The Future of TPA

[Tabe]

Sony has already said the PS4 will not be backwards compatible

Not only has Sony not said anything about the PS4, the latest rumors - based on a supposed spec sheet - state that the PS4 will have at least some backward compatibility.

http://www.psxextreme.com/ps4-news/29.html

Tabe

 

[Matt McIrvin]

Also, don't forget that whenever the next wave of consoles comes out, people won't suddenly dump their existing systems out the window all at once. The PS2 had ridiculously long legs, and the PSP occasionally outsold the Vita in Japan.

The PS3 customer base actually seemed to take a long time to build. My initial impression was that it had flopped, and that people were hanging onto PS2s rather than buy one. But over time, as the price came down, I started to hear about friends and relatives getting them, and it gradually built popularity. It took years.

The XBox 360 sold better out of the starting gate, but we got a Wii instead. My 360 is actually quite new; we got it for ourselves for Christmas last year, attracted in part by Kinect children's games (and it quickly broke and had to be replaced, so part of the time since has been downtime).

I think the 1990s days of rapid console obsolescence are over. People just can't justify buying so much hardware, and the development cycle is more spread-out.

 

[SilverBalls]

Although the PA tables (and VP tables as a matter of fact) are incredible and amongst the best we can get at the moment, I am sure the future generations consoles and other hardware will allow much much better simulations. Yes we have HD quality now but there are still improvements to be made in the future. Photo-realistic tables will come one day with lights shows as impressive as a real table, and there will be a point where you will be able to view a PAPA top-down-cabinet-view-style video side by side with a console/PC simulation and not tell the difference.

I am sure we see a Pinball Arcade 2 one day (and maybe 3) over the next 5-10 years.

 

[BonzoGonzo]

yeah with better cpu-s and more poligons and whatnot, come longer dev cycles...

there is no way that just one or two guys could make the new big call-of-duty-or-whatever-sells-these-days-like popular hit by themselves -> graphics, gameplay, sounds, music, voiceover... u know, like it was actually possbile with simpler games back in the days

 

[Gail R Schwartz]

I don't know when the new xbox will be out? I say spring 2014. Why 2013!! 13 get it xbox doesn't need any more bad luck. So far for me 3 broke xboxes. Anyway on to the point . When they get done giving us all Williams & some gottlieb from the discs. It will be two yrs. That means we will only have 24 brand new tables. I still think they will keep giving us tables if it is a big money maker . After all there are alot if us old pin wizards from the 60's & 70's & 80.'s . The age of real pinball. Plenty of money 2 be made. new xbox ? who knows? Not even here yet. Let's just see & keep supporting pin arcade.also tell ur pinball fx2 friends to buy.

 

[phantomfriar2002]

We can't even get the first wave of DLC to the Xbox within the first three months of the game's release, and you're worried about the NEXT generation of console releases? How about straightening out THIS generation first!!

 

[Gail R Schwartz]

Hi franky . U will see way more then 14 tables. On my ipad2 I have 10 tables since June. They have to re-release Williams collection . Also they need a new table to go with the Williams. I say till next xbox. I think will be spring 2014. People will still be in this xbox 4 some more yrs. I say we get 75 or more tables.

 

[Dan]

That means we will only have 24 brand new tables. /QUOTE]

 

[DooMStalK]

i didn't say something like that, i say for a niche product like computer pinball it's quite hard to survive if a) a popular game is already out and b) it has nothing more to offer than nostalgica in a perfect form. So if someone is not really a pinball oldskooler the pfx tables offer way more excitement whilst tpa is on one hand a perfect recreation for people who KNOW the original but on the other hand is boring and more frustrating to new folks.

I too hope that all work out well but this are things to consider as well - often the brightest flame burns quickest.

and btw. a lot of "buzz" and "likes" means nothing.

I think you are right of what both products offer and the market perspective, and I'd like to add that TPA attracts not only oldschool but also newbies based on how well and precise the dinamics of the tables are, and you clearly see it in different generations of tables, having totally diferent playing.

Of course, mainly people who experienced the real thing are the majority, but, in a worldwide scale, that's a bunch of people, many of them being on their 30s or 40s or more now, people that don't have to ask daddy to take 10 bucks for something, can easily trow in 100 or more easily to fund something they like, hence, you see how well kickstarter went, in a flash raised funds and beyound necessary.

I think TPA has many advantages, and a killing one that is not yet fully explored, which are the licensed tables, like TZ which is funded now, Star Trek Next Generation which is the next, and, if you see how many real machines were built in licensed characters/movies/series etc, there are MANY. Think about having Frankenstein, Dracula, Batman, Indiana Jones, Terminator, Rescue 911, Simpsons, TMNT, Adams Family etc, etc... besides attracting pinheads, it will grab a much larger public, something no other pinball game has, making it unique.

And, you see, everything that's unique is good business, good for FarSight, good for us too.

Well, that's what I think....

Cheers,

 

[Gail R Schwartz]

Hi franky. I think I answered this thread,but I can't find my quote? So i have to do it again.1. Xbox hasn't even gotten is Dlc yet. 2. Does anybody know what the new xbox name is & what it looks like(anybody--anybody)3.do u know when the new xbox us coming out.? 3. Do u know if u can play ur arcade games u bought for the 360-re-download or transfer( I have $1000.00 of arcade games I bought on mine.4.by the time the new xbox comes out most of the content u been asking for will be out. 5.360 will have yrs more life & support even when new one comes out !!!! So what are u guys worrying about ???

 

[Richard B]

Hi franky. I think I answered this thread,but I can't find my quote? So i have to do it again.1. Xbox hasn't even gotten is Dlc yet. 2. Does anybody know what the new xbox name is & what it looks like(anybody--anybody)3.do u know when the new xbox us coming out.? 3. Do u know if u can play ur arcade games u bought for the 360-re-download or transfer( I have $1000.00 of arcade games I bought on mine.4.by the time the new xbox comes out most of the content u been asking for will be out. 5.360 will have yrs more life & support even when new one comes out !!!! So what are u guys worrying about ???

It's going to be called Xbox 8 (to conform with Windows 8). That's the only solid thing we know, and even that might change. All else is speculation.

 

[mmmagnetic]

Black hole is her favourite too. I think its the clean table layout. Her second favourite is pin*bot on phof, similar deal with the playfield.

Nice, she picked two really harsh tables But yeah, the cleaner, less crammed playfields are perfect for newcomers, while other tables like TotAN are stunningly beautiful and interesting to play yet so busy in their whole presentation that it's easy to be completely overwhelmed.

Zen tables (and I assume the other games from the series) are very complicated as well, and the in-game tutorials - at least on the 3DS version - were pretty lacklustre and basic compared to the ones on PHOF and TPA. After some time on Excalibur - the only table I really played for a substantial amount of time - I kinda had an idea of what I'm doing, though I never got the feeling of really getting a deeper understanding.

As I'm still relatively new to the genre, tables like Taxi, Whirlwind, Gorgar, Space Shuttle or very recently PinBot really speak to my skill level and these pins gave me a much better idea of the feeling and skillset of pinball than the Zen tables ever did. It's very hard to say for me right now, but I guess the late alphanumeric tables will always have a special place in my heart and I think it would be cynical to assume "modern gamer kiddies" will never appreciate these games.

I mean, 2D games were almost completely dead on consoles during the PSX/N64-era, and they came back in the very big way. I'm optimistic that there will always be enough people who have a natural preference for the type of playstyle and atmosphere pinball - real or virtual - has to offer.

 

[Richard B]

kinda[/B] had an idea of what I'm doing, though I never got the feeling of really getting a deeper understanding.

You're not the only one, for several reasons. Now some of their designs, particularly on the Marvel tables, are really creative, but Zen has some terrible tutorials. Rather than show you the whole playfield, they show a small, static picture of whatever they're discussing, and it's often impossible to tell where on the field it is, or, if your tv is small, it's often hard to see what it is. The tables themselves do a terrible job of telling you what to do, or what to aim for. Sometimes they'll give you the info on the DMD, but take your eyes off the playfield long enough to read it, and down the drain you go. On more than one occasion, I'll be reading the instructions, and it will suddenly say "end of ball bonus".

 

[goforthewall]

The tables themselves do a terrible job of telling you what to do, or what to aim for.

To this day this is my greatest gripe with Zen's tables and it doesn't look like they will ever change this design choice... Also the generic "adventure music" that blasts along with little changes gets on my nerves... ;-)

 

[Richard B]

Also the generic "adventure music" that blasts along with little changes gets on my nerves... ;-)

I hate that also, though there are some exceptions, such as Excalibur, which is good, though awfully repetitive. Their recent Avengers tables also has a nice, epic score.

 

[shutyertrap]

Not only has Sony not said anything about the PS4, the latest rumors - based on a supposed spec sheet - state that the PS4 will have at least some backward compatibility.

http://www.psxextreme.com/ps4-news/29.html

Tabe

My understanding was that PSN games would still be compatible. But then at this point, anything regarding the PS4 is pure speculation.