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Communities & Games Hacker News · 2023-10-17

No modern successor to the 3D Pinball games of yesteryear

当年的 3D 弹珠台没有现代续作，4090 都闲着

At a glance · 30-second read
  • WhoHacker News · 2023-10-17 · 88 upvotes · 87 replies
  • The askNo modern successor to the 3D Pinball games of yesteryear
  • The openingA physics-accurate pinball game with a table editor and workshop support.

What was actually said

“Modern GPUs like the nVidia 4090 would be incredible for simulating a pinball machine.”

— Hacker News · 2023-10-17 · news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37918308…

Background and pain

The pain

Nostalgic casual categories are underserved; players want five-minute high-quality sessions.

A buildable angle

The opening

A physics-accurate pinball game with a table editor and workshop support.

How to validate it

  1. Read the whole thread and note the recurring scenarios — repetition is the density of the need.
  2. Search existing tools around "casual game / physics" and check which single step they actually cover.
  3. Put up a one-line landing page, share it back to Hacker News, and see whether anyone asks about pricing.

Existing options

Zen Pinball, Pinball FX

From the thread · top comments

There is this https://store.steampowered.com/app/547590/Pinball_FX2_VR/ but it's getting old but it is out for the quest https://www.meta.com/experiences/1995306573932043/ like it or not the quest is the mainstream of VR, I kept away from it because I didn't want to log in with a Facebook account but I am likely to get a Quest 3to support 3D software development, stereogram viewing and stuff like that.

— PaulHoule

Yeah I mean my interest is less in having a fun arcade game and more in having a ridiculously realistic complex simulation that really leverages the modern marvel that is current gen GPUs.

— eigenvalue

Visual Pinball and Future Pinball are keeping digital pinball alive from a emulation/simulation perspective. Pinball FX is a commercial answer.

— baldgeek
Open the source thread

FAQ

Where does this request come from?
From a public thread on Hacker News, posted on 2023-10-17 with 87 replies, filed under Communities & Games. Read the full context here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37918308
What exactly are users complaining about?
Modern GPUs like the nVidia 4090 would be incredible for simulating a pinball machine. Nostalgic casual categories are underserved; players want five-minute high-quality sessions.
What could this become as a product?
A physics-accurate pinball game with a table editor and workshop support.
What alternatives exist today?
Known options: Zen Pinball, Pinball FX. These usually cover only one step of the workflow, leaving the rest manual.

More threads on this pain

Media & creation (5)

Related opportunities

Open the source thread More in Communities & Games Back to library