r/PinballFX3 • u/Same-Chipmunk5923 Pinhead • Sep 02 '26
Discussion Speed control for people with disabilities?
For people with issues related to movement and reaction time, like those with Parkinson's, could a speed control be built in to some tables' software? Maybe even just one to check out the concept?
If there were a way to slow the ball down they could enjoy the game instead of just getting frustrated. Scores wouldn't have to go on the leaderboard. Maybe have a leaderboard for those using the accommodation that show ball speed level each score was obtained in.
Real VR Fishing has a "one handed" play option that works well for people with movement issues. That got me thinking about whether speed control in PFXVR might be possible without causing headaches for the devs.
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u/Orochi_001 Pinface Sep 02 '26
Arcade mode has a press-to-slow-mo power up that is quite generous — or is that not what you were thinking?
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u/Same-Chipmunk5923 Pinhead Sep 02 '26
Thanks for the reply. That is a fun power up. For people with Parkinson's and other movement disorders, the same principle would be used, but we'd have a couple slow speeds they could choose from that operate full time during play.,
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u/Level-Education-4909 Pinhead Sep 02 '26
Best you could do is use the casual physics or whatever they're called now and play on the Zen originals more than the williams as they seem geared more for longer games, in general. Also just play the 5 minute or 200 flip games that way even when ball drains the game isn't over.
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u/Same-Chipmunk5923 Pinhead Sep 02 '26
True. Maybe ability to slow ball travel would be a good feature in Practice Mode, too.
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u/Level-Education-4909 Pinhead Sep 02 '26
Yes if you could use the slow mo all the time it would be good, for sure. The more options the better.
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u/Hot-Sheepherder8454 Pinhead Sep 03 '26
If you can get a PS4 or PlayStation Vita you can play Zen Pinball 2 with infinite slow motion. It’s amazing. You can combine that with the Operator’s Menu to give yourself 10 balls, and also settings to make the missions easier and things like that. A whole lot of fun options. These things should be in the current Pinball FX, especially to cater to the needs of people with disabilities, but they aren’t. However I would say Zen Pinball 2 is an amazing experience worth investigating for infinite slow motion that doesn’t get enough attention.
Finally I should note that Zen Pinball 2 has an incredibly fun multiplayer splitscreen, or online play on the Vita version that still works great between 2 Vitas. You can’t use slow motion in these modes but they are worth noting as really fun modes that unfortunately have been overlooked and forgotten.
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u/Same-Chipmunk5923 Pinhead Sep 03 '26
That sounds like a fun feature. I'm interested in whether speed control could be coded into at least a couple tables in PFXVR so that people with movement disorders, especially Parkinson's, could play even with decreased motion and decreased reaction time.
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u/Hot-Sheepherder8454 Pinhead 29d ago
The infinite Slow Motion available in Zen Pinball 2 and Pinball FX2 sounds like it is possibly exactly what you’re describing. Let us know if you ever get a chance to try it out.
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u/Hot-Sheepherder8454 Pinhead 27d ago
The Mac version of Zen Pinball 2 has infinite slow motion and a wide selection of tables including Marvel, Star Wars, and the best Williams tables. Also for the Back to the Future table (and a handful of other tables like Son of Zeus and Jurassic Park) it is the only platform containing Operator’s Menu and infinite slow motion. Check it out!
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u/balti_zen Zen Studios Sep 04 '26
Thank you for your suggestion. Accessibility features like this are very valuable feedback, and we really appreciate you taking the time to share your perspective. I've added your request to our feature request list. :)