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Original pinball journalism — game reveals, industry analysis, interviews, tutorials, and opinion from the Kineticist editorial team.

Staff Picks

Top 10 Pinball Machines of the 2010s

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About America's Pinball Prohibition

Volunteers Needed: Why You Should Volunteer as a Scorekeeper for a Pinball Tournament

The 50 Best Pinball Machines of All Time: A Comprehensive Guide

The Score Card

The Score Card 18: District 82 SPC and Northwest Pinball Championships

August's two Stern Pro Circuit stops: Nick Weyna takes the District 82 Summer Pinball Classic on a last-shot White Water finish, and Jason Zahler defends his Northwest Pinball Championships title in Lynnwood.

Matt Owen

September 10, 2026

Pinball History

Exploring EMs: Ted Zale and New Frontiers for Bally

Ted Zale designed for Bally from 1963 to 1973. Here, we look back at eight of his machines and what each one introduced, from lock-and-release multiball on Star-Jet to the Balligator on Nip-It.

solar_espeon·Sep 8, 2026

Staff Picks

Top 10 Pinball Machines of the 2010s

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About America's Pinball Prohibition

Volunteers Needed: Why You Should Volunteer as a Scorekeeper for a Pinball Tournament

The 50 Best Pinball Machines of All Time: A Comprehensive Guide

The Score Card

The Score Card 18: District 82 SPC and Northwest Pinball Championships

August's two Stern Pro Circuit stops: Nick Weyna takes the District 82 Summer Pinball Classic on a last-shot White Water finish, and Jason Zahler defends his Northwest Pinball Championships title in Lynnwood.

Matt Owen

September 10, 2026

Pinball History

Exploring EMs: Ted Zale and New Frontiers for Bally

Ted Zale designed for Bally from 1963 to 1973. Here, we look back at eight of his machines and what each one introduced, from lock-and-release multiball on Star-Jet to the Balligator on Nip-It.

solar_espeon·Sep 8, 2026

Pinball History

Remembering Dolly Parton: Her Legacy in Pinball and Beyond

Dolly Parton passed away on August 25 at the age of 80. solar_espeon looks back at the 1979 Bally game that carried her name, the backglass her team sent back for a redraw, and how it plays.

solar_espeon·Sep 4, 2026

News

Stern Pinball Reveals Fallout

Stern Pinball revealed Fallout. Here's everything we know, plus photos, videos and more.

Colin Alsheimer·Sep 3, 2026

News

Pinball Never Changes.

Pinball, however, does advance. Hands-on with Stern's latest: Fallout.

James Fremont·Sep 3, 2026

New Pinball

Cirqus Voltaire Returns With American Pinball's Classic and Ringmaster Editions

American Pinball announces Cirqus Voltaire in Classic and Ringmaster editions, $9,989 and $12,589, shipping October 2026. Paul Melio reports.

Paul Melio·Aug 26, 2026

Interviews

Pinball as a Canvas: Gerry Stellenberg on Designing for Licenses at Multimorphic

Multimorphic founder Gerry Stellenberg on picking licenses nobody predicts, why the P³ screen is just another canvas, and the deals he walked away from. Part three of Paul Melio's licensing series.

Paul Melio·Aug 25, 2026

Pinball History

Exploring EMs: The Legendary Career of Designer Wayne Neyens

Wayne Neyens spent more than 40 years designing for Gottlieb. Here, we look back at some of his most influential ideas and popular designs.

solar_espeon·Aug 20, 2026

Pinball History

The 150 Most Historically Significant Pinball Machines

154 years of pinball firsts: from an 1871 bagatelle patent to the largest homebrew ever built.

Joe Ciaravino·Aug 19, 2026

News

Stern's Pokémon Home Edition Arrives at Costco for $4,999

Stern's Pokémon Home Edition appeared on Costco sales floors today at $4,999 with no announcement, and it's the closest one of these has come to the Pro.

Colin Alsheimer·Aug 13, 2026

The Score Card

The Score Card 17: Pinburgh, WIPT, and The BEAST

July's three big tournaments: Jason Zahler becomes the first player to win Pinburgh three years running, Stacey Moritz sweeps the Women's International Pinball Tournament, and Jack Slovacek takes his first Stern Pro Circuit win at The BEAST.

Matt Owen·Aug 11, 2026

News

Dutch Pinball Caps The Big Lebowski With a 300-Unit Jesus Edition

Dutch Pinball is closing out The Big Lebowski with a Jesus Edition limited to 300 numbered machines, and calling it the last edition before its next release.

Colin Alsheimer·Aug 10, 2026

Interviews

On Location: Inside the Pinball Room at Toys From The Attic with Owner Don Berrios

Don Berrios keeps a room of pinball behind the collectibles at his Somersworth, NH shop, and talks Sterns, maintenance, and how he got started in pinball.

Arcade Hunters·Aug 6, 2026

News

Slow, Then Fast: Meet the Builders Behind Pinball's AI-Era App Boom

Developers Conor Wilson, Ed Giardina, and Will Oetting talk about their latest projects amid an explosion of new services.

Colin Alsheimer·Aug 5, 2026

News

Tasker Smith Talks Flow, Focus, and Bad Luck at His Book Launch in Natick

Tasker Smith took questions from Marc Patenaude and the audience at the Center for the Arts in Natick for the release of Pinball: A Quest for Mastery. Flow states, focus rituals, split flippers, and the 1974 Strato-Flite he brought in for the occasion.

Andrew Quemere·Aug 3, 2026

Interviews

“I Had Started Writing the Book I Wanted to Read” — Tasker Smith on Pinball: A Quest for Mastery

Tasker Smith on the decade he spent writing Pinball: A Quest for Mastery — the sensory deprivation tanks that didn't survive the edit, what his editor changed, and why he says pinball comes down to playing against yourself. The book is out now, and he's on the road with it through August 9.

Colin Alsheimer·Jul 31, 2026

News

American Pinball Launches New Victory Edition of Galactic Tank Force

American Pinball announced Galactic Tank Force: Victory Edition this morning, a final run of one hundred units, alongside a hefty code update and some interesting clues as to where the company may be headed.

Paul Melio·Jul 30, 2026

News

Barrels of Fun Reveals Bon Jovi Pinball

Everything we know so far about Barrels of Fun's 4th release, Bon Jovi.

Colin Alsheimer·Jul 28, 2026

News

Multimorphic Launches Dungeon Crawler Carl & Ender's Game Pinball

For the first time in its history, Multimorphic launched two new P³ games on the same day: Dungeon Crawler Carl, the LitRPG adaptation we've been tracking since February, and Ender's Game, which nobody saw coming. Full pricing, credits, and features for both.

Colin Alsheimer·Jul 27, 2026

Lists

Exploring EMs: A Rundown of the Top 10 Electromechanical Games, According to IPDB Users

The ten best electromechanical games ever made, as rated by users of the Internet Pinball Database. solar_espeon runs down what makes each one great, from Gottlieb's drop-target classics to a surprise #1 from Williams.

solar_espeon·Jul 23, 2026

Pinball News

Latest Pinball News & Articles

Pinball News

Latest Pinball News & Articles

Staff Picks

Top 10 Pinball Machines of the 2010s

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About America's Pinball Prohibition

Volunteers Needed: Why You Should Volunteer as a Scorekeeper for a Pinball Tournament

The 50 Best Pinball Machines of All Time: A Comprehensive Guide

The Score Card 18: District 82 SPC and Northwest Pinball Championships

Exploring EMs: Ted Zale and New Frontiers for Bally

Staff Picks

Top 10 Pinball Machines of the 2010s

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About America's Pinball Prohibition

Volunteers Needed: Why You Should Volunteer as a Scorekeeper for a Pinball Tournament

The 50 Best Pinball Machines of All Time: A Comprehensive Guide

The Score Card 18: District 82 SPC and Northwest Pinball Championships

Exploring EMs: Ted Zale and New Frontiers for Bally

Remembering Dolly Parton: Her Legacy in Pinball and Beyond

Stern Pinball Reveals Fallout

Pinball Never Changes.

Cirqus Voltaire Returns With American Pinball's Classic and Ringmaster Editions

Pinball as a Canvas: Gerry Stellenberg on Designing for Licenses at Multimorphic

Exploring EMs: The Legendary Career of Designer Wayne Neyens

The 150 Most Historically Significant Pinball Machines

Stern's Pokémon Home Edition Arrives at Costco for $4,999

The Score Card 17: Pinburgh, WIPT, and The BEAST

Dutch Pinball Caps The Big Lebowski With a 300-Unit Jesus Edition

On Location: Inside the Pinball Room at Toys From The Attic with Owner Don Berrios

Slow, Then Fast: Meet the Builders Behind Pinball's AI-Era App Boom

Tasker Smith Talks Flow, Focus, and Bad Luck at His Book Launch in Natick

“I Had Started Writing the Book I Wanted to Read” — Tasker Smith on Pinball: A Quest for Mastery

American Pinball Launches New Victory Edition of Galactic Tank Force

Barrels of Fun Reveals Bon Jovi Pinball

Multimorphic Launches Dungeon Crawler Carl & Ender's Game Pinball

Exploring EMs: A Rundown of the Top 10 Electromechanical Games, According to IPDB Users