NUCORE RETURNS

Pinball News Website·article·analyzed·Aug 22, 2017

Analysis

claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.017

TL;DR

Nucore, the Pinball 2000 modernization software, returns free after 5-year absence.

Summary

Nucore, the enhanced replacement operating system for Pinball 2000 machines (Revenge from Mars and Star Wars Episode 1), has returned after nearly five years of unavailability. Created by Steve Ellenoff, Chuck Hess, and Don Weingarden of Big Guys Pinball, the system modernizes aging hardware by running on standard PCs with Linux and LCD monitors instead of proprietary Cyrix processors and CRTs. Version 2.25 is now available for free download, though future paid versions with full support may be released.

Key Claims

Nucore was unavailable for nearly five years due to licensing negotiations with Williams Pinball licensor Planetary Pinball Supply
high confidence · Article states licensing discussions halted before Planetary Pinball Supply became sole licensor; Nucore didn't return until August this year
Pinbox was an unauthorized distribution of Nucore with copy-protection removed that became freely available despite website takedown
high confidence · Article explicitly describes Pinbox as 'unauthorised distribution of Nucore with the copy-protection removed' that spread via file-sharing sites
Version 2.25 fixes bugs, adds performance enhancements, and prepares Nucore for future Linux system updates
high confidence · Directly stated in article describing new version capabilities
Future paid, fully-supported Nucore versions may be released, though current version is free
high confidence · Chuck Hess quote: 'we have discussed creating new versions of Nucore in the future and selling those future upgrades'
The audio amplifier peripheral could return if there is sufficient demand, but the metal case is unlikely due to manufacturing difficulty
high confidence · Direct quote from Chuck Hess regarding peripheral availability

Notable Quotes

“This move was the best way to get Nucore back on the market under current conditions. Don and I have discussed creating new versions of Nucore in the future and selling those future upgrades.”
Chuck Hess, Big Guys Pinball — Explains reasoning for free release and signals future monetization strategy for Nucore development
“We have just been flooded with people requesting to get Nucore back on the market to save Pinball 2000 machines. We did promise people we would make sure to continue to support them in the future, and this move is keeping that promise.”
Chuck Hess, Big Guys Pinball — Demonstrates community demand for Nucore preservation and Big Guys Pinball's commitment to supporting legacy systems

Entities

NucoreproductBig Guys PinballcompanyChuck HesspersonSteve EllenoffpersonDon WeingardenpersonPinball 2000product Revenge from MarsgameStar Wars Episode 1gamePinboxproductPlanetary Pinball Supplycompany

Signals

?
business_signal: Big Guys Pinball transitioning from paid model to free with future paid premium versions planned
high · Chuck Hess states current release is free but 'we have discussed creating new versions of Nucore in the future and selling those future upgrades'
?
community_signal: Strong community demand for Nucore restoration to preserve Pinball 2000 machines drives free release decision
high · Chuck Hess: 'We have just been flooded with people requesting to get Nucore back on the market to save Pinball 2000 machines'
?
licensing_signal: Nucore licensing negotiations with Planetary Pinball Supply as sole Williams Pinball licensor caused multi-year product withdrawal
high · Article states Nucore sales stopped before Planetary Pinball Supply became sole licensor due to licensing negotiations; product unavailable for nearly five years
?
announcement: Nucore Version 2.25 official release by Big Guys Pinball after nearly five-year absence from market
high · Article announces August release of Version 2.25 with bug fixes, performance enhancements, and free availability via Big Guys Pinball website
?
technology_signal: Modernization of Pinball 2000 architecture from proprietary Cyrix/CRT systems to standard Linux PC with LCD monitors
high · Nucore replaces aging Cyrix MediaGX processors and 19-inch CRTs with standard PC hardware and off-the-shelf LCD monitors while maintaining original game code

Topics

Legacy hardware preservation and modernizationprimaryLicensing and intellectual property managementprimaryOpen-source software and emulationprimaryPinball 2000 system sustainabilityprimarySoftware piracy and unauthorized distributionsecondaryBusiness strategy for paid vs. free softwaresecondaryPeripheral hardware availability and manufacturingsecondary

Sentiment

positive(0.82)— Community and industry sentiment is positive regarding Nucore's return as a preservation solution for legacy machines. The free availability removes barriers to adoption. Balanced acknowledgment of past IP complications and realistic discussion of manufacturing constraints on peripherals maintains credibility.

Transcript

raw_text · $0.000

After nearly five years of unavailability, Nucore – the enhanced replacement Pinball 2000 operating system – is back. And even better, it’s now free. ![Nucore from Big Guys Pinball](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/nucore-returns/nucore-logo.jpg) Nucore from Big Guys Pinball The two production machines in the Pinball 2000 range – Revenge from Mars and Star Wars Episode 1 – ran on a very specific PC motherboard which used a Cyrix MediaGX processor and a proprietary operating system. It also needed a custom PCB called a PRISM card to hold the eight game EPROMs, with the system driving a 19-inch cathode-ray tube monitor. Back in the late ’90s when the system was developed these might have been commonly-available parts, but technology moves at a rapid pace and while many systems are still in regular use, Cyrix is no more while EPROMs and CRTs are fast becoming the stuff of history. Anyone wanting to keep these Pinball 2000 games running needed a modern replacement solution, and that’s what Nucore provided. Nucore was created by Steve Ellenoff, Chuck Hess, and Don Weingarden who formed Big Guys Pinball to develop and eventually market the product. Running on a standard PC using an open-source Linux operating system and displaying its output on an off-the-shelf LCD monitor, Nucore ran faster than the original Pinball 2000 system, providing better screen rendering, smoother animations, and the opportunity to add multiple feature enhancements. ![Nucore's jukebox feature on a Star Wars Episode 1 pinball](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/news/nucore-returns/nucore-jukebox-sw.jpg) Nucore‘s pinball The Nucore enhanced emulation software used the original Pinball 2000 game code and media assets, and went on sale in 2009. The $400 package included the software installation CD, a USB in/out module and a USB cable, with the option to purchase an amplifier board to drive the game’s speakers, a metal case and a VGA adapter to connect to the original CRT monitor. Although it was arguable whether the Nucore system violated any Williams’ patents in emulating the original operating system, Big Guys Pinball worked with the two Williams Pinball licence-holders at the time – Wayne Gillard and Gene Cunningham – to ensure Nucore would be both legal and an officially-licensed product. Shortly before Planetary Pinball Supply became the sole Williams pinball licensor, Big Guys Pinball stopped selling Nucore while negotiations began to continue the licensing agreement. But everything came to a sudden halt with the release of Pinbox. Pinbox was the name given to an unauthorised distribution of Nucore with the copy-protection removed. It was made available to download, install and use for free. Although the website providing the download was shut down fairly quickly, Pinbox was now out in the public domain and continued to be freely-available on various file-sharing sites. Nucore hadn’t returned in the nearly five years since it was withdrawn, until August this year when Big Guys Pinball announced its comeback with the release of a new version of the software. Version 2.25 fixes a number of bugs in the core code, adds some performance enhancements and extra features, and makes it ready for future Linux system updates. It is available to download on the Big Guys Pinball website and, like Pinbox, it is totally free. It even works as an update to any existing Pinbox installations. Although this release is free, it is listed as an update for existing Nucore users since it doesn’t come as a full from-scratch installer package and doesn’t include the same level of support as previously-purchased installations. However, anyone capable of building a Linux PC will find nearly all the information they need to install Nucore in the provided documentation and in the support forum. The release of the free download also doesn’t mean development of Nucore is at an end, nor that a future paid, fully-supported and updated version won’t be coming. Chuck Hess of Big Guys Pinball told Pinball News, “This move was the best way to get Nucore back on the market under current conditions. Don and I have discussed creating new versions of Nucore in the future and selling those future upgrades. We have just been flooded with people requesting to get Nucore back on the market to save Pinball 2000 machines. We did promise people we would make sure to continue to support them in the future, and this move is keeping that promise.” As for the peripherals such as the audio amplifier and metal case, Chuck told us the amplifier could be sold again if there is sufficient demand, but the metal case was difficult to manufacture and probably won’t be making a return. He said if there was any interest, he would be willing to share the design plans with anyone who wanted to make a case for themselves.