This is the best and most concise, well put together video from any pinball KZfaqr I've seen to date. Thank you for your hard work and please keep making videos! :)

I grew up playing the old electro-mechanical pinball machines in the 70's. They may have been simpler but they had more charm. I also prefer the stenciled cabinet art on the old machines art over the cheap garish decals on modern pinball machines.

A very honest passionate review of where Pinball has gone in the past 10 years. Exactly what us owners are thinking and need to look out for. Thank you for your good work on this clip.

Thanks for the great video! I live in the USA and have been debating over a newer stern game. Thank goodness i came across this video! I would have gotten a machine and would have been a bit shell shocked on repairs. I just didn't realize it would be so much to repair some simple problems. I think i will wisely look for an older machine first and move my way up. thank you so much for the video! It helped explain a lot to me!

I'm glad to see an honest review of new generation pinball machines. Maybe the only honest review I have seen in a very long time Thanks

What I find Ironic is that with the increase of value of old pinball machines these day's. I started to think. Well if a second hand awesome pinball can cost up to 5.000 euro's what is 20 years old. It is smarter to save up more money and buy a brand new one. That way you have a machine with less problems when you purchase it now and in the future. NOT. it seems after watching this video. I don't know if Stern is a private company or is recently owned by company stock owners. Because that would explain why they became a worst company. Thank you for making this video. The knowledge that you give to us non experts is truly valuable and very much appreciated.

This is an excellent video with well-articulated concerns. That being said, something important to keep in mind is that while many of these changes are inconvenient to owners and operator, these and previous cost-saving measures are likely one of the reasons we have new pinball machines to discuss at all. Let's not forget about the great pinball crash that took out everyone but Stern. Of course now, the market is becoming somewhat competitive again, with Jersey Jack, Spooky and others entering the fray. Perhaps the increased competition will cause Stern to step up.

Viewer from Sweden. Recently opened up eyes to pinball. Love your video! Honest! Constructive! Experienced! Repeatadly consequent, and on the buyers side. Wow if there only could be more people making reviews like this! Great job!

Wow! Thanks for the incredibly well organized and comprehensive review of the spike system. Fantastic video!

(16:45). You said it!!! So much cost-cutting, yet the price is higher.

From someone who has always been a fan of the game but is now just getting interested in purchasing a machine, this video was very educational and produced very well. Thank you for your hard work.

That is one of the best pinball vids ever made. Thank You!

Great information - Thanks for taking the time to provide such a helpful insight into Stern's SPIKE system.

Great video. I subscribed since you are in fact a pinball professional. Keep the great informative videos coming sir !!!!

Thank you Mark for your objective review. My timing for discovering your video couldn't have been worse. Later this week, I will be taking delivery of a new "Munsters" pinball machine. Oh well, I will just have to cross my fingers and see how it holds up. Because this is my first Stern machine, I very much appreciated seeing how the back-box and coin doors are latched. So I benefited from seeing your video anyway.

That was a very informative video. Todd Tuckey of TNT told me about it. Glad I watched it. ^_^ Thank you for the information sir.

This is an excellent video! At the SFGE show, one of the vendors was pushing the new Stern stuff hard. A couple of machines were experiencing issues with the node boards, having been taken out of the box new at the start of the show. I'll keep my late 80s and 90s WMS games, though I really would like a TNA from Spooky. Great game, and very supportive maker.

What a lucid and thorough video, Mark. Subscribed.

Late to the game but thanks for the vid! My family was in the coin op business so I have been playing Pinball for almost 50 years. I stopped seeking new games when Williams went out of business. I am lucky that we have a place in Lyons Colorado US that has a ton of decent machines and whenever I get to Vegas I head over to the Pinball Hall Of Fame to get some time on old EM machines and classic Williams tables. The first machine I owned was an old Williams Lady Luck EM machine.. Nice to see someone still spreading the love.. Gave you a like and sub..

Great video 👍 more connections more issues but connections are improved. Replacement of bulbs was easy back then twist and plug but now we need a butane hot air solder iron to replace bad LEDs. Stern and other companies are following this method because it's cheaper and more reliable. I like to see updated video this year.

WOW thank you for being so honest AND RESPECTFUL. you def are someone who has major knowledge on these machines. thank yee

Awesome video, very informative, glad there's some honesty about these machines especially as most retail at around £8000 you want to know the pro's and con's.

Very professional explanations of what is going on at Stern. Thank you for some eyes opening facts and investigations. Thumps up from me! Cheers!

I watched all of your Videos, The Videos are excellent! Thank you for sharing your experience.

Great info. As someone considering purchasing a pin ball machine, this was extremely informative. I feel equipped to go to my local (Chicago, IL USA) supplier and talk intelligently about the various components and manufacturer revisions.

Well said. Agree with most except code updates, mainly the updates are to add more modes and fix bugs that were in gaming code at release. Best example - BM66. Every code update added more modes and balanced scoring! A top 10 pin now.

EXCELLENT video and spot on! Thank you!!

Based on what you read from the marketing, it sounds like their intent is for the machine to be fully serviceable by someone that is essentially unskilled, so a module might be more expensive, but you’re not paying a a skilled technician to come out, track down the problem and replace a discrete component. So, is it cheaper to spend $200 on a part you can replace yourself, or $5 on a part plus $200 for a skilled technician to come out and service the machine.

I can see from your mannerisms that you eat and breathe your trade and I have the upmost respect for you. I recently told my son, who’s mother is a doctor and who’s father is not, to do whatever it is in life that makes you the happiest. Also, be the best at what you do and always strive to do better and never become complacent. I’m going to own a pinball table soon but it’s a shame that I’m in Kentucky and not a bit closer because you are the man I would have working on my table, good job.

Thanks Mark certainly will call if I need a hand with mine. Very informative

great informative video mate.. I switched my order to a sam metallica premium from a spike star wars premium before I saw this but now i feel even better about the switch. Cheers

Very informative video and clearly thought out. Thank you

Man! What are they thinking! What a killer video. Can you believe they moved the on switch! I have no desire to own a pinball machine that I can't change a bulb in and have to buy a complete new board. That makes absolutely no sense. Making boards that are not interchangeable really makes it impossible to keep a game going in an arcade. It looks like Stern needs to go back to the drawing board if they are going to stick around. Thanks for the video. Very nice!

Great job Mark. You nailed it!

Interesting to learn about all of this. I don't really blame them for trying to lower costs, because they are so expensive to make, but they probably went too far in some areas.

Awesome video! Thanks for the detailed information!!

Great info. Well presented. Thanks, Mark.

Thanks for the video. I am, or possibly was, searching for another new pinball for my game room. I really learned a lot from your video and I will limit my selection to the Stern games with a SAM system.

This was a very informative video. I'm not entirely sure I was in the market for one of these, but I will now give it some hard thought should one present itself. Sticking with 80s/90s machines seems like it will not only save money, but be more fun as well.

You can just about hear, a sub tone of contempt for Sterns new Spike system. Mark sounds very informed, and weary!. Thanks for telling us how it is.

Thanks for the breakdown on the different Stern systems. I met Gary Stern several times at different pinball conferences in 2013, and I can remember when he would say that they would never make an original machine, it would all be based on movies, TV shows, bands etc. I now see that Steve Ritchie has at least got them started on continuing some of his best work namely Black Night Sword of Rage, this is a good direction but not totally original. I am wondering if Jersey Jack Pinball machines suffer from the same problems as the SPIKE system does since they are very multimedia oriented. Maybe do a video on these machines as well? I honestly believe that Stern would still be on Dot Matrix displays if it was not for the success of JJP's The Wizard of Oz. Gary Stern did not seem to be open to newer designs Like the William's Pinball 2000 system, and its partially understandable since at that time I think SAM had been around since 2006 and SPIKE was being designed and released 2 years later.

Very informative. Thank you.

Thanks for sharing your insight.

Very informative, thank you! I was considering making my first pinball purchase for Star Trek but after watching this video I'm reconsidering. I think I'll do a little more research. Any recommendations for a first time buyer?

Excellent summary and visuals.

Thank you , for posting this .😊

Awesome insight Mark. Thanks

Excellent Info, thanks for this great video.

Thank you so much for this video. You have touched on every concern I have about my home use only Stern game. I have been owning pinball machines off an on for 20 years. I recently bought a Ghosbuster Pro NIB. It is the only game I have ever bought NIB. The Spike system has given me great concern. What happens in five years if a node goes bad? I assume I could buy one and put a new board in, update the code, and voila working game. I did not know that two Spike boards that have basically identical functions might not be interchangeable (as you noted at 7:37) between games. This is awful! How hard would have been for Stern to make a modular system that is common to all games? I get there are custom components to every game but the overall underlying driver technology could be standardized across all games thus making node boards interchangeable and less expensive. Should I buy, and stock, a replacement for every node board in my particular game? I may just start doing that. I totally agree on the replacing LED bulbs. Through hole LEDs could be changed with relative ease for a home user as opposed to surface mount LEDs. Replaceable LED bulbs in sockets would be the best and easiest overall. But at least through hole LEDs can be replaced by a novice who is good at basic desoldering/soldering. The lock down bar latches are annoying. Seems backwards compared to a single lever. It is an awkward hand movement to simply lock the bar down. I agree on power switch location. It took me 30 minutes to figure out how to turn on my game! I was so used to the power on switch on the bottom of the cabinet it never occurred to me to look at the manual just to turn on the game. Although minor annoyance compared to the Spike Node and LED replacement issues, it is still a head scratcher on why it was moved in the first place. A lot of these concerns are also about maintenance being time consuming. When a person has games at home, the time it takes to replace components is less troubling. When an operator has many games on a route, well, as they say, time is money. If a repair that should normally take five minutes, takes 45 minutes, then that is lost money as well as time. Something as simple as an LED bulb replacement should take a few minutes, not a board replacement and 45 minutes worth of labor. Didn't mean to go on about my game this long but thank you for, unfortunately, verifying my "concerns" about maintenance and upkeep of this game. I love it. Despite all of its air-balls and misaligned shots. I hope to keep for a long time, but the maintenance and upkeep does scare me a bit. Cheers. Ron

Thanks for the video, very well made.

Great video. I’ve been in the hobby for while and was thinking of buying a NIB Metallica or Iron Maiden. I’m still in the fence but I think I’d be annoyed with the unserviceable nature of the Spike System which Iron Maiden has. Maybe I’ll just sell my current games (90’s and back) and just put my money where it belongs, the bank.

Just bought a Star Wars Pro, then saw this very well made video. I haven't bought a new game in ages and was concerned when I saw all the PCBs attached to the playfield. I was impressed with the game initially and was thinking of getting a few more. Not now though. Hopefully, my game will survive long enough to be worthwhile. I might move it on before too many components start falling off the PCBs though.

Thanks!, well done video, a really serious work. Greetings from Buenos Aires

Very informative , thank you 🙏🏻

Really well done video ! Informative, helpful, well edited, highlighted facts. Thank you ! Even if I could afford a NIB Stern I would never be able to justify the crazy expense for an overblown toy. And it seems like new Sterns are becoming just that, overblown, too-expensive toys. A new JJP or Spooky release is looking like a far better option more than a licenced and over-hyped, SPIKE'd lemon.

Nice to see a mature professional comparison of something on youtube. Watched the whole video and I don't even own a pin yet.

Wow, very good video. I keep learning.

Great video- quite objective and thorough. New subscriber here and looking forward to more videos.

Thank you for these honest and insightful notes. Long time Iron Maiden fan close to afford, put up and hopefully being able to pay for maintainance of my first pinball machine. Do you (or does anyone) have any information about reliability and issues of the IM Pinball yet? Are there technical differences, up- or downgrades to their previous machines? Love the design, song choices and gameplay though...Saving up for an IM Pro, but maybe I am better off with buying an fun Williams sys11 pinball classic in playable condition first, as repair or servicing seems much more manageable and affordable.

A really nice and Stern (couldn't help myself with that pun) video on the new Stern tables. It kinda scares me from buying a new Stern table. I think I might have to look for an older table from the 90's and before.

Thanks for the video, Very helpful as i want to purchase my first pinball machine soon.

Lots of cost saving, yet none passed on to the customer,

Hey Mark, nice video with loads of useful information. That was fair dinkum, mate! *thumbs up* ;-) Hopefully Stern did watch or will watch it, too. Have a nice time down under. --Thank goodness I am not using social media!

When I retire and start looking at buying a few pinball machines, I will definitely consider what Mark has to say. Bravo for calling out Stern.

Great information many thanks

Directly subbed! Keep up the Good work

This is really well done and a good evaluation. I was going to buy a new Stern Star Wars machine but not now. I can't get my arms around having to replace a board for a chip or transistor and especially not for a light. The disposable nature of these things seemingly make them them less collectible going forward. No thanks!

Thanks for this great Vid. Thumbs up! It's JJP for me.

Amazing video with great info about a disappointing common trend nowadays. As a renovator of Williams WPC machines, able to do board repairs for pennies, I am glad I have nothing to do with these new Stern games. WPC forever !

Agree with everything you said, but the code updating is awesome and easy to do.

Great detail, thanks for doing this.

Great video!

LEDs are solded directly on the boards?! WOW! I’m stunned! I certainly didn’t expect to see that from Stern. 😳

Thanks for the insights

Inboxed new last week. The snake srtm straight outa the box. Hasn't came loose just down the middle. Know how to fix this issue? Other then that one lose light bulb that I just leaving out for now. Great game other then the snake shot so far. Interested to know how the spike systems hold up longer term vs the sam. Thanks again for your input seems like you have a wealth of knowledge to share.

Excellent video. Thanks

Very well put.

great video, mostly agree with you, would like to see a comparison to the jersy jack system, if you have access to one

Great insight on the product. I was considering the new Ninja Turtle Pinball, not anymore. What's your thought son Star Trek 2013 production & Tron 2011. Am I best to invest in those? Moe

great video. I was planning to buy a new stern pinball machine this year but I am having doubts. In your opinion, what company makes better quality pinball machines (new)?

You Sir, Bring a level of professionalism and high calibre to this industry then I have seen elsewhere. I absolutely love your communication style it’s very good, I just can’t help think about old “employee orientation” or safety instruction videos when I hear the cadence and voice patterns you use though! LOL

Thanks for breaking it down, I’m in the market for a new machine and after viewing this I can guarantee Stern won’t be getting my business.

do you back the Melbourne storm mark

Would love to hear your insights on Jersey Jack pinball machines.

Really good, subbed

the deadpool pinball is coming out mark do you like the playfield

Wow! Batman 66 was one that I really wanted! I’ll do some more research first now! Thanks!

Brilliant video mate, very informative. I had a node board go on my GB Pro, cost me £258 to repair. Not cool

Thank you for this video

Well done!

Nice video and fun to watch. Take care now.

Thanks for a great analysis. I am very worried about servicing my Sterns when connectors start to cause problems or just simply replacing a surface mounted part. I disagree with your point about the LCD being cheaper. It might cost less than a DMD, but the content (graphics) that must go onto it costs a hell of a lot more - it is like making a small video game. I suspect this is why prices have gone up when Spike should be cheaper. If I had a choice I would rather have a DMD and pay $500-1000 less for my machine. As Gomez says, the game is under the glass.

does STern have shareholders ? .... if they do then that may explain the corner cutting and greed factors ?

"Pinball knowledge is power". A very good summary of the differences and concerns. This is not some type of "technician conspiracy" Stern is causing their own problems by letting the investor council control the production of game with "short term profit methodology". This topic has been in discussion for over two and half years by technicians, operators, and long time pinball collectors, yet some still don't have the information or a firm understanding of the cost savings measures (albeit increasing MSRP prices anyway) that have been implemented while severely impacting future serviceability of games. One of the most significant errors on Stern PC SMD boards is that Stern removed necessary fuse voltage overload protection on SPIKE games, which is aberrant from the standpoint of either as an operator or private owner. It just is not there, and the overload protection does not always engage, causing main board damage. This essentially delineates that Stern pinball games should no longer be classified as commercial devices, but rather consumer electronics. This is exceptionally evident based on removal of release of the schematics of the boards or even a proper manual (pdf or paper) provided with games since 2015. This is a standard akin that is not a standard in commercial electronics, but rather once again consumer devices that are not designed to be directly repaired by an end user. This video showcases what some distributors don't like to talk about to new potential buyers, because it would hurt their sales. I hope Stern recognizes that the boycotts against their game, quality of construction, and loss of features for continued increasing MSRPs are going, and when the latest pinball interest fades, their company may once again be at the verge of failure.

Thanks for this. I was looking at a Jurassic Park Pro, now I'm having second thoughts. Is there a list somewhere of Stern SAM games? Or is it ever game produced by Stern prior to 2015?

Nice video mate!

Great video. Subscribed!

Good information to know. I just bought a new Munsters machine.

this is spot on. And it's not just Stern that has these issues. JJP is just as guilty.

Eye Opening Video!