Pinball Roundtable - Pokémon Pinball is Here...and American Pinball is Changing!

Welcome back to the Pinball Roundtable! This week, the trio is back to break down the pinball industry.  Join Jamie Burchell, Cale Hernandez, and Retro Ralph as they dive deep into Stern Pinball’s Pokémon.  Gotta Catch ‘Em All???  Plus, we discuss the new blood at American Pinball and why the streaming pinball landscape needs to change.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

This week on the program, our intrepid crew continues to dangerously navigate the tumultuous terrain of the precious people landscape. Jamie Burchill seems to enjoy the taste of his own foot. Just maybe they can stick that blocked over nice and meat and keep it from falling. I know this week on the Jamie Burning Table.

SPEAKER_04 0:33

Hello and welcome to another edition of the Pimbo Round Table. Kale Hernandez one side, Retro Ralph the other, or who the hell knows where they are on your screen? But here we are, boys. Lots to talk about, right? We got a week before TPF, Ralph. Yeah, let's go. Okay, so we're pretty pumped of that. We wish Kayle and Rachel were going, definitely. But we understand they spend years at these places already.

SPEAKER_03 0:56

So if I'm rooming with you, like how loud is this CPAP thing? Do you have to wear one of those? Like am I gonna.

SPEAKER_04 1:02

I don't wear it though. I just snore through it, but that's why Kale's better uh roommate than you. Why? Because he, you know, has hearinade, so he just takes them out. Alright, so bring earplugs. Got it, cool.

SPEAKER_01 1:16

I can breathe properly, too.

SPEAKER_04 1:19

All right. Pokemon Pinball. No, no, no, no.

SPEAKER_01 1:24

Hold on. Are you are you looking at the notes? Yeah. There's no way we can't. Oh, right off the bat. There's a very important topic we need to talk about. Go. Let's go. What is it? What happened to Chris Franchie?

SPEAKER_04 1:43

What do you mean what happened to Chris Franchie?

SPEAKER_01 1:45

He was supposed to be on the show.

SPEAKER_03 1:46

He was supposed to be on the show. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:52

What happened, Jamie?

SPEAKER_03 1:53

Yeah. Hey Jamie, what's up?

SPEAKER_04 1:55

Um well when I said that I didn't want guests on the round. I might have mistakenly someone might have taken that wrong. And that was not my intention. Uh I don't want guests on the show unless they're special guests. And I think Christopher Franci is a special guest. And I'd love to have him on the show.

SPEAKER_03 2:23

Okay? Do you need a back? Do you need a backhoe because you can't dig deep enough with the shovel or ditch which do you want to get to pull up the ditch which Ralph does?

SPEAKER_04 2:32

So this is kind of interesting for me.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

Right. And you love to call out Ralph when he makes his mistakes, so we just had to turn it around or so nice.

SPEAKER_03 2:40

Can we go a whole episode without me getting in trouble? It'd be awesome.

SPEAKER_01 2:43

If you missed the last episode, we were supposed to have Chris Franchi on. Christopher, Mr. Christopher Franchi.

SPEAKER_04 2:51

Brilliant artist.

SPEAKER_01 2:52

Ralph was caught up in air travel and all the stuff coming back from Chicago, so we had to postpone. And we decided to do a very quick uh just get together and do uh do us three. And and and our friend Jamie Bertell opened with you know what we're you know what? I just I like it when it's just us three. Like we'll we'll do Chris Franchie, we'll do the interview, but I really it'll be the last one. I I prefer now just to make it clear, I don't know if Ralph knew, I didn't know anything about this.

SPEAKER_04 3:29

I don't know if it wasn't on the notes. Right exactly.

SPEAKER_01 3:33

So, Chris, this is all on Jamie, and he's he's gonna apologize right now.

SPEAKER_03 3:38

Yeah, in person, actually, Franchie. I'm gonna I'm gonna bring no I'm gonna bring Jamie. I'm gonna walk him over to the spooky booth. No question. And I'm gonna go, Jamie, you have things you need to talk to discuss with Chris real quick.

SPEAKER_04 3:50

But I did send a very nice note, gents. You did. You did you showed us disingenuous?

SPEAKER_03 3:58

No, I'm just I'm kidding. I'm joking, I'm joking, I'm joking. I'm joking, Jamie. No, Jamie is one of the most yeah, no, he he really is a sweet guy and he didn't mean anything from it.

SPEAKER_04 4:08

I've a sweetheart, but whatever. You know, maybe I don't open the show with something like that next time, okay? And misconstrue what my real feelings are is that my love for the two of you is so strong that I just want to do the three of us.

SPEAKER_03 4:23

Can you just say chamomile for five minutes? No, I'm just kidding. Never mind. Say it once. Shamoy. Shamewin, or whatever you said. Shame jarmin or something. All right.

SPEAKER_04 4:34

All right, why doesn't it? Pokemon. At Eureka Heights on Tuesday at the Electric.

SPEAKER_01 4:42

It's not it's not it's not Pokemon. Pokemon. Pokemon. Pokemon. Try it, Jamie. Pokemon. Pokemon.

SPEAKER_04 4:48

Pokemon.

SPEAKER_01 4:49

Look, they had they had to edit Jack Dane. Jack Danger didn't even know how to pronounce it. We're gonna do it right.

SPEAKER_04 4:54

All right. Pokemon is now failed it. At the Electric Bat. Yes. The pro just got there today. And uh today is Thursday, March 12th, when we're recording. So it got there today, and then it got to Eureka Heights on Tuesday. And you want to talk about it didn't get oh in uh Phoenix, Arizona. How about you?

SPEAKER_03 5:19

My garage. It didn't get my garage.

SPEAKER_04 5:22

Well, it's going to operators first, and unless you start opening your garage, it's not gonna make a difference. So it's definitely going to operators first. And good thing it went to operators.

SPEAKER_03 5:30

Yeah, what's going on with it? Gail, give us the you and Jamie, give us the what's up?

SPEAKER_01 5:36

You want to go first, Jamie?

SPEAKER_04 5:37

Well, yeah, so on Reddit and on um pin side, there was a thread that the left orbit shot, the green guy, uh, if it's coming down the green, it's going right down the middle. And if you hit the orange shot and it comes around, you're definitely going down the middle. And that that was the the thread, and we saw it.

SPEAKER_01 6:04

And there were there were multiple posts um across many social media platforms about this. And how to fix it.

SPEAKER_04 6:12

And how to fix it. And Taylor and of course Kale and Rachel are very good techs. And uh, you know, we shared pictures and posted it on the thread of what to do. And I think you moved it about a couple of centimeters. Needed to be moved.

SPEAKER_01 6:26

It was a good bit, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 6:27

Yeah. And uh then it goes on the left flipper nicely, and you're good to go. The other issue was the plunge. Uh the plunge was getting caught up consistently. So one in three one when you hold the left flipper down, ladies and gentlemen, on Pokemon, uh it no, it's all the way.

SPEAKER_03 6:48

Now it's super awkward because you're making it like Pokemon. Can you do it normal, like not like a weirdo?

SPEAKER_04 6:57

When you hold the left flipper, there's a super skill shot. And uh there's a super skill shot, and it doesn't go all the way around half the time.

SPEAKER_03 7:07

Would you say tell Bagel to be quiet for a second? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 7:11

Yeah. Yeah, I noticed all that. That was really interesting.

SPEAKER_04 7:15

Yeah. And uh I'm gonna put her away and we'll cut this out. Okay, dogs, dude. Janine's out. That's fine.

SPEAKER_01 7:24

Ralph and I would just hang out.

SPEAKER_03 7:26

All right. Ralph no. So, dude, what's crazy is that uh that wasn't happening at Stern, the whole the whole uh left orbit thing. So I just find it interesting that they can make versions to for us to play, which is probably like the first couple off the line, and then the ones they produce have an issue that weren't in the other ones. So I don't know, that's just kind of crazy to me.

SPEAKER_01 7:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 7:51

Did you keep yapping? Yeah, we were talking about how how it's weird that the ones we played at Media Day were were pretty dialed in. Like, I didn't really didn't have many problems at all in with them. So it just wonders like how does that get like how does that not translate? Like there had to be a gold copy that everything kind of got made from. So, like, where did it get messed up in that whole process? It was just interesting that the bat and Eureka had the same issues. Oh, yeah. Well, now it's being made, it was being made wrong for a period, right? I mean, that's right.

SPEAKER_01 8:21

And go I don't know if you saw this, uh Jamie, and one of those those threads, the one of the the one on um on Facebook that is on uh is it a pinball enthusiast? No, a Stern Army Official Member Group. There's actually a really good thread, and uh uh George Gomez chimed in and Ray Day chimed in. Uh Gomez says it's been fixed now. So Ralph, yours shouldn't have that issue. Sweet. Um but the uh I mean this just goes back to you know, these are these are handmade uh uh you know, very expensive science projects. Yeah and it's a game of centimeters, game of millimeters. Um when uh when I was at Stern, you know, there wasn't a media day for it, but when uh Jack and I were over there playing uh X-Men, the two copies that we were playing shot flawlessly. They they the plunge was flawless, everything was absolutely flawless, and then we all know the rest of the story. Right. You know, and and that's what you experienced, uh Ralph. You know, you I d I don't know who assembles those first copies. Um but I I would imagine the designer, or in this case designers, are are there making sure everything's right, making sure everything's right, and then and then on the line, I mean th those those are some of them some of them are temp workers. Yeah. You know, it it's not like you know, some crack team that's been doing it for 30 years. Yeah, yeah. You know, I I remember that's just the reality of it.

SPEAKER_04 10:16

And that's not you know, what's that? If you're gonna have a mistake, uh millimeter mistake, you want to make it now when it's going to operators. I'll give you that.

SPEAKER_01 10:26

100%. And and that's why I when when they switched up and started sending out the LEs first, you meant they all had problems, right? They did, yeah. And and so like I I kept saying you guys have to stop doing this. You you have to could because the the operators are prepared to drill into the play field, to take pliers and bend ramps, you know, like somebody, you know, having a$13 uh you know thousand dollar machine sent to their house, they they don't want to be doing that. So this is this is the right path. I hope they keep doing this.

SPEAKER_04 11:03

Yeah, I think so. I they they got to because the pinball community is so good that they post it everywhere, right? Guys, and they say, hey, here's how to fix it, and you know, yeah, within a day. We were all fixing it.

SPEAKER_01 11:16

Yeah. And uh, yeah, so we we did the same thing you guys did. We uh um you know, moved that the the ball guide on that left orbit. It's much better now. Um, but that that uh the launch, the way it rattles so much is really interesting. I didn't have enough time to like look at it and figure out what's going on, but it's just like you know, that that could that could be so much smoother.

SPEAKER_04 11:42

Yeah, Taylor had a tough time with that one. He was working on the launch. Uh that's so crazy.

SPEAKER_03 11:48

Yeah, we didn't have definitely not no launch issues and none of those orbit issues. So that's it's playing great now.

SPEAKER_04 11:53

I I I spent an hour before uh the round table and uh went over there and uh put four games on it.

SPEAKER_03 12:01

Did you finally get the easy multi-ball?

SPEAKER_04 12:04

Yeah, yeah. I'm over a hundred million pretty consistently now. I think uh I figured it out. Uh I'm a little bummed on a couple things. Can I I don't want to I don't want to crap on it, okay? I don't want to crap on it. You guys hyped it up so much. I don't feel like I hyped it up that much. Not just saying you guys, I'm giving you like a collective all the people that went into the building.

SPEAKER_03 12:30

Okay. But does that surprise you that that people that get go in there get that there's like a there's like this feeling you get when you're in there, you know what I mean? Like it's like you some people get like mesmerized by the feeling. You know, I know my first couple times there, I was like, oh I'm in the house. Like it was so I think you can kind of get all caught up on that. The other thing too is when you're playing with friends, like other people you've like met before, I think games are so much more exciting when you're playing them with someone. So sometimes that also like falls into it, right? Like there are games I've played that I don't like by myself, but the competitive element of it, you it can like cloud your judgment. I do think that it's hard to assess a game at one of those events, though. But anyways, I'm kind of defending the content creators a little bit here.

SPEAKER_04 13:16

It's a good model, right? Get them to pay for you you pay to go down, they buy you some sushi and pizza, and they get a great All I need is one piece of sushi, and I will say your game is awesome.

SPEAKER_03 13:26

Yeah, I'm just joking.

SPEAKER_04 13:27

I'm that's a joke. But you know, it uh right now it's a B minus.

SPEAKER_03 13:33

I'm gonna grade it a B minus because that doesn't surprise me, a B minus, because I feel like it's kind of like a plain Jane layout. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_04 13:42

So like I Oh, I I I think it is a plain Jane layout. I think the code is very low right now, obviously. There's no achievements.

SPEAKER_03 13:50

Like we gotta talk about that for a minute. This is two games in a row that got sent out without achievements, and and the one that definitely should have had them would be this one.

SPEAKER_04 14:00

It's a no-brainer, right?

SPEAKER_03 14:03

That's not they gotta figure that out. Don't you think, Kale, like, because achievements are huge for you, right? People at the friggin' bat love that shit.

SPEAKER_04 14:11

Massive for him and for Eureka. They're massive, you know, and it's just it's not there yet. Now, the lines are still there, people are playing it. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 14:21

Do you also get do you guys get excited? Like, I like hearing the noise of an achievement when I first get a new game. It's fun. I don't know what it is. I don't even have to see what it says. That noise, I love that. When you first get on a new game, because you're starting to just like do a couple of the smaller, easier ones first.

SPEAKER_04 14:35

I love that, but it it was just a kind of a bummer on Tuesday night when we all got there and we hear the the login, the stern insider connect login. It's so cool. And you're there and you're playing Pokemon, and then you you've played two balls and no one sniffed an achievement. We've all got super skill shots, we've all did all these things, and you're going, What is this?

SPEAKER_01 14:57

What happened?

SPEAKER_03 14:59

Yeah, why just put him into they just put him into Walking Dead Remastered when we were out there for the media day? Because it's funny, Seth Davis comes over, he's like, Hey, we we we got your achievements in. And I was like, What do you like? It was weird. He was like saying, like, my achievements. I'm like, What are you talking about? He's like, Well, um, and I think it was our show. I uh one of the shows we had, I was complaining about no achievements, and who's he's like, we got them now. You got you gotta tell everybody. Problem is, here's what's crazy, guys. I gotta do this really quick. How many walking dead remasters? Now I know this is just a pinball map. How many walking dead remasters do you guys think are in the world right now? In locations that are documented? 110.

SPEAKER_01 15:38

All right, let me guess. Um in the world?

SPEAKER_03 15:42

In the world. Oh no, but keep in mind, they didn't even sell out of their they didn't even sell out of their LEs at 500.

SPEAKER_01 15:50

Yeah, I'll 75. Holy shit. Are you kidding me? Just shut up. Did you that real? Yes, it was exactly 75. I'm good at this shit, right?

SPEAKER_03 16:00

Holy shit, dude. Yeah. It was exactly 75 as of yesterday. Damn, but you were pretty Jamie. Honestly, I was a pretty good guest though.

SPEAKER_04 16:10

Because you were with no achievements. People, you know. Well, I have them now.

SPEAKER_01 16:15

So so Ralph, when when did they put the achievements in? For Walking Dead Remastered.

SPEAKER_03 16:23

It was it would it would have been whatever the day the media day was, it would have been that Wednesday in what was it, in February, sometime.

SPEAKER_01 16:31

Okay, so I I know the achievements were ready, like they were programmed when the game launched.

SPEAKER_03 16:39

So but they did Walking Dead ones, or are you saying the Pokemon's one?

SPEAKER_01 16:42

Oh okay. Walking Dead Remastered. So I we we I guess we're here to uh you know guess that that's how long the approval process took.

SPEAKER_03 16:54

Maybe, yeah. Yeah, it's a good point.

SPEAKER_04 16:56

But you gotta have them kale before TPF, right? You're showing off the phone. Well, they'll definitely have to have them before TPF.

SPEAKER_03 17:01

They gotta have them at TPF. Yeah, yeah, I know, but that's a week away. So here's the thing, they could also haven't you seen them do this before Kale? They'll drop a code release that's not public, but it's just for the event until they're ready for the public one. So they could do that too. Yeah. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 17:18

But I'm guessing they're saving like everything for T well when is TPF? Is that two weeks? Next next Thursday. So next Thursday. So they'll probably that'll be like their their news. You know, they're bringing Pokemon, they're gonna bring that the topper. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 17:32

Oh, are they gonna?

SPEAKER_01 17:33

Is that is that actually I th it I'm thinking that's just I'm just guessing.

SPEAKER_03 17:38

Okay, because those guys at Media Day, we didn't see it, I guess, like a very limited people. They're they're they're talking up this topper like this is gonna be such a blow-your-mind topper.

SPEAKER_01 17:48

Did they tell you it's like some kind of fish or something? I don't I don't know all the characters.

SPEAKER_03 17:53

I don't know, I don't either. Uh Jamie knows them all.

SPEAKER_01 17:55

He can eat them all.

SPEAKER_03 17:56

I got them all down, Pat.

SPEAKER_01 17:58

Okay. Uh yeah, so I'm guessing that's gonna be like their their reveal at TPF. You you're gonna get the topper, you're gonna they're gonna have achievements, people are gonna be collecting achievements at TPF, and uh hopefully they have the Pokedex in your not on the not on the game, but actually in your app, which is which is not available yet, right?

SPEAKER_03 18:19

I I don't know actually.

SPEAKER_04 18:21

Did you oh it's not in there?

SPEAKER_03 18:22

I looked. Because he demoed that for us, and it was pretty cool. Like it was cool because it it it just it felt like very video game-ish, you know. Like here it is, and you can see it was cool. Um, I but I'm guessing uh maybe for TPF they'll have the code update for that too.

SPEAKER_04 18:36

I I will say this, Kale, and Kale and I were talking about this before you join. When you do get a Pokemon and that countdown is rocking, it's cool. It's fun shit.

SPEAKER_01 18:48

Yeah. This is the best part of the game. Because like you you find the you find you discover the the Pokemon, right? In the woods, wherever you are, and then it's like you you have a timer, it's a hurry up to catch this damn thing, and you are like hyperventilating because you I don't I don't know when I'll run across this thing again. I don't know what's going on. That is the coolest damn thing. Um tell me, since both of you guys have played this, what the hell is up with the pop bumpers? Like why why why is my ball going up there and getting caught up in there forever for no reason? There's there's no target up there, there's nothing to hit. Maybe they'll uh uh you know add something in the code where if you hit that green pop bumper enough, you it does something, hopefully. Um but like you know, usually it's just it goes into the pop bumper and just sits there. You have to sit there and wait for it, and then it's a and then it's a safe feed to the flipper.

SPEAKER_02 19:47

Right.

SPEAKER_01 19:47

Yeah, it's not usually you know, you can use a pop bumper, you know, you want it to be a little you know, all over the place. Uh maybe they're just wanting to make this a safer game, but like we you know, Rachel and I set this up in the office to update it and and you know, fix it, have get it ready for the floor. And every time we're playing, we're like, how long do we have to wait for this ball to get out of the pop bumpers?

SPEAKER_03 20:09

That's how I feel about the whirlpool in Star Wars. Star Wars, yes.

SPEAKER_01 20:14

Same thing, and a lot of people have modded that to you know remedy the issue.

SPEAKER_03 20:20

Uh yeah, I did I did notice the pop bumper sits up there. But what about you're not talking about the pop bumper that's in the arena, though, right?

SPEAKER_01 20:28

Like that one is in the arena just well, it's one it's one and the same. It's you know, is there another one? Is there another one on the other side?

SPEAKER_03 20:35

Okay, I don't remember that because it's been a while since I played it now. Um, I liked the one in the arena because on the pro you don't have the magnet, and I feel like even though that pop bumper's on both, at least you get some of that chaos in that arena thing.

SPEAKER_01 20:48

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 20:48

Um, I love the pro on this one, by the way, even though I've hear people say why the pro. I think this one is like an awesome version of a pro because you get everything, and the stuff you don't get, I don't feel like is major stuff, but yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:02

The the pop bumpers uh I think once I describe it, I think you'll remember when it goes into the two lanes up top and drops down, there's two pop bumpers there.

SPEAKER_03 21:12

Okay, all right. I know what you're I know what you're talking about.

SPEAKER_01 21:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 21:14

Um I guess I didn't really think about it at the time, but it does kind of sit up there for a while. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:20

Yeah. And and as the code sits now, I don't think there's any reason for it. Yeah. Uh but I love the side armor.

SPEAKER_02 21:29

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 21:30

On a pro. This is this is a first.

SPEAKER_03 21:33

This is a first. Oh, because they put the um the angled side armor? Yeah. Yeah. Where where it covers the the button area, right?

SPEAKER_01 21:41

Right. And I'm wondering if that's you know, it's very hard to give and then take back. So I wonder if that's just gonna be a normal thing with pros from now on. I want to say, see, I don't get pros, so I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 21:53

They were doing it on premiums for a while.

SPEAKER_01 21:56

Yeah, they yeah. But never pros. Pros of the.

SPEAKER_03 22:00

Standard side rails, right? Yeah. That's so funny. Imagine, like, how much metal do you think? Like, in a in a way, like how much extra? Like that little that little triangle, like, how much more is that?

SPEAKER_01 22:09

It costs money. I don't know.

SPEAKER_03 22:11

So, what do you think? Like, is it like 50 cents per side, or is it way more than that? God, who the hell knows? Uh it's just interesting when you have to break things down to that small. Like, if you have 10 components and on a pro, you can make all 10 slightly different and shave off like five cents, you know, you know, whatever it is. You know that's the game. It's I don't know. That's that's fascinating to me. I'd love to see that one day, even though we know I know we'd never see it. Like the whole list of stuff that makes up a game. Like how many washers and screws, and it'd probably be insane.

SPEAKER_01 22:42

You know, and um have you guys uh Ralph, how many spike threes do you have? Star Wars and Walking Dead Remastered?

SPEAKER_03 22:50

Yeah, just those two. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 22:52

You notice how hard it is to close the the door with the display in it? So that's another thing. What is that?

SPEAKER_03 22:59

What is up with that? I don't have that problem, but I have another problem that you'd think is so bizarre. This problem's weird, man. Yours is weird. That is weird. Did so did Eureka have that same problem, Jamie, or no? Yeah. Okay, that that's obviously a problem. Like, there's some alignment issue there. Yeah. But on my Star Wars, you gotta like bench press the freaking back back glass to get it off. Like, I'm not kidding. I've practically raised, I've practically raised the machine off the ground to get it off. I'm like, what the fuck? So what is going on with this?

SPEAKER_01 23:29

Right. You know how easy spike twos are, they just go in and out nice. They obviously, I mean, it's with the with the fitting issues they're having with the spike three head, it it's obvious. You know, uh Gomez was talking about this. He didn't want there to be any changes to the dimensions. It they he wanted the spike three to look the same as the spike two, so when you have it in the lineup lineup, it doesn't stand out. But they kind of they need more, it's obvious they need more room.

SPEAKER_03 24:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:01

For this big display, because the the the things are not fitting together properly.

SPEAKER_03 24:06

That whole back box thing, it's interesting because I have two of them, right? I have the Star Wars Fall of the Empire and then the Walking Dead Remastered. My Walking Dead remastered, the back glass comes off no problem. But Star Wars, you you have to but that on well, that's see, that's a tough comparison because that's not the full spike three cabinet yet. That still had the old that had the old head on it. So I don't know what the excuse would be of that. So I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 24:31

Well, they put the bigger display in it, yeah. So I think they them doing that in the old styled head caused some kind of issue because I well, I had I had the same issue. I almost couldn't get that back glass out, that translite. And the problem is over the years, that little lip gets brittle, people are gonna snap that thing right off trying to get the back glass off. So buy some extras.

SPEAKER_03 24:56

Yeah. The so Rudy's thought, and I was like, huh, you might have a good point. Because my Star Wars is a spike three, and that's when they start introducing the better sound system. And Rudy's like, well, what if they did that so the back glass wouldn't vibrate, but they fit it too too tight? I he might be right, I don't know, but I mean I've never asked George, he'd probably know, obviously, but um someone's gonna answer us afterwards. George, let us know.

SPEAKER_04 25:22

Yeah, someone's gonna answer it after this. But what would you rank, Kale?

SPEAKER_01 25:27

B minus, B B, B plus, and I I honestly I I set it up. Um, you know, of course, there were a lot of headaches like getting the thing tuned up. Um, but I did not get enough gameplay on it to I it would be unfair for me to give it a rating right now.

SPEAKER_04 25:47

Good for you. Good call. Good call.

SPEAKER_03 25:50

Maybe I should have shut my mouth with the B minus. Well, you think about it, man. Like the whole game is gonna change in a couple months. You're so once, yeah. So it's tough.

SPEAKER_04 25:59

I'm just giving you what when you're saying based on current state, based on current state current state. Well, have fun getting Pokemon, that's fun as hell.

SPEAKER_01 26:08

Right. The the the code, and I'm very well aware of that, Ralph, and you know, and I've the the code's not gonna change the weird launch.

SPEAKER_03 26:17

Yeah. And that's I don't know, that's crazy that doing that.

SPEAKER_01 26:22

And that's the first thing you experience with a pinball machine, the launch. So when that's when that's janky, that you're already like, what the what the fuck? What's going on here? You know, it's a brand new note.

SPEAKER_03 26:34

There's no you have you guys looked like there's no one, is there anyone talking about what might be the cause of it or anything?

SPEAKER_01 26:39

Or I didn't have time to I didn't have time to look.

SPEAKER_04 26:41

I don't know what Taylor did. He was messing with it. So he fixed it, yeah. Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 26:48

Yeah, it was it was so bad. When Rachel and I, when we played our first game, we could not get it all the way around. It would just it would rattle, it would rattle so much, and we were like, what the hell's going on? We thought something was wrong with the with the shooter rod, and then we like nope, it you know, completely Yeah, but Walking Dead does that too.

SPEAKER_04 27:07

Did you notice that? My walking dead does do that. No remastered Dead. Yeah, the re the Walking Dead remastered at Ralph's is fine.

SPEAKER_01 27:15

Yeah, mine's good.

SPEAKER_03 27:16

I did put the I did put the custom shooter rod on it with the zombie head, and I had to put a red spring on it though, because the spring that is one thing. If Stern does listen to this, you because their one in their lobby is doing the same thing. They have a weaker spring on that shooter rod, and as soon as you install it, it it can't even dribble up. You can't get the skill shot. You can every now and then, maybe. I don't know why they're not putting better springs in these. They're cut it's a it's a you know, there's a lot more to pull back on because it's got a friggin' head at the end of it. I don't I don't know why they're not because their one in their lobby was like pretty bad too when I played it there, but I don't know. For what that's worth, I don't know. I think they should put better springs. God bless them. Jimmy hates spring talk, so we'll move on. Yeah, yeah, let's move on.

SPEAKER_01 27:58

Wait, well, you know, I have to say something amazing. Dude, this game looks cool. Yeah. This this game looks super dope. I'm gonna give them an A plus on how cool this damn thing looks. Can I guess where it is? Is it in the big room?

SPEAKER_03 28:16

Is it in the big room and if I'm walking back the doors on the left?

SPEAKER_01 28:19

You're getting warm. Uh it's where Evil Dead was. Okay, all right. So across across exactly across from Star Wars, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 28:30

Okay. That's a good place for I feel like you guys put those games there, and that you guys have that all mapped out, huh? That that's like this hot spot for a new game.

SPEAKER_01 28:38

That's the end cap, right? At the grocery store. That's what that's what everybody wants.

SPEAKER_03 28:42

But I always wondered where the end cap. I always wondered and never asked you guys asked you, but I'm like, the games always seem to do really well there, and they're always the new ones that you put there. So I was like, there has to be some rhyme or reason to that. But oh, they know.

SPEAKER_01 28:54

I'm I'm gonna check the cam. When I when I checked the cameras before we started, there was a line to play. And uh man, there's still people on it. Grab is a line right now, you can see it. Yeah, there's there's yeah, there's people hovered around it, they're playing a four-player game, there's people waiting. This this thing's gonna be a hit.

SPEAKER_04 29:14

It's gonna be a hit, it's gonna print money. It's gonna print money. You should have put it things in the middle.

SPEAKER_01 29:19

Before we go to the next topic, like why why do we think as far as like launching a game with a lot in it, is is it getting worse? Okay, because it seems like now we're not even getting achievements. Uh we used to get achievements. We used to get achievements on launch. And and I and I'm just wondering uh if the the ability to push updates uh uh are so easy now that the developers are like, well, you know, we can just we can do it later.

SPEAKER_03 29:56

Yeah, but yeah, but I mean this but they made a conscious effort to put this game out early to location. So it seems like why that that that would have been like a double, like well, well actually I say it's would be good, but it's our expectation that they're there and they're not. But like I don't get that. Like you you purposely did this because you knew Pokemon would be popular on location, and then you didn't put the achievements. I don't even if you just did a subset of achievements, you don't do them all, just do like some ones because they're it's a new game, at least. I don't know. I just think that's weird. I don't get it. Yeah, unless it unless, like you said, I think you said it, Kale, like maybe it's they have to do licensor approval with with the Pokemon company when they I I don't know. I would think so, but probably.

SPEAKER_04 30:41

Well, that's the line anyway.

SPEAKER_03 30:42

That's the line I why would they for achievements though? Oh, because there's like an icon that goes along with it. Maybe they have to approve the icon on it.

SPEAKER_01 30:50

They have to do it for everything.

SPEAKER_03 30:52

Yeah, that's kind of sucks, but it does suck.

SPEAKER_01 30:55

All right.

SPEAKER_03 30:57

Moving on. Why do you seem so bummed out?

SPEAKER_04 31:01

Well, I just don't like crapping on anybody, but it you know.

SPEAKER_03 31:04

But we didn't crap. That's not crapping. Did we crap? That's not crapping.

SPEAKER_04 31:09

Just leaving it.

SPEAKER_03 31:10

Jamie, sometimes you think that stuff is they can. But Jamie, like, that's not crapping. It's just us saying, like, we used to see have them there and they're not there now. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, come on, guys. I don't view that as crapping. Yeah, it really isn't. Light criticism is what I would call that.

SPEAKER_04 31:25

It's constructive criticism, really. How do you build people up?

SPEAKER_03 31:29

We love, I mean, we we just spend we just spent the first 30 minutes talking about their new game, so they should be stoked. Yeah, they probably are stoked.

SPEAKER_01 31:35

Ladies and gentlemen, on the round table, we're like the Marines. We break down and absolutely destroy pinball manufacturers and then build them up into something they could never become before.

SPEAKER_04 31:49

That's our goal without us. Who the hell is Dungeon Crawler Carl? Who the hell is this dude? And why is people are freaking out? Why are people freaking out about this?

SPEAKER_01 32:03

People are freaking out. Okay, so the rumor is well, it's not a rumor because uh there was there was some, I don't know whether it was like a comic convention or something like this. And um the the author of Dungeon Crawler Carl mentioned he was on stage and he mentioned that how much the the IP is blowing up, and they have a lot of stuff in the works, and one of those things is a pinball machine.

SPEAKER_03 32:30

Oh, that's where it came from. I didn't even know that story. Oh, yeah, that's where it came from.

SPEAKER_01 32:33

Yeah. And so then this is where everybody started guessing.

SPEAKER_04 32:39

Um barrels. People think it's barrels. People think it's barrels.

SPEAKER_01 32:44

And we we know, I knew this before it was ever mentioned that Carl D'Angelo is a huge Carl fan. Dungeon Crawler Carl fan. Are they both Carl with a K?

SPEAKER_04 32:57

Uh Dungeon Crawler Carl with a K. Is Carl the K?

SPEAKER_01 33:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 33:03

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 33:03

Yes. Wow. What a coincidence. Carl might be a sync, maybe. No, I think Carl on the book is a C. I think so. All right, never mind. I don't know. Chat, let me know.

SPEAKER_04 33:14

Don't kill us, you dungeon crawler Carl fans.

SPEAKER_01 33:18

So Timmy, are are you are you guys familiar with the the never heard of it in my life?

SPEAKER_03 33:23

So I never heard of it, but I travel so much in the air. Here's what's weird. You know when you see things, but you're you don't really care, so you just kind of like log it in the back of your head, and then maybe it gets pushed out. Well, I had seen this book a bunch of times because anytime I go to get a water at the airport, it's on like the book top 10 thing, but I didn't think anything of it. But then once that little image came out, I'm like, oh crap, I've seen that book like a zillion times in the airport. That's it. That's all I knew about it. I don't know, I still don't know anything about it.

SPEAKER_01 33:52

Yeah. Is Dungeon Crawler Carl cool? Like, does he so Ray Rachel got into it? Okay, oh okay, cool. All right, she's on the second book. Okay. Um, she loves it. It's so cool.

SPEAKER_04 34:04

Um audio booking it because supposedly that's the move. But that's what I heard.

SPEAKER_01 34:09

I heard the guy who reads the audiobook is like it's better than than the book. Well, books are great. Please read people. But uh the audiobook is the guy does all the characters' voices, and it's very theatrical. Yeah, and they say that's uh even if you've read the book, you should experience it as the audiobook. That's pretty cool.

SPEAKER_03 34:32

Yeah. Um, kind of some cool like retro element to it. Like, is it set in the 80s or something? I heard, or is that not right?

SPEAKER_01 34:40

I don't know. I don't know, but like the the world has some like serious change to it, and there's uh um the aliens, right? Uh uh something like that, and then uh, you know, people that know what's going on are be like, what the hell?

SPEAKER_04 34:54

Uh you're gonna be all pissed off.

SPEAKER_01 34:57

The the world completely changes, and it's almost like a cross between the the running man, like a game show, and like you trying to get through dungeons, and and the the main character has his uh ex-girlfriend's cat, and the cat's actually more powerful than he is, and it's a it's a it's a grand adventure. And and there are like there are multiple books. I mean, there might there might be like 10 books.

SPEAKER_04 35:21

Oh boy. Uh yeah, already.

SPEAKER_01 35:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 35:24

Um well it's passed me by. I'm not gonna clearly we know a ton about it, so you've come to the right way. You've come to the right way.

SPEAKER_01 35:33

And and let's make sure this topic is germane. Is this going to make a great pinball machine?

SPEAKER_04 35:41

Um you know, these dungeon crawler carl people really are addicted to it. And uh you know, they only need to make 500 of them, right? If Turner does it, he does 500, he'll be happy as a clam. I don't think he sold 500 pinball machines yet. Yeah, but you think it's Turner? I don't I'm hearing Turner because and then I'm also hearing barrels.

SPEAKER_01 36:05

Who that's this this has to be barrels. Let's hope. But here's the thing barrels cannot survive off of selling 500 pinball machines. They're they're gonna need to they're gonna need to sell a thousand and can Carl pull it off. He he easily sold five hundred. Um I I I think a game I think Carl, I think Carl can pull it off just on his name alone.

SPEAKER_04 36:34

Yeah, Carl Dungeon Crawler or Carl Carl D'Angelo. Okay, both both, right?

SPEAKER_03 36:41

Isn't that what you're saying? Like he could pull off Dungeon Crawler Carl. Carl could pull off Dungeon Crawler, Carl.

SPEAKER_01 36:46

Right. Because this this is a more well-known IP than the uh Winchester House.

SPEAKER_02 36:53

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 36:54

So that's a plus. And then you have Carl's second game, or we might be a third, I don't know, by the time it comes out. But um and you know, designers learn more as you know, as they're going along and building machines. So I I think it could be a hit.

SPEAKER_04 37:12

I had dinner recently with some someone from Barrels, and I humbled them.

SPEAKER_03 37:19

You don't ever give anything away, you say though.

SPEAKER_04 37:20

And they don't give me anything. I just kept eating their chips. Or do you just keep it?

SPEAKER_03 37:27

Did Jamie keep asking?

SPEAKER_04 37:28

What? Uh okay. Nothing. Alright, well, we'll see. Uh I'd like to see Turner make it. Come on, Turner.

SPEAKER_03 37:38

Yeah, he needs a licensed game. I don't know. I heard his next game is a licensed game, but Oh, is that the the the Whitewater? Oh, that's right. Well, I don't know if that's the next one or not, but that was that was pretty highly rumored, too. Yeah. I don't know. Maybe he'll bring something to TPF, although are they actually there's gonna be new games at TPF by someone, right?

SPEAKER_04 38:07

Well, there's gonna be a bunch of Beetlejuice because it's got the show games.

SPEAKER_03 38:10

One of those is coming home to Eureka Heights and then isn't Hexa bringing their Three Musketeers game?

SPEAKER_01 38:17

Oh, I haven't even heard of it.

SPEAKER_03 38:18

That'd be fun. Yeah, Hexa's next game is Three Musketeers, and I believe they're showing it at TPF. That'll be fun. What was the laugh for? I don't know. What was the laugh for? Yeah, yeah. So you're the one, look at this guy. Kale, we're the ones that control.

SPEAKER_01 38:34

Jamie's like, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know what? But I but I like it. Take the gloves off, brother. Take the gloves off.

SPEAKER_03 38:41

It's like Hexa did a Louis Vuitton machine. Yeah, I know. That was come on. It was basically the space hunt layout just with Louis Vuitton.

SPEAKER_01 38:50

But a bunch of LVs, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 38:53

Uh all right. I'm assuming Jamie hates space hunt.

SPEAKER_04 38:56

I'm not even gonna know it. Jamie hates Hexa.

SPEAKER_03 38:58

I'm gonna bring you, I know the guys at Hexa. I'm bringing you over there. Like, hey, this is the guy that talks shit about you on the podcast, Hexa guys, who are really nice from France. Here he is. Good luck.

SPEAKER_04 39:08

Uh on Three Musketeers. I'll play it. I'll play it. We're playing everything. Yeah, we are. All right. Are you are you guys excited for the potential re-imagined version of Circus Voltaire, which was broken, by the way. Ralph's getting a lot of credit for this, Kale. No, it wasn't broken by me. It was his own.

SPEAKER_03 39:37

Are they? I don't think anybody gave a shit out that after I said they were like, oh, cool. I don't know. No, I think Zach Meanie said uh oh well he heard it from you. That should have been, yes, that should have been that was Kale was the source, but I was saying I didn't I didn't reveal the source, but now you just did. Damn, I'm supposed to be in the shadows. I thought you were I thought Kale is supposed to be the guy that keeps feeding me information, but no one doesn't know.

SPEAKER_01 39:59

Okay, well, I'll I'll have to add to that. After Circus Voltaire, what's coming? Go fish tails, and then and then Jamie. Are you ready for this? World Cup Soccer.

SPEAKER_04 40:12

Wow. You think they could upgrade World Cup? See, I would have put World Cup out now with the World Cup coming.

SPEAKER_01 40:21

Well, give them time. They're still hiring people, bro.

SPEAKER_03 40:23

They're hiring everybody. I'm working for American Pinball now. That's what I was gonna announce on the podcast. I work for American Pinball. Congratulations. No, I don't.

SPEAKER_04 40:31

So pretty cool. Our our buddies, Rob and Nick, uh from the electric playground, uh are uh joining American Pinball.

SPEAKER_03 40:43

Can I ask you guys something? Absolutely. So I I was so busy today that I didn't chance to look at everything, but anything, but I did see the little like headline on that. But does this mean like they're still gonna have electric playground as a company, or are they stopping electric playground? I'm just confused.

SPEAKER_04 40:59

Like, did they disclose that working part-time, I think? Okay, all right. So they're working there and still doing the that's what I've read, right? Did you get that, KO? Or did you not read it either?

SPEAKER_01 41:09

I didn't read anything. Yeah. I I don't know. All I know is they hired Rob, right? Mm-hmm. Yeah, right, and then Nick, the the guy who did the Tony Hawk game. Yeah, yeah. So the first the first thing that came to my mind is so they teamed up with American Pinball. The guy who bought American Pinball apparently has a lot of money. Get the licensing for all that music, and let's do Tony Hawk pro skater.

SPEAKER_03 41:41

That would be freaking awesome if that actually happened. Right.

SPEAKER_01 41:45

Because that's all it takes, the money. Let's go.

SPEAKER_04 41:47

Let's go. Yeah, you gotta have the uh the first level be from the first level, the video game in the warehouse. It just has to happen. It's just yeah.

SPEAKER_01 41:57

Both of you guys flip that game, right?

SPEAKER_03 41:59

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 42:01

Yeah, it's all right.

SPEAKER_03 42:02

I didn't flip I didn't I didn't after he updated it, though. I only played the first year, I didn't play this past expo. I didn't play it.

SPEAKER_04 42:09

So I didn't get you missed out because he's got a ball save thing that's going on that's a flip around thing in Majiggy. Oh man, dude, it's it's sweet, it is really sweet. Yeah, Nick's the man, dude. And he's a good dude. Yeah, he's a nice guy. He'll be a TPF.

SPEAKER_03 42:25

Okay. Well, I don't know will Rob be there too. Do you know?

SPEAKER_04 42:27

Robin's gonna be there. I I I gave him uh congratulations today, uh text. You text your friends when they get new jobs, and I said, Hey, way to go. And he said, I'll see you at TPF. That's all I got out of it.

SPEAKER_01 42:40

But but what's up with this? If if you look at the electric playground, their social media post about this news, I I I guess they're at American Pinball and they're looking at a machine, and the machine is like they drew they they scribbled over it. So which is interesting. So they're already looking at something. Huh.

unknown 43:02

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 43:02

But I I but I don't think it could be Circus Voltaire.

SPEAKER_04 43:06

Not that quickly.

SPEAKER_01 43:07

Right. So like what the hell is it? Oh, it could be what's that game? Uh with it has Josh's face real small in the on the leak photos. Cuphead? Cuphead. Yeah. They could be looking at Cuphead.

SPEAKER_03 43:22

Oh, that's true. So it's any electric playground picture? Which where's the picture?

SPEAKER_01 43:28

Who posted it? Go the electric playground. If you go to their social media.

SPEAKER_03 43:32

That's weird. I see a post from nine hours ago, but it's him and Rob Burke. I don't see No, no, it's the one before that. Oh, okay, hold on. I want to see what you're talking about. Oh, that's interesting. And there's a bunch of stuff in the background scribbled out.

SPEAKER_04 43:48

Yeah. But congratulations to our good friends, and uh, you know, good luck. That's awesome. What a what a great hire. And uh a friend of mine that I played. Pinball with the Eureka Heights, John Swartz has now joined their board. He's a bright young man, and uh that should do well for them too. So congrats.

SPEAKER_01 44:09

Yeah, that's what I think. And um to go back to your original question that we didn't touch on, are we excited about uh Circus Voltaire reimagined? Um man, with these games, I hope I don't know what reimag what what they think reimagined means, but usually when people want these cla like a like a brand new copy of these classic games, they don't want new art. They don't want anything crazy. They they they want to, you know, you can maybe update some code or or choose to use that code, but um I really hope we don't see what they do uh you know what uh what was that one the fun house with that crazy with the with all the crazy new graphics, you know. I mean it didn't sell very well, so maybe they you know could learn that lesson, but um hopefully they keep it as true to the original as possible. And uh you're right, Jamie. They do have they're growing quickly, a a fabulous team.

SPEAKER_03 45:09

Yeah, they're I'm kind of I'm I'm they're kind of making me more excited as they keep going. I just want to see what they're gonna do. I I really want to see their original IP stuff. Like I want to see what they'll do around that. Not original IP, but stuff they'll license. I think that yeah, I'm I'm excited to see where they go with that. Do you guys think we'll see a licensed game from them this year that's not a reimagined one?

SPEAKER_01 45:31

Man, with a team that small, I just don't see how no way.

SPEAKER_03 45:36

Yeah, I don't see how they would either. No way. I guess we'll find out. All right. Um but I did want to say there's one good luck. Good talk. They never defined what reimagine meant, though. So I get what you're saying though, because I do think that most of the people that want these old games want them the way like just give me a new one with new technology, but it looks exactly like the old one, you know? Dude, take your time. There's no rush. The guy's got bucks. Take your time and give me a cool theme. Don't give me certain. So Jamie just basically said don't really. So you don't want him to release the remakes. You just change you change the whole direction.

SPEAKER_01 46:19

Who's gonna buy it? Hey, you guys, um I'm not buying it, but how familiar are you guys with Americans like the software and hardware?

SPEAKER_03 46:29

I'm not because I've never owned one, so I don't really know. Only from a tech perspective of what an you know tough situation can be. I feel like we might be driving towards trouble with this conversation a little bit. Are we?

SPEAKER_04 46:42

No, no, no, no. I just think you know, uh well obviously GTF has had a lot of issues.

SPEAKER_01 46:48

And you know, and finally, you know, like uh Steve Bowden and um and David Fix came out and it finally admitted it after they tried to put the game in N-Disc, uh Jim did. But um uh American pinball machines are notorious for having flipper issues. I mean, to the point where with Galactic Tank Force, before they put it in N-Disc, uh, you know, the team from the former team from American that went to fix things, you know, they were like, you you can't have the American pinball coils in there, you have to switch them out for Williams coils, you have to add heat sinks, and you have to add fans.

SPEAKER_03 47:28

Fans. So fans. Wait, what did you guys have to add fans? Uh commercial game? You had to add fans to the flipper? Well, they did for end this, is what he said. Oh, because they get so heavily played. Okay.

SPEAKER_04 47:40

No, it's just because they won't they don't work properly.

SPEAKER_03 47:43

So they were like making it that hot that they have to have them? Like you're saying, like even just for oh wow. Okay. That's awesome.

SPEAKER_01 47:51

And and that's what I'm wondering if if the team at American has uh remedied that. Where you where you don't have all of it. Because it was it was I've operated American pinball machines, and you'd have like all of a sudden, like one flipper would just die out of nowhere. You know? Um, and man, you cannot have that. I mean, a prestigious title like a circus voltaire, like a fish tails, uh World Cup Soccer. You you people are used to that snappy feel, that that Williams feel, and and uh they they need to they need to work that out, the the American uh flipper issues.

SPEAKER_03 48:34

Kale, I know you guys always talk about it on the backcast about how you you really like to put games in the arcade that you guys like, but has Circus Voltaire ever been in there? Like have you ever had one? And would you have any interest in having one?

SPEAKER_01 48:48

No, I I well, first of all, they're they're too damn expensive.

SPEAKER_03 48:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 48:53

Um and Rachel doesn't like the color scheme.

SPEAKER_02 48:57

Really?

SPEAKER_01 48:58

Yeah, for real. Yeah, she hates she hates the way it looks. Do you guys like the game?

SPEAKER_04 49:02

Or not or not really? Yeah, I like Circus Volterra. There's not that much going on.

SPEAKER_01 49:07

Yeah, we like we like playing it at other people's arcades.

SPEAKER_03 49:09

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's fun, it's a very cool game. But you guys probably wouldn't like pick one up for if they if like you wouldn't really be interested in it, right? No, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 49:18

No, and um we do, you know, we have the World Cup soccer in the arcade, and man, we everybody loves that thing. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 49:26

Oh yeah. Yeah, that gets a lot of play, it seems like, when I'm there.

SPEAKER_04 49:31

But there doesn't seem like a lack of World Cup soccer out there.

SPEAKER_01 49:35

Is there I haven't looked at the market. I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 49:38

Yeah, I just don't know if there's such a clam run for these games. I like this anyway. Good luck. American Pinball and uh good hires. Great. For sure. Uh did you guys watch Josh and his brother last night? He did. I watched a little bit of it, not all of it. God, they had up 400 people at one point were watching.

SPEAKER_03 50:03

Josh who? No, you see, no, you said Josh. You mean Joel and Jared. Joel and Jared.

SPEAKER_01 50:08

Oh, Joel, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 50:10

I love you, Jimmy. You're like, you know, Bill and Tom. They did this on this live stream last night. You know, fuck face. Yeah, that fucking guy. He did his live stream. It's awesome. You guys didn't watch it?

SPEAKER_04 50:21

I don't even know what the hell is Billy and Tommy. I love you. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I do love him. The guy is great, and it's a great stream. His video quality is unbelievable, and I'm not kissing his ass because I fucked up his name. But yeah, um, they had uh spooky Luke on. And they'd bug on, right?

SPEAKER_01 50:45

I think it was Bug.

SPEAKER_03 50:47

Yeah, they'd bug on it.

SPEAKER_01 50:48

See, do we have another topic? Maybe you'll be better. Maybe you'll be better at the next one.

SPEAKER_04 50:56

The next time I'll do better. I'll do better. They had someone from Spooky there.

SPEAKER_01 51:01

And his name, his name was Bug.

SPEAKER_04 51:05

He said that the next title was gonna be a wide body.

SPEAKER_01 51:09

Are you sure they said that?

SPEAKER_04 51:11

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 51:12

Oh, okay. Wait, that Spooky said their next their next title's a wide body?

SPEAKER_04 51:17

Yeah. So if their next title is a good thing. So Goonies is a wide body? Or go Goonies. Yeah, I'm saying I'm just fucking this up all over.

SPEAKER_01 51:24

Let me let me take it over from here, Jamie. Um I did I did not watch the stream, and I'm so happy to hear that because I'm excited about Goonies. And when Rachel and I were talking about Goonies, I was like, you know, I think they're gonna go back to a wide body because there's so much going on in Goonies, they're gonna want all of that real estate, you know, to cover the ship and some probably a cave, and and you know, and in the neighborhood, kids' bedroom, and doing all, yeah. I mean, uh, I think it's a I think it's a it's a good move.

SPEAKER_04 52:01

Yeah, that's gonna be cool. The stream was really cool. Uh Joel was Spooky was telling him what to say, and he was, you know, he said bye-bye bye, and they did a flipping out commercial. It was really, really funny. That topper is a game changer. If you're getting it without the spooky speak, what are you doing? I think you gotta spend the money and get that spooky speak. It'll be interesting how it works in an arcade.

SPEAKER_03 52:28

Do you realize I might be on the cusp? I'm close. The spooky speak video I did on Facebook is up to 920,000 views. It's crazy. I'm like, I wanna I've never had a video ever hit a million views, but if it I'm I'm like, please go there, but it's kind of starting to peter off now.

SPEAKER_01 52:46

But what it on Facebook or YouTube or on Facebook, on Facebook, dude's crazy.

SPEAKER_03 52:54

I don't I don't get it, but I think the reason why, so I was trying to figure out like why people watch this one specifically. I think because when they first open it up, it shows Beetlejuice, it shows the topper, which is cool, and that so immediately you hook a Beetlejuice fan, and then I'm saying Betelgeuse, Beetlejuice, and they want to see what happens with the pinball machine when I get to the third one. So I think that's the hook. Like that's the reason why people watch that. Because I was getting my my Kim was like, What's going on with your phone? I was getting all these people messaging me on on Messenger, and they're like, Do you sell pinball machines? Oh my god, Beetlejuice is so cool. How do I get one? Where are these? I didn't know this existed. It was insane, like hundreds of messages. I couldn't respond to them all. But but there's there was like probably 10 where they were like, I want to buy it right now. How do I get it? I was like, sorry, man, you can't get one.

SPEAKER_01 53:39

You should start selling machines. Yeah. Arizona needs a good distributor, man.

SPEAKER_03 53:47

No, man. I I'm so risk averse. I believe me, I've I'm I'm like, I still didn't call the guy. I feel bad. I've just been work has been so stupid, busy. Just hire me and I'll run it and then I'll move to Arizona. But I would, but we need the working capital first. You and I need to scrounge up our pennies and come up with that.

unknown 54:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 54:05

Well, you mean I should do that and then hire you. So I basically have all the cash. Okay, do that. Cool, man. All risk on me. Jamie's like, hey man, it's not working out about it.

SPEAKER_04 54:15

That works better. That works better for me. I know it would. Yeah. So Ralph got his Beetlejuice uh as well. Um, we're getting one of those famous show games at Eureka. Um, are you getting one?

SPEAKER_03 54:29

Yeah, they're getting one.

SPEAKER_01 54:30

Mark did Mark get it. Yeah, yeah. He he he probably has it at his house. You know, he like he likes to put the GC on it before he brings it to the arcades.

SPEAKER_03 54:41

It's a good move. Does he actually do that? I can see him totally doing that.

SPEAKER_01 54:46

The only reason I think that is because like last time, uh, what was oh, Evil Dead. Like, Bug messaged me. He said, What do you think about Evil Dead? What are you talking about? We don't have it. He's like, Well, well, uh, it says it was received, and that's how I knew it was at Mark's house. So like last week I messaged Bug. I was like, Hey, have you guys shipped the uh the um Beetlejuice? And it's been crickets. So I think Mark must have said, like, hey, don't tell him, don't tell him anything.

SPEAKER_03 55:19

Hey, real quick, because this has to do with Mark, this is really funny. So when he got that Beetlejuice, he texted me and said, Hey, before I bring it to the bat, do you want to I mean not Beetlejuice, sorry, evil evil dead. He goes, Do you want to come to my house and check it out? I was like, Yeah. So I went to his house. We he brought me to that place where you could probably tell us better than I do. He took me to that warehouse where they have all the ramps that they sell and all that crazy stuff, which is really Starship Fantasy. Yeah, that was awesome to see all that. But when we get to the house, Rudy texts me, he's like, Hey, did you go to Mark's? And I was like, Yeah, Matt Mark's playing Evil Dead right now. He's like, Do you think he'll have me over? I was like, Yeah, I'm sure he would. I'll ask him. He's like, Well, there's one thing that that's kind of weird. I'm like, what? It was when the fair was going on. He's like, Well, I'm I'm I'm in full-on Jack Sparrow outfit right now.

SPEAKER_02 56:01

Yeah, for the red fair. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 56:03

So I'm like, so I go to Mark, I turn to Mark, I go, Hey, do you care if Rudy comes over, but he's dressed as Jack Sparrow? And Mark's just like, I don't I don't care, I guess. But so Rudy, like, the doorbell rings, and it's just funny because Rudy's coming in all in costume and stuff, but and he he goes all out, like full.

SPEAKER_01 56:21

I've I saw him, I ran into him at the Renfare, full makeup. Yeah, he's hardcore. Expensive outfit, like real, like leather, like and that that's funny because the I think last weekend was the last, so it's around the same time. The Renfair just yeah, uh just finished. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 56:39

Yeah, he does he goes all you realize he goes every weekend for the whole time it's on. So I don't see the dude for like two months. It's amazing. He looks so good.

SPEAKER_02 56:48

Yeah, it's amazing.

SPEAKER_04 56:50

All right, so Goonies wide body, you like it. We all I'm pumped for that. I want that. We're gonna we want to see that. So I'm in on that. Um how many you think they'll make? You think they'll make over 1,500 or a thousand?

SPEAKER_03 57:03

Goonies?

SPEAKER_04 57:04

Goonies.

SPEAKER_03 57:04

I think they're gonna do the same amount now. I don't think they'll do more than they can do, unless they so I think they're in this interesting spot, right? Because they know they can build about a thousand games a year, but imagine the capital they'd have to go into their facility to do more than that. And I think they're like, look, we're kind of humming along pretty well here. It means we could do one game a year. I don't know. I think it'd have to do you think they'll expand that and try to do like two games a year. I mean, that would be a lot more capacity. They do, they have a niche in this like collectible short run with cool IPs that people want.

SPEAKER_04 57:43

So can I ask one question that's off topic? Why did Canada lose his mind on the show games crap? I mean, I don't get that. I really don't get that. Why does he lose his mind, Christopher?

SPEAKER_03 57:53

What are you doing, dude? Calm down, it's a show game. But like we we uh I work for a technology company and we make demo units, and those demo units right, that's but like no one we do it so we can like showcase it other places. I don't know why he got so upset about that. Like as a company, why can't and he like literally said on his show, like I they I told them they can't do it anymore, right? And they said they wouldn't.

SPEAKER_01 58:17

I don't get it. Well, I I I get it just because this is this is this is not like Stern. It this turned into something different, and it and it I mean, I don't what how can I get can describe the collectability angle?

SPEAKER_03 58:34

Like you said you'd only make a thousand, but there's really a thousand fifty. Is that what it is?

SPEAKER_01 58:38

Oh, one hundred percent. I mean, think of like if you were collecting a comic book and you had you know the first edition of it, and like now you have it, and you know, the price is set at a certain level, and they're like, oh, we're gonna run another five more first edition. 10,000. Yeah. Yeah. Um that that's all it's just a collectability uh thing. Like, because like you you have people, there's already a market out there. You you you said, let's just say you said you're making a thousand of them. All right, now people are are are trading or selling based on that number. And then after you go, just kidding, we're making another 80 or whatever it is. Right.

SPEAKER_04 59:19

That that's what if you just bake bake it in a number, Kale, and just go, we're making eleven hundred of them, but eighty of them are gonna be show games and one thousand and twenty are gonna not be.

SPEAKER_01 59:30

Oh, yeah, you could totally do that. Yeah. But but see, they did the number just. You know.

SPEAKER_04 59:48

Showgames are a really neat way to buy a game, you know, if you can get on that show game list, especially for us Texans, because we just you know, John just drives a truck up to TPF and takes one home.

SPEAKER_03 59:59

But Jamie, you're saying like if they were gonna make 900 games, they make not they make a thousand and a hundred are show, like a hundred are the games that are allocated to that whatever thing. So at least it's in the number, so people can't say, oh, these are in addition to but not numbered. I get I alright. Do you think that'd be cool? Like just is that what you're saying? Like just no, but you know, I I'm not as long as it's disclosed, basically. Disclose it, yeah. Yeah. So I guess I can see it. I wasn't really I wasn't really thinking of it of the collector angle, but I guess if I Yeah, so it makes sense, Kel.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:29

Well, what would you guys think? Like uh uh Pokemon LE so popular right now, right?

SPEAKER_04 1:00:36

Yeah, it it came down a little, but yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:38

So what if like now like Seth goes on YouTube live and is like, since it was so popular, we're doing another 500.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:46

Oh yeah, no.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:48

Well, but that's with spooky things.

SPEAKER_03 1:00:50

Yeah, same thing. I get it. Okay, I get it now. You broke you got clear. Got it. I'm in.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:57

All right, it makes sense, Chris. I'm sorry. But take it easy, dude. Sorry, Chris.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:04

But it's it's with with any item, it doesn't even matter what it is, watches. Rolex says, hey, here's our new watch. We're only doing 2,000 of them, and then they see how popular it is, and hey, we're gonna run another thousand. You know, this any any collectible item, it's just it's just not proper to do that.

SPEAKER_03 1:01:25

But I do think like, what about the one thing I do think that they should be able to do though? Like, let's just say show games aside, like Jersey Jack with the Harry Potter launch had those ones called um, it wasn't it wasn't eval unit, but it was something like that. And those were the ones that got shipped to distributors for their showrooms. I think that's fine though. Like they should be able to make some non-numbered ones if it's like a purpose like that. Like, hey, we have 10 showrooms across the US, but that's what they're there for. They're there for and I think those are not for resale. Like, I think they're not allowed to sell those. I think I could be wrong.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:00

Well, I don't know who's gonna stop them. I mean, they do yeah, they do sell those. I know for a fact.

SPEAKER_03 1:02:05

Yeah, I think they're not supposed to sell them though, contractually. I think.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:10

Man, there's a lot of shit people aren't supposed to do, man. Well, I mean, you just change the nameplate off and yeah, yeah, that's true. I mean, it's like it's like fucking, it's like the tag on the mattress, you know? Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:21

Whatever. Uh quick shout out to Aimless Pinball taking over the Indist stream on such short notice. Did you guys watch any of that? I know people played- Oh, yeah, man, that was a great stream. That was a really good stream.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:34

Did did you watch it, Jamie?

SPEAKER_04 1:02:36

Yeah, I did. I did. I I you know, I lurk, but uh, I did enjoy the pin disc and I did enjoy Pinmasters as well. I think uh Tom does an amazing job. Tom's phenomenal.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:49

Yeah. Yeah, I kind of wonder what the.

SPEAKER_04 1:02:55

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:56

What what do we like?

SPEAKER_04 1:02:58

I like the commentators. Well, if I'm commentating, I want my ass, my face up there.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:03

So when when you stream, you show the commentary booth, right? Always. Yeah. And that same way we do it. So do you, yeah. We do it. Um and this this is the way what I think about like I there's a w it some people say there's no way to do it because we're showing too much information. There's always a way to do it. Always a way. What do you mean showing too much information?

SPEAKER_04 1:03:28

I don't know what you mean. Well, you've got three cameras, you know, and so what me and Kale do is we add a fourth camera to have you know us and our reactions to what we're seeing. And I think people really enjoy watching their actions. I enjoy your stream incredibly because I want to see you and and and surge go, you know, and right get excited.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:53

And and to answer your question, Ralph, um for example, with um the like the nationals, you have to show all the logos for the sponsors. And then and then you and then there's like um with within this, I think there's sponsors there too, but yeah, there were. They were rotating through all kinds of sponsors. Plus, you have the scores which come from Carl's software, and then see that's where a lot of the data uh can come from. So it's not just the cameras taken up with their stuff.

SPEAKER_03 1:04:26

You're trying to say they there are some people that complain there's too much stuff on the screen.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:31

No, but uh well, when I've talked to other streamers about like why don't you show the commentators?

SPEAKER_03 1:04:36

Yeah, that's one of the oh, because there's already so much stuff up there. Correct. I like when I see I never watch those, so that's why like when I watch the stuff at the bat or Jamie, what you do or haven't done in a while, but usually do. Yeah. Sorry, that sounded like I was dissing you, but that didn't that didn't come out right. That's not I didn't mean it to sound like that. Hey, join the clone, man. No, I didn't mean it to sound like that. But I like that to to your point, Jamie. Like, I like seeing you guys react. That's fun. Like that makes it a little bit more fun and more it makes it more like interactive in a way, you know.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:09

And and if you you go to Twitch and you see like the biggest streamers, you know, they're all video game mostly, besides the girls that sit in the baby pools. But um they you can see them, you can see the person who's who's talking. You you can, you know, they can they can have reactions in the camera. I mean, that's how you that's how you sell it.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:31

You know Tom this once, and Tom was like, I'm not this we're not the stars, they're the stars. It's like an NFL game. You don't see Troy Aikman in a booth all the time, you just occasionally see them. That's why they they like that. Or Carl said it's very similar. But I think especially a s a surge in kale stream takes on a life of its own. That people really like. It's not just about the players, okay? It's also about their extensive knowledge of the game. It might be about the the the bullshit that me and Ralph talk online, whatever. There's a personality part about it, because even though Indisk and Pantastic had tremendous amount of views, I don't know. I like it.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:23

Yeah. Yeah, and that um I I understand the NFL uh analogy, but we're not the NFL. No. You know, like we we need to find star power wherever it is, and you know, it's not always the player, you know. Um sometimes it is, but it like it takes the the commentary to describe what's going on. Yeah, you know, and and people get in it it's just another selling point. Like, like why not both? You you have a really exciting player on the on the game, he's a star. You have the commentary people, they're they're the stars, and and the machine's a star, you know. Um but I I think it's just when you when you compare it to NFL, you're comparing it to old media, and and that's not what this is.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:15

No, you're trying to get new people in the pinball. That's what we're always trying to do. And I I don't know. I'm pro showing the commentators. Always have been, always will be. That's and uh real quick You need another rig, and I'm selling three Z V1s and three Axons receivers and transmitters.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:34

Why why are you selling those? Because I don't need them. I I don't need a single you don't use that big, gigantic rig anymore. I do.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:41

I have this gigantic rig that I built for Eureka Heights, and it just became a pain in my ass, to be really honest with you. Okay, so you're going you're going back to a single I'm gonna go back to a single rig and uh do Jamie versus Ralph once a quarter. Uh that's it. You're not gonna do anything else. No, I don't want to do anything else.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:02

No tournament streams.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:03

No tournament streams. I think I'm done. I think I'm retired. You know, I'd love to sit in and it feels right, the decision feels right. We're we're breaking, breaking isn't this is breaking news. It just feels good. It's just I don't get to enjoy the tournaments as much when I'm streaming. You know, you know this. You don't even play in them because you can't, right? Right. And uh I I like playing in the tournaments more and interacting with the crowd. So hey. So you want some axoons and some Z V1s?

SPEAKER_01 1:08:36

No. Come on, I'll make you a deal. But I but I would need another capture card. I I don't want to I don't want to do all that. I'm what I'm fine. Um Yeah, I mean I have all everything you need. You know you know what you need. Do you have a capture card?

SPEAKER_04 1:08:52

Yeah, probably.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:54

What what do you mean probably?

SPEAKER_04 1:08:56

I have everything. You can even take the YOLO box. You want the YOLO box? Wait, you're getting rid of the YOLO box too? No, I'm not getting rid of the YOLO box. I'm just kidding. I love the YOLO box. Uh no, there's you would need another capture card. Yeah, go buy another capture card. I'm fine. I like I like doing what I'm doing. I know, but two rigs at the bat would be pretty BA. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:20

What I need is what I I need the ability to like stream our Tuesday nights like a like a tiny rig.

unknown 1:09:30

With two.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:30

Oh, that would be cool. Actually, you do have a league night? Do it at a league night?

SPEAKER_03 1:09:34

Oh, that would be cool.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:35

Too many.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:37

Yeah, it'd be so hard to roll it around with everybody.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:40

It was like 120 last Tuesday. Damn.

SPEAKER_03 1:09:43

That's awesome.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:44

How do you have you ever come across someone that didn't want to be streamed?

SPEAKER_01 1:09:50

Oh, that was it. I saw your video about that.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:53

Yeah. Um I was just gonna say where this came from is I was watching a stream, uh, Carpal Pinball. And uh kid was on and he was nervous. You could see he was nervous, right? And they chose this group because it was a dynamic group of people throughout Texas, and the kid just got nervous, and then a parent came up and was complaining uh that their kid was being streamed because it made them nervous and throwing them off their game and a lot, you know. Well, play on player is what they said, but uh I mean you know it's a streamed event, right? You know they've been streaming every little mini tournament up until this big event in Abilene, so you know what it is. So everyone shouldn't I just would avoid those players when I was at the former joint. If you didn't want to play, if you didn't want to be streamed, just tell me. But if you make it to the final four, it's almost tough shit.

SPEAKER_03 1:10:58

Oh, yeah. But what's the did they want the camera gone, or was it just that that they knew they were like was it that they didn't want to be broadcast at all, or the camera made them nervous?

SPEAKER_04 1:11:07

It made them nervous.

SPEAKER_03 1:11:08

I think it just made the kid you know nervous. So it wasn't like I don't want my kid broadcasted, it wasn't that.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:14

No, it wasn't that because if that you just put up a picture of a Looney Tunes and OBS and you put it over the kid's face, right? That's not creepy.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:23

I I have had to deal with this a couple of times. Um you have yeah, uh one guy, and it wasn't like a nervous thing, it was just like not wanting to be online, kind of like almost almost like Luddite type vibe. Um and I was like, and I just moved the rig, and like, you know, he had some hot shots like John Shopper, everybody wants to see. Right. And he was like, you know, I'm not doing this. He's like, can you put tape over the camera? And so I handed him some gaff tape, and but he didn't he didn't ever apply it. So we just we went we we went along, so that that was one time, and um, and then uh the only other time we were doing like Chewy's knockout, and one guy I I moved the rig and and I was coming to like Joker poker, and this one guy was like, Man, do you really want to do this? I was like, Yeah. He's like, he's like, man, man, you know, let he's he was just like, hey, you know, I don't I I really I I don't feel good about this. I was like, I was like, well, let's try it out and you know, see what you think. I think it'll be fine. And and he was like, cool with it. Um, so yeah, I've seen little situations like that. Um, it's never been like a big, big deal, but I think this is where you should state it. When when you do the description on the IFPA website, you know, if it is an IFPA event, just state it. Hey, put some asterisk and start like make it put it all bold. This is a televised event, you know, just so people know. And if you don't want to be on Facebook or YouTube or wherever you stream, just don't sho don't show up.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:18

I try to accommodate them as everyone all the time as well, Kale, right? Just like you. I'm I'm just trying to accommodate. If you don't want to be on stream, I'll try to avoid you all night. But if you make it to the finals, I could put something over your face on OBS, it's real easy.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:36

What about like some little like eyes wide shut masks? Just keep those, keep those around.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:42

People get nervous though. We had a bunch uh people that just say it just it takes me off my game. Okay. No problem. And that's the beauty of two rigs. That's why you need another rig, because you can just go, all right, forget you. It's true.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:57

Yeah, forget you. We're going over here.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:59

We're going over here, and then when we're gonna I'll just boom, go back over. So there you go. All right, we're almost coming to the end here, gentlemen. Not bad. Hour and 13. Doing pretty good so far, Ralph and Kale. Have we had a discussion of how to grow pinball? This is a this is an important conversation, right? Because we we always throw it's the IP, it's this, it's that. What do we need to do? Why isn't pinball bigger than it is? Why did pickleball grow and pinball is still relatively unknown?

SPEAKER_01 1:14:35

Yeah, what what made me think about this the other day? Um I used to think pinball is too complicated. It it's hard, it's hard to explain all the rules, especially with modern games.

SPEAKER_03 1:14:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:51

You know, you you need surge and three or four hours of your time to go through a modern stern game, right? So I was like, I was like, it's just it's it's hard to teach people like how to play these games. Like you need to be you you need to hold their hand. And then I was like, uh even just um just flipping, forget about the rules, just understanding what to do. I've I've at the arcade, I've seen people put a dollar in a machine and plunge the ball and then watch it drain. Like it's potinko or something. And then do it.

SPEAKER_03 1:15:32

Not actually flip a flipper.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:34

100%. See, that's oh wow. I think everybody involved in pinball, all of us. We're in this bubble. We've been doing it for so long, we we don't understand what the what the how the public looks at this. Yeah. And so, you know, I was like, well, that's the answer. Pinball's just too damn complicated. There are people that don't know you can't. I've played in tournaments with like new people who had been around the arcade and played pinball and gotten some good scores, and then they play in a tournament and they watch somebody nudge and they call me over there to DQ them. And I'm like, what do you mean? He's like, Well, he moved the machine. I was like, That's pinball. And then he's like, We can move the machine. I was like, Yeah, uh as long as it doesn't tilt, keep playing. See, the lots of people they they have no idea. And uh so I but then I went to there's a there's a world-famous tabletop gaming place here in in Arizona, um, and I don't even know the name of it right now, but oh, gamers guild. We went there to go check it out, buy some board games, and there's this massive room with people. I mean, the the place is freaking sold out, and it is huge of people playing very, very complicated tabletop games. So that's when it got into my head. Well, it's not the difficulty of this, but well then well then what the hell is it? You know, pickleball blew up because it's very simple. It's it's like tennis. Everybody's seen tennis, and most people have played tennis when you especially when they're kids, you know, and and and that that just blew up out of nowhere. But yeah, like what like why is why is the industry, why it us, we're part of it too. Like, why is it so hard to to grow this?

SPEAKER_04 1:17:31

Ralph, you're a new you're you're a newbie, you got sucked in what five years ago, four years ago?

SPEAKER_03 1:17:37

Yeah, no, I think it's five now, but something like that. Um Well, I mean, this is this is like kind of an e a basic answer, but I kind of feel like even though we think there's a lot of arcades out there and these games are everywhere, they're not nearly as everywhere as they were in like the 80s and 90s. You know what I mean? So I feel like I don't know what the I don't know what how many less arcades or locations, because of course then you had them in like pizza places and malls and bowling alleys and just just just to give you a point of reference, uh the best-selling pinball machine of all time sold 24,000 copies, and that was in like a year, a year and a half.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:22

Yeah. You know, so these these games are like everywhere on location.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:30

Well, that's what I mean. Like they were they were literally everywhere, so the public exposure to them now is like a small fraction of what it used to be. We just are caught in this small niche that it seems like a lot to us, but it's really not to the general person because unless they're seeking it out, probably aren't gonna run into it.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:48

Especially when you go to TPF and you see the thousands of people there, you're like, God, we're in such a big community, but we're really a pimple. I know. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:18:57

I don't know. I do agree though with Kale on the there, it might be some intimidation of it feeling complicated as like a barrier to get in. Like, oh man, especially like if I were to walk in, if my first experience was I just walked into any tournament, I don't care where you are, and I saw that group of people playing, I probably wouldn't want to play because I'd be like, oh man, they're really good. So I don't want to look stupid in front of these because that's like a new human nature thing, right? You don't want to look dumb in front of a bunch of people that are really good at something. Yeah, I don't know. There's probably a little bit of that, but I don't know. And then like, do you think the industry, do you think the industry could be better at marketing it too? Like all these companies could be better at you know, finding ways to tie it in like culturally, you know, to bring in more people. I mean, I guess Pokemon is like a good theme to try to do that, but like we'll never see the numbers of well, how many new players did it really activate or whatever from a marketing term perspective? Like, how many new players really came from this Pokemon crossover world? And is it just a small fraction that really doesn't make that much of a dent in the overall, you know, community? I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:11

I I think one thing that needs to come back is a successful streamer. And there are there are a ton of streamers, but it it doesn't feel like anybody has taken the place of Jack.

SPEAKER_03 1:20:26

Yeah, well, it's hard to do because he was exceptional at being able to still play good and talk and talk. That's you know that's not easy to do.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:36

Yeah. He he was you know, the best at it. Just the best at it. So do you what you know, at locations? I know John does this at Eureka, and you do it, and Rachel does it. When you see that new player, John can't help himself, man. He goes, makes a beeline over to him and says, Let me tell you how to enjoy this a little more.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:59

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_04 1:21:00

And I like that approach that he does, right? Because he he's not creeping, he's not like, hey, what's going on? Pinball. He he goes over and he goes, Hey, let me just put it at you. I don't know. Don't listen to me. And uh, you know, he's teaching them and he's teaching them the game, and he's teaching them, you know, the reason we have 26 here is because they're all different, every one of these is different. And let me show you what the skill shot is because it's really cool, you know. Right off the bat, there's something for you to do. Yeah, there's always something to do, and uh he just does a really good job at that, and I know you do, I mean, uh as well. Uh and you know, tournaments when we have a tournament at Eureka, we we say, Who's new here? Right, and they raise their hand and we go, All right, everybody, look out for John over here and Bob, okay? Make sure they play uh they don't play at a turn, because that's the biggest mistake, and help them out, okay? Let's make this enjoyable for them because what do we want? We want them to come back.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:11

Right?

SPEAKER_04 1:22:12

Yeah, so I think you know, people that do these leagues that are like uh 10,000 ranking and above, those are awesome. I'd love to see you know more of that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:22:25

You know, fit no, and all that's great, but I mean all all that's doing is describing decent people. You know, that that's not yeah, uh that's not a formula to take, you know, Stern from you know, 200, 300 million dollar company to you know, eight times that.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:46

Yeah. They have to get it more in mainstream, get it more like when Ted Lasso had his Wizard of Oz in there and stuff like that. It's got to be much more mainstream when Dua Lipa was laying over machines and and that sort of thing. Yeah, I don't know if you remember that. That was here in Houston at Poison Girl at uh Mike's joint.

SPEAKER_01 1:23:06

Yeah, I mean that's the kind of stuff you have to bring it back into the the popular culture, and and um man, it's just like a struggle. I mean, I you know, I feel I feel for all of these companies.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:17

Yeah. It's a tough gig, and then we, you know, three jackasses that we are go talking crap about them and uh and we wrap it up. It's pretty fun.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:28

So we're we're gonna solve this, we're gonna figure it out eventually. We're gonna figure out how to make pinball mainstream.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:34

It's like, you know how you somebody you know that somebody loves pinball? They open their mouth, right? It's like the same thing with CrossFit. You ever met a CrossFit person? They don't shut the hell up. So yeah, oh no, they don't shut up. They don't shut up. So as long as we keep talking and maybe we'll get some more people involved.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:49

And I will say this, though, to your point about like people being just generally unaware of it. I to I said this in my last podcast, but I was at um I was getting my hair cut, and the the girl that cuts my hair, she's like really into like a lot of like Marvel and Disney and Harry Potter. She's like, she's into every geek thing you could possibly be into, everything DD, everything. So she was like talking to me about something, and I can't remember if I was I don't know if I had just got back, she's like, What have you been up to lately? I was like, Oh, well, I went out to Chicago to go see this new pinball machine, and she's like, Oh, really? Like, what was it? And I was like, Pokemon, and she's like, They made a Pokemon pinball machine. I was like, Yeah, and she goes, Oh, can I see it? Do you have any pictures? And I showed her, and she was like, Oh my god, and then she pulls another guy over from the other chair cutting hair, and she's like, Did you ever see there's a Pokemon pinball machine? His he he goes, They still make new pinball machines, and then then this other guy's like, Pokemon pinball, so they all start freaking out about that, and I go, Hey, now that I know that you're interested in this, and because she she she really loves Harry Potter, but I didn't ever talk pinball with her. I go, There's a Harry Potter pinball machine, too. And I showed her that, she lost her shit. She's like, Oh my gosh, I want to play it. Where do I go play all these games? Like, where can I play the Pokemon? So, so you know what I mean? Like, they're inter the people that would be interested are out there, they just don't know it exists. Like, there's nerdy people, you know, or like that are into this stuff, they just don't have access to it. Like, no one's sharing it with them, right? That's how that's the challenge. Is how do you get to all these people that actually would probably be really into it if they knew it existed, you know? That's the challenge. That's that's number one goal, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:25:28

Yeah, I think I think it's just it takes it in a very entertaining person to stream this and bring it to the masses. I mean, like like right now, your biggest streamer in the world is a freaking peanut that's playing arc raiders. I mean, sometimes he sometimes he gets like a hundred and fifty thousand people watching him. Crazy.

SPEAKER_03 1:25:50

No, that's nuts.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:52

But he's he's playing the exact same game everybody else is playing. There's just something about him. And you have to find that that star quality, that person with the charisma. I mean, Jack Danger was it. You know, he could pull it off, he could talk to, he could talk, he could entertain people, he could play the shit out of a pinball machine, and and nobody's ever been able to replace him. And and I think I mean nowadays, like that's what you need. You need somebody showing off your product, yeah, who's entertaining, but why not use they do a really good job.

SPEAKER_03 1:26:23

Ralph does a good job, but I don't know. I can't do it frequently enough. Um, um yeah, here's the thing like what you're saying though, Kale, it kind of goes back to what we were saying before. Like, Stern put him in this social media role, like have him out on the street. Like, how cool! I would totally watch if you could have a thing, if I would watch the shit out of if Jack would just randomly like they made videos where he'd be randomly pulling people into an arcade to come check out pinball, and he could get them. I would say yes to him. He's got the charisma. I'd be like, Oh, who is this guy, this gentle giant guy? I'll I'll listen to him, and especially when people know they're being filmed. Like, that would be a fun video, and then he could teach them. I don't know, I would watch that all day long. They're not using him in the right capacity, like use his talent.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:09

You you nailed it because he's he does this ask Jack thing, right? I like the Ask Jack. It's great. The Ask Jack thing, it's really great, but who it's only speaking to a small group of people that are already the audience is already there, it's not new audience, it's the existing audience. Like stop on that channel and go, What is this guy with the red box talking about?

SPEAKER_03 1:27:31

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:31

If but if he had a freaking pinball machine and you could see the score, you can see the play field, it's freaking Pokemon, it the colors are great. The dude designed the machine. Yeah, I mean, that you know, stream that thing, you know, five days a week, like it's a job, you know. But like what they're focusing, what the the Stern marketing department is focusing on, it seems like they're focusing on the the audience they already have.

SPEAKER_03 1:27:56

Audience they already have, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:57

And not you know, looking outside.

SPEAKER_04 1:28:00

of that I'll make a television show like uh uh Jack plays with uh you know Kevin Smith you invite Kevin Smith down the stern all that that's great all the time have you guys been seeing those videos the Kevin Smith videos you've seen them right I've seen yeah do you think those are do you think those are organic or do you think he's someone paid him to do that no I think they're organic I think he's really takes you don't think anybody paid him to to make that content I'm just curious I don't I don't I don't I honestly don't know it seems like he does yeah he I don't think he's that kind of guy yeah it's you want to you know the best piece of uh Kevin Smith content I've ever seen look up it's on YouTube he he does a talk about when he met Prince it is it is it is some of the funniest shit on the internet okay about he describes just how weird he was and how he treated him and it was I mean it's not like he's not like talking shit about it but it was like it is a very funny uh comedic piece check that out I'm gonna I'm gonna say something really quick I'm gonna throw it out there this is the part of the show where I'm probably gonna get in trouble.

SPEAKER_03 1:29:07

Uh oh I really struggle with skinny Kevin Smith I struggle with it dude silent Bob was a bigger guy like it's I struggle with it so much when he tries to dress up as him again it they should put stuffing in or something I don't know it's yeah it's so it's so weird when somebody has a dramatic change like that um you're just not hungry on the over who's the guy that was he was in super bad and he got really skinny and he was but he was always typecast as like a slightly chubby character Wolf of Wall Street what's his name what's his name is it Noah something Jonah Jonah Hill is he's great.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:49

Yeah he he started doing jujitsu lost a lot of weight yeah but he that movie super bad is not the same super bad so funny like when he when he comes up and says that his name is Mick Lovin it's like the funniest shit to me I'm like with this kid's like dude yeah I'm micklovin like you have no last name that would make an um the music everything that would make an amazing pinball material actually I could see that funniest shit I'm surprised no one's done a homebrew super bad that seems like yeah someone make a homebrew super bad we'll play it all right we didn't get in too bad we did good today not in too much trouble we skipped the topic and thank god because I don't want to talk about it and uh which one are you talking about some some the one that has to do with YouTube yeah we're not talking about it okay yeah it's fine oh god though I want to do so bad but I really I just wanted to know how it works yeah I well I don't know how it works we might have to ask somebody let's not do it we'll get we'll we we we came out pretty good we're pretty clean on this episode let's the next one we'll we'll make up for it on the next one okay focus Jamie all right we're wrapping this up and you're such a little kid you want to say it still I'm not gonna do it all right don't do it Kale's the one that he goes me uh all right so TPF next week Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday the 19th 20th 21st and 22nd if you haven't got if you haven't got your tickets please go it is gonna be a blast I'm gonna be hanging out with this guy and we're gonna be doing a live round table um I think it's gonna be at 8 o'clock p.m on Saturday night. Okay cool okay so uh we're gonna do it from the fast pinball and uh Marco specialties booth just like we did at uh the expo which is gonna have a huge homebrew section and that's why you've got to go to TBF because Amoda's done a really good job with Aaron of really promoting and Marco promoting uh homebrew sections so it's gonna be badass. So we're gonna riverside our friend Kale in there.

SPEAKER_01 1:32:08

Oh cool yeah yeah we got invited Ralph I didn't tell you this we got invited to do the Marco specialty stream to host for a little bit really yeah that's fun okay I didn't know that we're getting some pretty cool this is gonna be fun man we got a couple of fun little invites and stuff yeah we got and going to the Stern Army party thank you Michael Grant yeah this is on Friday night we're legit look at you do you remember when I passed you in the line at the Stern Army party um Jamie uh in Chicago you remember that right in Chicago for Kong was it Kong or was it uh well I can't even remember it wasn't Kong it was for expo an army expo oh no it was expo Jamie was waiting in the line and you're just like peace bro and you like walked by it was about the people were pulling me I was but but now you're in you're in no it took two years to get to somewhat to his level ladies and gentlemen but you know he just walks in he you know he Rob Burke I don't need a pass whatever okay I'm in this so TPF that's gonna be great what do you got coming up at the bat you already had chewy this month right yep we already did chewy's uh Rachel and I are we need to record a bat cast because we have earnings for what month did we just finish just did January so February February that's it there you go there you go very exciting earnings I can't I can't wait to see what Pokemon does. Me too so if you've been following the batcast the uh the Papa shot elite has been you can't dethrone the thing like nothing can right star Star Wars is doing very well it is making a shit ton of money and it's still it still cannot beat the Papa shot elite I'm thinking Pokemon is the one to do it. So stay tuned. Yeah that'll be cool to see Pokemon is it too early to tell because you guys literally just put it on the floor but are you finding just in the limited time is there more interest in Star Wars or less interest just based on the limited amount of time there's uh from from the chatter in person and online from multiple so show social media outlets uh we have never seen this much excitement for a pinball machine period full stop that's cool awesome and uh check out uh the electric bat on especially on Instagram and Facebook because there was a really cool video that he posted about the what was it the big buck hunter your big buck hunter that broke down so that's pretty awesome I sent it to Ralph and Ralph posted it that video that video did crazy good by the way too another one that was like 3000 views or something and and Roth Rills picked it up which was really cool. Roth Rills even posted it that and Ralph you know that and Jamie no that was not staged I I like no I didn't I sent that to Ralph as like holy shit look at what's going on this this was not a staged thing the the the coin box was overflowing that's a great game yeah if you're an operator pick up one of those I think Zach sells them right Flippin' Out yeah flipping out sells them yeah yeah and I'm now sponsored again so I renewed my subscription sponsorship not subscriptions by sponsorship so go buy that from flipping out finball Zach at Flippin'out Fimball doesn't Ken do does a lot of the Rothbrills games yep yep he does some of the arcade stuff yeah should we start a Patreon the three of us no right never I don't want to do I don't think so I like you have I like that you're having this conversation um uh I've I've always been against putting content behind a paywall I understand why I understand why some people do that but at as soon as you do that I've I find it it it changes your content even even talking about like the New York Times the New York Times once they put up their paywall everything changed because when they had the data they can tell when people are unsubscribing and so they're like oh well we have to push more you know bash this politician or bash that politician just to get people in you know it you're not true to yourself because you start to freak out even uh our friend Canada he's had his stuff behind a paywall for a while and he's making great money doing it right yeah um but you know he you get when when his numbers go down he he freaks out and he's like oh I have to uh release a free episode you know it it changes the vibe and and to to me it just it's it's a good feeling when you're able to uh drop free content for people yeah but then and then you just get creative uh with how to um how to make up your money on the back end whether it's selling merch or getting people to come to your arcade uh getting people to check out your stream whatever you know so that's that that's my thoughts on it Ralph you want to start a Patreon with me no you know I actually I actually have the same I have the same mindset as Kale and by the way I don't I've said it on my own podcast like I don't have any problem with other people that want to do it I never wanted to do it because I just felt like I don't know I did I just I just felt like look I want it to be open I'll get more access to people that way and it's just always been that way and I and honestly it wasn't ever really a money making thing and sure I've been on YouTube for seven and a half years I'd say sure some money has come in but it it maybe the sad thing is after seven years it maybe might maybe be might be two pinball machines in seven and a half years.

SPEAKER_03 1:37:58

So it's not bad two that's pretty good two pros. Maybe maybe I don't know the exact number but something like that. So it's like you know I get a little bit of money from that and so and of course all of that's just gone back into buying others shit but um I was just curious it was I didn't really into that I'm not really into that idea to be honest.

SPEAKER_01 1:38:17

So uh back when Rachel and I first started the badcast people were like why are you not on Patreon people would pay for this and and Rachel said she wouldn't do it because now you set a precedence you now you're like you have to do this thing. Like people are paying you to do this thing and she likes it to where like hey I can just record whenever I want to actually Kayla's like the number one point.

SPEAKER_03 1:38:44

I don't want to have the pressure of like because you pay now you set up a tier and then you have to make good on that tier and then I would feel like shit if someone's paying five bucks for me and I can't keep that up because I know I would be wouldn't yeah so that that's a wicked good point actually.

SPEAKER_02 1:38:58

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 1:38:59

So hey I had the numbers wrong and I don't mind disclosing this because who gives a shit? You can see it publicly in the seven and a half years I suppose a lot more money than I thought. In seven and a half years of doing YouTube I made forty three thousand six hundred eighty eight dollars and twenty four cents.

SPEAKER_01 1:39:16

Was most of that for video game content?

SPEAKER_03 1:39:20

Uh probably the bulk of that money probably came in the years of like 2020 to 2021 or actually 2019 to 2021. But it's not like but it's been a small trickle like obviously after I start stopped doing arcade stuff like the amount of revenue that comes in is like dismal really it's just small amounts but see so so what Jack Danger was doing on Twitch was kicking ass. Oh man print money yeah but wasn't twitch doesn't twitch have like a much better payment process than than you like you get paid more if you're successful on Twitch right than you do on YouTube I think I think so just from the subscribers because you know subscriber on YouTube at his peak what did he have I have no idea I don't know so he and it it was public somebody leaked and he even talked about it I don't know if you guys remember somebody hacked like Amazon servers and got all the information and and he was part of that leak and and it was somewhere between 30 and 40k a year. Okay so keep that in mind so I was made I made 44 in seven and a half years so he was doing very good that's what I'm saying. Yeah that's what I'm saying he was he was he was killing it and he would he'd be if we if he would have kept doing it he'd be he'd be making some more yeah I wonder if he's crank it back up Jack about that I'm sure he probably does we need you I th you know he said it on the he I think it was the last ask Jack he talked about want to come back I really think it's probably a time like I don't think he has time probably right now because of with with all that designing he's doing well because I don't know it's weird like what do you guys think though seriously when he posts stuff because I actually commented on something he posted it was like a design he it was when he took like old parts from a different game and made it work together and I said something like are you is this like future is this part of the tank girl thing or are you just messing around he's like no I'm literally just messing around and so I think to myself like he's gotta be so busy doing all this stuff like when would he stream and like is he could he not be doing that or is that really for maybe a game because he's still kind of dabbling in development like it's kind of confusing.

SPEAKER_04 1:41:27

Nobody knows yeah like I'd love to know where his time we just want him back right to just want him back because he he he's a star and let's make it happen.

SPEAKER_01 1:41:37

I mean it's a reason I think I think one sticking point is you know if you know Jack personally he's a really great guy and he wants to elevate all pinball and so if he was streaming he would want to stream all manufacturers games oh do you think there's a restriction there then you think they wouldn't might be like a sticking point yeah yeah that's a good point maybe he'd feel some kind I know if it was me and I used to stream like he did and then I worked for a manufacturer I would and they they were like you can only stream Stern games I would probably feel some kind of way about that.

SPEAKER_03 1:42:17

I almost would feel like well now I'm gonna seem like that's you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 1:42:22

I mean people would understand it I guess because he works there but I guess but I I would it would feel like you don't have the creative control of your own channel anymore and people don't like that and I get that I I'm the same way I I don't want to have someone tell me what my content is going to be you know yeah so boys we did it again I'm proud of a good show yeah I feel like it's a good show I feel good about it I'm proud of us I feel good about it another banger another studly before we go though did you figure out what Victor does at barrels yeah he works on the assembly line okay see all right good I'm glad we found that we love Victor we want to see more I love this is this is this is why you can't stop streaming we need to see we need more victor yeah he was funny he was funny in the commentary booth he was great he was having a great time yeah I'm done I'm done I'm gonna let Victor just set it up and let Victor do it just give him full access Victor here just press press record hit me up all right you know how to get in touch with me you want to take over the stream tell him he can do that but he's got to give us the next game title and then we're good I don't think anybody on that line knows the next game title they keep everything well under wraps over there many pretty good about that I will say they got a room with a special key and a door pad. For real?

SPEAKER_04 1:43:47

Yeah so what's it's it's like skunk works it's like some CIA like black ops yeah like scan your eye shit get they think David Vaness sleeps in that room you think he sleeps in there overnight just in case just for security reasons or no I don't know I invited David to come play at uh the last tournament and I'll invite you right now because we got a tournament tomorrow night at Eureka and uh come and tell us do you sleep there?

SPEAKER_01 1:44:14

He's he's gotta be super busy.

SPEAKER_03 1:44:16

They love you know they they had a hit game yeah they're pumping out the dunes yeah good times no never ending story would be my only thing oh you're into you're you're you're you're anti but what would you rather have Carl Crawler dungeon or uh Dungeon Crawler Carl I would rather have I would rather have that even though I don't even know anything about it.

SPEAKER_04 1:44:41

Yeah either of it I would rather have that so Jamie you'd rather have Carl Carl crawl whatever Carl Carl Crunk Carl stay off crunk Carl crawler all right we gotta wrap it up thank you guys so much uh follow Retro Ralph on all of his channels you know where to find him the guy's printing money on YouTube and Facebook and uh JPS show keep you know just click that subscribe and the bell so you know when this comes up because it's uh nine o'clock I'll put it up tonight.

SPEAKER_03 1:45:17

Sweet. Yeah why not why not do it and then and then and then come see Jamie and I at TPF. Come say hi we're gonna be there how much coins are you bringing I think I got like 20 of them. Whoa nice yeah I don't know if I'm gonna give out all 20 because they're kind of expensive but we'll see I'll I might we'll see I think you got yeah save one for the bat all right and for me okay okay so negative I can do basic math okay cool all right all right bye everybody thank you so much appreciate you thank you