Black Hole (pinball)

Black Hole is a two-level pinball machine: the main playfield is standard, but at its center is a large circular opening (the "black hole") that, when hit, captures the ball and drops it onto a lower playfield located beneath the main one. This lower playfield is visible through the opening and features its own flippers, targets, and a captive ball. The player must use the lower flippers to shoot the ball back up to the main playfield via a return lane. This innovative design was a first for a production pinball machine and added a strategic layer, as players could choose to feed the ball into the black hole to score points or to access the lower playfield's scoring opportunities.¹

The machine's theme is outer space, with a dark, starry backglass and playfield artwork depicting planets, rockets, and a swirling black hole. The artwork was created by Constantino Mitchell, who used a predominantly black and purple palette to evoke the void of space. The backglass features a dramatic image of a black hole pulling in a starship, with the game's name in bold, glowing letters. The cabinet art continues the space theme with stylized planets and stars.²

Black Hole was one of the first pinball machines to use a microprocessor-based sound board, producing synthesized speech and sound effects that were advanced for the time. It also featured a "multi-ball" mode that could be activated by completing certain objectives, and it used a novel "ball save" feature that returned the ball to the shooter lane if it drained quickly. The lower playfield was a significant engineering challenge, as it required precise ball routing and a mechanism to lift the ball back up, which was accomplished with a motorized elevator.³

Black Hole was a commercial success and is now considered a classic. It has been praised for its innovative design and challenging gameplay. In 2018, it was ranked among the top 100 pinball machines of all time by industry experts. Its influence can be seen in later machines that used multiple playfields, such as Bally's "Xenon" (also 1981) and Data East's "Star Wars" (1992). Black Hole remains a sought-after collector's item, with well-maintained examples fetching high prices at auction.⁴

Black Hole was originally conceived as a "conversion" kit that could be installed into existing Gottlieb cabinets, but it was ultimately released as a dedicated machine. The lower playfield was initially planned to be a separate, fully playable mini-game, but budget constraints led to a simpler design. A rare "prototype" version exists with a different backglass and a slightly different rule set; only a few are known to survive. The machine's speech sounds were recorded by a female voice, which was unusual for the time, and the sound board was designed by a small team that later formed the company that produced the "Sonic" sound chip used in many later pinball machines. Additionally, Black Hole was one of the first pinball machines to feature a "tilt" warning that was displayed on the dot-matrix screen (though it used a seven-segment display in this case).⁵

Playfield

The inclined surface of a pinball machine on which the ball rolls.

Backglass

The vertical panel at the top of a pinball machine, typically featuring the game's artwork and score displays.

Multi-ball

A game mode in which multiple balls are in play simultaneously, increasing scoring opportunities.

Ball save

A feature that returns a ball to the shooter lane if it drains within a short time after being launched.

Tilt

A penalty triggered by excessive shaking of the machine, which ends the current ball or game.