:21
    It's like an eighth of an inch between the gaps here. All right. Let's see it now.
    69:53
    This could be one of those streams where
    69:53
    This could be one of those streams where you just listen to somebody breathing. Somewhere there, maybe. I can't be sitting under here anymore.
    70:15
    Yeah, it's going to be centered enough. Oh, I'm really sorry. I sound like like an old locomotive.
    70:42
    Holy [ __ ] >> [clears throat] [snorts] >> So, there is a little level
    70:56
    So, there is a little level
    70:56
    So, there is a little level on the playfield there's a little bubble there. So, you kind of want the bubble to be just just touching the black line, right? And you just level the cabin, that should be it. >> [clears throat]
    71:14
    On these new games, you usually don't
    71:14
    On these new games, you usually don't have to, you know, measure like
    71:24
    uh in between the flippers. >> [clears throat]
    71:25
    [clears throat]
    71:25
    [clears throat] >> Do you have a solution for that, but
    71:27
    Do you have a solution for that, but
    71:27
    Do you have a solution for that, but I've never had any issues.
    71:38
    I never had any issues on newer games. My TX sector is like a propeller and
    71:46
    that you definitely need to measure in between the flippers. >> [clears throat]
    71:53
    Jesus, this is so hot.
    71:53
    Jesus, this is so hot. Let's see if I can open the door here, but I don't think it's colder out there.
    72:10
    Breathe. >> [clears throat] [sighs and gasps] >> Oh, Jesus. A little bit more. A little
    72:21
    Oh, Jesus. A little bit more. A little
    72:21
    Oh, Jesus. A little bit more. A little bit more. >> [clears throat]
    72:40
    And just above a little bit, yeah.
    72:40
    And just above a little bit, yeah. I want to be fair to myself here. Now, we just need to make sure it's somewhat straight.
    73:27
    Of course, I forgot to plug in the power when I was underneath there running around.
    73:36
    So, that needs to be done. There's the power cable and yeah, there's power over there, yeah.
    73:58
    Yeah, it's just like It was the same
    73:58
    Yeah, it's just like It was the same with the It was the same with the Star Wars. It was just like really floppy.
    74:29
    or something. >> [clears throat] Okay. Now, we got power. Hopefully.
    75:41
    Oh, all right. I need some beverage. Hydration. >> [snorts]
    76:04
    All right, let's uh
    76:04
    All right, let's uh see if we can get the rig over and get some gaming. Get some gaming in.
    76:15
    [clears throat]
    76:15
    [clears throat] >> So prepped to play some pinball. Uh let's see if I can do this without unplugging myself and unplugging everything.
    76:34
    Let's see it. Where Where is the resistance? Here we are. Okay. Okay, easy easy peasy here now.
    77:22
    Yeah, the thing is I need to disconnect the uh the camera that's kind of being used now, so I need to get the correct light here as well, so I can