You don't typically think of pinball -- the pastime of famous 1970s characters like the Fonz and The Who's Tommy -- as a particularly cutting edge technology.

Yet that's just what Jack Guarnieri is setting out to do with his recently launched company, Jersey Jack Pinball. Guarnieri founded the company in 2011, after 35 years in the pinball industry as a mechanic. His machines offer a significant upgrade on what you'd expect from the beloved arcade machines, offering cinema quality animations and LED lights that can change into any color -- an industry first.

Guarnieri says he wants to use new technology to make "the greatest pinball machine ever.”

Now Guarnieri and Jersey Jack Pinball are celebrating the successful release of itsWizard of Oz pinball game, selling a first run of around 1,500 units for $7,000 each, according to CNNMoney.

Jersey Jack Pinball's timing appears to be spot on as the game seems to be undergoing a "resurgence," as Guarnieri puts it. Competitor Stern Pinball -- the only other company still surviving in the business -- has seen sales triple since 2009, while the International Flipper Pinball Association saw membership grow 30 percent last year, according to CNNMoney.

As the company prepares to release its second game in 2014, this time based on The Hobbit, it remains to be seen whether or not Jersey Jack Pinball will foster a full-fledged renaissance for the game that was once so loved.

One thing’s for sure though, it’s a whole lot of fun -- and not just for the customer.

“The best part of this job is being involved with something that I love, so it’s not work,” he said.

Read the article, pics and video here http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/26/jersey-jack-pinball_n_3504566.html

Despite bankruptcy of publisher Crave Entertainment, developer FarSight is still promising that new tables will eventually make their way to the XBLA game The Pinball Arcade.

Regardless of those issues, FarSight has released a new trailer for an upcoming table called Bally's Champion Pub: 

Although other tables still have not been released yet, you can still see the videos of the Centaur and Pinbot and the White Water teaser trailer. 

There's still no official word on when these will actually hit XBLA.


Via http://www.trueachievements.com/n13755/new-pinball-arcade-dlc-table-unveiled.htm

Detailed technical information? Blah. Photos? Yawn. Those goods simply aren’t enough when it comes to the2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray—all enthusiasts have been dying to know is what it can do, in units of time, g, and mph. We’re talking about performance figures, and Chevy finally has placated enthusiasts and released its estimates for what the C7 Vette, equipped with the Z51 performance package and magnetic ride control, is capable of.

With 455 horsepower on tap—yup, Chevy didn’t even employ the active exhaust system, which adds 5 horses—the Stingray Z51 can hit 60 mph in a claimed 3.8 seconds and trip the quarter-mile lights in just 12 seconds at 119 mph. Chevy says the Stingray can haul itself down from 60 mph in 107 feet and hang on for 1.03 g of lateral acceleration. We test braking from 70 mph to a stop and typically use a 300-foot-diameter skidpad to test lateral acceleration, so in the absence of skidpad details or a direct braking comparison, we can’t really speak to those claims. Of course, we’ll be strapping our test gear to the new Vette very soon to draw our own conclusions, but taken at face value, Chevy’s performance estimates are impressive.

Read more via blog.caranddriver.com

To purists, the mere concept of video pinball may be wrong. But darling, Zen Studios makes it feel so very right. Time after time, they release detailed, deep, bright and blingy tables, and Marvel Pinball [$0.99] features some of their best work.

Their version of video pinball has 3D graphics, characters, stories, dialogue, twists and/or turns, and the kind of bonkers mechanics that just aren't possible in real life. Sure, they're defying the laws of physics, but if you're going to imitate real pinball, why not do it with some pizzazz? (You can't see it, but I'm typing with jazz hands.)

Before continuing, there's the IAP. Stay with me, it gets a bit obnoxious. So: Zen Studios has already released Zen Pinball [Free], which (in addition to one free machine), already features 14 out of 15 of the Marvel tables. Marvel Pinball only comes with one table, Marvel's The Avengers, and if you already own that table onZen Pinball, then the only reason to get Marvel Pinball is to buy the Spider-Manmachine, and it seems unfair to penalize diehards with a pointless admission fee. Every additional table is $1.99, the same price as if you'd purchased them on Zen Pinball. So the purpose of Marvel Pinball is dubious. That being said, you do getMarvel's The Avengers at half price, so that's something.

Read more via toucharcade.com

ASCENDING THE STAIRS OF THE FORMER AMERICAN Greetings factory at 1300 West 78th Street, you may hear the frenzied clicks of flapping wood paddles and blips and chirps of electronic encouragement.

This joyful racket is coming from one of more than a dozen classic arcade machines of Superelectric Pinball Parlor, a living museum of kinetic gaming hosted by local artists Benjamin Haehn, Nathaniel Murray and David Spasic.   

The best part of it all? You don't have to raid your laundry fund of quarters to play. During their popcorn and music-drenched open houses the third Friday of every month, Superelectric's games are all free.

"Free play makes it easy for people to approach if you don't know what it will be like," Spasic says.

"We want to make it a community space," Haehn says.

 Superelectric's trio met while studying various fine arts at Bowling Green State University, but did not become close friends and collaborators until after graduating and moving to Cleveland.  Murray and Haehn rent a space in 78th Street Studios, a former factory and current enclave for the city's culture class. Between open houses, the studio serves as both an apartment and the home of their business, Superelectric Press, a print shop for such clients as Derek Hess and Olive Barrett.

Read more via clevescene.com

NEW YORK – Thursday, June 13, 2013 - Sony Music Entertainment today announced Pinball Rocks HD, a five-table pinball compilation game for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch is now available on the App Store. The app includes a free rock-themed table with featured music from guitarist Richie Kotzen, Chevelle, The Sword, Filter, Red, All That Remains, Hatebreed and Nonpoint, as well as premium music content from artists like AC/DC, Alice in Chains, Bullet for My Valentine and Slayer available via In-App Purchase.

Pinball Rocks HD innovates on both discovery and a simplified purchase process of music featured in the game. For example, the game prominently features music that rotates on an ongoing basis, and allows players to seamlessly purchase those songs directly from iTunes without having to leave the app. These songs download in the background directly to the player’s iTunes library for permanent ownership.

“Pinball Rocks HD takes the combination of mobile gaming, music discovery and commerce to the next level,” said Brad Spahr, Vice President of Product Development, Global Digital Business, Sony Music Entertainment. “This exciting expansion of our acclaimed Pinball Rocks franchise not only makes it easier than ever to try the game, but also offers fans powerful new ways to engage with artists, discover new music, and purchase songs and other premium content without interrupting play.”

Sony Music previously released the best-selling and critically acclaimed titles AC/DC Pinball Rocks and Slayer Pinball Rocks which will now be offered as part of the overall Pinball Rocks HD compilation. Game add-ons such as multi-ball modes and extra ball packs will be offered as in-app purchases to enhance gameplay. Additional premium artist tables and featured music from Sony Music artists will be added over time.
Pinball Rocks HD is a joint collaboration between by Sony Music and Gameprom, the studio behind the top selling iOS app Pinball Collection HD.

The Pinball Rocks HD App is available for free from the App Store on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch or at www.AppStore.com/PinballRocksHD. Premium music content and game add-ons are available for $2.99 via In-App Purchase.
For more information, please visit www.facebook.com/pinballrocks.

Assets are available for download here.

Twitter link – http://www.twitter.com/pinballrocks

YouTube link – http://www.youtube.com/pinballrockshd

About Sony Music Entertainment

Sony Music Entertainment is a global recorded music company with a current roster that includes a broad array of both local artists and international superstars. The company boasts a vast catalog that comprises some of the most important recordings in history. It is home to premier record labels representing music from every genre, including Arista Nashville, Beach Street/Reunion Records, Bystorm Entertainment, Columbia Nashville, Columbia Records, Day 1, Epic Records, Essential Records, Kemosabe Records, Legacy Recordings, MASTERWORKS, Polo Grounds, RCA Inspiration, RCA Nashville, RCA Records, Sony Classical, Sony Music Latin, Star Time International, Syco Music, Vested in Culture and Volcano. Sony Music Entertainment is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America.

The first high Quality video of the new Metallica Limited Edition pinball machine in the wild has surfaced courtesy of Pinside member MnHotRod. The new video highlights features of the LE model including the moving cross, hammer of justice, coffin ball lock mechanism, controlled led lighting and more. The video is  10 minutes plus in length so be sure to make some time to watch it. Unfortunately the sound is rather lack-luster so we still do not get the full experience the the game but more footage is sure to start rolling in soon as customers start to take delivery of their games.  

Stern Pinball has uploaded a fresh video of in-house programmer and software development manager Lyman Sheets playing the new Metallica Premium which details some of the extra hardware in the higher tier games. The game is reported to be incomplete software-wise so it's best not to take everything you see here as fully baked gameplay.

Either way it's a nice way to get to know the game played by one of the best pinball players in the world.

If you love rock and metal and if the idea of playing a game of pinball gets you a bit misty-eyed for the past, you'll be glad to know that Sony Music's upcoming Pinball Rockscombines those into one rockin' game. The iOS app, developed by Game Prom, features tables inspired by rock legends and their music.

Gamers can play on pinball tables inspired by Alice in Chains, Bullet for My Valentine, AC/DC and Slayer. Each table is crafted to pay homage to the respective band's music.



SEE ALSO: The 15 Best Free iPad Games


The game will also feature rotating songs from Sony Music's stable of rock artists. When the game launches June 13, fans can play along with tracks by Chevelle, The Sword, Filter, Red, All That Remains, Hatebreed and Nonpoint. Fans also can purchase songs from the app through iTunes.

Pinball Rocks is meant to bring fans of rock music and gamers together and maybe introduce music fans to a new way to listen to songs, a Sony executive told Mashable. It will also bring exposure to a slew of rock artists as fans play along with their tracks.

The Alice in Chains, Bullet for My Valentine, AC/DC and Slayer tables are all premium and will cost $2.99 each to download. Sony said these tables are packed with Easter eggs for fans of those bands and nods to the bands' history. Alice in Chains' table, for instance, has a bonus game that unlocks the band's new single "Hollow."

The Slayer and AC/DC pinball games are already in the iTunes store, but Pinball Rocks brings all those games under one roof. Sony said there will be new premium tables for other rock artists in the future.

You can watch the trailer for the Alice in Chains table below.

Via http://mashable.com/2013/06/10/pinball-rocks-game-app/

That's right, kids, games did exist before the days of xBox and Playstation.

A Bethlehem man plans to open an "arcade museum" inAllentown to showcase his collection of electro-mechanical games, those coin-operated, cabinet-sized relics that pre-date digital gaming.

The Allentown Zoning Hearing Board unanimously approved Joseph Shiller's proposal for what will be the "Back to the Past EM Arcade Museum" at 701 North 8th Street.

It will consist of his private collection of roughly 50 games from the 1950s to the 1980s, which include pinball, shooting games with fake guns, shuffleball and mechanical horse racing games.

Shiller, who currently keeps his games in storage in Easton, started collecting the games after buying a single pinball machine four years ago.

"It just brought me back to when I was a kid and reminded me how much I love these games," said Shiller, who buys most of his games on Craigslist and other websites.

He hopes to open the museum by September. It will be open to the public by appointment only, not to walk-in traffic.

Although he envisions it as a museum, not an arcade, Shiller said visitors will be not only allowed to play, but strongly encouraged to do so.

"They need to be used," he said. "They're electro-mechanical. If they're not used, they stop working."

Zoning board member Michael Rosenfeld said he believes the proposed museum will be far less intrusive than most other businesses that could be established there.

However, some neighboring residents had problems with the proposal.

Leslie Talago, who has lived on the 700 block of Tilghman Street for 32 years, said parking is often an issue there, which she believes will only worsen with this museum.

Milagros Canales Ramos of the Old Fairgrounds Neighborhood Association, said she feared it would turn into a "teen hangout," something zoning board members doubted.

"Why do you think teenagers here in the 21st century would want to play games from the 20th century?" said zoning board Chairman Daniel McCarthy.

The 701 North 8th Street building was previously a social hall and had long ago been a fire station. Shiller said it is ideal for his museum because the games require a lot of space, and two of the rooms are 5,800 square feet.

The museum will be open Fridays through Sundays, and admission will likely be $5 or $10 per hour. He will also repair the games on site.

The zoning approval comes with conditions that there be no loitering and no outside storage of any items.

Shiller will live in the building himself at least part of the time, which zoning board member Michael Engle says provides further assurances that he will prevent a negative element from establishing there.

Via http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/allentown/index.ssf/2013/06/bethlehem_man_proposed_arcade.html