Body, glass, rails
Cabinet fit comes first
Display dimensions, safe glass, trim family, and service access need to agree before the cabinet path is worth pricing.
Active prototypeUnder Construction
This Build Compass is being rebuilt into a real virtual pinball parts picker. Use it for early planning only; verify every price, part, controller, display, software path, and safety decision before buying.
Virtual Pinball Build Compass
Plan the cabinet before the parts cart gets expensive.
A solid virtual pinball build starts with cabinet size, display target, PC headroom, controls, haptics, and software path agreeing with each other. This prototype turns those choices into a budget range, part classes, compatibility checks, and a spec to review before buying.
StatusUsable with checks
Planning range$2,370-$9,000
Open checks2
01
Build approachKit cabinet
02
Cabinet class43 inch widebody class
03
Display target4K 120Hz or 144Hz
04
Software pathVPX with PinUP
05
Feedback layerSSF
FitDisplayFeelReviewHow the Compass should think
A cabinet is not one purchase. It is a chain of decisions.
Playfield, backglass, DMD
Displays drive the machine
A 4K 120Hz playfield changes the PC, cooling, display-output count, and budget conversation.
Audio, inputs, power
Feel is a system
SSF, nudge, plunger, solenoids, shakers, and DOF only work when controls, audio, output boards, and power are planned together.
Spec, caveats, sources
Buy after the checks
The output belongs in a community review thread before it belongs in a checkout. Warnings, source freshness, and confidence have to stay visible.
Interactive prototype
Choose a path and watch the risk map change.
The current version still works at the planning-class level. The next pass will break these classes into exact cabinet, display, PC, control, audio, power, and software line items.
Decision deck
Required decision
4 pathsBuild approach
Required decision
3 pathsCabinet class
Required decision
3 pathsDisplay target
Required decision
3 pathsSoftware path
Required decision
4 pathsFeedback layer
Research guardrails
The rebuild is moving toward a source-backed cabinet spec, not a shopping widget.
Source-backed, not guesswork
Each recommendation needs visible freshness, confidence, and a trail back to current build guidance.
BOM before shopping
Shell-only, playable, immersive, and full-feedback cabinets are different budgets and different levels of commitment.
Safety gates stay visible
Glass, fusing, voltage rails, wire path, display outputs, and software ethics are part of the build, not footnotes.
Active prototypeUnder Construction
This Build Compass is being rebuilt into a real virtual pinball parts picker. Use it for early planning only; verify every price, part, controller, display, software path, and safety decision before buying.
Usable with checks$2,370-$9,000
Review