Stern Pinball

"Stern from a gameplay standpoint absolutely laps all Jersey Jack games. It just does."

Stern absolutely dominates Jersey Jack in gameplay flow and energy

"Do I think these games are worth the prices? No, they're not. We all know that. These are not worth the prices. Stern is completely fleecing all of us."

Stern is completely fleecing customers with current pricing

"Stern has zero competition. There's zero competition. Nobody can make pinball machines, really, efficiently. Nobody. There is nobody else out there that is doing what Stern does. They make a new game every three to four months and they make hundreds a week. Nobody is even close."

Stern can charge whatever they want because they have zero competition in making pinball machines efficiently

"And without Stern Pinball, there wouldn't be much pinball to analyze because nobody else can do what Stern does and that is get a new pinball machine even in pandemic times. They get us new machines every three to four months."

Stern dominates the pinball market because no other manufacturer can match their production speed

"But Stern gets it to the only drug dealer in town that could cut up the dime bags fast enough because that's what these people want... If you're the only drug dealer making drugs and this is a drug and it is and these grown men don't need another pinball machine, but they're addicted to this."

Stern is like a drug dealer - the only supplier feeding pinball addicts

"The real eye-opening thing today is that Stern once again is using each new game to trojan horse a higher price into the pinball market."

Stern is using each new game to trojan horse higher prices into the market

"Stern can sometimes do really piss poor direction on callouts when they're working with, like, talent."

"If you took 99 million people and surveyed them, put Guns N' Roses next to Led Zeppelin and say, which one do you think costs more money? You would get 99.9999% of people would say the Jersey Jack machine looks like it should cost way more money. The only person that would vote for the Stern is someone named Gary Stern or George Gomez."

Jersey Jack machines obviously look more expensive than Stern machines

"And ultimately, stern pinball, are you ready for it? Has the best quality. There is no one who even comes close to Stern's quality."

Stern has the best quality in the industry

"When you look at the prices of these toppers and shooter rods and people begging to get Batman inner art decals, Why do people who buy Stern machines have to beg for accessories that Stern made for those machines? So my wish is Stern goes down every single game and remakes those accessories and gives them to people who bought those games. I don't think anyone who bought a Ghostbusters should have to spend $3,500 on a $500 topper."

Stern should remake all accessories for past games instead of making fans pay inflated prices

"if you were to say which pinball company is efficient, has the best quality, has the best code, has the best games, the best themes, it is unequivocally stern pinball. That is why they are number one."

Stern Pinball dominates the industry in all key metrics

"they control about 90% of the pinball volume and they have about 99% of the games you really want and that's just where Stern is at... They control the entire market."

Stern controls the pinball market and has no real competition

"I don't think anyone should be paying like $5,000 or $3,500 for an Ecto 1 Topper. Look at the thing. It's cheap... It looks like it was made in China for like 30 bucks."

People paying $3000-5000 for Stern toppers are overpaying for cheap plastic

"Stern should just do a platinum series. That's the top of the top and the platinum series is just like 200 or 250 of every title they make and they would sell everyone and they could charge 20 grand and all these rich guys that are bored out of their mind that need to have Christmas morning happen every other week are going to buy them."

Stern should create platinum series of 200-250 super limited games at $20k for wealthy collectors

"I would argue no Stern is worth anywhere near. Anywhere near $9,000. Let alone 10,000. Let alone $20,000. No Stern is worth anywhere near that."

No Stern pinball machine is worth anywhere near $9,000-20,000 given their low production costs

"I think Stern is going to the same well too many times. So many superhero games, so many dad rock games, where's the originality? Where is the diversity in the lineup of machines?"

Stern Pinball is going to the same well too many times with superhero and dad rock games, lacking originality and diversity

"maybe we should be telling Stern Pimba why can't all the L virus look that good, maybe I shouldn't have to spend 20 grand to get L virus to look that good, I should be able to spend 10"

"if you ordered a Godzilla premium today, guess when you're being told you're going to get your game, you might not get your machine until November of next year"

Stern Pinball has a serious one-year manufacturing backlog problem that will make 2022 brutal

"There's one thing that is just so embarrassing so sad looking and that's that tiny little display between the speakers stern Come on we know that an LCD display is like 30 bucks at most and this is still a 4500 dollar item"

Stern's tiny display on home games is embarrassing for $4500 price point

"I think Stern pinball is going to bake into this new system. A lot of different revenue streams and micro transactions as ways to get you to have to keep spending money on your pinball machine well after you buy it"

Stern Insider Connected will be used to extract more money from home collectors through microtransactions

"This is what pinball is supposed to be. It's supposed to be attractive and I do think when you look at these modern Stern machines with all of these art packages sure we can nitpick but for the most part these things do pull us in. They do look great. They look better than all the games from the 90s."

Modern Stern artwork is colorful, bright and superior to 90s pinball art

"Stern sells thousands of each title, and we really don't see many people having a lot of quality issues with Stern. So I would argue probably that Stern is the best quality pinball machine. And if you look at the amount of games they sell, I don't go into Stern threads and see page after page of like issues. We're seeing that more with Jersey Jack."

Stern has better quality than Jersey Jack based on issue frequency

"when you look at what JJP is putting into their games it justifies the price when you look at what Stern is putting into their machines it doesn't justify the price... there's not nearly the level of craftsmanship in a Stern machine as a Jersey Jack machine and now they cost the exact same price"

Godzilla's pricing doesn't justify the value compared to Jersey Jack machines

"we also can't go back and forget that Jersey Jack Pinball gave us the greatest launch ever with Guns N' Roses. The Guns N' Roses launch video and the excitement around that game and how they drop that game on the world is still. So many levels above what Stern does with their launches."

Jersey Jack's Guns N' Roses launch was levels above what Stern does

"I think Stern needs to do a much better job showing us these games for the first time. Because when we see them, our first impression is forged by these videos that wash all the colors out, and they don't do anything to get you excited."

Stern's marketing and reveal videos are horrible and don't do justice to their games

"But Stern's going to win. Stern always wins. And the reason they win is because they can manufacture."

Stern consistently wins because they can manufacture and deliver games on time, unlike other companies with constant delays

"I think it's safe to say that after Black Knight and I mean this, after Black Knight, Stern pinball will most likely never have a bad theme again."

After Black Knight, Stern will most likely never have a bad theme again

"I think it was long overdue. I think it's been coming for a while"

Stern's $600 Pro, $1000 Premium/LE price increases are justified and overdue

"as everyone else waits and does nothing. There was a tiny window of opportunity in which stern had no new games on the line. Mandalorian's been out for a few months and what has everybody else done? They've been asleep at the wheel"

Stern Pinball dominates through consistent releases while competitors sleep

"if you're gonna charge me Stern Ten thousand dollar plus for an LE version of the game you got to make it limited 750 is not limited... I think 500 needs to be the cut off on all LE machines"

Stern should limit LEs to 500 units, not 750

"$500 increase on the pro a $750 increase on the premium and they are deciding right now on the LE's whether they will raise The price by 1,000 or 1500 bucks"

Stern pricing will increase significantly across all models

"Unfortunately, we're about to see a stern increase in price. I'm hearing that stern machines are going to go up $500 across the board. And so now a stern LE is going to be $10,000 with no topper. Two loaded stern LE machines are now going to set you back $20,000 to $24,000. This isn't the hobby you guys all fell in love with."

Stern Pinball price increases make games too expensive

"This is why Stern Pinball just dominates. By the time you actually have time to study the game and see if there's anything in it you love or hate. It doesn't matter. It's in your house. They've taken your money and you've got the game"

Stern Pinball dominates because they actually ship products quickly unlike other manufacturers

"stern pinball for as big as they are it is a little cookie cutter another comic book another movie another dad rock band at some point it gets old it gets stale"

Stern Pinball is cookie-cutter with repetitive themes and doesn't connect with the community

"They robbed spooky of their ability to make their dream theme and I think it's somewhat disgusting. I do. I know it's business. I know it was a shrewd business move but it would be like if I had a pinball company and you know me as Kaneda and you know that I want to make the Akira game and Jody Dankberg walks in and takes the Akira theme from me"

Stern taking the Godzilla license from Spooky is disgusting

"where is the magic under the glass where is it where is the magic in Mandalorian under the glass I am far more excited to look at these spooky games than I am when I look at Mandalorian at least spooky tried to do stuff that was super creative and super unique"

Mandalorian lacks magic under the glass and Stern just mailed it in

"I don't want to see people who buy a Stern product have to spend two to three thousand dollars to get a topper on a machine they just bought from us in the last few years"

Stern should continue manufacturing accessories people want and not force customers to pay inflated secondhand prices

"Imagine if people bought Mandalorian and we got Carl Weathers on just 50 machines to personally call out each of those owners by name and give them a shout out in their game"

Stern should create a platinum series with unique mechs and personalized celebrity callouts for ultra-high-end market

"Stern pinball machines just feel better. They just shoot better. They don't have as much in them. They're not as interesting from an experiential standpoint... But Stern pinball machines just feel better and they just shoot better and I understand why so many people are in love with Stern machines because of the way they feel."

Stern machines feel better than Jersey Jack despite having less content

"They have got all of you... They have brought you to this place where the stuff you value... All that stuff cost them nothing. And they've been able to charge you thousands of dollars more for stuff that is pure vanity"

Stern Pinball has successfully manipulated consumers to pay thousands more for cosmetic upgrades that don't improve gameplay

"I hear that Stern Pinball is raising the prices on all of its titles by $500. That's coming next... We are going to be at the point pretty soon where a Stern LE is $12,500."

Stern Pinball is raising prices by $500 across all titles

"They had playfield issues and guess what they did they stopped production during Jurassic Park and they fixed it"

Stern stopped production to fix playfield issues while Jersey Jack hasn't

"stern will do what stern does they will simply crank out games with very low bomb. They will not put as much as they can into the games"

Stern doesn't put enough into their games despite good themes and manufacturing

"They walked over to the big red button on the manufacturing line and slammed their fist into it and they stopped the production and they changed the artwork on the games and they fixed the problem"

Stern Pinball praised for properly handling playfield issues by stopping production

"there will be one more cornerstone game from stern Which will be out in October? Okay, so look for Godzilla in October and that is what is happening at stern pinball You heard it here on Kaneda."

Prediction: Godzilla will be released by Stern in October as their final cornerstone game.

"I think we've sort of just hit where we're going to hit with what what Stern can do with the amount of money Stern puts into these games... Unless they're willing to invest more in these games. Unless they're willing to give more money to their designers. Unless they're willing to give more money to their engineering team. We're just not going to see anything much more impressive than this."

Stern Pinball has hit their ceiling - they won't improve without investing more money

"The reason why they are not streaming this game for 10 days is most likely because they want to sell every 750 of those LEDs, and they want to help their distributors sell every single one before anyone can back out because they saw something they didn't like."

Stern is deliberately not streaming The Mandalorian for 10 days to sell all 750 LEs before people can back out

"These games continue to come out in such a boring and pedestrian way. And once again, right, we got the crappy cell phone picture was the first thing we got to see."

Stern Pinball's marketing approach is boring and pedestrian compared to Jersey Jack Pinball's launch videos

"Stern is not the crem de la crem de pinball. They are not putting the most into their games. And so when a Stern Reveal happens, it is more like a Honda Reveal than it is a Ferrari Reveal. And when Jersey Jack reveals a game, you're just that much more excited, because you know they're going to put that much more into it."

Jersey Jack Pinball games are like Ferrari reveals while Stern games are like Honda reveals

"when you put a jersey jack game next to a stern machine It is absolutely comical that those two things could even be close in price"

Stern machines don't justify high pricing compared to Jersey Jack - it's 'comical' they could be close in price