I stumbled across this. Pinball Expert Brisbane. The guy is no Laurence Olivier, but what he says is very interesting.
He compares the two game types side by side, right down to stuff like transformer type, node board implications, lock down bar catches, head catch, location of power switch, extent of wiring, code updates post game release .....
He also discusses to what extent the changes to game design are for the benefit of the owner versus cost cutting for Stern.
It is 20 minutes long, so SPOILER ALERT, if you are going to watch it don't read the summary below
.....
He mentions that Stern produced some stripped out, low cost home editions using Spike when Sam was its platform for proper pinballs. He continued a few elements of these home editions are being used in current generation Spike games.
He concludes that the new games offer better lighting and sound, and have much improved TV displays.
His main concern seems to be the node boards. He thinks that they will continue fail over time (20yr game forecast commerical life ?) as all playfield mounted boards are exposed to vibrations etc. When a node board fails it takes out a whole section of the playfield. It may be impossible for users to even replace a surface mount LED on one of these boards. Even if your soldering is up to the task, if you use the wrong LED the board may then shut down. The node boards are not standardised, so you can't swap them between games and they cost A$200 each.
He is also unhappy regarding
He compares the two game types side by side, right down to stuff like transformer type, node board implications, lock down bar catches, head catch, location of power switch, extent of wiring, code updates post game release .....
He also discusses to what extent the changes to game design are for the benefit of the owner versus cost cutting for Stern.
It is 20 minutes long, so SPOILER ALERT, if you are going to watch it don't read the summary below
He mentions that Stern produced some stripped out, low cost home editions using Spike when Sam was its platform for proper pinballs. He continued a few elements of these home editions are being used in current generation Spike games.
He concludes that the new games offer better lighting and sound, and have much improved TV displays.
His main concern seems to be the node boards. He thinks that they will continue fail over time (20yr game forecast commerical life ?) as all playfield mounted boards are exposed to vibrations etc. When a node board fails it takes out a whole section of the playfield. It may be impossible for users to even replace a surface mount LED on one of these boards. Even if your soldering is up to the task, if you use the wrong LED the board may then shut down. The node boards are not standardised, so you can't swap them between games and they cost A$200 each.
He is also unhappy regarding
- Reductions in manufacturing quality, though he acknowledged that the wrinkly decals and ghosted inserts had now been addressed
- Increased purchase cost, despite significant cost cutting and reduced parts and labour costs in Spike machine manufacture
- Recycling of old playfield designs
- Potential future resale values, due to future repair costs, which are likely to be very high unless another manufacturer starts making node boards. Absent this, Stern can charge what it likes for the node boards
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