The Three Types of Pinball Machines

While it's easy to understand why you should own a pinball machine, it may not be so easy to figure out which pinball title to buy or even which type of pinball machine to buy. Of course you will want to limit your search to 'real' pinball machines, the coin-operated variety, and you will want to research titles and features to find a game that really works with you and your home. Most importantly, you will want to have an understanding of the three main types of flipper pinball: electro-mechanical, early digital, and modern digital. With a little information on your side, starting your pinball collection can be as fun as well - playing a round of pinball.

'Wood Rails' of the 1950's, are the first pinball machine type to establish the modern use of flippers at the base of the playfield and were named for the wooden rails that flank and retain the playfield glass. While the wood rails would be replaced in favor of steel by the end of the decade, the common underlying electro-mechanical(EM) technology of score reels, whirring motors, and clicking relays would remain the standard until the end of the 1970's. These EM machines have a magical charm about them due to their funky old world operations and are every bit as fun to play as modern pinball machines - some even boasting features like 4 player scoring, bonus counters, extra ball, and even multi-ball (Fireball). Players of all ages enjoy the EM pinball for the face value objectives, period artwork, and simplicity of design. Surprisingly, the technology evolved over so many years that a properly reconditioned EM pinball can be a very reliable performer in the home - even the ones old enough to be in a museum.

In 1979, the very first early digital solid state pinball machines appeared. These games launched a new era with fantastic blue scoring displays, high score and feature status memory, and thrilling new sound effects. Beyond that however, these games were very similar to the EM games that preceded them, in fact it's possible to find pinball titles like Night Rider and Sinbad in both Solid State and EM versions. Yet in 1979, Gorgor was talking and the early digital was on it's way to more advanced features like stereo sound, complex scoring objectives, and ramp arrays... even secondary playfields like Haunted House. These early digital machines are great fun to play for more than just their silverball action, at the dawn of the digital age it was really something to be walking past a boardwalk arcade and be immersed in all that sound and energy, pinball from this era is more than just a sign of the times, it is a celebration.

Today's modern digital pinball machines operate on the same, albeit vastly more advanced, digital technology that has it's roots in those late 1970s machines. Something really amazing happened in the early 1990's, pinball machines embraced the Bonus Mode. When Dot Matrix screens appeared in the late 1980s with leader board scoring and animations, the time was right to step things up a notch and bonus modes started appearing in just about every machine. A Bonus Mode converts the entire playfield in to a theme specific mini game, complete with unique lighting, sounds and music - often times centered around a major playfield feature like the file cabinet in X-Files or the ball cannons on Star Trek TNG. Activate a bonus mode and the entire atmosphere and feel changes. A modern digital might have 12 or more such modes, enough to elevate a good round to something much more of an experience. Some of the modern digitals are so popular among collectors that they command twice the price of what they did when new. It's possible to play a modern digital for hours and not see everything the designers have packed in, the rule sheets are sometimes several pages long and there are even hidden features to uncover for the more dedicated player. For a lot of families, the modern digital is the single machine that represents the entirety of pinballs history.

Now one could argue that Haunted House had a bonus mode way back in 1982 with the unique lighting, sound, and scoring that activates when you enter the lower playfield so for simplicity sake, assume that these designations of the the machine types are informal. And the question remains, which machine is right for you. Electro-Mechanical games are great for young kids as the pace is slower, the objectives are easy to understand, and the game play is thick with nostalgia. If you have teens in the house, consider a modern digital as they pack in the most intense experience. But for all pinball shoppers, my advice would be to find a modern digital in your area that is set-up properly and play it until you've sampled a few bonus modes and at the very least some Multiball action. See if you can develop a taste for the intensity and depth - attributes that will serve your family well over the long run. Remember that it is hard to go wrong with having a pinball in the house and that if you really want to go big, the best thing to do is start a collection with one or more titles from each machine type.

Resources:

www.gameroomwarehouse.com - Sponsor

www.IPDB.org - Online Pinball Database

Indiana Jones Pinball Machine - Favorite Modern Digital (one of many)