Sonic vs Transformers MTMTE: Which New Pinball Machine Is Right for You?

Two of the biggest new pinball releases of 2026 have something important in common: both are machines many players have been waiting years to see.

Sonic the Hedgehog and Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye are also unusually accessible choices because both are available in three different editions, giving buyers a range of prices and collector features rather than being limited to a small production run.

But once you put the two games side by side, they couldn't be much more different.

And that's exactly what makes this comparison interesting.

Two Childhood Icons, Two Completely Different Games

For anyone who grew up with these franchises, the appeal is obvious.

Sonic brings the world of Sega's games into pinball, with Zones, Rings, Chaos Emeralds and Dr. Eggman. Transformers goes back to the original G1 animated universe, bringing Optimus Prime, Megatron and the classic 1980s artwork to the playfield.

They're both nostalgia machines.

But they're nostalgic in different ways.

Sonic feels like the version of Sonic that grew up with the video games of the later generations.

Transformers deliberately takes you back to the original cartoon.

That difference is immediately obvious when you look at the artwork.

Sonic Is About Speed

If there is one word that defines Sonic, it's speed.

Steve Ritchie has described it as his fastest game, and the entire machine is built around that idea. The shots, sound effects, lighting and rules constantly push you towards the next thing. Jersey Jack describes the game as a high-speed experience built around flow, momentum and kinetic energy.

The upper playfield is a huge part of that experience.

It isn't just a small extra area. Sonic has a substantial upper playfield with its own shots and gameplay, while the magnetic accelerator can send the ball rapidly through the machine.

It makes the game feel like Sonic should feel:

fast, chaotic and constantly moving.

There are players who absolutely love that relentless style, while others find the sheer amount of action a little overwhelming. That's probably inevitable with a machine designed around speed.

Transformers Takes a Different Route

Transformers is much more about adventure and progression.

Instead of constantly pushing you forward at maximum speed, the game gives you objectives to work through. Modes, characters and story elements create a feeling that you're progressing through an adventure rather than simply trying to maintain momentum.

The layout itself is also very different.

There isn't a large upper playfield like Sonic. Instead, Transformers concentrates its action on the main playfield, with the upper flipper creating another shooting position and opening up additional shots and combos.

The current rulesheet already shows how much shot variety the layout offers, including shots that can be attacked from different flippers and a dedicated upper-flipper skill-shot sequence.

This gives Transformers a more deliberate rhythm.

You start something.

You work through it.

You complete it.

Then you move on to the next challenge.

Short and Explosive vs Deep and Long

This may actually be the biggest difference between the two.

Sonic is much more immediate.

You can plunge the ball and almost instantly understand what the machine wants from you: go fast, hit shots, collect Rings, defeat bosses and keep moving.

Transformers has more of a learning curve.

Its rules invite you to discover the machine over many games, with objectives and combinations becoming increasingly important as you understand the ruleset.

Early feedback on Transformers has been particularly enthusiastic about the code and rules depth, with owners already praising the amount of shots, combos and thematic integration.

So if you like a game that you can keep discovering for months, Transformers may have the advantage.

If you want something that grabs you immediately and throws you into the action, Sonic has the advantage.

Which One Has More to Shoot?

Physically, Sonic probably wins this one.

The upper playfield gives it another entire area of shots, while the main playfield is already packed with targets, loops, ramps and other features. Jersey Jack lists the upper playfield, magnetic accelerator, multiple ramps, stand-up targets, drop targets and several other shooting opportunities among the machine's major features.

Transformers has fewer physical levels, but that doesn't mean it feels empty.

Quite the opposite.

The layout uses the main playfield extremely efficiently, with the upper flipper creating additional shot possibilities and the geometry encouraging accurate shooting and combos. Current owner feedback has specifically highlighted the number and variety of shots.

So it's not really about which machine has the better layout.

It's about what you want the layout to do.

The Artwork: Modern Sonic vs Classic Transformers

This might be the biggest visual contrast of all.

Sonic is colourful, glossy and three-dimensional.

The characters and toys have a more modern videogame feel, while the machine uses lighting and effects to make the whole cabinet feel alive.

Transformers goes in almost the opposite direction.

Its visual identity is based heavily on the original G1 animated series, with hand-drawn cartoon artwork and the unmistakable colours of the Autobots and Decepticons. The new machine was specifically designed around the original G1 incarnation rather than the later live-action movies.

If Sonic looks like a videogame exploded into a pinball machine, Transformers looks like the Saturday-morning cartoon you remember suddenly became real.

Both approaches work.

They simply appeal to different kinds of nostalgia.

The Sound and Atmosphere

Sonic's sound design has one job:

Make you feel fast.

The music, callouts and effects constantly reinforce the idea that you're racing through another Zone.

Transformers is more cinematic.

The voices, music and sound effects are there to make the cartoon world feel alive, with the Autobots and Decepticons constantly reminding you that you're inside a Transformers story.

And this is one area where the new Transformers has already received particularly strong feedback. Owners have praised the integration between lighting, music, callouts, video assets and gameplay.

Three Versions, Three Different Ways to Buy

Both machines get something right that is extremely useful for buyers:

you don't have to buy the most expensive one.

Sonic

Sonic comes in:

• Arcade Edition

• Special Edition

• Collector's Edition

The Arcade Edition is currently listed at $9,999, the Special Edition at $12,000 and the Collector's Edition at $15,000. The core layout and gameplay are shared across the three versions, while the more expensive models add premium presentation and hardware.

The CE goes particularly far with its animated Sonic vs Dr. Eggman topper, super-wide LCD and premium cabinet treatment.

Transformers

Transformers gives you:

• Pro

• Premium

• LE

Current listed MSRPs are $6,999 for the Pro, $9,699 for the Premium and $12,999 for the LE, with the LE limited to 750 machines.

That makes the comparison interesting from a buying perspective.

The Transformers Pro starts considerably lower than Sonic's Arcade Edition.

At the other end, the Transformers LE is also considerably less expensive than the Sonic CE.

So both manufacturers have created a machine where you can decide how much of your budget goes towards the actual game and how much goes towards the collector experience.

And What About Mods?

Naturally, both are fantastic candidates for customisation.

For Sonic, our Sonic Pinball Mods collection is being developed around the machine's bright artwork and fast visual style.

For Transformers, we've already created a much more extensive range of upgrades, including Transformers EL Cut WizBlades and Transformers Premium WizPanels for the different editions.

The two machines also demonstrate two very different approaches to pinball art.

Sonic benefits from extending its already colourful, high-energy visual world.

Transformers has an enormous amount of G1 artwork to work with, making it particularly easy to continue the cartoon aesthetic into areas that would otherwise be plain.

Which Designer Is Your Style?

This is another fascinating part of the comparison.

Sonic comes from Steve Ritchie, the legendary designer known as the King of Flow. His games have always been associated with speed, momentum and shots that naturally feed into one another. Our Steve Ritchie: The King of Flow article explores exactly why his design style has become so recognisable.

Transformers comes from Elliot Eismin, whose approach is considerably different. The machine puts more emphasis on varied shot geometry, accuracy, combos and rules progression. It is already being described by players as a very original layout with unusually deep and impressive code for a new release.

So in a way, the choice between the machines is also a choice between two different philosophies of modern pinball.

So Which One Should You Buy?

If you want speed, flow, constant movement and a spectacular upper playfield, Sonic is probably the machine for you.

If you want deeper progression, more objectives, more rules to learn and a game that reveals itself over time, Transformers may be the better choice.

If you're buying primarily for nostalgia, it gets even harder.

Do you want the Sonic you grew up playing?

Or do you want to see Optimus Prime and Megatron exactly as you remember them from the cartoon?

Luckily, neither choice is wrong.

They're two excellent examples of how two modern pinball designers can take childhood icons and turn them into completely different games.

Sonic wants you to go faster.

Transformers wants you to go deeper.

And honestly, if you have room for both, that's probably the answer.