Man. I really want a pinball machine. But they’re just so expensive. Though I had kinda ruled out building a virtual pinball machine. This article has convinced me to reconsider. Can anyone recommend a guide?
I’m a pinball newbie but not a woodworking newbie. So a guide with details on the software and pinball-specific hardware included would be sweet.
While I'm sure the sibling comment is correct about how much nicer 120hz screens are, you shouldn't let the cost of them dissuade you from this project.
I built my own pinball machine (I looked up specs of real machines on the internet, and just kinda copied their angles and sizes) and put a 43" cheap 60hz TV in it. I had a computer laying around with a 1080ti, but that was overkill I think.
I initially set it up with just a pair of speakers, but I soon added the "exciters" that make the sound come from the cabinet in the 4 corners, and that was a subtle but important upgrade, IMO. It also needs some amps, etc for that.
I already had a cheap arcade button/joystick set that I just used the buttons and controller from, and I splurged on a plunger.
The plunger was surprisingly optional in the end, though. A lot of the best games don't even use it! The plunger also had an accelerometer for nudging, but I soon disabled it because it was causing a slight angle to the virtual table and I haven't gotten around to bothering to fix it. It's also not really necessary.
I found that Virtual Pinball X was the easiest software to set up tables on and had most of the best tables. Look for "pinup popper baller installer" to get an easy installer that will ask you a lot of questions and just set things up.
You'll also want a second tv/monitor for the backboard, but don't feel the need to get a third screen for the DMD. Most (all?) game themes will just integrate it into the second screen for you.
My wife is a huge pinball fanatic and when I told her I wanted to make this, she rejected it out of hand. She said it wouldn't be good enough.
She has completely changed her mind. She played it a ton at first and still fires it up weekly at least. Of course, she still goes to arcades for real pinball.
Thanks! That's very encouraging. I'm excited again. I do have some arcade buttons laying around, as well as an old LCD TV. I'll throw together a nice POC :)
The thing that matters most is having a 120hz screen, and I'd argue that 4k/OLED are equally important. When I first laid screens out on my floor to test I almost decided not to build one because the monitor was a 60hz IPS and it just didn't look that great. LG C1 48" is a little big but is what I started with. Excellent picture quality. LG C2 42" or KTC 42 seem to be the best. Don't worry too much about the bells and whistles, fancy buttons, etc.
I owned a pinball machine (Stars). It was interesting at first. Another guy I worked with owned a donkey kong machine he bought from some prize money. We both sold these things. They are seriously cool to own. But after awhile the attraction of them is not worth the burden of owning one.
Also they are not really meant for home use. These things are tanks. They weigh a decent amount. So moving them around to clean them up is a chore. Depending on the condition of what you get you may need to be doing a decent amount of that. If you move you need to set up some decent logistics on how you are going to get it out of your existing place and into your new one (seriously stay ground floor if you can if you own one).
Then there is maintenance. The machine I owned had at least 3 different parts that were decently difficult at the time to source (internet probably changed that). It had another 5-10 electrical/mechanical issues that needed to be fixed because of the previous arcade owners shoddy work. Also some of these things are getting up to 50+ years old. So they are going to need a decent amount of rework for parts that have finally given out way past their EoL. Some of them which no one makes anymore so you have to part scavenge more broken machines.
Also you really better really like that pinball game. As unlike a say a cab you where with some work you can switch out the game. Now with something like the VP tables with a nice screen and some decent switches you can get close to the real thing and switch the game out. Its nice but not the same as the real thing.
I drop a quarter into a machine every few years and remember why I dont buy these things and just rent them for a couple of quarters for a few mins.
I would love to own a Stars, such a great game when well maintained. Very simple playfield but good progression and opportunity for bank shots and unconventional nudging once you get a read on the particular machines setup and angles.
That unconventional nudging is where emulation usually fails with this sort of thing. All of the stars tables I have come across none of my interesting ways to get some extra points never worked. I got rid of mine for 500 bucks and got a nearly complete set of (US) master system games for the same price. I had at one point changed the coin mech to accept showbiz tokens which was kind of fun.
Besides the link the Pinscape build guide posted by Tynan, I would highly recommend this build series for a Virtual Pinball Cabinet by Way Of The Wrench. It is stuffed with tips and tricks, very practical, and covers the tradeoffs between one approach and another.
I’m a pinball newbie but not a woodworking newbie. So a guide with details on the software and pinball-specific hardware included would be sweet.