Want to buy - researching now

[sftechgeek]

Looking to buy a BB2 within a year or so. Doing my research now. I have an electro mechanical Moneyhoney and a Gameking 044 currently. Looking at a $.25 Mills down the road too.

Any suggestions on the following:
1. BB2 over Blade? Expandability? Value? (BB1, BB1.5, BB2, BB3, and Blade, are those the various models?) NXT1, NXT2, NXT3, NXT3.2, 3.2X based on CPU? Confused with different nomenclature here.
2. Has anyone tried to review the various games available? Obviously subjective but after watching The Monkees demo on YouTube, I was feeling some Guantanamo torture for sure.
3. I see games, OS, and dongles available for sale on eBay, are there any other retailers that sell games? Is $70+ what is expected to pay?
4. Static or OLED buttons if given a choice?
5. I’ve watched a few YouTube on WMS, any other helpful advice on purchasing my first WMS?

Thanks, forgive my ignorance, been around, but still a novice. Any help welcomed.

[rickhunter]

Read the thread attached.  It will answer most if not all of your questions.

https://newlifegames.com/nlg/index.php?topic=27351.0

[sftechgeek]

Thanks Rick. Yes, I read it but was looking for more than just the info, but what are the pros/cons of purchasing one over another. WHY might one consider one over the other and whether it makes economical sense.

Maybe I missed it, are all the newer games backwards compatible? Older games will play on newer platforms? And I guess no one has attempted to review/rate the games?

Is $1K-$1.2K a good price for a BB2 machine with a game included?

[sccarlso]

My first machine was a BB1 dual screen, which set me back about $1100.  Then I traded it in and for a few hundred more I got a BB2E which is a BB2 with emotive lighting.  But it also has all the same wiring to convert it to a BB3 in the future by just replacing the brainbox to a NXT3, as BB2's have an NXT2 brainbox.

But then I picked up an AVP.  It's a little more, and you need to have both a usb ekey7 and diag usb key to be able to do anything yourself with it which is about $350.  But if you have those, and some of the essential USB key loaders.  You can put a blank SSD in it, wipe it and load the OS.  Then load the games you have.  40 or so games is roughly the recommended number of games to load at any given time, even though there are hundreds.  But once you load about 40, the NVRAM usage gets high.  You "can" load more, but once you go over about 80% NVRAM usage which increases with each game loaded.  At some point, usually within a year or so it will crash.   Which isn't destructive, but you'll have to clear the machine NVRAM and set it up again.  Doesn't mess up the OS or the games loaded.  Just tedious to setup each of the games again.   But when loaded, you can choose any of the enabled games without all the hassle of clearing and loading to switch to another game as you do with a BB2.

Still happy with my BB2E, but I've been a lot happier with the AVP.  So much that I had bought one with a standard screen.  That I bought a second with an SMLD (3D) screen as well.  As the most number of games run on a standard screen model.  But there are also a lot of games that only run on machines with an SMLD screen.   And the ekey and diag key works on both machines so I already had what's required to have full control over the machine, OS, and games loaded.   

Also a huge plus with AVP is they have "show boots".  On a BB1/2/3 many games don't need a license dongle.  But there are still a lot of games which do.  On an AVP with show boots, no license dongle is required for any game so it's something you don't need to deal with on a home use machine.  The limiter on AVP's is really just games that require a seperate IPC (a progressive controller) that's connected by fiber cable.  So a handful of the absolute best games need that fairly expensive IPC box to play them.  But the majority of games do not, that it still has far more game titles available, as well as the ability to have 40 some games loaded at once so you can just select the game you want and play it without reloading anytime you want to switch games as with the BB machines.

So for the home user, just my 2 cents.  But IMHO the IGT G23 AVP is one of the better platforms to start with.  It does cost a little more up front to get setup with the machine and the ekey and diag key.  But once you have that, you have a lot more game titles available, and it's easier for the average joe to maintain.    If I knew then what I know now, I would have just started with a basic standard screen G23 AVP machine. 

So you might look into any G23 AVP machines if any are available in your area.  You never know when you might find a bargain.  It will likely already have show boots installed (the seller would know).  The seller might even already have the ekey and diag key!  But if not, you can get the ekey and diag key from many folks here on NLG so you would have all you need.

There are youtube videos on how to load an AVP from blank, as well as how to install and enable games that you could watch to see the process to do those common tasks to load and maintain an AVP machine.

Good hunting! 

[sftechgeek]

Thanks for the wealth of information. Between you and Rick, I've gotten many of my questions answered. Fortunate or unfortunately, I'm now leaning towards a IGT G23 AVP w/MLD. So is SMLD a different model than the G23

When a game package is removed from the machine, can it be off-boarded or downloaded to an external computer? So if games are preloaded, how can you back them up or have them available if you remove from the machine.

These show boots, were they demos for use by IGT at gaming shows? Why would the engineers create that if they license the games out and require a dongle? Kind of defeats the purpose of a security dongle, no? I didn't see how the USB jump drives and SSD/HDD should be formatted for use in the machines, I'm assuming FAT32. But the files themselves are just zipped? Thanks for all the help lots of information to consume.

[sccarlso]

Only difference of screens is a standard LCD or MLD.  MLD is two LCDs sandwiched together so games for SMLD have a 3D effect.  Basically the same machine just different primary screen.

Show boots are of course for trade shows and demos. 

Each game has a game loader and dongle.  If you have the game loader you can reload it at will.  If you just have an SSD already loaded, you can’t pull the games off.  You can add games to it with loaders but not the other way.  With the ekey & diag key, you can reset the machine, or format the SSD as well as enable or disable games.   So if you have your ekey and diag key.  You can wipe the machine, and SSD.  And load the machine from scratch with an OS loader and the ekey plugged in. 

Configure the machine and add games, and enable them. 

Can’t tell you the why for anything really.  It’s just what’s out there, and what they do. 

[alex]

You can backup the SSD if it came with a game on it and you didn't get a loader for that game, then if you at some point lose that game, you can restore the backup.

[Stayouttadabunker]

I wonder what the "S" stands for in "SMLD"?
All I know is MLD is "Multi-Layered Display"....super? 

[sccarlso]

Good qustion.  I have no idea, but it still is kinda "super".   lol

Even the newest machines in casinos have much larger, higher def screens.  But you don't see MLD (or SMLD) slots nearly as much anymore.

I've seen it referred to with either acronym.   If I'm typing something out, its random whether I type MLD or SMLD.  I just try to stick with the same one. 

Ohio River Slots and many others refer to them as SMLD and there are many that say MLD as well.  But I can't find SMLD defined anywhere.  But Super Multi Layer Display is catchy.

https://www.ohioriverslots.com/product-category/igt/smld/

Maybe when referring to a machine type with an MLD display and not the display itself?   Like "This model is an AVP G23 Single Multi Level Display machine?"  vs "My  MLD screen is trashed, I need a new one!" 
I've not seen an AVP with dual MLD screens. 

[rickhunter]

The SMLD cabinet was based on the Slim line cabinets,  IGT then moved on to the G2x series and subsequently crystal.

[lazzerjett]

Another AWESOME EXAMPLE of Wonderful individuals helping out others and just being kind and friendly.  Sure wish the world would act the same.

Have a great day everyone !!!