I'll be a little different and write a news article on something not pinball simulation related, instead about something that right now is The subject concerning real pinballs - Pinball 2000! Pinball 2000 is the name of a whole new technology for pinballs. An excerpt from the P2K website follows below:

"For the first time in history, a fully interactive video monitor has been seamlessly integrated with traditional playfield action. Virtual images are projected onto the playfield, allowing the ball to interact with video targets as well as traditional 3-D targets. Images on the video screen can be moved and transformed in respect to the playfield architecture, creating a "universe under glass."

So video images appear under the glass cover showing virtual targets and also game status (what you found on the DMD, dot matrix display, but in a more spectacular way, graphicwise). If this becomes a popular thing it could really boost the pinball business (seems to be one opinion on usenet at least).

Maybe they will eventually skip the whole playfield thing and just have a glasscover working as a screen, a simulated ball, simulated flippers, simulated ramps everything shown on a screen beneath the glasscover! Hmm, that would at least be a neat way of simulating pinballs, a simulation that is like a real pinball except it is only software, no solenoids, etc? ;)

Though I don't want to see real pinballs becomming only software (pinball simulations are only software but they are simulations after all), pinball is pinball and a real pinball isn't real without its steel ball, though I find the idea of writing simulations the way mentioned in the paragraph above interesting, another kind of video games? The P2K idea though sounds quite interesting and fun to me, the mix between a real pinball and a video screen beneath the glass cover with programmed targets and fx could be quite an experience. Still it demands that the pinball is good and fun, just nice fx and silly sprites doesn't do anything as Sierra has showed us pinball simulation fans.

Ofcourse the screen showing targets isn't all P2K brings, there is easier maintainance, easier to switch playfield and if I understood things correct you don't need to switch the whole actual pinball when you want a new one, instead you switch just the playfield, apply some graphical logos and switch the software. You can hook the pinball up to your PC to do error checking and such.

Pinball 2000 - comments from a player - A pinball fan who attended the pre-show unveiling of Pinball 2000 - Revenge From Mars - in London posted a quite detailed explanation to usenet with his personal opinions on the new pinball.

Pinball 2000 - Find out more at the P2K website