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Episode 56: Pinball Fans Called In… Here’s What Happened!

The Flipside Pinball Podcast·podcast_episode·1h 11m·analyzed·Mar 30, 2026
ed45bcdc-0331-4ba9-883a-0cadbe31a997
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claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 (batch) · $0.015

TL;DR

Retro Ralph answers fan voicemails on collection limits, mods, tournaments, and TPF highlights.

Summary

Retro Ralph hosts a voicemail-driven episode of The Flipside Podcast featuring fan questions about pinball collection management, aftermarket mods, competitive play, K-pop themed games, and TPF (The Pinball Factory) experiences. He discusses manufacturer support for mods, encourages local tournament participation, reflects on attending TPF instead of Amusement Expo, and shares personal anecdotes about pizza preferences and meeting Snoop Dogg at a corporate event.

Key Claims

  • Retro Ralph has committed to keeping his personal collection to 10 machines and will not add an 11th or 12th despite having the space.

    high confidence · Retro Ralph directly states to caller 'Scott': '10 is a lot to manage as it is, so I am going to keep the collection to 10.'

  • Most manufacturers (especially Stern) do not actively support aftermarket mods because they keep their systems closed.

    high confidence · Retro Ralph: 'Stern doesn't keep their system open so a lot of the mod makers have to kind of find ways around being able to integrate features that are in their mods into the game.'

  • Retro Ralph is skipping Amusement Expo International in Vegas this year (which conflicts with TPF) and is uncertain which event to prioritize next year.

    high confidence · Retro Ralph states: 'I'm kind of bummed that we didn't go this past year... I don't think I can do both. So I don't know. Do I go to TPF again or do I go back to Amusement Expo?'

  • The homebrew/DIY pinball section at Pinball Expo is expected to have a 'giant presence' in October 2026.

    high confidence · Retro Ralph: 'the next one that's going to have a giant presence when it comes to homebrew is going to be Pinball Expo in October.'

  • Stern offers factory tours as part of an All Access membership through Insider Connected, with one tour per year and free shipping on accessories included.

    high confidence · Retro Ralph explains All Access membership benefits: 'you can join what's called All Access on Insider Connected, and it allows you to set up a factory tour, one a year... You get free shipping on accessories and things like that.'

  • Modding games is expensive and does not retain resale value well, which is why Retro Ralph has reduced mod purchases despite supporting mod makers.

    high confidence · Retro Ralph: 'it's tough to get your money back when you mod a game... I've been investing in them less.'

  • Winchester Mystery House was one of the highlights of TPF with long lines and high demand to play it.

    high confidence · Retro Ralph: 'At TPF, it was one of the highlights. And there's always been lines for it. And at Expo, you could hardly play it. You had to wait through a really long line.'

Notable Quotes

  • “10 is a lot to manage as it is, so I am going to keep the collection to 10.”

    Retro Ralph @ Early in episode — Establishes a deliberate collection limit, addressing collector decision-making and space management challenges.

  • “Stern doesn't keep their system open so a lot of the mod makers have to kind of find ways around being able to integrate features.”

    Retro Ralph @ Mid-episode, responding to mod question — Explains the structural barrier between manufacturers and mod community, a key industry dynamic.

  • “My favorite part about TPF... is going and then getting to meet people that listen and watch the show.”

    Retro Ralph @ Late episode, answering Jason's question — Reveals the personal/community engagement value of industry events for content creators.

  • “It's cool seeing what these other individuals in the hobby are spending their own extra time on to make and dream up.”

    Retro Ralph @ Late episode, discussing homebrew section — Highlights the value the community places on DIY/homebrew pinball creativity and innovation.

  • “I really wish that Hexa Pinball could have had three musketeers there, but it was stuck in customs, which is a big bummer.”

    Retro Ralph @ End of TPF discussion — Identifies a supply chain/customs issue affecting international game availability at major events.

  • “Do I go to TPF again or do I go back to Amusement Expo? I'm not sure the decision I'm gonna have to make.”

    Retro Ralph @ Opening segment — Illustrates scheduling conflict between major pinball and arcade events competing for content creator attention.

Entities

Retro RalphpersonFlip N Out PinballcompanyThe Flipside PodcastorganizationStumblrcompanyTPF (The Pinball Factory)eventPinball ExpoeventPokemon (Stern)gameBeetlejuice (Stern)gameYukon Yeti

Signals

  • ?

    collector_signal: Retro Ralph has publicly committed to maintaining a 10-machine collection limit despite having available space, citing management burden and willpower challenges.

    high · Direct statement: '10 is a lot to manage as it is, so I am going to keep the collection to 10.'

  • ?

    product_concern: High mod costs create poor ROI for buyers; mods do not retain value on secondary market, discouraging content creators from purchasing them for review.

    high · Retro Ralph: 'it's tough to get your money back when you mod a game... I've been investing in them less.'

  • ?

    community_signal: Scheduling conflict between TPF and Amusement Expo International is forcing industry content creators to choose which event to attend, potentially fracturing coverage.

    high · Retro Ralph: 'TPF is the same week as Amusement Expo International in Vegas... I'm kind of bummed that we didn't go this past year... I don't think I can do both.'

  • ?

    product_launch: Beetlejuice experienced high demand and was heavily played at TPF but suffers from availability constraints, limiting secondary gameplay.

    high · Retro Ralph: 'It seems like Turner really stole the show in a way like Beetlejuice... at the same time, there's also this I can't buy this, right?'

  • ?

    supply_chain_signal: Hexa Pinball's Three Musketeers machine was unable to attend TPF due to customs delays, illustrating international shipping challenges for boutique manufacturers.

    high · Retro Ralph: 'I really wish that Hexa Pinball could have had three musketeers there, but it was stuck in customs, which is a big bummer.'

Transcript

groq_whisper · $0.214

0:00
Hey guys, welcome back to another episode of the flip side podcast. I'm your host Retro Ralph. We're going to do something a little different today. I'm going to take your voicemails. So I asked people to send in voicemails. I've been doing this for a while, but the thing is, you guys kind of stopped. You just stopped. And it's up to me to ask you, hey, leave these voicemails, because if you leave one, you become a part of the show. And if you're wondering how you leave a voicemail for me, in the show notes, you will see in the video description how to leave a voicemail. And I love it. You can ask me anything you want and I will answer it openly, honestly, however makes sense, right? But no question is off limits. I mean, within reason, I'll answer whatever you want. But we have a bunch of them teed up, so it should be a fun show. And have a little gimmicky thing I'm gonna do. We'll see if you guys think it's cool. If you're listening to it, you won't see the gimmicky thing, but you'll hear the gimmicky thing. I don't know. It might be cool, it might not be. We'll see. This might be the last time I use it, but it's a little toy I have, so I wanna use it.
1:16
But anyways, alright. We are going to kill the music. And before we get into the voicemails, I'm going to have a word from our sponsor, Flip N Out Pinball. If you're looking for a new pinball machine or a used pinball machine, or you want to get on a list of all these crazy games that are coming to us in 2026, you can reach out to Zach at Flip N Out Pinball. All the information is in the video description. Thank you for the sponsorship, Flip N Out Pinball. Great people over there. Okay. So I have not previewed these voicemails, so I have no idea what you guys have asked me or what you're saying, or if it's general statements. I don't even know, but we're gonna go into it. But before we do, I've been playing a lot of Pokemon because it came in. So obviously I got two games, both came in almost at the same time. It was Pokemon and it was Beetlejuice. So I've been playing them a ton. I'm fresh off of TPF, so, you know, I'm getting back into the groove of things. The week back from TPF was pretty rough, I'm not gonna lie. I was very tired. Jamie and I went hard. We went hard and I had no responsibilities. I didn't film anything. Well, I mean, I filmed a couple little things. But I mean, for the most part, I really tried to just enjoy the show, enjoy the moment. And I'm glad I did because I had an amazing time at TPF and I'm definitely looking forward to probably going back there again. Now, the only thing that is tough with TPF for me is TPF is the same week as Amusement Expo International in Vegas. And I've done that show for many, many years. That's kind of my way of keeping my foot in the arcade door just to see what stuff is going on. And people love that video. Like that video does exceptionally well for me every year because it's kind of my roll up of all the new arcade stuff you're going to see if you went to a Dave & Buster's or a main event or anything like that. And it's just cool to see what technology is getting, you know, deployed in arcades. I still do obviously enjoy that. And anyways, I'm kind of bummed that we didn't go this past year. So I don't know. I'm gonna have to make a choice maybe next year. I don't think I can do both. So I don't know. Do I go to TPF again or do I go back to Amusement Expo? I'm not sure the decision I'm gonna have to make. So anyways, we're gonna roll right into the voicemails. The first voicemail is from Scott. So we'll see what Scott has to say and then I will answer whatever Scott asks. All right, here we go. Here's the first one from Scott. If it will play. Hey Retro Ralph, we have 2026 shaping up to be a good year for pinball releases. Are you going to decide to move out the seating area or are you going to give yourself a migraine trying to decide which machine has to go next to make room? Cheers. Oh, Scott. Look, I got my phone. Check this out. So I got my phone. Scott, look, man. All right, hold on. I'm going to make this look legit. Scott, am I going to give myself a migraine figuring out what I want to do? Yeah, probably. Um, yeah, probably, but I gotta say, Scott, I think you probably feel like because I am who I am, I probably don't have the willpower or strength to be able to not bring on an 11th and a 12th game. But I've come to the realization that, look, 10 is a lot to manage as it is, so I am going to keep the collection to 10. The chairs are staying in place for now, but I've put a stake in the ground that I'm not going to remove the chairs, so they're gonna stay here, we're gonna leave them, and we'll see, we'll see. But Scott, just watch me closely, because everyone knows I can sometimes get a little squirrely. Alright, thank you Scott for the voicemail, thank you for supporting the show. And we'll go on to the next one, and I will go back to the main microphone. But how cool is this? I'm talking, I'm returning a voicemail on a payphone! I mean, I literally stole a payphone handle, and I turned it into a microphone, and I didn't. It's a company that makes these, but they're pretty damn cool. All right, we're gonna go back to the main mic and check out the next voicemail.

  • Hexa Pinball's Three Musketeers machine was stuck in customs and unable to be displayed at TPF.

    high confidence · Retro Ralph: 'I really wish that Hexa Pinball could have had three musketeers there, but it was stuck in customs, which is a big bummer.'

  • Beetlejuice was heavily played at TPF and drew significant player attention.

    high confidence · Retro Ralph: 'It seems like Turner really stole the show in a way like Beetlejuice. I think people were playing it like crazy.'

  • Boutique manufacturers (rather than Stern) are more likely to pursue niche IP themes like K-pop due to their flexibility and lower production volume requirements.

    medium confidence · Retro Ralph: 'I definitely think some of the boutique manufacturers might [do K-pop], and I think it'd be smart if they did... Do I think a Stern would touch it? Probably not.'

    • game
    Winchester Mystery Housegame
    Jack Dangerperson
    Tank Girlgame
    Travis Murieperson
    Jamie Burchillperson
    orbital Albertperson
    Emily Rperson
    Ashley Weaverperson
    Samantha Baconperson
    Kaylee Campbellperson
    Stern Pinballcompany
    Insider Connectedorganization
    Barrels of Funcompany
    Hexa Pinballcompany
    Lions Classic Pinball Channelorganization
  • ?

    design_philosophy: Stern's closed system architecture forces mod makers to work around limitations via switch inputs and standard lighting/illumination ports rather than native integration.

    high · Retro Ralph: 'Stern doesn't keep their system open so a lot of the mod makers have to kind of find ways around being able to integrate features... they do integration but it's tough for them to natively.'

  • ?

    community_signal: DIY/homebrew pinball section is valued by the community as a showcase of creative innovation and personal projects, with expected significant growth at Pinball Expo 2026.

    medium · Retro Ralph: 'it's also really neat to see what kind of creativity comes from the homebrew section... the next one that's going to have a giant presence when it comes to homebrew is going to be Pinball Expo in October.'

  • $

    market_signal: K-pop themed pinball machines could appeal to younger demographics (teen K-pop fans) whose parents have purchasing power; boutique manufacturers are better positioned to pursue such ventures than major manufacturers like Stern.

    medium · Retro Ralph: 'I definitely think some of the boutique manufacturers might [do K-pop], and I think it'd be smart if they did... Do I think a Stern would touch it? Probably not.'

  • ?

    content_signal: In-person event attendance and fan interaction is the primary driver of satisfaction and content value for Retro Ralph, more so than any specific game or announcement.

    high · Retro Ralph: 'My favorite part about TPF... is going and then getting to meet people that listen and watch the show... That is my favorite part.'

  • ?

    competitive_signal: Entry-level players are encouraged to participate in local competitive tournaments; community is described as friendly and supportive despite skill gaps.

    medium · Retro Ralph: 'everyone is really kind and they want to help and the whole scene is cool... Keep at it, because it's fun. It's fun, you'll learn more, it will make you a better player.'

  • ?

    operational_signal: Stern's All Access membership through Insider Connected includes factory tour access (once per year) and free shipping on accessories, suggesting Stern is investing in direct community engagement.

    high · Retro Ralph: 'you can join what's called All Access on Insider Connected, and it allows you to set up a factory tour, one a year... You get free shipping on accessories and things like that.'

  • ~

    sentiment_shift: Homebrew games are gaining credibility and sophistication; some DIY designs feature full-scale components (flippers, targets, bumpers, ball) and evolving code over multiple years, narrowing the gap with commercial products.

    medium · Retro Ralph: 'it has everything that a full scale pinball machine would have in it. Technically, like it has real pop bumpers. It has drop targets... the code on this thing has evolved.'

    • 5:14
    All right, I'm gonna see how annoyed you guys get with that gimmick as the show goes on. I don't know if you'll be like, oh man, another one like that, but I think it's kind of cool. All right, let's see. All right, Scott, that was a good one. Let's go on to the next one. This one's also from someone named Scott.
    5:30
    Hi, Ralph. My comment is around the mods. You know, as a consumer that's purchasing mods for a lot of our new machines, it really would be great to have more content around ranking the mods, highlighting the mods, which ones really enhance the gaming experience, you know, quality rankings around the mods. We're going to be talking about the pinball design of the mods. You know, the companies that are making them are they are some of the pinball designers that work for the manufacturers or the manufacturers themselves in support of the mods and getting more direction for the consumers on which ones they should be purchasing. In the mods, I think the one area that really enhances the experience is around lighting, and there seems to be a lot of advancement on the lighting side to really make the games pop.
    6:27
    Anyways, that's just my thoughts. Love your stuff. Scott, this is a good one, man. I like this one. So mods. Well, first off, there's a lot in there to unpack. I mean, the one thing you did say was that, do the mods, Do the manufacturers support the mods? I would say in most cases the manufacturers do not support the mods because especially like if you're looking at Stern. Stern doesn't keep their system open so a lot of the mod makers have to kind of find ways around being able to integrate features that are in their mods into the game whether that be from a switch or plugging it into the general lighting or illumination of the game so there's a lot of ways that they do integration but it's tough for them to natively I'm a fan of the mod makers, I love following them. Stumblr is the one that makes these amazing mods. There are many other companies out there, not to single out just Stumblr, but there are so many great companies making mods. Some are, to me, very well integrated in the sense that they look like they belonged in the original game. And you know Stern historically that there's been a lot of mod makers that focus on Stern because in the past they've been really taking out more of the sculpts and things that that a lot of people like to help recreate that world under glass but as far as reviewing them I do buy mods I don't buy that many of them anymore and I'll tell you why so and I am a big supporter of the mods and the mod makers but it's tough to get your money back when you mod a game it's not always that the the market sees it as I'm a content creator and I want to, um, I try not to fall in love with each game so that I can have a game for a period of time, really learn that game and have interesting things to say to you guys on the show. So I've been investing in them less. But I do, if you follow my Facebook page, Retro Ralph LLC, if you just type Retro Ralph on Facebook, there's a page there, you can follow it. When I do get mods, I tend to do little videos about them there. And there's so many cool ones out there. So yeah, I mean, you will see content from me on mods, but I'm trying not to as much because they get really expensive really fast. But it's a good topic. I appreciate the question. Thanks so much for supporting the show.
    9:09
    All right, we're back on the main mic. Okay, that was a good one from Scott. You know, the mods are interesting topic. We'll get more into that. I got another Scott. So this next voicemail is from another Scott.
    9:21
    Hey, Ralph, this is Scott from Outlane Pinball. Thanks for chatting with me at TPF. It was really cool. What's your favorite style of pizza and what topping would you put on it? Talk to you later. Oh man, alright, I'm gonna stop the phone gimmick. So alright, my favorite style of pizza and what topping would I put on it? Okay, there's a joke. I'm gonna tell this joke real quick. It's not really a joke, it's something that happened. So one year at Pinball Expo, I was doing something nice. I saw that the guys were all hungry and I said, hey, I'll order a pizza. It was late at night and I felt like we were gonna probably have a hard time finding a restaurant that was open. So I order a pizza. We're in Chicago. It's Pinball Expo. The pizza comes, and of course my friend Stringer, who's not shy, he's gonna tell you how things are, and he's like, this pizza tastes weird. It's like real doughy. So he looks at the receipt, and it says double dough. Now I didn't intentionally order a double dough pizza, but it's been years now. This happened over two years ago, and I constantly am getting made fun of for being someone that likes double dough pizza. Now, I don't like double dough pizza. As a matter of fact, I don't like overly doughy pizza. So, anyway, the double dough thing came from there. But what was funny is that we tried to give away pieces, because I bought a lot of it, we tried to give away pieces of the pizza, and it seemed like no one is really into double dough. So, number one, I don't know why double dough is a thing, but in Chicago, apparently it is. I've never heard of it anywhere else. So, the one thing I can tell you I'm not into is double dough pizza. I'm a big fan of pizza but my favorite pizza would be a New York slice of pizza. Like something that's traditional, New York slice, kind of thin. The perfect amount of sauce and cheese. Not overly sauced but definitely not skimping on the sauce. I do not like when people skimp on the sauce. As far as toppings, I'm kind of boring. I'm an Italian guy. I like traditional Italian pizza. Now if I had to give a quick second, I do like deep dish pizza from Chicago. I call it cake pizza. I do like it. But it's definitely not my first choice. My first choice would be a traditional, I know it's kind of boring, but it'd be a traditional, just cheese pizza, New York style. So, but true New York style, good cheese, good sauce. It tastes really good. I do not like dry. If it's just dough and cheese, no, no, it's out of here. It's out of here, not even happening. All right, it's a good question, man. And I appreciate you supporting the show. All right, we'll go on to the next one. The next one is from Salty Dog. I don't know if that's his real name. I'm guessing no, but let's see what he has to say. Oh, that's right. There was something else I wanted to ask you. You were talking one time about how the company you worked for was a startup at one point. Now they have stockholders. And at one point you had an event for your company and Snoop Dogg performed. It's true. Did you meet Snoop Dogg? Like, where are those stories? I don't think I've heard those stories before. Did you get to meet him? Did you... Did you spark up with him? I mean, I'm just asking. I don't know what was... Anyway, I just remembered you saying that. Anyway, uh, yeah.
    12:25
    Okay, that's a good one. Uh, I did briefly meet him. It was at a work event. This was a very long time ago. It was a work event that we hosted for our customers, believe it or not. So it was all of our customers. It was in San Francisco. It was in this amazing building that I think they used to, like, manufacture bombs in. And they were gonna... the building no longer exists. I think they knocked it all down. And this was the last event that was gonna take place in this building. So, very, very cool. All the meeting rooms in the building were actually shipping containers that we turned into. Although I will say, acoustics in a shipping container are not good. That's not where he did the concert. He didn't do the concert in a shipping container. I'll just say this. Snoop Dogg was not shy at a corporate event. He was doing all the normal Snoop Dogg stuff at this corporate event and he did not care. So nothing was stopping him doing that. This was prior to us being a publicly traded company. And I highly doubt they would do this today, but it was pretty damn awesome that I got to experience it because it was a pretty intimate, you know, small concert with Snoop Dogg. So it was really cool. And yeah, I mean, we're a much larger company now. We definitely wouldn't be doing stuff like that, but I'm glad I got to experience it when we were a smaller company, but that's a good question.
    13:39
    Next one's from Russ Wheeler. A mechanical dragon. It's legit. Okay. This is, this is my guy. Okay. This one's my, we'll listen to one more time if you missed it.
    13:55
    It's a dragon. A mechanical dragon. I don't know. It's legit. So. Dragon. So apparently when I made a short for TPF, I guess I sounded weird when I said I'm a fan of the word dragon and my buddy Stringer has been lighting me up around this. Also the same guy that razzes me about the double dough pizza. I don't know what that's not a question in there. There's no question in there whatsoever. I think he's just making fun of the fact that I thought the dragon was cool at TPF. If you didn't see it, the dragon is the mascot or was the mascot slash theme of of TPF this year. Okay, the next one is from orbital Albert. I have a feeling it's going to be long orbital Albert, orbital, orbital, orbital Albert. He runs a little long sometimes, but it's okay. He usually has a lot of good things to say. So let's see, let's see what Albert has to say.
    14:49
    Retro Ralph, it's orbital Albert here. Hopefully you're having a rad Sunday. I know I sure am. I'm currently watching the women's world championships for 2026. It is currently live on the Lions Classic Pinball Channel on Twitch, and we are down to four players. Okay, wait, no, we might be down to eight. I better see, that's a good thing I checked. This is why you check the bracket. Especially when you're calling in to Retro Ralph's podcast. Come on. Okay, we're down to Emily R from Canada. I'm not sure how to pronounce her last name, so I'm just gonna say R. Shout out to Emily who won the North America Women's Championships on Friday, by the way. She is the number one seed and she's one of the semifinalists left. And then Kaylee Campbell is who she's playing right now. It's 0-0 in that one. And then on the other side of our semifinals, There is Ashley Weaver and Samantha Bacon. I am guessing that Ashley Weaver is going to win that one. And we're going to see Emily and Ashley in the finals. And if I had to guess, I think it will actually go to game seven. And I'm not just saying this because she's a fellow Canuck, but I think Emily might be able to pull this out. She's been on fire this year. She's been playing fricking lights out the last three days. I have watched almost every second of this possible and I am just absolutely loving it. So there you go. There's your little mini podcast from Orby this weekend. I also wanted to give a big shout out to Jamie Burchill, who actually came on my show and I got to interview him, but all things TPF last week. That was awesome. So anyways, Retro Ralph, thanks again for that awesome shirt, Mike, I really appreciate it. I'm not using it right now. Can you tell? I didn't take the time and energy to go plug it in for this recording. I'm sorry, dude, but have yourself a rad Sunday. I love you. I love all your content. I love watching you and Rudy do, you know, play all the time. I even love watching you get irritated and upset once in a while. I don't know why. It's maybe my favorite part of your whole thing. I'm sorry. I'm a bad person. All right. Take it easy, Ralph. Have a rad day. And until next time, remember to eat, sleep, and breathe. Retro Ralph. All right. Orphan Albert is awesome. I will have a link in the description to be able to find him if you don't know who he is or haven't listened to his stuff. He's been around for a long time. Big in the pinball scene. Very good player by the way as well and just an overall great guy. So he did say some things in there that are interesting. I do play competitive pinball. I don't, you know, I don't, I'm not at any kind of level to be at any kind of championship, that's for sure. But I do enjoy going and I would say, you know, if there's something to be taken out of this orbital Albert message here, is that you don't have to just buy pinball machines to play pinball machines. You can go on many locations and play them. Now it does, it does kind of factor into where you live. Cause if you're near a metropolitan area, then there's probably tons of pinball. Go to pinball map. But I definitely encourage people, even if you have home collections, it just so fun to go out and play meet people You end up learning the games better because you playing with people that are most of the time better than you But everyone is very friendly At least I can speak to I played in Phoenix I played in Chicago I've played in a couple of other places, California. And everyone is really kind and they want to help and the whole scene is cool. You get to meet people and I already said that already, but just being out and interacting with people, other people that enjoy a hobby that you enjoy, it's just a good time. And I know competitive pinball isn't for everyone. So maybe you don't go and play on league night, but maybe just go and support some of these pinball locations. And the thing is, a lot of times the games that you want to go play that are new, you feel like, oh man, I can't, I can't play these because I don't have them around me. But maybe you do, and you don't even know it. So go on pinball map, definitely support these local locations around you. And, you know, if you feel like it, I would encourage you to go play at tournament night. And granted, if you're used to playing at home, it might not go so well the first time, right? All right, because competitive is different. It's a different beast, but you know what? Keep at it, because it's fun. It's fun, you'll learn more, it will make you a better player. And it is funny that Albert called out that people, that he likes seeing me upset. I get that a lot. I had people at TPF tell me, man, when you're playing with Rudy, it's fun to watch you get upset. And I don't know, apparently I must be kind of funny when I'm upset, I don't know. But yeah, so, so, so, Orbital Albert, you're not the first person to say that, and I'm sure you won't be the last. Thanks for calling in, buddy, you're the best. And next one is from Mark. So we'll go see what Mark's got to say.
    19:18
    Hey Ralph, this is Mark from Michigan. First off, absolutely love the show. Great pinball content. As a father of two teenage daughters who are really into K-pop music, which has a huge fan base consisting of younger people, do you think any manufacturers would be open to having a limited run of K-pop themed pinball machines to appeal to that younger market? And if you're probably thinking they can't afford a pinball machine, their parents could. Thanks, Ralph.
    19:48
    Mark, that's a good one, honestly. I've seen this come up before. I've heard people talk about like, would K-pop demon hunters be a good pinball machine? I don't know if like a Stern would touch that, but I definitely think some of the boutique manufacturers might, and I think it'd be smart if they did. Right now this year, we're having a lot of, you know, we've seen a couple of these like one-off, you know, Ali Sarkfather flavor, Tim Gunn, Wade Talksageruk, Well, you know, it's not exactly everything that's happening. Maybe it's something that's kicking off. Maybe it's actually something that's very popular. But to us, maybe it's not. So I don't know. I mean, they took chances with things like, you know, with John Wick, you know, DnD, Winchester's Mystery House. And, like, look at what happened with Winchester. It's such a cool game. It's one that I really wish that I really wish I could buy. Like, it's a bummer that no... Because, honestly, at TPF, it was one of the highlights. And there's always been lines for it. And at Expo, you could hardly play it. You had to wait through a really long line. So Mark, I think it's a good idea. Do I think a Stern would touch it? Probably not. But you bring up an interesting topic, though. It'd almost be cool if someone like Stern, because they have the resources, put Jack Danger on a really cool, he does these one-off things. Keep him as a designer, have him doing... And don't have necessarily an aggressive timeline for these. Give Jack a runway to make these cool and unique things and limit them to like a hundred games or something like a studio within a studio that just does like kind of obscure pop culture things or maybe things that maybe wouldn't sell a thousand machines. Now, I'm not someone that's in the manufacturing business, so I don't know if that would be feasible to do financially because they need to make money. But I don't know, like I think there's definitely room for these like limited run, interesting IPs that maybe don't seem to have the major mass appeal that like I know, I know Jack's working on that Tank Girl game, although I haven't seen much information about that. Like he's posting a lot of stuff, but yeah, love the idea, Mark. And I think that could something like that could work. It just depends on is there a company that wants to pick up and do some of these like unique, limited run things. But I love where your head is at. I think that's really cool and I appreciate you supporting the show. All right. Next one is from John.
    22:36
    Hey, Retro Ralph. My name is John from Ontario, Canada. I watch your podcast about the Pokemon Pinball. Just being released at Stern. The thing it is, next month I'm going to be going to the Stern pinball building and I got a factory tour as being part of the all access membership. So when I'm there, I might have a chance to see the Pokemon pinball machine in the lobby. Hopefully, I get a chance to try it while I'm there. All right, so this was an older message. I think this is one I hadn't, I hadn't used. So, John, thank you for the voice message. I hope you were able to play Pokemon. It's everywhere now. You could play it on site everywhere. I hope you enjoyed the factory tour. So if you're part of All Access, so if someone isn't aware, you can join what's called All Access on Insider Connected, and it allows you to set up a factory tour, one a year. And so yeah, whatever happens to be on the line at the time, when you walk through the manufacturing facility, you'll get to see it. And then they have a ton of games in the lobby, so I'm sure there's Pokemons in the lobby now. There probably will be for some time now. So yeah, hopefully you had a good time, John. And if for those of you that don't know, like now you can do factory tours as part of your Insider Connected all access. So if you don't have that, you know, definitely look into it. There's a couple other perks as well. You get free shipping on accessories and things like that. So thanks, John, for the voicemail. I appreciate it. And thanks for supporting the show. All right. Next one is from Jason. Ralph, I saw you at TPF last weekend. It looks like you and your friends were having a lot of fun while you were there. What was your favorite part about TPF? Ooh, Jason, that is a good question. First of all, Jason, thanks for watching and listening to the show. My favorite part about TPF, you know, it's going to sound like cheesy, but I think the part that I like the most about these shows is going and then getting to meet people that listen and watch the show. The show. That is my favorite part, obviously. It just really is. Not obviously, but it is. That is my favorite part. But I think you're looking for something more than that, right? You're not looking for just my, I enjoy interacting and talking with everybody. That is what is the most fun for me, and I just love it because if you're listening to this or watching this, then you're probably super nerdy about pinball like we all are. So it's fun to be able to like deep dive and talk about the new games that that whatever is at that show that's being highlighted or to just discuss like hey there was these three new ones like which ones did you like the best because oftentimes when someone comes up to me at a show I ask them like what game did you play so far are you having a good show and what game did you play so far that you're like blown away by so this show was interesting because you had you had um pokemon which I had played before but but you know I still didn't get to play a ton of it but But Pokemon, you had Beetlejuice, you had Yukon Yeti, then you had an amazing, like a ridiculously amazing setup by Marco showcasing a bunch of the homebrew games. So like, it's really hard for me to pinpoint one thing that I love the most, but we did, Jamie and I hung around in that homebrew area a lot. It is cool, even though as cool as it is to play all these awesome new games by these major manufacturers, it's also really neat to see what kind of creativity comes from the homebrew section. So I would encourage anybody if you're going to a show, especially, you know, the next one that's going to have a giant presence when it comes to homebrew is going to be Pinball Expo in October. Don't sleep on the homebrew section because you will go if you love pinball. It's cool seeing what these other individuals in the hobby are spending their own extra time on to make and dream up. And sometimes it's crazy stuff. Like sometimes it's it's like, wow, I know I've brought this up in the past, But there's this guy and I can't remember the name of the game, but it's like a barrel. It looks like a barrel and you kind of play it sort of hugging it. It's very cool, very unique. And while it's not a full scale pinball machine, it has everything that a full scale pinball machine would have in it. Technically, like it has real pop bumpers. It has drop targets. It has full size flippers and a full size ball. It's cool. And he's brought it a couple of years now and the code on this thing has evolved. So, um, Big Trouble in Little China, Top Gun. The new bootleggers game that's going to be a DIY build like that stuff's really exciting to me because it's cool to see what everyone else is doing. But I'd say the highlight. I mean, it seems like Turner really stole the show in a way like Beetlejuice. I think people were playing it like crazy, right? I mean, it's a really fun game, but at the same time, there's also this I can't buy this, right? So like sometimes as excited as people are to play it, they can't get one. So, it's like they might spend less, they might play it, but then spend less time on it or pay less attention to it because there's other things there that are new that they could buy. So yeah, so I, it's tough for me to come up with like a what was my favorite. I really think it was interacting with everybody, but it was really cool to check out Turner's Yukon Yeti game. It was very cool to just see and observe other people playing Pokemon and Beetlejuice. The bummer thing for me is I really wish that Hexa Pinball could have had three musketeers there, but it was stuck in customs, which is a big bummer. So Jason, I don't know if I gave you a real answer there, but it really is my favorite part of the show is really interacting with everybody that watches the show and just nerding out on pinball. Because what better place to nerd out on the hobby that we love when you're surrounded by a bunch of people that also love the same thing that we do. So I appreciate the voicemail, Jason. The next one, it just says it's from I'm Mad Bra. So I don't know who our mad bra is, but we're going to listen to his voice message.
    28:43
    Hey, Ralph, as Pokemon brings in new people to the scene, myself included, what advice would you give to new players trying to play in local tournaments? Oh, that's a good one, man. That's a good one. Did you say your name in there? I'm gonna play it one more time. Hey Ralph, as Pokemon brings in new people to the scene, myself included, what advice would you give to new players trying to play in local tournaments? Okay, so I don't know your name, but I appreciate the voice message. What would I give? So number one, welcome to the hobby, that's awesome. I don't know if you bought a Pokemon or that's like your intro to the hobby and you just experienced it on location, I'm not sure. I'm sure. But whatever it is, welcome to the hobby either way. If you're gonna play, you specifically called out tournaments. I think what I would do is, you know, tournament play is different because you're trying to make, you're trying to get as many points as you can, right? So, what I would say is go watch like a Pokemon tutorial by like Travis over at the, pinball, I always forget his thing, it's the pinball shop? No. Shoot. Travis Murie, he's on the Triple Drain podcast. But if you look up like Pokemon tutorial or something like that, Travis's stuff should come up. I always forget if it's like the pin, it's called the pinball company maybe? I think it's the pinball company. That's where he works. He does a phenomenal job. Joel at Flip N Out does a phenomenal job. The, the, Cameron and his wife over at Pinball Pursuit, I don't think they've done one on Pokemon yet, but I'm sure they will. Those, watch those tutorials. Travis definitely takes the angle of a tournament player. So, he may give you like this is how you maximize your scoring in the game as the code exists right now. I think if you're going to play on in tournaments and that's really what you want to focus on. Like what things can I do to maximize my points? Whether it be multipliers, whether it be alright, you want to start a mode, but you want to prepare the multiball first. Then you start the mode and then you get into that multiball when you're in the mode. That way, you know, you have a little bit of security there because you're in a multiball as you're in a mode. So there's lots of strategies like that. But that would be my suggestion is learn a little bit more about how the code works and how to maximize your scoring. And that will make for a better showing when you're at that tournament. I mean, I try to do that as much as I can. Unfortunately, when I play at electric bat, the players are so good. They're at such a high level that most of the times my strategy might be very simplistic in comparison to theirs. But here's the thing. Even really great players have bad balls. Hey, Ralph, my name's Guy Cody. I've been listening to you for a while. I just finished your TPF episode and also the JBS episode on TPF and I love listening to you guys. I wanted to tell you I'm about 10 years older than you so a lot of the themes that resonate with you may not resonate with me. So Guy, that would put you around, if you're 10 years older than me, that would put you around 57. I am currently 47. So just to put it, just so everyone in the audience knows. I don't know if you knew I was 47 but if you're about 10 years then you're 57. Okay. I'm going to play with me and vice versa, but for 2026, the game I'm most excited about is Goonies, and I'm already on a list for it, so I'm hoping that I actually make the cut and I'm able to get the game. Anyway, keep on keeping on. You guys are kicking ass and I really love your show. Bye. Guy, I appreciate that, man. That means the world to me and Jamie and Cale. Uh, yeah, so the game that you're looking forward to the most is Goonies. I gotta say, that's very high up there on the list. There's two games, if I had to say games that I am just like super amped for this year, it's Sonic the Hedgehog and Goonies. I think both of those are gonna be super banger games. The thing is, you're right man, with Goonies you're gonna wanna be on a list. So if you're listening to this, you know, and I know Spooky hasn't said that it's Goonies, But I believe that to be accurate. But here's the thing. If you're if you want a Goonies and and we're we're pretty, pretty certain that that's probably the next game. I would get on that list now. Go talk to your distributor. If you have a local distributor you're friends with. Sounds like guy is already well on his way. He already made that decision to put himself on the list. That's very smart. These spooky is in a spooky is in a mode right now where they're red hot, right? Everybody wants to see what Spooky's next game is. They're packing it with stuff. They're putting more into it. We're going to be talking about the two games that I'm most excited about this year. There's a ton of games that are coming out this year. They all sound very interesting to me, but if there's two out of all the ones we know, I gotta say I'm with you, man. Goonies. And that is interesting because you're saying we're generationally a little off on age, But you're into Goonies and I'm into Goonies big time. Like, big time Goonies fan. Oh my gosh, the Fratelli Brothers, the freakin' Truffle Shuffle, the piano scene, you know, you got... I mean, just everything. Everything in that game just seems like everything... Sorry, that movie. Everything in that movie seems like it could be put together in a way that could make for an awesome pinball experience. And I think with Spooky tending to lean towards putting more into the game and trying to pack I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to get back as much in. I do think that they're probably the right manufacturer to make a Goonies. You know, Jersey Jack would probably make a great Goonies too. But yeah, games to look out for for 2026, in my opinion, would be Sonic the Hedgehog and Goonies. I mean, you can't, I don't think that either one of those are going to disappoint. So thanks for the, thanks for the shout out guy. Appreciate the support, man. All right, the next one is from David R. Hello, this is David Ramonson, and I was wondering what you thought of the new bonus missions in Star Wars Fall of the Empire. Which one is your favorite? Do you like the Yoda one, the Chewbacca one, the Obi-Wan one, or the... uh, what was the other one? I don't know. Leah, oh, speeder bikes, yes, everyone loves the speeder bikes. Anyway, I haven't heard much buzz about that and I was wondering what you thought. Oh, David, you're gonna get me in trouble, man. You're gonna get me in so much trouble. I almost feel like I gotta go over to the phone on this one. So I feel like I'm talking to you and no one else is listening I gonna go over to the phone Just hold on a second here David All right David I gotta give it to you straight I have not been paying much attention to Fall of the Empire The code got updated but then a bunch of new games came into my house So I have... I have played the topper mode, Escape from Bespin, which is very cool. But I have not really played it in a while. So you are exposing the fact that I have not been paying much attention to Fall of the Empire. Which is gonna maybe disappoint some of you. And then some of you aren't going to care, but David, what I'm going to do, because you called me out, not that you're calling me out, but you know, you, you asked me this question. I am going to tonight, go play more fall of the empire, get into some of those modes. And then I will, I will get back to you on that. And maybe I'll even make some content around it because you just inspired me to go make content on a game that, you know, that is one thing about our hobby. We, we always want to talk about the new stuff and that game is still relatively new, but, but like these games, we jump to the next one and the next one and the next one. And sometimes we don't fully enjoy or appreciate the things that we have. So I'm going to go back. David, you've inspired me to do so. I hate that I don't have a good answer for you, but I appreciate you supporting the content. And I'm going to switch over to the other mic now so we can go to the next voice message, which is also from someone named David. I don't know. I did not plan it this way, but it's another David. So we will thank you again. We'll go to the next voicemail.
    36:57
    Look at me switching the mics. This, this, like, it's pretty impressive, isn't it? Not really, but anyways. Okay, next one from David. That was David. We're going to another David.
    37:09
    Hey, Ralph. Ralph, first time caller, multi time listener, David Kreps here. I wanted to know if you have the same opinion about Pokemon. And I'm not talking about like the game itself. I'm talking about like, what's holding up code, what's holding up achievements? Do you think the crux of this This game will be the licensor approval because we know that George Gomez and Danger have said they believe they have this plan of where they want to go with this stuff and how deep they want to go with it. And I have no problem with where they want to go with it. My worry is that the biggest issue here is, and the biggest hanging issue is the fact that the licensing is taking so long and it's not becoming fast enough and it just seems like they can't, Stern can't... I'm going to try to like replay it one more time just see if I can bring it back to life here but hey rails Yeah, I think he had a problem. So I'm gonna, I'm gonna actually, so David, I think I got the gist of what you're trying to ask or say. Well, that is the, that is the crux of dealing with any of these big license holders. I had the chance to work on the Harry Potter featurette. And I will tell you that I had to, you know, I was watching from afar. So I didn't, I wasn't, you know, I wasn't in the trenches, but I got to see a little bit of the behind the curtain stuff. And it's, some of the Some of these license holders are very particular about how their license is represented through pinball form or any form for that matter. So they are at the mercy of the license holder. So their creativity could be stifled a bit if they want to do something that the Pokemon company doesn't feel like is a good representation of the brand Pokemon. So while they might have the most creative angles and ideas around it, they have to ultimately in flock to cut it the division now do I think that the achievements and some of the stuff around the pokey that spaying insider connected is absolutely license earth that's that's delaying if yes a hundred percent I got that confirmation through kale through someone that probably will remain anonymous that stern so they are definitely working through those license issues now do I think they're going to create something very cool and unique with this, yes, I think, the code is definitely very much in its infancy and I I'd probably have seen most things in the game already I haven't caught all the Pokemon, honestly, I'm over like, I'm at like 30 or something. I got to 30 of them. Now there is one thing I want to bring up here. They better, like I am going to be very upset if I spent all my time trying to capture these 30 Pokemon and then when they do decide to, or not decide, when they get the green light to do the Pokedex inside insider connected, if they're not there. The 30 I caught better be there. That's going to be upsetting if they're not. So I don't know what system they have in place to say, Hey, look, I can pull the record from the machine through insider connected. They should be able to do that. But yeah, I am very excited to see where they go with this. You bring up a very valid point. They are absolutely handcuffed by what the license holder will allow them to do. But I feel like as long as they keep it on brand, and they come up with some creative ideas, I do think that they'll be open to them. And I am very hopeful that this game is going to end up being exceptional over time. Not necessarily because of the layout. The layout is a very basic layout, but I'll tell you, all the people I talked to at TPF were like, this game is really, they were, they were, this game is really fun. It is, it's a fun game to play. But I think what's going to really unlock this game and make it even better is going to be all the integration that they do around Insider Connected and then all the additional code that they, that they do for the game. And I gotta think this one, because it sold so well, and it's gonna continue to sell for them, this is gonna be one that they just continue to make for a long time, I think. They should, they should, they're gonna probably make a big investment on continuing to innovate and push the code as far as they can. It was a great question, David. I'm bummed that it got cut out, because I was really curious what else you were gonna say there. But I appreciate the support of the show, and it's a really good question. Alright, next one comes from Chance Ham. I swear, I wish my name was as cool as this. Like Chance Hammer is a badass name. And he comments a lot on all my stuff. I see him all the time. Also David, who just left that voicemail. I see comments from him a lot. Not everyone uses their name, so I don't always, you know, connect to the username with the voicemail. But I do know who Chance is. He's a good dude. And I'm curious to see what he's going to talk about. So let's listen to Chance next. Hey, Ralph, Chance Hammer here. I got to tell you, Yukon Yeti is a nine out of 10. What a great game. But I think there was a missed opportunity. I think if the artwork had more gravitas and a more sinister tone, it would go a long way to help making it game of the year, perhaps. And also, as you alluded to, the sound needs to be improved a bit. So my question is, what are the odds that Turner Pinball will tweak the artwork? And are they greater odds than if they will tweak the sound prior to release? Okay, this is an awesome question. And this is one the community has been actively talking about. So Chance, awesome question. What are the chances his question, what are the chances they're going to change the artwork versus the audio package? I think the artwork is more than likely going to stay the same. And I think the reason why you don't see them take a more sinister approach to the artwork or something a little bit more aggressive is because if you look at Turner's website, he calls his company Family Friendly Pinball Experiences. And I think when you, or doesn't call his company that, there's a lot of that on the website about being family friendly. So I think he does take, you know, take on responsibility that he sticks to that. So I don't think you're going to see that edginess in the artwork because he wants to keep it family friendly. And I don't think they're going to change the artwork. By the way, I don't really dislike the artwork. It's just different than a lot of the stuff that's out there. What really I think would bring this game together is what you mentioned in the second half of your voice message. Where this game is going to shine is, all right, the shots are all kind of there. The layout is cool. It plays well. It's got some unique mechanisms in it with that avalanche ball lock thing. I love the shot around the upper playfield that goes down the wavy ramp. Love all that. But I think the music, it needs something to pull you into the game. And I think with music and sound effects, he can absolutely achieve that and the overall package would be even better. And he's got the lighting, the lighting is there. If he can get some orchestration going between the lighting and the sound effects, I think We'll bring it all together. And I do believe that he is already in active conversations with people to make the music and sound effects package a bit better to bring that game up to, you know, from good to great. So I have a lot of faith in what they're doing over there. I do like the quality of their builds. They're all really, really good. And I never really saw any major issues during the show with his game. So reliability seems to be there too. Tim Kitzrow's Report
    45:37
    So if you're getting one of these or you're getting one of these, I do think you're going to be happy with it in the long run. And I do think Chris is going to address some of this music and sound effects stuff because the community has talked about it. So thank you Chance. Good question. All right. Next one comes from Butch the Boxer. This was an older message. So I don't know. This wasn't my when I solicited some feedback just recently. This one's an older one that I did not play before. So I don't know what this one is all about. So we'll find out right now. Hey Ralph, I was watching one of your older videos, and forgive me if I said this before, but you were talking about the Pulp Fiction pinball machine. And you mentioned how like there's clips from the movie and like there's clips of Sam Jackson saying mofo. And I thought that was good that like you warn people about the pinball machine swearing because like you know if they have kids or something they might not want to hear the pinball machine say mofo. But anyway, my question is, are there any references in that pinball machine, any I think that would be even worse to have on a pinball machine. Like the pinball hits the box and the weird freaky dominatrix dude pops out. But anyway, are there any references to that or is it all royal with cheese and that kind All right, well, Butch the Boxer is not Butch the Boxer. That's Chad, who I went to high school with. It's a really good question. So there is no, there's no LCD on that game. So everything is through audio. So through audio and then what's on the playfield. There is references to the GIMP. He does. So yeah, that's in there. But I don't remember owning that game. Like I had that game. I don't remember if there's typically in most of these games that have adult content, you can turn the adult content on and off. So if there's any like vulgar language and stuff like that, you can turn that stuff off. So if you have kids, obviously, almost every game that has that has vulgar language has that ability to turn it on and off. But yes, the GIMP is in there. There's no visuals of the GIMP, but they do make references to him throughout the game a couple of times. So, yeah, so it is in there. But all right. I got to be I got to I got to be honest with you on Pulp Fiction. Jamie does not like it.
    48:09
    But Jamie agrees with me on this. I don't- I- I- it wasn't a game that I really loved. I love the movie Pulp Fiction, and I love all the fit tie-ins that they did to the movie in the game. But the game was just so brutally hard for me that I- I felt like I couldn't progress through it. Like I'd complete a mode in every game. It was never- it was very very rare that I could complete like three modes in one game. I'm a fan of the game, so I felt like I'm never going to see the rest of this game. And it definitely bugged me. It seems like more of a tournament game. It's like a really great tournament game because it's not that easy. And not that I want a baby easy game, but I just felt like the game was unnecessarily hard. And I mean, I had mine set up the way they suggest it's set up. Maybe I had it pitched a little higher because the one at the bat was pitched higher. But yeah, I really wanted to like that game a little bit more. You know, everyone knows that Mark Ritchie, who made that game, that was in collaboration with the studio and Quentin Tarantino. And I think the original design had like ramps and upper playfields and all sorts of stuff, but they wanted it to have this like 70s vibe. So because of that, I think the game probably had a little bit more in it and probably maybe it would have been simpler. I don't know. But yeah, to answer your question, yes, he's in there and I really wanted to like that game more, But I'm happy just playing it on location every now and then at the electric pad or wherever I'm at. So, um, yeah, it's not one that I, that I, that I felt like was a keeper for me at least, but I know a lot of people really enjoy it. It's a good question. All right. Next one is from Brian.
    49:45
    Hey Ralph, this is Brian from Madison, Wisconsin. Love the pod. I've got two questions for you. I'm wondering what upgrades did you already do and what ones do you plan for your Pokemon machine? And then also, what are your big hopes for future code for Pokemon? Thanks. Brian, good question. That's two Pokemon questions. So I did get the premium. So I have a little bit of a, you know, I've got the Pokeball that shakes. I got the magnet. I got the, you know, you got the Pikachu in the corner that moves and talks. You got the sneak in shot. So there's and the whirlpool. So it's a little bit more in the premium, obviously. I think you can't go wrong with any of the models of this game. I think the pro is just fine. I do, so the one upgrade I did put in it so far is one that you can get from Stern Pinball or through your distributor, which is the in-cabinet expression lighting. I installed it two days ago or three days ago now.
    50:42
    Install had a couple of little quirks. You gotta put like 80,000 ferrites on the cable. I think the ferrites are just an FCC thing or like a regulatory thing. I don't really think you have to put them on. Someone please correct me in the comments. Like, I don't think these ferrites, yes, they probably have to, they probably reduce like EMF or something like that, but I don't think that they're required. I think they're required by the manufacturer to meet some kind of require, some kind of like electrical interference requirements or something. So I don't know if you tell me, tell me if I'm crazy and I should put them on all on, cause I didn't, cause I was like, I'm not putting these all on. It's going to take forever. Now I do, when I do the speaker expression lights, I do put these on, but for the cabinet one, there were so many of them. I was like, I'm not doing this. So that was my first upgrade. I'm going to want to put Art Blades on it too. The Art Blades aren't currently out as of March 29th, 2026. They don't have the Art Blades yet. So it does look, it does look really cool with the lighting. The lighting goes along with the modes. So it changes colors based on the mode you're in. It just makes the game more, I don't know, what's the word I'm looking for? Atmospheric. It just does a good job. So I don't really think I'm going to put many other mods in it. I did see the Stumblr card mod. So for those of you that are unaware, Stumblr has made a mod where the dollar bill acceptor would go on the coin door. It's a card dispenser that when you get, I think, like a replay on the game or a match or something like that, it will spit out a card. Now obviously, that is really cool. I mean, I'm not gonna lie, like that's cool. And maybe I did. I bought it. I bought that thing. I don't know. I just think that's cool. This is coming from someone that's not like a Pokemon card collector or anything like that. I just think it'd be really neat and I know this is gonna be one that eventually I'll move on and I have a feeling that whoever I move it on to will probably really appreciate that modification, but I don't expect to get any money back because of it. So that's the only other one. I have not seen any other mods. I haven't really been looking, but I didn't see like a whole slew of mods for Pokemon. So I'm sure there will be a bunch, but yeah, no, it's a good question. Good question, man. But Brian, I guess as they come out, I will inform you guys if there's any that that I, you know, just have to have or feel like I have to have. But yeah, I was a sucker. I got the card dispenser. I think on location that would be really cool, but I can't imagine as an operator that would make much financial sense to do.
    53:14
    But it'd be really cool, and I'm sure people at the arcade would really appreciate it, but I can't see a lot of operators doing it. I think people will probably do it more at home even though it like it like having a crane machine at home right like you don you like you winning your own prizes it like you winning your own Pokemon guard so it doesn really make sense but I think a lot of people will do it because we crazy and there a cool factor to getting a card I can remember what pinball machine it was that used to give baseball cards out I don think it was the Big Hurt I can remember which one it was but there that older pinball machine that gives baseball cards out all right we have one more message uh this one I think is an older one too but we might as well play it because I thought this show would probably go about an hour and then I gonna have like just a couple of general things that I want to talk to you guys about real quick I'll make it fast, but let's listen to this next one. This next one is from Baba Booey. Hey, Ralph. They... All right, I know this voice. This is Chad again. Chad likes to leave voicemails. I like this. ...referred to regular radio that's not satellite radio. They call that terrestrial radio. So like, it makes sense that a physical pinball machine would be terrestrial pinball as opposed to the online stuff. That makes... Okay, I know why he's bringing this up. There was a video where I made fun of myself interviewing, uh, it was interviewing, um, uh, who was I interviewing? Oh, Gary Stern. And he kept calling traditional pinball terrestrial pinball. And I couldn't remember what he was calling it at the time, but it was terrestrial pinball. And this was embarrassing for me, this interview, because in this interview, I was really just Scratching the surface of getting into pinball with virtual pinball. And at the time Stern had like a project called like Pinball Everywhere. It was some kind of marketing campaign internal to Stern. I don't know if that was the mark. I don't know if they said that externally, but this is when you could go and you could get like ACDC and other games that they've made in a virtual format, running the exact ROMs, the exact code that they would run in the game. So the code was exactly the same. So this was really cool for people because it was like a way for you to virtually experience a game that was in physical form, but learn the rule set. So I do think there's a lot of value to virtual pinball in learning the rule set. Like I have behind me, I'm running Whitewater on this, on my polycade behind me. I was running before Expo, I was trying to learn the code on Circus Voltaire. I had a killer game on Circus Voltaire and it's because I learned how to play it virtually. So I learned the rules at home. I do think there's a ton of value there. I don't know if that's where he's going with this message, so I'll let it continue. But I've been doing a lot of this like virtual pinball stuff on the side via VPX that when those games are, the older games are running the original ROMs, you can learn the code of how to play the game. Like you can learn the rules. So it is really cool. It's a cool way to do that when you can in your spare time. And if you don't, you know, Not everyone has access to all these games, so it kind of does help for things like tournament night. All right, let's continue. Since terrestrial, like terrestrial radio, Howard Stern used to call it terrestrial radio all the time when he was talking about going to satellite. Hey, wait a minute. Stern pinball, Howard Stern, that, oh, that would be awesome. Like, you know, you hit a target and it says, hey now, or Baba Booey, or calls you a pig or something, or says take it off or whatever. I mean, I'm sure there's enough clips from his show to put in a pinball machine. That's, man, that's genius. Get Stern on the phone.
    56:49
    I think there was a time where you could have pulled off a Stern, a Howard Stern pinball machine. I think nowadays it'd probably be tough. Cause there's like the modern day Howard Stern, who's definitely way less controversial than he used to be. I think some of his older stuff in today's day and age might not fly. Would I love to see a homebrew Howard Stern game? Yeah, because I was a big fan of Howard Stern. I used to work in... when I got my first technology job, I worked in the city in Boston, and I had to drive from Rhode Island to Boston every morning, get up super early. I had to get up at like 4.30 or 5.30. I had this really early morning shift. And I would listen to Howard on the way to work, on the way back from work. I can't remember if that was it via... I don't think that would have been on Sirius yet, because that was a long time ago. I don't remember. But yeah, I think that could totally work. I just don't think it would fly in today's day and age. And I definitely don't think Stern Pinball would touch that one. But uh, but I do think the homebrew scene could maybe pull something like that off. That would be interesting. That would definitely be interesting. And I love Baba Booey. Like I love Baba Booey. And like, you could have the whole like, whack pack. I don't know. I just I think that I think that unfortunately, the the age of the world we're in right now, I don't think they would support a lot of the things that Howard used to do in his early days. But, um, you know, it is what it is. I think, I think that would be fun, but I, I, I would, I'm not holding my breath that we will see a Howard Stern pinball machine anytime soon. Uh, anyways, guys, I hope you enjoyed this, this, this show. I just thought it'd be fun to do a show where like you guys just call in and we just make, you know, we talk about what you guys want to talk about. And I'd love to do more of this. Like, I don't know that I'll do entire shows. My, my original thought on this when I, when I did it, I don't know, maybe it's, it's gotta be over a year ago now. I'm a fan of the show. When I first set it up, I just thought it'd be cool in between shows if people had things they wanted to add to it and they could do it in a more interactive way so it's not just comments in the comments section. Because I do try to go back and read and respond to as many of those as I can. On the really big videos that are popular, it's hard because I'll get hundreds of comments and so I don't, I tend to respond to as many of them as I can and sometimes I don't get to all of them. But I wish I could. I wish I could get to all of them. So yeah, if you want to leave me a voicemail for the show, in the show notes, whether you're listening on Spotify or Apple Podcasts or on the video version on Retro Ralph Live, the Flipside Podcast, you can hit the link to go see, to leave me a voicemail. So I would love it if more people did it, because it is fun to interact in that way. Before we wrap up, I did want to say, it's just an interesting time in pinball, guys. There's so many games coming out this year. I think we're all gonna have to make some really tough decisions. I know if you're like me, your amount of space is limited and money is limited, right? So a lot of times you have to trade out an older game to bring in a new one. I think this year's gonna be really hard, but I do think too, I don't remember who made the comment earlier. It might've been Guy. I can't remember. I think it was. I really feel like there's gonna be a big demand for Goonies. I think there's gonna be a big demand for Sonic the Hedgehog. I think with Sonic the Hedgehog, if Jersey Jack follows the same methodology they followed with Harry Potter, they're just gonna make... you're not gonna have a hard time getting one, which is good. And I have this... I don't know, I just... it feels like...
    60:23
    Look, it's a Steve Ritchie game. I can't imagine it's not gonna be amazing. And it seems like, from at least the rumors we're hearing, So, Sega is in big support of this game just like the Pokemon company is with Pokemon. And I don't know which one of those license holders would be more flexible with their IP, but I just gotta think that both of those are probably going to be exceptional games. So, yeah, we have a lot to look forward to in 2026, and I think it's going to be a lot of... It's going to be hard because I'm making my list right now, and I'm like, shoot, the The problem I have is that not only do I want to focus on making content for you guys, but I'm also like such an enthusiast who loves all this stuff. So I get just as much FOMO as you guys do. The problem is I end up falling in love with certain games and I don't want to let them go. But if my idea is that I kind of need to be a hybrid of both of those individuals, like I need to be the content creator that, well, this is my own, this is my own feelings on it. I want to be on the cusp of everything new with you guys. But I also don't want to have my collection just be all new stuff. You know, meaning, meaning like, and I say new, this is all really new still in effect, but like Jaws, I love Jaws. I don't want that to go anywhere. So the more games that I decide I don't want to leave the garage, it's harder for me to be this hybrid of I'm kind of a collector, but I'm also this guy who wants to make content And continue to make content because I'm excited about it. I also think one of the advantages of bringing in the new games all the time is really, really getting to learn them. So I stream them, I learn them. You guys give me feedback on if I'm doing something wrong or, you know, I have people reach out constantly. Hey, did you know this is a strategy or that's a strategy? I enjoy learning that stuff on my own, but I also enjoy getting feedback and tips from the community. But I also think it makes me be able to better intelligently talk about these games when they come out. And I really enjoy making content on them. Like I really do. I, I, it's just one of those things. It's a double-edged sword for me because I, I don't, I'm trying to figure out how to do both. And I think at some point it becomes really difficult to do both because at the end of the day, I really love playing pinball and I fall in love with certain games. So that's why I know you guys make fun of me when I make those posts, what game should go in 2026. And we all have different tastes. Like sometimes the games that you guys suggest I get rid of, I'm like, I wouldn't get rid of that game. Like that wouldn't be the one I would pick. Uh, and sometimes you guys are dead in line with what I want to get rid of. And, and because I want to get rid of it doesn't mean that I don't like it. That's the thing. A lot of times I do like it, but it's the one I'm playing the least, but I still enjoy the game. So, that's, it's, it's gonna be interesting, man. It's gonna be an interesting year.
    63:09
    We're all gonna have to figure this out together. But what's cool is, you got the boutiques kicking ass right now. You got Stern about to be on the cusp of probably in a couple months releasing Transformers G1 and the rumor is they're like bringing the thunder on Transformers G1 and I hope they do. I hope they do. But there is one thing I want to...oh shoot, before I end the show. You know, I didn't want to end the show yet because Punk Rock Pinball, Mike and Stephanie over at Punk Rock Pinball, there's a comment that Mike said during his show and it's very much how I feel. And I know it might not be what everyone feels, but it is how I feel about pinball. He makes a comment, and I don't want to butcher the comment, but it was something around, maybe if I have the time I'll insert it right here. And also, I'm not one to get all goofy about toys and mechs. If you listen to this show, you know. We just want a good shooter. I just want a good shooter. But it was something to the effect of, I like to play games that have interesting layouts, fun shots, and like it has the whole package, not talking about like aesthetics necessarily, but the raw feel of the game. Audio, music, LCD, layout. That's what he looks for in a game the most. And he says, you know, the sculpts and the toys are kind of like icing on top of the cake. That's how I view it too. I'm never one that gets so enamored because a sculpt doesn't make the game a better game. You know what I mean? Mechs can, like certain interesting mechs that you interact with can be really fun. It can amp up the fun level of a game for sure. But I've always been one that it doesn't need to be packed with so much stuff and if it's not then it's not fun or it's not a game I'm going to enjoy. Because some of my favorite games don't have a ton in them. Like Jaws doesn't have a ton in it if you really think about it. So and I love that. It's probably one of my favorite. Definitely in my top three games of all time right now, like games that I just love playing. So I just thought I'd bring that up because it does seem like in the community there's like a, you know, there's this like certain people that's they talk more about like, oh, like there's more value because there's more sculpts. And I get it. Like it does cost these companies more to do that. But I don't necessarily think that that makes a game better necessarily. It is like icing on top of the cake. And I don't want to see companies like, of course, if you can put a sculpt in place of a plastic, it really does help like create that world under glass that we're all looking for. And unfortunately, like for Stern, I think the mod community had stepped up for so many years and they would just create the things that Stern wasn't creating. And maybe that made them a little lazy. Like, why do we have to like the community will do it. And then if people see that that's something they want, they'll just get it. You know what I mean? I'm not sure if you're familiar with the show, but I have a feeling that Stern, I don't think like in Transformers it's going to be like all sculpts or anything, but I do think that they're going to make a conscious effort in these next couple of releases to really bring a little bit more. I really do. So that's to be determined. We'll see if they do that. But I think they're, you know, are they, do they feel like, oh my gosh, Spooky did this with Beetlejuice, so we have to therefore do all of the same stuff? I don't think that's the case because Stern, as much as they get heat, Pokemon is going to sell for a really long time. Like they're doing all right. And even the games that we think aren't doing well, they probably still sell well. Because if they didn't sell well, then you wouldn't continuously see runs of those games over and over again. Like they're still making James Bonds. You know what I mean? So, and they're still making Jurassic Parks. And they're still making Godzillas. And I would be willing to bet they're going to make another Godzilla on Spike 3. There's already a rumor that they're going to make some gold edition. I don't know what that means, but some new edition of Godzilla. And you know what? The community is going to be there for it. They're going to be like, oh, man, I don't know. I don't know what they'll do. Maybe that rumor never comes to fruition, but
    67:14
    it's just you know what I mean? Like, I think Stern is fine, but will they continue? Will they push a little bit the limits of what they've been doing to provide more? I think they're going to. I think we're going to see them do that. So it'll be interesting to see how that plays out, especially with Transformers G1, because that's one that I am very excited about. We all grew up with Transformers. Generation one is what everyone remembers the cartoons. So if they do that and they do it right, and I am very much rooting for Elliot Iseman. I'm one of those weird guys that apparently liked liked John Wick because I love those movies. And I think something that gets kind of crapped on for no reason or overlooked, Not crapped on, overlooked. The theme integration for the movie clips and stuff they incorporated, the gunshot sound effects when it's hitting the slingshots, like it brings you into that world. So I'm shocked that that game honestly didn't get as much fanfare because I love the movies and I do feel like, especially after they've evolved the code a little bit more, I think it's really starting to feel a little bit more like the John Wick game that we wanted to get in the first place. And Elliot Eisman himself is a mechanical engineer. I think this next game is going to be really good from him and I'm excited. I'm excited to see him because it's someone new, you know what I mean? Like he's still relatively new. He's not new to Stern because he's been a mechanical engineer there for a while. But I want to see these other guys, like what creative things can they come up with? And I think with this game he probably had more time, more resources. So I'm really excited to see like what is it, what is he going to, what's going to come All of these are pinball games that are going to come out of his mind and put into a pinball form around a property that we all really like. So I do think they're going to have a hit with Transformers. It is obviously to be determined and I am speculating a bit. But I don't have any knowledge of what's in the game. I've just heard rumors that people say there's some really cool mechanical things in here and it's going to wow people. I hope that's actually true. Anyways, guys, 2026, it's going to be a badass year for pinball. And it's going to be tough for a lot of us because we're going to try to figure out where to get this money from. What are we going to trade? What game is going to leave our game room? And that's not easy. Those decisions are really not easy because more likely than not, the game you're getting rid of is still a game you really like. But hey, if you can play that game on location, then maybe, just maybe, you can get rid of it to bring in that new thing. But it's definitely not going to be easy this year. So guys, thanks so much for watching. I hope you enjoyed it. I know it's a little bit different of a show, but I felt like this would be a fun format Because we've never done all voicemails like this. And maybe what we'll do next time is we do a live version of this show where you just write in your comments and we can just talk about it that way. I tried to do it once and it didn't really go the way I wanted it to. We did one and no one was really asking much. And I was like, you gotta ask the tough stuff. You know what I mean? Ask stuff. I might not have the answer to it, but it'd be fun to just talk about it. And give me questions that put me on the hot seat a little bit. You know what I mean? Like, what does Ralph really think about this? I wanna know. I want to know because I will tell you. You just got to ask. All right, guys. Thanks so much for watching. I appreciate all the support. Everyone that took their time out of their day to send me a voicemail. Thank you. That was awesome. And we will see you on the flip side.
    70:31
    Take care, guys. And what do you think about this, uh, what do you think about this microphone? It's cool, right? I'm digging the, I'm digging this. This is cool. I don't know, it's a little gimmicky, but, you know when you buy stuff, like at midnight or one o'clock in the morning, you're like, shoot, I need a reason to use this, and I thought, what better reason than this? See you guys. Take care.