Pinball-42

Pinball-42, released in 2014 by Kieswetter KG (trading as The Pinball Company) of Dörfles-Esbach, Germany, is a solid-state electronic machine built around a video screen rather than a traditional physical playfield. It isn't the first machine to try this concept, though: IPDB documents an earlier, similarly named 'Pinball-42' released in 2013 by Spain's MarsaPlay, which used the same basic idea of a video-screen playfield, so Kieswetter's version is better understood as a successor or parallel take on the concept rather than a genuine first.

The machine offers five original virtual tables — Attack, Western, Speed Limit, Halloween, and Apocalypse — each presumably with its own design and ruleset, giving operators variety within a single cabinet. A built-in camera photographs players who achieve high scores, adding a social, arcade-style touch uncommon on conventional pinball machines.

Beyond these details, little else is documented about Pinball-42's designer or specific gameplay rules. It remains a niche, experimental entry from the 2010s that illustrates how manufacturers explored video-based alternatives to traditional mechanical playfields.