50 replies to this topic

[Conehead]

Steam is not the engine for any games
It is just the retailer.

So when I download, I'm downloading both the engine plus the tables, i.e. independent of Steam?  And therefore if Steam goes away after that, I can still play the games on my cabinet.  Is this correct?

Edited by Conehead, 04 September 2020 - 06:04 PM.

[wiesshund]

Yes

[Conehead]

Yes

Fabulous!  I will definitely get FX3 then.  Thanks for confirming! 

[topper2k]

It's hard to answer your question about how much it would cost to purchase all the FX3 tables. Titles more than a year or so old are usually priced around $10 for a pack of 3-4 tables. But there are routinely deep discounts. They haven't released a new table this year and I've only been doing this virtual pinball thing since March, so I don't know what they sell for when they're fresh.

 

There are A LOT of tables probably more than 100, but that's really just a guess. And some are pretty fun. But there are also a lot of dogs. So you could buy all the tables, but I'm not really sure you'd want all the tables. They also all feel more like video games than pinball tables to me. That's not always bad. But it is different.

 

I bought a bunch of Marvel and Star Wars tables this summer when they were deeply discounted. One thing I was surprised by and a little disappointed about was that very few of those tables actually use the voices of the actors/actresses from the films. I mean, if I'm looking at an old-school Han Solo, the voice should be Harrison Ford's, not some random voice actor. Anyway, I'll get off my soapbox now.

[Conehead]

There are A LOT of tables probably more than 100, but that's really just a guess. And some are pretty fun. But there are also a lot of dogs. So you could buy all the tables, but I'm not really sure you'd want all the tables.

 

Good point.  I think I'll build up my collection based on the "good quality" tables rather than just have lots of them.

[topper2k]

Also, I have to say, the best FX3 table out there is Terry Red's update to Star Wars Death Star Assault, on Future Pinball. Seriously, it's got great physics with BAM/FP and also has the animations and actions you typically only find on an FX3 table. It still feels like pinball, but has fantasy elements that could never exist in real life.

[db10145216]

So, I just checked and the all in price for Pinball FX3 tables is $203.76. Of course that is for 33 table packs, some of which are on sale, most of which are not. Seems that the ones that are on sale are selling for about 50% off. If you are patient, you may be able to acquire all the packs at a discount over a longer period of time. 

 

The full price pack seems to average $9.99 per pack.

 

Finally, Pinball FX3 is also avaiable for download via a Windows Store, if that gives you any added confidence about long term availability of your purchases. I don’t know if the Windows Store follows the same pricing strategy as Steam.

 

One final note: Humble Bundle where you can buy Steam games at extreme discounts may be a worthwhile place to see about deeper discounts if you decide to follow the Steam route.

[Samuel Villena]

Finally, Pinball FX3 is also avaiable for download via a Windows Store, if that gives you any added confidence about long term availability of your purchases. I don’t know if the Windows Store follows the same pricing strategy as Steam.
 

I’m not 100% sure, but I think that cabinet mode doesn’t work with windows version, only steam versions has this option available.


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[wiesshund]

 

Finally, Pinball FX3 is also avaiable for download via a Windows Store, if that gives you any added confidence about long term availability of your purchases. I don’t know if the Windows Store follows the same pricing strategy as Steam.
 

I’m not 100% sure, but I think that cabinet mode doesn’t work with windows version, only steam versions has this option available.


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No, there is no cabinet mode, as the windows store version is cross platform with the XboxOne version, so they are identical.
I kind of do not see that changing unless maybe there was a huge windows store following of the game by cabinet owners, and a ton of people asking for it
but that is not really the windows store audience

[Conehead]

 

"No, there is no cabinet mode, as the windows store version is cross platform with the XboxOne version, so they are identical."

 

 

This is very good to know.  And avoids making a wrong purchase!

 

[LynnInDenver]

To be fair, I suspect that most of the people with interest in FX3 cabinet mode have already bought FX3 via Steam to run on their homebuilt rig... or are waiting anxiously for the Arcade1Up pinball cabinets to come out.

[Conehead]

To be fair, I suspect that most of the people with interest in FX3 cabinet mode have already bought FX3 via Steam to run on their homebuilt rig... or are waiting anxiously for the Arcade1Up pinball cabinets to come out.

 

The new Arcade1Up cabinets will not be customizable/upgradeable to include additional tables though, or will they?  Given what I will be spending for my fully decked out cabinet it's quite amazing that they can offer theirs for just $500, which has to include manufacturing costs, profit, distribution, etc.

[wiesshund]

 

To be fair, I suspect that most of the people with interest in FX3 cabinet mode have already bought FX3 via Steam to run on their homebuilt rig... or are waiting anxiously for the Arcade1Up pinball cabinets to come out.

 

The new Arcade1Up cabinets will not be customizable/upgradeable to include additional tables though, or will they?  Given what I will be spending for my fully decked out cabinet it's quite amazing that they can offer theirs for just $500, which has to include manufacturing costs, profit, distribution, etc.

 

What you can one-off build at home via retail pricing, can be done quickly and cheaply in mass production and volume buying.
Also they are using task specific hardware that is designed to do just one job within a fixed set of parameters (Which dont entail VPX on a 47" 4K display)
That hardware is also mass produced, and at least some of it is made from industry standard parts sources.

 

But your cabinet that you are making, can do way more

 

[LynnInDenver]

The new Arcade1Up cabinets will not be customizable/upgradeable to include additional tables though, or will they?  Given what I will be spending for my fully decked out cabinet it's quite amazing that they can offer theirs for just $500, which has to include manufacturing costs, profit, distribution, etc.

Here's my expectation: It will be the same overall quality as their arcade offerings. 1/2" particle board, hardboard bottom panel, servicable buttons, 12v solenoids. Fine quality for home use, to be sure, but not built like a machine that was intended for an operator to throw into a dive bar. It's built to a price and a specific purpose that doesn't require it to be able to shrug off someone trying to kick in the coin door.

 

That's the annoyance I feel whenever I see people complaining that an Arcade1Up isn't built to the same specification as a real arcade cabinet - it's not supposed to be, it's literally specifically intended to be a home use only machine, and it's unfair to compare the two. And it's why I put it as "we built ourselves out of their target market" with regards to most of the Arcade1Up offerings. We have three of their 3/4 machines anyway (Star Wars, Golden Tee, Asteroids), and it was more specifically about the controls involved.

[Conehead]

Here's my expectation: It will be the same overall quality as their arcade offerings. 1/2" particle board, hardboard bottom panel, servicable buttons, 12v solenoids. 

 

That's the annoyance I feel whenever I see people complaining that an Arcade1Up isn't built to the same specification as a real arcade cabinet - it's not supposed to be, it's literally specifically intended to be a home use only machine, and it's unfair to compare the two. 

 

You think they even have solenoids in the cabinet?  I think it's purely a passive machine with only the sound and nudge buttons.

 

And yes, you can't compare it with a real arcade cabinet, still, I can see where it may be enough to get people interested in pursuing a better machine once they've had a taste.  For example, last year I bought the Arcade1Up Centipede cabinet and now I bought the ArcadeModUp kit to add more games.  The mod kit cost just as much as the original machine, if not slightly more, but still just about $1K all-in.  Good for occasional arcade games, and it's about 7X cheaper than what my cab is going to come in at, in the end when all is said and done!  

[wiesshund]

Yes, it lists solenoids for haptic feed back
They dont need to be big, it's a small machine build of light weight materials
 

I would call the mod kit, a replacement kit
as once you are done installing it, there is no more arcade1up left but the cabinet and LCD.

 

Take that mod kit, a used 22" or 24" 4:3 LCD monitor (usually find them for around $20 USD) and a cabinet of your own creation
and your done.
Now a lucky person may find that they can drum up a used gutted real arcade cabinet locally for nothing, 20 years ago i was able to almost haul them away for free
control panels and all, but maybe not so much so now?

[Conehead]

I would call the mod kit, a replacement kit as once you are done installing it, there is no more arcade1up left but the cabinet and LCD.

 

Take that mod kit, a used 22" or 24" 4:3 LCD monitor (usually find them for around $20 USD) and a cabinet of your own creation and your done.

I agree with you.  It's basically a replacement kit and the only thing remaining is the cabinet and the LCD.  Still, I'm glad I bought the Centipede machine last year as it was a good foray to get back into arcade gaming.

[wiesshund]

I see nothing wrong with them, they are what they are, a sub $400 dollar toy arcade machine.

 

Anyone that expected more than that for $399, with out scrounging to build their own, and really looking hard for the free or next to free stuff, is stupid.


Now, if i knew before hand, about the upgrade kit, and what it entailed etc, i would probably just buy it
and shop around for a used large 4:3 LCD panel as those are a dime a dozen now, and then fab up a fairly simple cabinet
by hitting up craig's list and scrounging it for people selling left over plywood sheets

 

But that is kind of after the fact knowledge.
You probably did not even know about that kit, or it maybe did not even exist at the time.

Still, it is cheaper than buying a 2nd or 3rd cabinet for more games (and less floor space)
So it is still not exactly a bad deal, considering you get a complete control panel, and the rasberry Pi etc, all set up and ready to go.

I do not know the exact dimensions of the cabinet, but since the Pi does a standard output, you could actually eventually replace the bezel panel
and put in a larger LCD, maybe a 22" might fit.

 

And if some day a real cabinet happened to fall into your lap, you could easily transfer all the goodies into it.

When i got my cabinets, many moons ago, MAME was not exactly a big thing, and there was no retro Pi, or retrocade, or launchbox etc
so old cabinets were not exactly a profitable thing, so i got them free or for next to nothing, sometimes with arcade parts still in them, throw in a couple cast off control panels for 5 bucks, that kind of thing.

Now days, that stuff is worth money, you might pay more for a busted ass arcade cabinet that needs hours of repairs and parts hunting, or converting, than you did for your totally working game plus the upgrades.

 

And for a casual player, a $399 pinball cab is something they will never touch in DIY unless someone gives them most of the parts free
And i think it is running some rendition of pinballFX or some custom derivative of it

 

 

 

[Conehead]

You're right.  At the time I bought it for my daughter last Xmas, the mod kits didn't even exist.  Or, if they did, I wasn't aware of them.  I was actually pretty happy to get Centipede as that was really the only game I was interested in, and the other games that came with it were just a bonus.  I think it was more the cabinet style size that appealed to me as well, as it doesn't take up much room.

 

Just this past summer I came across ArcadeModUp and it just seemed like a no-brainer for me to get the upgrade for this Xmas.  It arrived a couple of weeks ago but I left it in the box and will just wrap it up.  My daughter knows about it already because I had her choose the button colours, and she knows we'll just store it away until Xmas.  Hopefully by that time my empty cab will arrive from VirtuaPin as well, and then I can get started on building that out.

 

I'll just have a virtual pin and the modded Arcade1Up arcade cabinet, and that's it.  I'm very fortunate my wife "has agreed" that I'm building a pinball machine, but I don't think she realizes how much space it's going to take up!

[LynnInDenver]

Yeah, that's the other benefit to the main Arcade1Up lines, is that they take up about as much space as an old "cabaret" arcade cabinet, without the premium attached for buying one. The pinball machine will be similarly svelte, but we already have a full size home build, running just about all of the FX3 lineup and much more besides, and actually built to handle most of the abuse a real machine was expected to receive.

 

Do note that we personally have three standard Arcade1Up cabinets... for specific non-joystick control mechanisms. Right now, that's Star Wars (set to remain stock for now), Golden Tee (trackball, will be in the modding queue, but I do enjoy some arcade golf), and Asteroids (bought gently used, modded into "Twinitron", which means we can play Tron and Tempest, using a REAL arcade spinner). We also got a couple of the "countercades" - Space Invaders and Centipede. I don't regret any of them.