EM / SS Pinball Comparison
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The table below provides a very general comparison of Electro-Mechanical and Solid State pinball machines. Like all generalizations there are many exceptions. During the change-over from EM to SS in the late 1970s the new machines were not that different from a look and play point-of-view. The goal here is to capture the common cases of comparison between a 70s EM/early SS machine and late SS / 90s DMD or later machines.
This table summarizes an RGP discussion started on 11/29/2011 by Kirkd2.
| Category | Late EM / Early SS | Late SS / DMD |
|---|---|---|
| Ball Time | Short, design is about 30 seconds per ball | Games tend to have longer ball times |
| Speed | Slower, playfield slope about 3.5 degrees (1) | Fast, playfield slope about 6.5 degrees |
| Randomness | The ball is wild | Controllable shots, many machines have shots that return the ball to a flipper |
| Game play | No memory from ball-to-ball for multi-player machines | Player state tracked from ball-to-ball |
| Objectives | Easy to understand, difficult to master | Deep rule sets, complete missions or goals |
| New Players | Easy to see game objectives | Often overwhelmed |
| Sounds | Mechanical bells, chimes, and score reels | Broad range of electronic sounds, including voice and high-quality music |
| Lights | On, Off, When-Lit, and blinking | Broad range of light shows and attract modes |
| Display | Light up, mechanical, or motorized score reels | Vacuum fluorescent or gas plasma numeric, alphanumeric, dot matrix |
| Theme | Less licensed themes (Capt. Fantastic, Close Encounters, etc.) and more original themes | Less original themes and more licensed themes |
| Artwork | Original artwork | Trend toward photo-realistic art, less spot-color screen printing, art sometimes dictated by licensee |
| Playfield | High-quality multi-color screen printing | Lower-quality dithered color screen printing |
| Maintenance | No diagnostics, need to trace problem on schematics | Built-in diagnostic modes |
| Repair | Rarely need parts replacement other than maintenance | Transistor replacement on driver boards |
| Longevity | Could still be working 100 years from now | Obsolescence of electronic components is common |
(1) Later EMs can have fast play if they are set up and adjusted correctly.