Is Funhouse for Pinball FX3 *just as good* as the real table?

Well..

A real table will run you $4K+. I have it. I won't lie: it's nice.

It's also a real pinball table: big, heavy, loud, requires the right type of space and floor. Oh, and Funhouse is NOTORIOUS for breaking down

The average first time table buyer has their table around three years before selling. They like the concept of owning a table more than the reality.

In real life, a table plays one game, and one game only. For $1,000 to $10,000.

And they need to be cleaned and maintained.

Some machines have reps for breaking down. @EalaDubh can verify that. Funhouse is among the most notorious, and it's not just the Rudy mouth that goes on the fritz.

Is Pinball FX 3 a 100% 1 to 1 solution for a real table? NO. The tech still isn't there for 100% real physics.

We've possibly reached the generation where it is possible if my friends at @zen_studios are to be believed, where the consoles have enough horsepower to simulate enough physics variables that a real table can be recreated digitally at 99.999999% there.

But, that's down the line

Right now? The physics are 90% there to 95% there, but of course that missing % will cause that uncanny valley sensation.

BUT, it's the real table still. Like with Attack from Mars, all my real-life cycles and strategies work 100%, my muscle memory does, everything. It's great.

Funhouse is there too for the majority of shots. My muscle memory works on probably 7 out of 10 key shots, which means I only need to retain 3 of the 10. THAT'S NOT BAD FOR A SIMULATION!

Now, if you think "well, I'd still want the real one", again, $10 vs $4,000. Big difference.

I'm not trying to discourage people from collecting real tables. But you should be incredibly passionate about pinball. If you're not, I'd love for you to buy tables, because I'll be buying them off you at a discount on Craigslist in 2 to 3 years. That's just how it goes.

Real tables break down. They need cleaning EVEN IF YOU DON'T PLAY THEM. They need to be kept out of sunlight. They're like Christmas lights too sometimes: if one thing goes wrong, the whole table can start breaking down super fast. Funhouse is among the most unreliable.

You can buy a table for $4K but you have no guarantee you'll still be happy with it years from now.

That $10? If you get bored, it's $10. You would have spent that in quarters playing the table. Dad says if the tech had been this good in 2000, we'd never gotten into collecting.

One last thing, and this is Angela's point:

You can use digitals to gauge if you'll be the type of owner who cherishes a real table or looks to unload it. If you spend your $10 on the digital and never get bored with the tables you get, you'd probably be an ideal real owner.

If you made it through this thread, myself and my fellow collector @justmedashv are always available to help you with real table purchasing.

But, I like Angela's point: if you only casually play digital pinball, you should not buy a real table. A digital table would be better.