Episode 48 - Insider Connected

Wedgehead explores Stern Insider Connected with LA ambassador Tyler, examining player/operator benefits and platform limitations.

Synopsis

Alan and Alex host Tyler Jerome White ('Pinball Jesus'), an LA pinball ambassador and Stern Insider Connected enthusiast, to discuss the platform's features, benefits, and limitations. The episode covers player-side use cases (score tracking, achievements, leaderboards), operator benefits, and community concerns about monetization and leaderboard accuracy. Tyler advocates for the platform while acknowledging onboarding friction and lack of tangible incentives beyond tracking and community engagement.

Highlights

• Stern Insider Connected has been included on every game released since Godzilla (2021)
• Retrofit kits for Insider Connected cost approximately $200 and are compatible with all Spike 2 games (25+ games) including Batman 66 and later
• Stern has not monetized Insider Connected beyond using it as a selling point for new games
• Some Stern games from before the IC era (e.g., Elton John) cannot log into Insider Connected
• Insider Connected leaderboards only show scores from logged-in players, not the true all-time machine high scores
• Revenge of Comics and Pinball uses Insider Connected leaderboards as a promotional tool with prize incentives
• Stern hired a Disney+ executive, causing community speculation about potential subscription monetization
• Account creation for Insider Connected has friction points including email confirmation requirements that confuse new players

Entities

• Batman 66· game
• Black Knight Sword of Rage· game
• Elton John· game
• Godzilla· game
• Venom· game
• Revenge of Comics and Pinball· organization
• Waltz Bar· organization
• Wedgehead· organization
• Alan· person
• Alex / the Waterboy· person
• George Gomez· person
• Tyler Jerome White / Pinball Jesus· person
• Scorebit· product
• Spike 2· product
• Stern Insider Connected· product