expired Posted by MatthewM9559 • Aug 26, 2021
Aug 26, 2021 9:34 PM
Item 1 of 10
Item 1 of 10
expired Posted by MatthewM9559 • Aug 26, 2021
Aug 26, 2021 9:34 PM
Sam's Club Members: AtGames Legends Digital Pinball Arcade & Table
+ ~$20 S/H$700
$799
12% offSam's Club
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The 22 included tables with the bare Sam's machine are...not great. You will want to either get the additional table packs from AtGames or add a separate PC to play FX3, VPX, etc. Obviously the table packs have an additional cost as does a separate PC. The table packs go for $50 but are frequently on sale for $35 or so.
To use the backglass of this machine with an external PC, you will need something called a VIBS board which must also be purchased separately from AtGames. That's another $50.
So basically, the Sam's version is $700 (+ tax) plus whatever table packs you buy from AtGames and a VIBS board (if needed) but comes with a better warranty and free shipping.
Direct from AtGames is $850 (including shipping) but no sales tax is charged and you get 4 Zaccaria table packs (which are pretty fun though some tables are kinda blah) + a VIBS board for an external PC (if needed).
AtGames is doing a National Owner's Day promotion next weekend. I expect the table packs will be on sale at that time. I have this machine and have modded the crap out of it. I think it's well worth it, but to me, an external PC and VIBS board is the way to go. If not, the additional table packs are a must IMO b/c the stock 22 tables are mostly crap.
1 - The $150 price difference between buying it from Sam's vs. AtGames is not that great when you consider the fact that AtGames for whatever reason doesn't charge sales tax on purchases; in my case it would have been ~$54 in sales tax. To be fair, sure some folks could care less for any of the AtGames table pack add-ons as well as value the effective 90-day "warranty" that you'd get from buying the ALP from Sam's, but unless you live in a no-sales tax state the $150 price difference is a bit misleading, even more so when you consider that you are comparing apples and oranges--Sam's is the ALP only whereas the AtGames' price includes the four Zac table packs; for whatever reason AtGames has chosen not to offer the ALP alone for purchase at this time but IIRC it too retailed for $700 (plus $100 shipping).
2 - Yes it doesn't compare to a "real" pinball machine but it's not meant to replace such. The ALP is marketed as a video gaming device, so I don't get the snobbish comparison comments.
2a - I dare anyone to argue that playing video pinball on a PC using the keyboard and/or gamepad is a much better playing experience than playing video pinball on the ALP (via OTG). I have Steam FX3--why would I want to play it using a keyboard and/or gamepad (connected to the PC) when I can play it on the ALP with pinball buttons?
3 - Like CoinOPSX for the ALU, the ALP's biggest feature is that you can play third-party video pinball tables on it via OTG feature. Obviously you will need to supply the source--e.g., PC or Nintendo Switch (yes, you can indeed play Switch tables on the ALP via OTG), but the possibilities are almost endless once you have everything set up correctly. I can play Steam FX3 and Zaccaria, VPX, and FP tables on my ALP via OTG (and yes, I can make use of all of the main ALP buttons for gameplay, including the plunger and nudge buttons), and recent ALP firmware now allows you to make use of the ALP accelerometer (for physical table nudging) and exciters with certain third-party virtual third-party pinball platforms (these features are still a WIP--meaning there are still some bugs).
4 - If you intend to use OTG to play third-party tables from your PC, I highly recommend you purchase the VIBS so that you can display third-party table backglass graphics on the ALP backglass.
5 - Similarly I recommend that you purchase the ALP replacement Arcade Control Panel which will be on sale for $100 +shipping during AtGames' NOD this Labor Day weekend--it normally retails for $200. ACP includes six buttons, joystick, and trackball--good for playing arcade games on your ALP (via CoinOPSX or OTG) if you wish to do so, plus the additional buttons gives you button-mapping flexibility when it comes to playing third-party tables via OTG.
I initially was on the fence on whether to buy the ALP but I eventually gave in and bought it back in April and haven't looked back on my purchase since. Admittedly I use it mostly for playing FX3 tables but that doesn't mean my ALP is a paperweight otherwise--I do play the buiit-in tables plus the AtGames Zaccaria tables every now and then. Between FX3, VPX, FP, and the AtGames' versions of the Gottlieb and Zaccaria tables, I have over 450 tables I can play--even more if I choose to download every single VPX and FP table currently out there.
Yes the ALP does have its issues--some hardware-related, some software/firmware-related, but overall it is a good pinball gaming device, especially considering that as far as video pinball goes it is a better pinball playing experience than playing video pinball on your PC using a keyboard or gamepad--that's like saying playing Pac-Man on a gaming console feels much more enjoyable than playing Pac-Man on an arcade cabinet (real or third-party). It is not a replacement or substitute for a real pinball machine--there's no substitution for nostalgia, if not anything else--but if you are willing to suspend reality when it comes to pinball tables, then IMHO the ALP is a good buy.
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It's actually a $150 difference bc AtGames charges another $100 for shipping bringing it to $850.
The 22 included tables with the bare Sam's machine are...not great. You will want to either get the additional table packs from AtGames or add a separate PC to play FX3, VPX, etc. Obviously the table packs have an additional cost as does a separate PC. The table packs go for $50 but are frequently on sale for $35 or so.
To use the backglass of this machine with an external PC, you will need something called a VIBS board which must also be purchased separately from AtGames. That's another $50.
So basically, the Sam's version is $700 (+ tax) plus whatever table packs you buy from AtGames and a VIBS board (if needed) but comes with a better warranty and free shipping.
Direct from AtGames is $850 (including shipping) but no sales tax is charged and you get 4 Zaccaria table packs (which are pretty fun though some tables are kinda blah) + a VIBS board for an external PC (if needed).
AtGames is doing a National Owner's Day promotion next weekend. I expect the table packs will be on sale at that time. I have this machine and have modded the crap out of it. I think it's well worth it, but to me, an external PC and VIBS board is the way to go. If not, the additional table packs are a must IMO b/c the stock 22 tables are mostly crap.
It may not be the real thing, or even hold up against a $4k virtual pinball system. But, the haptic feedback, sound, and table design are enough to draw you in. Plus I find myself playing more because of the online leaderboards. It's darn fun and I don't have to fix it constantly.
While this is a nice discount on the base unit, I think the benefit here is that you can buy directly from Sam's club. The price at Atgames is higher, but you get the additional virtual tables, which you will most likely end up buying down the road anyway.
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A lot of the community has these right next to their real tables.
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The internals aren't powerful enough to run VPX/FX3/etc on its own.
It's like the belted-out singing at a rock concert vs a ring tone. No comparison.
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