A new app on the way from Stern and Farsight

[mpad]

Totally missed this news.
Very disappointing. But at least Farsight keeps to their line of letting the PC/cab people down.

Ah, I don't care really.
VPX and the new table releases make up for it big time.
It is just minus the achievement and tournament fun.

 

[crazyflipperfingers]

Being a PC only user, I'm disappointed.

Come on, Stern. Don't let us PC users down here. We want our pinball, too, you know!

Still waiting on the official news that was promised "later in the fall", but I'll be real let down if it doesn't make it to PC. Trying to play on mobile after using PC or console just sucks.

 

[shutyertrap]

Totally missed this news.
Very disappointing. But at least Farsight keeps to their line of letting the PC/cab people down.

Ah, I don't care really.
VPX and the new table releases make up for it big time.
It is just minus the achievement and tournament fun.

They haven't come out and said PC wouldn't be supported, just it's coming to mobile for sure. Stern us in control here, not FarSight. That's why all announcements are coming through their channels first. Put 2 and 2 together: the sudden drop of cab support being a reality came with 'business' reasons. Soon after the Stern App was announced. Obviously Stern does not want full cab play of modern tables. Since it takes a PC to run a cab...see where I'm going here? Spam Stern's boards with concerns, because FarSight isn't making the decisions.

 

[mpad]

Yeah. Could be true it is still coming someday.

 

[invitro]

But at least Farsight keeps to their line of letting the PC/cab people down.

I don't feel let down at all. Maybe I'm just a sheep? ¯\_(?)_/¯

 

[Kolchak357]

Baaaa

 

[Pinballwiz45b]

Well, some potentially good news:

"Stern isn't shying away from full-on digital pinball either. Later this year, the company plans to launch its own app. Made by developer FarSight, the app will include simulations of dozens of Stern machines, bringing them to every gadget you could imagine: iPhones, Android devices, Xboxes, Playstations, PCs. Stern's digital pinball will even be available in Oculus Rift. But while Stern has affinity for the digital game, it's only the appetizer, never the main course. "We love digital pinball," Dankberg says. "It lets people know the rules of the game. Lets them practice up. It lets people know pinball still exists." "

http://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/gaming/a18868/stern-pinball-ces-2016/

 

[jaredmorgs]

Well, some potentially good news:

"Stern isn't shying away from full-on digital pinball either. Later this year, the company plans to launch its own app. Made by developer FarSight, the app will include simulations of dozens of Stern machines, bringing them to every gadget you could imagine: iPhones, Android devices, Xboxes, Playstations, PCs. Stern's digital pinball will even be available in Oculus Rift. But while Stern has affinity for the digital game, it's only the appetizer, never the main course. "We love digital pinball," Dankberg says. "It lets people know the rules of the game. Lets them practice up. It lets people know pinball still exists." "

http://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/gaming/a18868/stern-pinball-ces-2016/

Hah, so even my estimation of June 2016 was optimistic...

Software development takes time.

This suggests a number of things which I'll be speculating about in the first BlahCade of 2016 (this Sunday).

 

[zmcvay]

"Stern isn't shying away from full-on digital pinball either. Later this year, the company plans to launch its own app. Made by developer FarSight, the app will include simulations of dozens of Stern machines, bringing them to every gadget you could imagine: iPhones, Android devices, Xboxes, Playstations, PCs. Stern's digital pinball will even be available in Oculus Rift. But while Stern has affinity for the digital game, it's only the appetizer, never the main course. "We love digital pinball," Dankberg says. "It lets people know the rules of the game. Lets them practice up. It lets people know pinball still exists." "

I think the best part of this is that the # of platforms greatly lowers the likelihood of it being a freemium app like the Ghostbusters table. That was what was worrying me most if it was iOS/Android only (Well, that and I hate playing pinball on a touchscreen unless I have no other option). I'm more than happy to wait if it means getting at least something like the current Pinball Arcade app. Thanks for brightening my day!

Although, "dozens" of tables? That seems optimistic.

 

[invitro]

Although, "dozens" of tables? That seems optimistic.

I was struck by "dozens", too. The smallest "dozens" can be is 24, and there's no way SPA will have 24 tables any time in 2016, unless Farsight hired/hires a lot more people. Probably this means eventually dozens, though this is still important, as it knocks out the idea many people (not me! ) had that SPA was to include only brand-new Stern tables.

The availability on Oculus Rift tells me that the "every gadget" quote is not a misunderstanding, and that SPA really will be available on PC, so this seemingly small bit of news is big time news for me . Still, I think I'll try not to get excited until there's a PC release date.

P.S. Thanks Pbw42 for the link!

 

[Kolchak357]

Yeah, the word dozens stopped me in my tracks as well. Very optimistic indeed.

 

[mmmagnetic]

In theory, the app will contain potentially up to a million tables!

 

[Extork]

In theory, the app will contain potentially up to a million tables!

A million tables? Better cancel all of my plans for the next lifetime.

 

[switch3flip]

Well they've said that they intend to do all versions of the pins, and usually each pin comes in three versions; pro, premium and limited editiot. So I guess it's a little less work to do the different versions, and they'll probably release all version of a table in a pack, so in theory that's 7 pins X3 and throw in Ripleys, HRC and HD and that's dozens and maybe not unimaginable in a year. But yeah still sounds like a lot.

 

[Kaibun]

I hope it's a bit different than Pro mode this time, and they'll do separate leaderboards for each version of the table. They'll obviously have to do that in something like GoT, where the Premium feels almost like a different game.

 

[lettuce]

So are we really going to see tables such as LOTR, Spiderman, TRON etc on this app, which would need a hefty kickstarter if ever released on TPA?. Does Stern still hold all the licenses needed to have this games on the Stern app, or are all we going to get is the Stern tables not related to Films or TV programs??...if thats the case then whats the point!?

 

[Kolchak357]

I assume Stern started placing the digital rights into more current licensing agreements they executed. My guess would be that we will only see the most current pins and those recently in production. So maybe Spider-man, Game of Thrones, Kiss, Metallica, Iron Man, Mustang, Wrestlemania, Walking Dead, Star Trek and maybe AC/DC. I assume we won't see anything older than that unless they do a vault edition of that pin.
That's just a guess on my part. We don't know when Stern started including digital rights in their licensing agreements. Stern and Farsight aren't talking or giving details. So all you get is speculation from dopes like me.

 

[Naildriver74]

I think it will be interesting to see what they will cost.

 

[Kolchak357]

I think it will be interesting to see what they will cost.

Totally agree. Will be very interesting. You go over $5 each and you run the risk of losing the casual player. Freaks like us will pay just about anything.

 

[Naildriver74]

Totally agree. Will be very interesting. You go over $5 each and you run the risk of losing the casual player. Freaks like us will pay just about anything.

Isn't that the truth. I spent more on the Kickstarter then I did for my wife's Valentine