Pinball, Resurrected
Restoring a crusty, beat up Cyclone.
THE FLIPPER’S SWEET SPOT STRIKES THE steel sphere, sending it through a gantlet of colorful obstacles. Electrical relays fire, bells ring, lights blink, sounds play, and the world vibrates with a dizzying barrage that only sharpens your focus. You parse the steel ball’s trajectory, then adjust its course by nudging the 300-pound machine underneath; there’s nothing “virtual” here. You are playing pinball, and it envelops you in a sense-filling physicality that video games can’t begin to approach.
Even though the once-ubiquitous pinball machine is a rare sight in arcades and bars today, you can still fulfill your wildest pinball dreams by buying and restoring one yourself. ...
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