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The P3 has carved out a very different lane in modern pinball. Swappable modules, a ball tracked LCD playfield, physical mechs, and a platform that approaches game design from a completely different angle than most traditional machines. Gerry joins the Dirty Pool Podcast to talk about the origins of the Multimorphic platform, designing games around modular hardware, how different modules take advantage of the system in unique ways, and how the P3 has evolved over the years.
We also get into the balance between physical and digital integration in pinball, the realities of building a platform meant to support multiple experiences in one cabinet, and how players have responded to pinball that experiments outside the standard format.
🧬 Multimorphic / P3 Pinball https://www.multimorphic.com/
If you had a P3 cabinet, which module would you want to try first?
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00:00:00 - Multimorphic, P3, and the strange corner of modern pinball
00:01:21 - Gerry’s tech background before pinball
00:02:42 - P-ROC starts as a way to mess with existing machines
00:03:24 - Tracking a bouncing pinball in real time
00:04:48 - Infrared grids, multiple balls, and what the system actually sees
00:05:50 - P-ROC becomes the brain inside the P3
00:06:38 - Choosing modules and LCD playfields over a normal pinball machine
00:07:40 - Building new pinball tech when Stern was almost alone
00:08:41 - Fighting the “that’s not real pinball” reaction
00:10:35 - Roguelike pinball and software-only game ideas
00:11:23 - Asking players to trust an $11k unfamiliar platform
00:13:37 - Portal, first impressions, and the flipper feel debate
00:16:55 - How much of “different” is mechanical and how much is psychology
00:17:49 - Why operators are nervous about putting P3s on location
00:20:03 - Old hardware criticisms and the problem of lasting first impressions
00:22:11 - The LCD gets judged before people actually play the game
00:22:55 - Princess Bride, physical mechs, and not hiding behind the screen
00:24:41 - Final Resistance and Scott Danesi’s traditional P3 approach
00:25:45 - The spaceship cannon and P3’s back trough system
00:26:40 - Lexy Lightspeed as the overlooked early module
00:27:39 - Full modules, add-on games, and how the P3 library works
00:28:55 - Cosmic Cart Racing and online multiplayer pinball
00:31:05 - Third-party developers building directly on the platform
00:31:51 - Original themes, licensed IP, and keeping games available
00:33:47 - Weird Al, Portal, and why recognizable licenses changed things
00:35:04 - Scorbit, APIs, and community integrations
00:35:57 - What it actually costs to buy into P3
00:36:40 - Shipping modules through UPS and swapping cabinet art
00:37:36 - Why the P3 is heavier than people expect
00:39:00 - Module seams, alignment, and the transition between playfields
00:42:00 - Upgrades, backboxes, scoop changes, and replacing older parts
00:43:31 - Backward compatibility and the fear of a future P3 generation
00:45:01 - Customer trust when people buy into an ecosystem
00:48:00 - International shipping and getting P3s outside the US
00:49:03 - Portal as Gerry’s favorite Multimorphic experience
00:49:53 - Eighteen balls in Portal and Heist taking the multiball crown
00:52:08 - What tracked balls let designers do differently
00:54:00 - Texas pinball, other manufacturers, and the hard part of building games
00:57:01 - Cabinet materials, plywood, and build quality questions
00:59:59 - Server checks, ownership, and whether games keep working offline
01:03:00 - Virtual targets, screen-based scoring, and every pixel becoming gameplay
01:05:59 - Publishing original P3 games as a third-party developer
01:07:34 - Filling the lower screen without making it feel empty
01:09:00 - Portal as the current high-water mark and what comes next
01:12:00 - Future mechs reaching farther into the lower playfield
01:14:59 - Where people can find and play a P3 in person
01:16:49 - Final plugs, Buffalo Pinball, and finding the P3 for yourself
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