I play video pinball (the Williams packs in PinballFX), and I own a machine (Elvira’s House of Horrors).
Video pinball is better than no pinball, but real pinball has it beat, hands-down. Cost and bulk aside (and those are big asides, yes), there is no comparison.
Sound is an underappreciated difference. Even the best simulations don’t come close to capturing the punch of a real machine.
I do wonder how close we could get if you were able to go all-out: best simulation, running in the best AR goggles (AVP?) superimposed over an empty pinball cabinet. It wouldn’t be enough (real physics differ greatly from the best simulations), but it would be real fun to see.
Video pinball is better than no pinball, but real pinball has it beat, hands-down. Cost and bulk aside (and those are big asides, yes), there is no comparison.
Sound is an underappreciated difference. Even the best simulations don’t come close to capturing the punch of a real machine.
I do wonder how close we could get if you were able to go all-out: best simulation, running in the best AR goggles (AVP?) superimposed over an empty pinball cabinet. It wouldn’t be enough (real physics differ greatly from the best simulations), but it would be real fun to see.