Pinball

The Stern Pinball machine, dated September 1977 and designed by Mike Kubin, is a solid-state (SS) title from Stern Electronics' inaugural year, running on the Stern M-100 MPU. It was also produced in parallel as an electromechanical version under the same name and model number 101, reflecting the industry's transitional moment between EM and SS technology. Notably, this game's concept was drawn from a Chicago Coin advertisement from the mid-1970s.

The machine's gameplay is characterized by its use of two flippers, three pop bumpers, two slingshots, five drop targets, two kick-out holes, and a spinning target. Its sound is produced by four chimes, a carryover from electromechanical-era sound design rather than a new innovation, giving the game a familiar audible signature despite its solid-state electronics.

With confirmed production of 1,654 units between September and December 1977, this SS 'Pinball' stands as an early example of Stern Electronics' output and a snapshot of the industry's shift toward solid-state technology in the late 1970s.