Adaptive Flipper Control Interview | Making Pinball Accessible
31Adaptive Flipper Control Interview | Making Pinball Accessible
In late October of 2023, Game Preserve COO Rusty Key was gracious enough to invite the Software Agents to the Woodlands arcade in Spring, TX. There, they were formally introduced to Jim Austin, one of their repair technicians who has maintained their pinball games for years.
Jim previously suffered from a debilitating stroke that left his right arm paralyzed. During his recovery, he developed a device that acts as a game controller -- The Adaptive Flipper Control -- allowing him to test pinball games with one hand.
Jim has gone on to found Adaptive Game Products. Their intent is to create gaming devices for the disabled and physically different. They have applied for a patent for the Adaptive Flipper Control.
We spoke with them for about an hour in the Game Preserve party room and then were granted a floor demonstration. Here is the interview with Rusty and Jim with some snippets of the floor demonstration for context. We're very excited about this new device and the doors it can open.
Stick around to SoftwareAgentsHQ for the floor demonstration!
Games we discuss in the video: Godzilla (Stern), White Water, Lost World (Bally), Old Coney Island, Gorgar, Ghostbusters and others!
Some images from https://gamepreservehouston.com/
Ref: https://gamepreservehouston.com/adaptive-flipper-controls
A.T. Gonzalez - Edited by, Camera, Gameplay
Sam Gonzalez - Interviewer, Camera, Gameplay, Thumbnail, Production planning
https://www.youtube.com/@yosammyg2765
Interviewees
Jim Austin
Rusty Key
Other Footage/B-Roll/Gameplay/Help
Jay Lai - https://twitter.com/LaiByakko
SaturnPM
Clover
Rosinka V.
Other Audio and Visual Editing, Research, Timecodes
Common RAM Error
Patron
Nicholas Bernhard
Special Thanks to
Launch
JoBe
All Game Preserve Staff
Produced by
Chaz Montenegro
Sam Gonzalez
A.T. Gonzalez
0:00 - Intro
0:42 - Adaptive Flipper Control interview (Sam Gonzalez, Jim Austin and Rusty Key introduce themselves)
2:06 - Meeting a need for a tool (Working on Gorgar)
4:32 - Using a headphone stereo jack
5:13 - Installation
6:43 - Meeting certain parameters
9:03 - Relating it to arcade stick troubleshooting (fight stick)
10:01 - AFC grip stances and sizes
11:43 - Targeting certain environments
15:44 - Ironing out logistics/Texas Pinball Festival reception
16:45 - Plunging
19:52 - Nudging and tilting
20:55 - Giving the physically different more options
22:48 - 3D Printing and patent requirements
24:42 - What was the feedback from Chicago?/Project Pinball
26:02 - Foot Pedal Controller and other prototypes
26:55 - Making it accessible and affordable
27:51 - Requesting the AFC at The Game Preserve /media kits
29:14 - Catching people's interests /provisional patent
31:05 - Good stories and selling Gorgar
32:04 - Necessity is the mother of invention
33:15 - People at Chicago Pinball Expo
34:00 - Jim's situation and playing pinball again
37:01 - Credits/Help Software Agents
37:20 - Related videos/Subscribe
#sternpinball #pinball #retrogaming
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