Virtual Reality Pinball
Maya Malbon
Discover our full-size virtual pinball, our MiniPin, and our full-on virtual reality PINSIM machines. Silver ball madness!
Add a drive & X-Box controllers or a dedicated arcade deck to make any of our full-size pinball machines a 2 in 1 combo with pinball on the playfield and arcade on the backglass.
Note that designs shown for Premium, Xtreme, Standard, 2 in 1, or MiniPin models are available across the range. Choose any of our designs or if you want to use your own custom artwork - that's no problem either!
But back to the pinball. The tables look stellar on the Quest 2 and the ball motion is high frame-rate and fluid. The feeling of moving flippers and standing at the table is convincing. Zen Studios has other pinball games in VR, but the presentation and number of tables in Star Wars Pinball makes it a better choice. If you ever dreamed of having a set of virtual pinball tables in your home, this is an actually affordable option.
Another fun bonus: the ships and characters that end up standing alongside the table as you're playing. An exclusive Mandalorian table has The Mandalorian and Grogu on either side, watching and sometimes moving (when I lose, Mando takes off on his jetpack, disappointed).
The collection of tables feels somewhat incomplete, however. There are tables for Episodes IV-VI, plus Rebels, Mandalorian and Rogue One tables, plus a "collectibles" table with action figures embedded in the table design and a "Masters of the Force" character-themed table. But there aren't any Prequel tables or New Trilogy tables (or Clone Wars), which is a shame since the Switch version has 19 tables compared to the eight that are here. Maybe there will be add-ons? (Please bring add-ons.)
Playing the tables one at a time or in a campaign filled with timed and high-score challenges unlocks posters, models, helmets and full-size character recreations that can displayed in the virtual fan cave, which yes, appears to be in a (fancy) basement.
It all reminds me of the fun I used to have playing arcade games in VR on the Oculus Go and Gear VR with Oculus Arcade, an app that never made the move to Quest. I used to love the feeling of standing at an arcade cabinet playing Joust -- the feeling was always realistic enough to spare me making an impulse buy an arcade cabinet for my home. Star Wars Pinball makes me realize that VR's best simulations (like pinball or ping-pong) are often some of the smallest.
Jeremy, a huge pinball enthusiast, knew he had to build a cabinet when he saw Pinball FX 2 VR at Oculus Days. Digital pinball games have been around for quite a while, but as Jeremy noted, one of the problems with them is that your perspective is static. Virtual reality (VR) pinball games allows users to change their perspective while playing, allowing for more finesse.
There is one type of game that I will always go to when visiting an arcade, the pinball machines. Zen Studios has brought Star Wars Pinball VR to life in a beautiful way on the Oculus Quest platform. With many tables to play on, different animations to be seen, and lots of other fun stuff to look at and do we will discuss if it is worth it in our review below so sit tight.
Table mechanics work very well on the Oculus Quest headset. There is virtually no delay between clicking your control buttons and the table buttons to move the flappers. It really does feel like you are standing right at a pinball machine as you are playing with the haptic feedback. Each table comes with its own special figures that show up near you as well as animated actions that occur during play as well. I love how involved you become as you are looking around at everything in your VR man-cave. One other cool feature that you can choose to partake in is the pseudo story mode. If you walk up to the big screen television you can see that there are requirements to complete score challenges on different tables. As you complete these challenges you can unlock statues and other collectibles to play around the room you are in, including music for the jukebox.
GameSpace aims to be a one-stop shop for all your gaming news, reviews, videos, streams, opinions, and forums. We aim to cover not only the games and the people who make them, but also the culture and trends around the industry. If there's a hot topic in gaming, chances are we're all here writing about it.
To explain, playing Pinball FX2 in virtual reality is akin to looking directly down and over a real-life pinball machine. The perspective is picture-perfect down to the angles, and includes an ability to peek underneath every table item. The ball tracking is also seamless as the silver orbs streak across from one side of a table to the other. Even pinball snobs will be hard-pressed to call out discrepancies in the experience here.
While this is a generally wonderful experience, there are some technical quibbles that detract from it. To keep things running smoothly, the graphics take a sizable hit. It appears Zen Studios simply lowered resolution to enable the PSVR hardware to do its thing, and what results is a never-fully-in-focus image that gave me slight headaches over time.
Disclosures: This title was developed and is distributed by Zen Studios. It is currently available via download on PSN. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on PSVR. Approximately 10 hours of play were devoted to this title.
Colorblind modes: Virtual Reality hardware and software may present challenges to colorblind users based on presentation method. This game does not offer options to address this issue.
Pinball machines were the cornerstone of all the local arcades in my area growing up. While the younger audience crowded around arcade cabinets, the older teens appreciated the nuances and subtle details, regardless if the table was based on an existing IP or a brand new concept. Zen Studios has been releasing virtual pinball tables for the better part of a decade, and it was only natural for the Pinball FX series to evolve with the release of virtual reality platforms. Arcades being just about extinct in North America, Pinball FX2 VR is the absolute best way to experience the thrill of pinball. Although all of the tables that are released are of their own creation, I adore the creative freedom that has been used in designing them.
In a very high-class apartment befitting a multi-millionaire with expansive floor to ceiling windows covering almost every inch of the walls; you'll find three pinball machines in fixed positions. While you can't move them around, you can swap the pinball machines for any of the ones you own. If your collection grows too large, you can assign tables from the main menu to easily see your entire collection.
Whether you play standing up or sitting down, your view sets you directly in front of the glass topped pinball cabinet. After long play sessions, I found myself having to take a short break and stretch out my neck. In Pinball FX2 VR, recentering by holding down Options or tapping Square snaps your view back in place instantly. You can manipulate how close or as far away you are from the table by leaning forward/backward from the PlayStation Camera. I like to play very close to the table so that I can appreciate all the tiny details, the vibrant colors and all the flashing lights inside each pinball machine.
Zen Studios announced today that its long-running Star Wars Pinball is coming to virtual reality for the first time ever. Star Wars Pinball VR will arrive on Oculus Quest 1 & 2, Steam VR, and PlayStation VR on April 29 -- just in time for May the 4th, the Star Wars fan holiday.
Star Wars Pinball VR is set to launch with eight tables: the brand-new The Mandalorian and Star Wars Classic Collectibles tables, along with six remastered favorites, including Star Wars: A New Hope, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars Rebels, and Masters of the Force.
The game loads up and you are in a virtual house, another luxurious living space to rival the likes of Oculus Home. You have three pinball tables set up, a wall with trophies from the games, a gallery with scoreboards to compare your pinball wizardry with friends or other players worldwide, and an entertainment center that summarize the games, presents options, etc. You can switch out the three machines to whichever ones you prefer. And when you are done just looking around this virtual home, you can click on a machine and start playing it.
93ddb68554