Not sure if its been posted but at media day it was said:

Pros will be made first and sent out in the next 2 weeks
March estimated for premium and LE's
Currently they are waiting on parts to come in as pokemon was not on the line. It sounded as if prem and le parts was what they are waiting on.

As far as when to see pokemon at upcoming events:
It will be at nyc toy fair this weekend
Sfg
And tpf

The new 2026 Stern Pokémon pinball machine integrates with the Stern Insider Connected app to track your scores, unlock achievements, and fill out a digital Pokédex. While it tracks your catches in the app, it does not directly link to or import/export Pokémon from the Pokémon GO mobile game. Missed opportunity?

I’m pretty sure they do this most of the time. Buttttt when the pros are built, it’s for location play.

This is my first time buying an LE, is it a bad sign I wasn’t asked for a deposit today? I got an email yesterday from the company I joined the list with saying “I will have one for you” so I assume I’m set and today’s just an insane day for distributors. Sorry for the ignorance and jitters!

I think im gonna hold back, then circle back on the later pro runs
let them iron out the kinks
I don't have the time to diagnose and install fix kits these days
that's on me though
when I had the time, I didn't mind the tweaks and "code growth" of NIBs

Super stoked on everything Ive seen so far
looking like a winner and a earner

Seeing how Go is a licensed product from a completely different company, I don't think it was ever going to happen.

I might be in the minority, but I really liked the Spike 2 Expression Lights system. Granted, I used aftermarket inserts to make the most out of them, but I love the end result. In Spike 3, the lighting is a big rectangle with holes for the speakers. I don't see how I can make them look classy rather than trashy. Then again, I have only seen photos of the new Expression Lights and never in person. Maybe I'd feel different otherwise. Thoughts?
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Never gave us the promised Co op on foo! I cant praise someone who doesnt deliver a feature the said was coming... and we have a foo LE. we'll see on pokemon.

With this layout hopefully there most likely wont be any kinks to workout, I was a UXM buyer and b/c it was rushed and LE’a were off the line first and it was a never before done layout it had it’s issues. I suspect we’ll be fine here especially with Pros being released first then the other runs.

i wish i was into the pokemon because the pin looks awesome like the layout a lot, like how they use clips from the show. Just looks great overall.

Genuinely, pinball machines are large and expensive, and most Pokemon fans are small children. I have two kids who are Pokemon fans and I personally own seven pinball machines and a Gengar oodie. I've been waiting for this pin and the minute I saw the layout, I was out.

So, no, Stern aren't going to sell tonnes of these to Pokemon fans. That said, I'm sure it will be fun for kids on location.

Yeah. Never played RUSH, I guess? Player controlled interactive diverters exist.

It varies distributor to distributor. The one I am using said he will invoice me next week.

Not as long as you think.

Did anyone screen record the webinar today? Did anyone hear any cool info?

I love the new look. Bigger screen. More lights. Perfect.

I was late to the party on this one, and congrats who got an LE. All distro's that I talked to explicitly said 'they should have made more of these'..and I refuted and said, 'They should have made less of the previous 3 LE's, and made more of PM" both the distros and myself can't understand how such a big IP released so little LE's on this one..probably scared of their own shadow, and followed suit with the 'boutiques'

You cannot compare LE numbers with boutiques because boutiques make 500-800 games PERIOD. There will be thousands of pokemon.

If you like bigger screens, you should check out JJP!

And thank goodness for that because they will sell them! I kind of wished Stern did Beetlejuice because I really wanted in on that one and was bummed on the limited run which I missed out on however congrats to those who got in on it. I hope Pokémon meets the hype because we need this positive hype in this hobby and industry! What makes me happy is that I can just sit back and see how Pokemon works out with the public and let the bugs get worked out then pick up a pro or premium later this year if it plays well with me and when the code has matured like I did with a Jaws 50th this past December because Stern can meet the numbers.

I would assume the opposite. It's not fear that this wouldn't sell, it's to stick with the pattern that LEs have mostly had for a while to bring some FOMO back on an IP they were confident would sell. A lot of people were saying "make the LE cheaper or add more stuff". They did neither and sold out before they even announced the machine. When the next IP comes up that is likely not going to be nearly as hype-prone as Pokemon products, more buyers will jump faster in hopes they don't miss out again. Suddenly it's not as hard to sell LEs again and they don't need to throw in a topper or whatever.

FIRST LOOK: Pokemon Pinball Machine

Flip N Out Pinball's Joel gives a first look at Stern Pinball's Pokemon pinball machine.

You guys dont send someone to media day.....?

Wow... we're well past "First Look" at this point.

Saying Pokemon only appeals to children is a good way of saying you don't know what the hell you're talking about without actually saying it directly.

Just like pinmonk I turn down eject and mylar is enough. I saw you posted the same product push in the next stern thread. Seems like your affiliated pushing the product and saying eject power and mylar wont work.....

one of the top distributors in the us … top 3… told me that it was his busiest day ever as a distro. They is going to print money.

Busy telling people no LE available!

I think you have to be Gen Z to go to media day.

Hear, hear! Well said, Vino.

I’m in on a premium and for the first time ever my son was super excited about pinball. He’ll occasionally play a game or two when we have people over but this was genuine excitement to start collecting pokemon on this game. Fingers crossed I can get him to catch the pinball bug!

I agree, the Pokemon wave came too late for me to get into it so the rumors of this game didn’t give me much interest so I didn’t bother even following the hype. Now that it is announced and I can see the game, gameplay and how deep the rules can go I am genuinely interested in this one. I am really looking forward to giving this game some time when it hits the street and if it resonates & flows well I won’t hesitate to add it to my collection!

I didn’t want to say it but $180B valued IP and about to have it’s 30th anniversary. These “children” are growing up and the hobby has grown exponentially.

The password to get into media day was Poopachu.

Well, I’m not going to judge the game based on a feature I never knew was promised & would never use anyway. I just judge Foo on Foo. And Foo rules.

This is a game where the license & theme completely overshadow the layout and gameplay. It should bring in some kids into the pinball collecting market. The gameplay of this one will eventually get too repetitive. It's almost a carbon copy of Junkyard from Williams in the late 90's. Junkyard is fun for a couple games but becomes too repetitive very quickly. Glad for anyone who loves this theme but it's not for me. I can see through the smoke of mirrors of this license of what this game actually offers from a gameplay standpoint and it's not much! Sorry folks......the eye candy has you hook, line and sinker.

This game will sell incredibly well....congrats to all who got one but it's not for me....there's far superior titles coming in the next 12 months that will make this machine look like Pokemon Zizzle!

Junkyard *right now* can't hold Pokemon's jock on code depth, and we're just at the beginning of Pokemon's public code. The REASON Junkyard gets old fast is it is not very deep at all compared to modern pins.

Pokemon will be fine, if you can deal with the anime voices on repeat.

I agree 100% with code....it's the main reason why most JJP's are just not enjoyable. Code doesn't need to be deep to make a pinball machine enjoyable. Too deep is also too confusing and a little bit of overkill. What is does have in common with Junkyard is layout and lack of shots that will eventually become boring! Code will help.....This is going to be a smash hit in arcades across the US.....it's not for me.

If you bought one....Congrats, enjoy it. For me there's better machines on the horizon!

288b Gomez confirmed it today lol

JJPs are as enjoyable as Sterns

My son (15) loves Pokemon and was really excited about this pin. I told my distro I wanted an LE sight unseen. Well, after the reveal, we're both second guessing our decision. The layout is terrible and game play is boring. The only saving grace is collecting Pokemon via IC at this point. This has to be one of the laziest pins in recent memory. And I already shared my dislike of Spike 3 cabinets. I might just be done with Stern for a while. Was really excited about this title, but not so much now. If my distro insists I take the LE, I might just flip it. What a wasted opportunity.

There are all levels of skill in pinball, so "enjoyable" is a moving target for definition. Lyman had the best strategy, designing his deep games so there was plenty of low-hanging fruit to engage the casuals, while still having deep, and yes more complicated, code for the better players to find and explore. Win-Win. Tanio as a code lead isn't known for deep code on two of his so far, but hopefully this is the one where he makes that happen using a similar philosophy to Lyman's.

Zero chance they make you take it. People are calling for them, nobody posting any available.

I’ve heard just about nothing but universal praise for how fun the layout is to shoot from those that played it. Even from people that were not Pokemon fans or were skeptical. I think you’ll find it to be a really fun game. Longevity is really the only question and that comes down to how deep they decide to go on the code.

This one has potential to reach 20k. Once the hype beasts and card shop owners hear about a limited to 750 Pokémon game, the demand will be even higher.

Based on IP alone, this one is going to be on Sterns assembly line into the next decade. I'm nearly certain of it.

Does anyone know how buying a LE direct from Stern works? Do they expect full payment right away if you manage to score one or it just a deposit? Can't imagine many people have a credit card that won't decline for a $13k purchase.

You pay for LE upfront. If you do large purchases frequently, your CC won't decline. BUT if it's your first time with a charge that large, you'd want to call your CC company ahead of time and tell them you will be making a large purchase and the approximate amount. Best way to prevent an ill-timed fraud decline.

Has anyone reviewed it that wasn't a guest on Media Day? I wouldn't want to bite the hand that feeds me.

Did you watch the Premium Gameplay yet? It's terrible. If you know of a video that shows gameplay that is not repetitive and boring, please let me know. I really want to like this game.

Serious question, how can you say a game sucks if you've never played it? Watching someone else play a game in a video is way different than getting hands on time yourself. Did you play it and that's why you have that opinion?

Gameplay is king for me, and I've never been able to judge a game until I've had ample time with it to learn at least most of its quarks, rules, shots, and so on.