https://www.walmart.com/ip/Haunted-House-3D-Digital-Pinball-Machine-ToyShock-77000/211973564 First there was Tastemakers' Arcade1Up 3/4 arcade cabs. Then AtGames successfully brought "MAME for everyone". Now, we finally have our first 3/4 virtual pinball entry for $400 from Toy Shock Taiyo, featuring 12 Gottlieb pinball games. It looks promising. My primary complaints are that awful silver-colored bezel and the fact I'll probably need a low stool to sit on in order to play it (it's only about 31" tall where the flipper buttons are). This is definitely the next step from the old Zizzle pinball tables. And with only a 24" playing field and just a static score board instead of a secondary monitor, it won't be for everyone. But I think it'll look good in the mini arcade in my basement.
Video pinball? Ick. That thing looks beyond cheap, I'd love to own a pinball game but not that. If it doesn't have moving parts and an actual ball, there's no point, no feel to it. It may as well be on a console. It takes up all that space for no reason.
I know from my perspective, I'm interested in virtual tables because of the lack of space plus the maintenance that comes with real pinball machines is extraordinary in parts and expense. That said, yes, it looks like a toy. For $400, you can't expect a hobby-quality table. My friend built a full size VP cab and it ran him well over $2000. -\_o_/-
At an arcade I went to in Austin, TX a few years ago, they had a virtual pinball table that had multiple tables built in, but honestly it was not good. The ball physics were lousy, and it played really slowly. So I can't help but be skeptical about this, especially for the low price. Besides, for the most part Gottlieb tables are not my favorites. If they put out a Bally/Williams table, I might consider it (if I actually find room to put it somewhere). This is the reason I'm OK with it being virtual instead of real. I've been helping my parents maintain their Theatre of Magic table for years, and that thing is constantly needing maintenance. There are so many moving parts and wires, and the balls are really rough to the targets and playfield (I only replaced the trunk a few years ago, and it's already missing bits due to the balls hitting it so often and so hard). I still need to get a new plunger and the playfield needs cleaned again.
Don't get me wrong. A real pinball table will nearly ALWAYS be superior to a virtual one. But the practicality of having one in my home is - not practical. My friend's full scale virtual, though, is VERY good. He even sank the monitor down into the cab with glass about an inch or so above it to give it a true playfield effect. Doesn't play slow at all - but it also is using a gaming PC to drive the tables. The little bits you can see in the Youtube commercial for THIS table, though, appears to be fine, if a lower resolution (which probably explains the need for a 24" monitor for the playfield - smaller screens hide imperfections better).
Now that these are a thing, I've noticed the old Zizzle pinball tables are coming down in price a bit. These were about the closest thing to decent home pinball as you can get without paying thousands of dollars. This one is $635 shipped. Zizzle Pirate's of the Caribbean Pinball | eBay Personally, I'd rather take the Toyshock with 12 tables for $400. But those Zizzle tables are nice if you can find them in working order. (And that's the problem with them is that they still need about the same amount of maintenance as a full size table - only parts are even scarcer).
Mine is arriving early next week. May take the afternoon off to make sure I'm home when it arrives on delivery day. In the meantime, here are some videos of the unit unboxing and review.
Mine arrived yesterday! Honest opinion. It's fun...but it's nowhere near $3000 VPIN quality. It's running Pinball Arcade mobile. Not shabby but definitely doesn't quite have the depth of field I was hoping for. There is a very, very slight lag in some of the games regarding the flippers and plunger, the latter not as big a deal while the former takes a little bit of getting used to. It's a little on the short side...so I sit while my 5'3" wife stands comfortably. While the bezel is large, I found my hands resting on a large chunk of it so it makes sense...or else I'd be smearing the monitor. I just wish it'd been black but the silver is no big deal. Is it a decent addition to an Arcade1Up room? Yes. Is it a reasonable substitute to a well built VPin kit? No. But you definitely get what you pay for here and I'm pretty happy with it.
