Pinball

Malkin · Post by **Malkin** » Sat Feb 14, 2026 7:47 pm

How about pinball? Can we talk about pinball? Anyone else play? Favorite machine?

Post by **obvs** » Sat Feb 14, 2026 7:49 pm

I had a friend who absolutely loved pinball. I've always thought it was kind of interesting. Do you play pinball a lot?

ukimalefu · Post by **ukimalefu** » Sat Feb 14, 2026 10:46 pm

I like pinball, but I haven't played an actual physical pinball in... decades. And I had some pinball video games, but they don't work anymore because they're pre-macOS 10.15

Metacell · Post by **Metacell** » Sun Mar 01, 2026 9:02 am

I installed a pinball emulator on my BootCamp drive to play all my favorites from the distant and recent past: Xenon, Space Invaders, Gorgon, Haunted House, Flash Gordon, High Speed, Pinbot, Funhouse, Mars Attacks, and Addams Family. It isn't quite the same without the tactile feedback of a real machine, but they have done a masterful job of bringing back all the lights and sounds with very accurate physical simulations and complete 3D modelling of all the games and their moving parts.

I was an absolute nut for pinball machines when I was a kid, before computer games really took off.

Jehannum · Post by **Jehannum** » Sun Mar 01, 2026 9:32 pm

There's a spot in Austin I like to go (when I visit my sister) called Cidercade. Every game there is free, but you pay like $10 cover to get in the door.

They have a whole 1500 sq. ft. room full of pinball machines, and my favorite table there is the Rush-themed one (and not just because I love Rush, though it doesn't hurt). Last time I went, the had an Addams family table that I remember from my friend's house almost 30 years ago (multi-ball is the Mamushka).

juice · Post by **juice** » Sun Mar 01, 2026 9:53 pm

I love pinball, but I rarely get an opportunity to play.

j_tso · Post by **j_tso** » Mon Mar 02, 2026 1:25 am

a buddy of mine acquired a machine based on the movie Maverick, the one with Mel Gibson. He said it requires a bit of regular maintenance, springs and switches need to be reset or adjusted all the time. you hit the ball to score cards to make a Poker hand.

ConnertheCat · Post by **ConnertheCat** » Mon Mar 02, 2026 1:36 pm

I've always wanted my own machine; but dropping a few thousand dollars was a bit of a tough ask.

Ernest · Post by **Ernest** » Mon Mar 02, 2026 8:32 pm

I've got a coworker who is super into pinball. He leaves a little early on Mondays to volunteer maintaining machines at the pinball museum, and owns 2 or 3 of his own. He actually invited me to a Halloween event at a pinball place. Wendy and I went, and it was a good time!