virtuapin on shark tank CNBC tonight.

[shutyertrap]

Contacted them after watching the show and got an immediate response. Looks like we might get an interview real soon for BlahCade.

Got a bunch of questions to ask. I kept wondering aloud about selling this to the sharks when the software is the thing, and then licensing with Zen was mentioned. Ahhh! On the website they say they are using the NoEx mod for TPA, which I found interesting. I really wish the argument that flared and petered out quick about 'kids' not wanting to play something like this had lasted longer. Think I'll simulate that in our podcast instead

 

[shadowjuggalo]

Sorry didn't mean to sound negative about your original post if it sounded that way - I just wanted to mention the actual company.

It is good news to see any kind of Virtual Pinballing making mainstream TV - can only help promote the hobby for sure.

It's fine it was my mistake, I watch CNBC where they play shark tank also. I didn't know they aired them first on ABC. I'm glad that you corrected me. So the right information, for vpcabs got out there.

 

[Jeff Strong]

Contacted them after watching the show and got an immediate response. Looks like we might get an interview real soon for BlahCade.

Got a bunch of questions to ask. I kept wondering aloud about selling this to the sharks when the software is the thing, and then licensing with Zen was mentioned. Ahhh! On the website they say they are using the NoEx mod for TPA, which I found interesting. I really wish the argument that flared and petered out quick about 'kids' not wanting to play something like this had lasted longer. Think I'll simulate that in our podcast instead

That's really cool that he might come on the show. I'm very interested to hear how the deal with Daymond is going.

 

[ZREXMike]

Okay, sounds like the guy did okay, great. Much good advertising for him. A real pinball machine would get my money over this though the thing he is pushing would last longer w/o maint. Too bad is so expensive. Interesting stuff.

 

[Jeff Strong]

I tend to agree, but the concept is pretty cool for those with lots of extra cash. It's too rich for my blood, but if they made a smaller bar-top version for a few hundred bones, I'd shell out for something of that nature. I could see a lot of actual bars willing to invest in something like that as well if it could be set up for coin-op. I remember seeing drunk people back in Michigan pumping quarters into the lamest bar-top games I've seen. Something like this would surely bring in money for tavern owners, but without the maintenance costs of an actual pinball machine.

 

[Biff]

I have only seen these zen loaded cabs on youtube videos:

 

[Jeff Strong]

I have only seen these zen loaded cabs on youtube videos:

Looks like the 2nd one on the left has a bunch of VP tables (I saw Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Dirty Harry, etc.)

 

[shutyertrap]

In the FAQ, it states they use the NoEx mod to run TPA in cab mode too.

 

[vikingerik]

if they made a smaller bar-top version for a few hundred bones

There was a smaller version on the set, though never mentioned on-air. The leftmost unit (farthest from the camera) was smaller and looked like it was on a tabletop rather than legs. Lori was looking at it while the sharks were playing.

The site shows a mini version for $4k, which is obviously still way more than a few hundred bones: https://virtualpinball.com/products/mini

But no matter what you do, you can't get all that super-cheap with it. The PC and displays are each going to be a few hundred bones before you even get to the cabinet. The floor has got to be at least $1k to manufacture so like $2k retail.

If VPcabs is at all smart, the hardware can be used to run Visual Pinball as well, even if he doesn't advertise that thanks to grey-area legality, there has to be a wink-wink way to communicate that selling point. The page for the Classic does mention Pinball FX2 "and hundreds of classic pinball games". https://virtualpinball.com/products/classic (Edit: I see now that the FAQ mentions a frontend downloader for Visual Pinball tables. That sounds like the perfect way to make it available while pushing the legality issue onto the consumer.)

15% per unit to Zen sounds insane. Why not scrape together a bunch of free Visual Pinball tables? Let the consumer buy Zen as an upgrade.

 

[shutyertrap]

If you watch the YouTube videos on the site, you can see it running VP also. My guess with licensing Zen is so they can advertise with it and make a distinction between then and VirtuaPin.

 

[vikingerik]

Licensing Zen for distinction makes sense, but paying them 15% of the retail price is ridiculous. Why in the world couldn't he negotiate something better than that? Heck, why is he negotiating at all, why wouldn't the VPcab just include Zen at its regular cheap retail price?

 

[mpad]

Yeah, beats me...

 

[shutyertrap]

A question I will certainly ask if we get him on the Blahcade.

 

[wolfson]

checked them out about 3 months ago.the table I was looking at was $9,700us=$12,500 au,a bit rich.for that money I can buy 2 complete cockpits,1 PS4,1 XBOX 1,1 79 inch 4K ultra hd tv,10 new games and money leftover for a few drinks,actually quite a lot of drinks.i think VIRTUPIN was much better value at around $7,000 us.as for ZEN if it`s true,what a bunch of pricks !!! you can buy all there tables for about $300 download them yourself.if my memory serves me right,it was only 28 tables from ZEN,they have about 65 tables.

 

[wolfson]

SORRY GOT THEM MIXED UP,the $9,700 was another company,can`t remember the name (boofhead )the one on Shark Tank was Virtuapin,there top of the line is $6,195 us,still Zen are pricks.sometimes I`m just a bloody dipstick !!!

 

[shutyertrap]

SORRY GOT THEM MIXED UP,the $9,700 was another company,can`t remember the name (boofhead )the one on Shark Tank was Virtuapin,there top of the line is $6,195 us,still Zen are pricks.sometimes I`m just a bloody dipstick !!!

Still wrong. The one on Shark Tank is VP Cabs, whose website is virtualpinball.com

Obviously that being so close in name (at least the website) to Virtuapin, can see the confusion. Their site is virtuapin.com

 

[nudnick]

Interesting "Shark Tank" TV episode investment

Did any of you see this Shark Tank episode? A guy making digital pincabs landed a deal with Daymond John.

http://www.business2community.com/s...ons-daymond-john-01543839#AC6uE6x3Wdh9tuUK.97

Microsoft and Pinballfx is allowing him to roll with it through a license fee per cab which is passed on to consumer (around $1700.00 that is rolled into price of cab). TPA will probably seriously soon consider moving forward with designing their own tables soon.

 

[mpad]

There is already a lot of DRAMA going on over at VP forums...

 

[shutyertrap]

Merged threads.

So do tell, what's the drama over at VP forums? The Reader's Digest version, if you will.

 

[Jeff Strong]

Yes, please. Can someone post a link to the VP thread(s)?