Virtual pinball is a complement or alternative to traditional pinball. More economical, more portable, more flexible… The arguments for playing on a screen are numerous. The solutions are also numerous, though often misunderstood. Let’s take a look at the different options available to enthusiasts.

Let’s start with the format that comes closest to the classic pinball machine: the Vpin! It consists of a pinball cabinet and pediment, with buttons on the sides… Screens replace the playfield and backglass. A computer hides inside the box to run hundreds of tables on a single machine. You’ve got to admit, it’s got its appeal! A dedicated community regularly produces digital avatars based on the most legendary themes, with constantly improving fidelity to the original. But that’s not all: the digital format makes it possible to invent pinball machines that have never seen the light of day! And if you want even more, these tables are free. Many thanks to this community for its generosity.

Video games were inspired by pinball, and vice versa. From the 1980s onwards, game publishers produced digital versions of pinball, sometimes remaining faithful to the physical tables, sometimes keeping the basic principles but inventing boards that were impossible to reproduce in the real world. Remember those games where the ball could pass between several superimposed playfields ? Even today, players continue to release faithful reproductions of the pinball machines of the 1990s on PCs and consoles, as well as inventing far more original ones!

Let’s finish with the most futuristic variant of pinball: virtual reality pinball! Zen Studios, the best-known publisher of pinball video games, is now releasing tables adapted for VR headsets. Immersion is enhanced, with licensed characters surrounding the player.