Episode 38 - Die on this Hill: Orbitor 1

Jeff Johnson defends Orbiter One's skill depth against harsh reviews, revealing designer aerospace credentials.

Synopsis

Wedgehead Pinball Podcast 'Die on this Hill' episode features Blueberry Jeff Johnson defending Orbiter One, a notoriously unpopular 1982 Stern Electronics game ranked #285 of 293 on Pinside. Jeff argues the game has deep mechanical skill and control via floating flippers on a 3D vacuum-formed playfield, revealing that designers Al Gross and Dixie Reinhardt were NASA aerospace engineers who invented the space toilet. The hosts read negative Pinside reviews and Jeff counters misconceptions about playability, physics, and game depth.

Highlights

• Orbiter One is about to double in price
• The designers (Al Gross and Dixie Reinhardt) were NASA aerospace engineers who developed the space toilet and a space glove with haptic feedback
• Orbiter One was the first game to have ball save that stops timers when the ball is trapped
• The game has no kickers, slings, bumpers, or pops: only spinning rubber discs and drop targets
• The bonus multiplier on Orbiter One goes up to 15x
• Orbiter One has floating flippers that can catch the ball due to the parabolic playfield shape, providing full control
• Al Gross and Dixie Reinhardt designed rubber soles for Nike
• Steve Young was approached to remake Orbiter One motors but declined because only 15 orders existed

Entities

• Stern Electronics· company
• Charlie's Angels· game
• Gottlieb Black Hole· game
• Orbiter One· game
• Popeye· game
• Pulp Fiction· game
• Whodunit· game
• Wedgehead Pinball Podcast· organization
• Al Gross· person
• Alan· person
• Alex (Alex the Waterboy)· person
• Blueberry Jeff Johnson· person
• Caucasian_Two_Step· person
• Dixie Reinhardt· person
• Gary Stern· person
• Joe Juice Jr.· person
• Johnny Pinball· person
• Rodesy· person
• Steve Young· person
• Pinside Top 100· product
• Next Level· venue
• Walt's Bar· venue