Dirty Pool Podcast - Ep12 - Manu - Streaming, Free Gold Watch, and Virtual Pinball

From Free Gold Watch to virtual tables and movie nights, Manu Smith has built one of the most distinctive voices in the pinball streaming world. We talk about his early days in the Bay Area pinball scene, the rise of Mystery Pinball Theater 3000, and how virtual pinball became a lifeline for players and creators alike. Plus: what really goes down during those chaotic movie nights, and how Manu keeps the MST3K spirit alive in a sea of playfield glass. 🔺 Praise the Great Pyramid: 📡 Twitch – twitch.tv/dirtypoolpinball 📺 YouTube – youtube.com/@DirtyPoolPinball 📷 Instagram – instagram.com/dirtypoolpinball 📘 Facebook – facebook.com/dirtypoolpinball 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:26 - Meet Manu! 00:01:28 - Secret Vpin Project? / Pincredibles 00:02:55 - Virtual Pinball is made from real components now. 00:05:05 - Vpin vs. Real pins (Varkon?) 00:06:00 - Bonus Shatz Story 00:08:20 - The Origin of Manu's Vpin 00:11:15 - Vpin Cabinet Showcase 00:12:46 - Can you play a Vpin on location? 00:14:45 - Check out the mpt3k discord (https://discord.gg/fxFjFK2Q) for more help on Vpins 00:14:56 - How to build a Vpin, start with a cabinet. 00:15:35 - @borgdog and his Star Wars homebrew shoutout. 00:18:30 - Of course @IEPinball influenced the streaming at free gold watch. 00:20:24 - Pinball 101 throw back! 00:21:29 - Don't fart? 00:24:00 - Pro tip HDMI handshakes 00:26:24 - What goes into a Vpin 00:32:10 - Homebrew Vpin to Homebrew Pin... pin 00:35:24 - Sterns Pinball Arcade 00:37:55 - Recreating games in virtual. 00:38:24 - It's just code... Fishbowl. 00:40:35 - Manu almost chokes on my bad stern joke. 00:41:30 - This is SO TRUE. Virtual is the gateway drug. 00:44:44 - Using virtual pinball to learn rulesets. 00:46:00 - Talking about @multimorphic6445 P3 Pinball. 00:51:44 - Showing kids real pins when they're used to iPad @ZenStudios Pinball FX 00:54:00 - Riffing on movies live on twitch with @MysteryPinballTheater3000 00:56:35 - Manu's advice on how to find your own niche as a streamer 01:02:13 - It's the Raven thing. 01:03:00 - Worst game ever? Thunder-something 01:04:00 - The difference between good bad, and bad bad 01:06:30 - What is Free Gold Watch? 01:09:41 - Manu's thank you list to the people that have helped. 01:12:41 - Accessibility for repair in pins. The good and the bad. 01:15:31 - Talking Vegas Pinball Museum 01:17:31 - What's coming up for Manu! ... spoilers it's pinball expo and CAX 01:18:18 - Lets go Rob Berk! @pasttimesarcade 01:18:45 - Hot Bodies? .... Hardbodies? It's Hardbody... close enough. 01:19:53 - Check out https://www.twitch.tv/mpt3k 01:20:30 - Talking about how cool George @DontPanicFlip is. 01:21:59 - Thanks! Bye! #DirtyPoolPinball #PinballPodcast #MysteryPinballTheater3000 #VirtualPinball #FreeGoldWatch #PinballStreamers #BayAreaPinball #PinballCommunity #DigitalPinball #PinballHistory #MST3K #ArcadeCulture #StreamingLife #PinballInterview #PinballTalk #PinballNerds #TwitchPinball #MovieNights #RetroGaming #ArcadeVibes #StreamerSpotlight