Ah, the good old days of playing pinball.
For many decades arcades all over the country have been filled with these innovative,
American inventions, a fun pastime for people of all ages. People flocked to
the arcades to spend entire afternoons competing against each other, or beating
their own personal records. However, pinball has evolved considerably
throughout the years. Similar to most electro-domestic appliances, the big and
heavy analog/old school pinball machines have given way to modern, lighter
pinball cabinets that house all the electronic components necessary to run
literally thousands of games in a single machine.
And though the real experience is
yet to be surpassed by the digital iterations of pinball, digital pinball is
quickly becoming more sophisticated and lifelike. There are plenty of benefits
to having virtual pinball machines in your game room or arcade business, so
we’ve come up with a few compelling reasons why virtual pinball machines are
awesome, too; and why you should give one a try!
Maintenance
This is one of the most important
aspects to ensure you have a great experience when playing a pinball table. To
put it simply, if a part breaks, the gaming experience breaks, too. You can’t
have fun losing a game when your flippers don’t work, light bulbs that signal
action modes provide no feedback, or if the start button won’t even let you
begin a game. Analog pinball machines have a lot of delicate moving parts.
Naturally, the bumps, vibrations, and general wear and tear means they’re bound
to break down at some point, and finding these parts may not always be easy or
affordable. If you’re the owner of an analog pinball machine, you understand just
how expensive these repairs can be.
On the other hand, virtual pinball
machines have little, if any, moving parts. This means less possibilities of
breaking down. All of the graphics are generated on a high-definition
screen/monitor and the sounds are generated by installing speakers in the
cabinet or using your game room’s surround sound system. They’re meant to
replicate as much as possible what it feels like to play on an analog pinball
machine, but without sacrificing dependability and authenticity.
Customization
Old school pinball machines are
limited to the game for which they were originally designed. Take Twilight
Zone, Theatre of Magic or The Addams Family. These popular themed tables were
built to only house components essential to the story and game mode built into
the cabinet. If you wanted to play a slight variation within the same topic, or
a totally different story altogether, you would need to do it on a separate
table designed specifically with that theme. With virtual pinball machines,
it’s a completely different story.
Virtual pinball machines only need
the monitor and cabinet to mimic the physical properties of a pinball machine,
and they are connected to a computer or game emulator that can play thousands
of pinball games. Instead of a physical layout, these machines have a full-sized-screens
that simulate what you see on normal analog tables. Each variation is designed,
built, and customized to either replicate an existing analog pinball game or
offer an entirely new experience. It doesn’t matter if you’re considering
getting a pinball table for your home or arcade business, the reality is that
any space has a limited number of pinball machines it can fit. But with virtual
pinball machines, you can download and play virtually any pinball game on a
single machine for thousands of hours of unique game play.
Operating Costs
Finally, an important consideration
is the amount of money you will spend on purchasing a pinball table, and
getting it up and running. It’s no surprise that analog tables require lots of
moving parts to keep all those lights, flippers, and bumpers moving. Those
moving parts will inevitably mean occasional breakdowns, calls for repairs and
additional parts, and so on. The costs can quickly pile up. Fortunately, that’s
not the case with virtual pinball machines. Virtual pinball cabinets are
extremely affordable with minimal electronics to deal with and many of the
games can be downloaded for free or at extremely affordable prices. All parts
are readily available and can be replaced in seconds compared to analog pinball
machines. This will definitely help to keep your costs in check!
So, while analog pinball machines
are fun and pretty to look at, they’re also incredibly expensive and not
practical in small settings with limited space. Virtual pinball tables, on the
other hand, have gotten amazingly sophisticated over the years; they replicate
all the physics and sensory/audiovisual feedback you get from regular analog
pinball machines, and are much easier to maintain and upgrade to play hundreds
of pinball games in a single machine. While the old school pinball machines
will appeal to hardcore classic pinball fans, present technologies are
ever-closer to bridging the gap between digital and real experiences.
What are your favorite pinball
memories? Share your stories in the comments below!
