Fast takes from deep pinball fandom.
PINBALL NERDS treats pinball like a living scene, not a quiet collector niche. Episodes jump from top-50 machine rankings to IFPA arguments, boutique manufacturer takes, virtual pinball reviews, toppers, pricing, repairs, and whatever thread just caught fire on Pinside.
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PINBALL NERDS is an insider-heavy pinball show built from enthusiasm, argument, and constant side roads. It treats the hobby as a whole ecosystem: machines, toppers, tournaments, manufacturers, repairs, resale prices, Twitch streams, Pinside threads, and the people who keep showing up around them. The main mode is a fast monologue. It rarely sounds detached. Instead, episodes chase whatever is newest, strangest, most expensive, most fun, or most argued-about that week. A countdown can become a personal update. A review can become a pricing disclaimer. A tournament story can become a defense of a player, a critique of spectators, and a miniature history lesson in the same stretch. That looseness is part of the appeal. The show’s machine talk is specific and tactile, with attention to ramps, spinning discs, light shows, tight shots, virtual pinball nudging, toppers, and the physical pleasure of landing a difficult shot. It also has a strong collector brain, regularly comparing old prices, new release costs, boutique builders, and whether a game feels worth chasing. The ranking episodes reveal the show’s values clearly: fun matters more than resale value, theme prestige, or tournament reputation. Community is just as important. Poor Man's Pinball Network, Pinside, J Hall Sucks at Pinball, Canadian Pinball Podcast, IFPA 17, Twippy Awards, Deep Root Pinball, Haggis, Spooky Pinball, American Pinball, and Arcade1Up all appear as part of one crowded conversation. Interviews and co-host moments loosen the format further, especially when John Greatwich discusses a Trailer Park Boys pin idea or L.O.J. joins for an Attack from Mars virtual pin review. PINBALL NERDS can be blunt, repetitive, funny, defensive, sentimental, and highly opinionated. It also lets real life in, including health problems, family references, dental pain, financial stress, and pleas for coffee support. That makes the show more ragged than refined. It is not a clean buyers-guide product. It is pinball fandom in motion, with rankings, hot takes, personal stakes, and a running sense that every machine, player, and forum post might become the next big argument.
Made for: For pinball players, collectors, tournament watchers, and machine obsessives who enjoy strong opinions, rankings, and community chatter. Best suited to listeners already comfortable with hobby names, brands, and forum culture.
What sets it apart: PINBALL NERDS stands out by mixing machine reviews, personal updates, scene gossip, and tournament commentary without sanding down the mess. It judges games by feel and fun while still tracking price, build quality, repairs, and community reputation.
Welcome to the Pinball Nerds Podcast! Your host Obital Albert will nerd out with you about all things pinball, with a focus on his goal of someday becoming a pinball wizard!
Based on 6 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Orbital Albert makes pinball design and competition vivid through candid judgments about play, manufacturers and the conduct surrounding the game.
PINBALL NERDS turns pinball talk into a fast-moving personal argument, moving from new-machine judgments to competition disputes. Orbital Albert pays close attention to how a game feels at the flippers: shot precision, ramp flow, spinning discs and light shows all become…
This is the show that makes your pinball hot takes sound undercaffeinated, then ranks the machines anyway.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A Pinside firestorm, bargain Centaurs, and scarce repair expertise give this short interview its pinball-world charge.
A brisk Pinball Nerds interview uses a Pinside-born Trailer Park Boys pinball pitch to open up a wider look at pinball economics, repair know-how, and local scarcity.
A buoyant Toy Story pinball review with a sharp feel for shots, spectacle, and one costly-looking screen.
The 500th episode treats Toy Story pinball as a lively, shot-by-shot machine tour, with Orbital Albert most animated when a toy-like feature becomes a satisfying target.
A personal, fun-first pinball countdown that leaves space for debate.
Episode 499 frames recent pinball releases as a fun-first countdown, with Orbital Albert ranking machines by what sounds enjoyable rather than by resale value, cost, theme strength, or tournament reputation.
A measured defense of Keith Elwin's walk-off that keeps Eric Stone's win in view.
Keith Elwin's decision not to play out his last ball at IFPA 17 gives this single-episode review its sharp edge, but Orbital Albert keeps pulling the frame back to the result he sees as the real center: Eric Stone won.
A boutique-pinball scorecard grows into a pointed, personal argument about machines, commitment, and tournament culture.
Five rad and one bad for American Pinball, Spooky Pinball Boo, and Haggis gives the episode the shape of a busy boutique-pinball scorecard before it turns toward something more personal.
A Halifax card trip turns into a loose pinball-community dispatch sparked by Steve Bowden.
Pinball Nerds turns Orbital Albert's promised battle with Steve Bowden into a relaxed weekend report about respect, irritation, cards, and pinball-community memory.
A loose, personal pinball dispatch where a Mandalorian rumor makes nearly every game feel negotiable.
Orbital Albert returns after a long dry spell for new pinball, and the episode lands in a pleasantly messy place between hobby fixation and real life.
Mental-board chess drills for focused practice.
German fragrance talk with real collector judgment.
Host Orbital Albert and co-host Ian Hereward preview an upcoming pinball tournament called Pin Clash, discussing qualifiers and what to watch for.
Host Orville Auburn counts down the top five rad things about Fathom by Haggis Pinball and checks on his bees.
The host discusses rumored upcoming pinball titles from Stern and Spooky Pinball, mixed with personal anecdotes about goat ownership.
Orbital Albert discusses rumors of a Mandalorian pinball machine while revealing his recent colitis diagnosis.
Orbital Albert recounts a Pokemon Go raid battle with Steve Bowden of Deep Root Pinball.
Host Orbital Albert conducts a quick 10-minute interview with Halifax pinball veteran John Greatwich, who has been playing pinball for 27 years and is attempting to fund and build a Trailer Park Boys pinball machine.
Host Orbital Albert celebrates episode 500 of Pinball Nerds Podcast with a solo '5 Rad and 1 Bad' review of the newly released Jersey Jack Pinball Toy Story machine, recorded under time pressure after a power outage.
["Pinball Nerds episode 499 is Orbital Albert's countdown of the top 50 pinball machines released in the last decade, ranked by fun rather than resale value, price, or tournament reputation.", "He says the show is shifting toward video on the Pinball Nerds Facebook page and audio on the Poor Men's Pinball Network, while still planning occasional podcasts and a Christmas special.", "The list moves from Primus, Kelts, Halloween, Avengers, and Rob Zombie through Rick and Morty, Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Trek, Avengers: Infinity Quest, and The Walking Dead before landing on Godzilla at number one.", "Personal updates about missing his goats Leah, Darth Vader, and Chewy, his health issues, Fundy Flippers, and coffee orders from the tribe run alongside the rankings."]
Orbital Albert, recovering from a monthslong stretch of COVID, sepsis, and a bacterial tooth infection, breaks down Keith Elwin's decision to concede his final ball at IFPA 17 rather than attempt an unlikely comeback against Escher Lefkoff.
Episode 497 of Pinball Nerds turns into a five-rad-and-one-bad ranking of American Pinball, Spooky Pinball, and Haggis Pinball.
The host discusses a virtual pinball machine and a new Stranger Things topper for pinball machines.
The hosts review the Attack from Mars virtual pinball machine and discuss upcoming pinball events.
Host Orbital Albert discusses his recent experience battling Steve Bowden in a pinball competition and shares his thoughts on Deep Root Pinball.
The host and a co-host kick off the third annual Nerdies awards show for pinball, discussing sobriety and top five lists.
The host counts down his top five predictions for pinball in 2021, discussing the year ahead and the lack of competition due to the pandemic.