Game Show Home Games/Video Games Thread

[Bob Zager]

After checking out Costco's site for any in my area, they are just about all sold out! 

I checked, out of curiosity, on eBay, and found many being offered, for upwards of $140 plus shipping!!

BTW, a couple of years ago, a mini-catalog from Buffalo Games, which made the previous versions, had a cartoon-sketch entry, of a "Plinko-to-Go," game--featuring lights, SFX, and automatic scoring!  Instead, the "Plinko-Drop to Win Game," which came in the 10x10x2 box came out. 

[MikeK]

This is hardly a new game.  The Cube on the Switch, from 2022 and based on the UK version, is available from Amazon for $16.99.  I got my copy this afternoon.

It's...got a learning curve.  My first game had me blow through all 9 lives quite fast.  My second attempt was slightly better, walking after defeating game 2 with a single life remaining.

[Strikerz04]

Do you recall what it was going for at your store? I know a lot of times the warehouse price is lower than the online price. (Money has become somewhat less of a limiting factor on this item since a friend told me, "I will buy this for you if you host a game show night once our basement gets finished.")

Somewhere between $95 and $98. I don't remember if it was $94.99 or a higher number, but it was definitely not lower than that and below $100.

$94.99 at multiple Costcos in the Bay Area, so that tracks.

[Sodboy13]

Yep, it arrived hereover the weekend, at $94.99. Honestly it's more worth it at that price compared to the pressboard Target Plinko at $40. This is super sturdy and probably about four times the size of that model.

[Neumms]

The new Plinko may not solve the old problem. One Costco review says, “fun with one flaw,” the top isn’t flush with the bottom. Another says the chips fall off before they reach the bottom. There were others that raved, though.

[clemon79]

The new Plinko may not solve the old problem. One Costco review says, “fun with one flaw,” the top isn’t flush with the bottom. Another says the chips fall off before they reach the bottom. There were others that raved, though.

Somehow I don't think the Chinese sweatshop robots that drilled the dowel holes (or whatever the securing mechanism is) took a level to the whole thing before they went in there.

That said, that is a very user-fixable problem. One thing I learned building my pinball machine is that the build quality of a LOT of things can be DRASTICALLY improved with $10 and a quick trip to Home Despot for some screws and brackets or whatever.

/I'd probably design and print up some thicker Plinko chips, too
//although the cost of a Bambu Labs printer just jacked up a couple hundred bucks in the last day or so
///is America great again yet?

[Sodboy13]

I haven't put it together yet, but looking at the way this board assembles, getting the two halves flush should be an easier fix with some finessing of the included parts. You install screws in a support bar that runs along the seam, rather than tightening up wingnuts out at the corners.

I have reached out to the person who operates Makn Games to see if she could scale down her Plinko chips to fit this board, but haven't hear back yet. One add-on I have completed is an LED dot matrix Bluetooth display for a scoreboard. It has suction cups to stick it right along the side. I might also run an LED light strip around the border.

[Neumms]

One thing I learned building my pinball machine…

Hold on…you built a pinball machine? Wow! Do you have photos here or somewhere on the internets?