Hobbyist tackles engineering hurdles in physical recreation of Windows Space Cadet pinball
The project seeks human artists for playfield artwork, explicitly rejecting AI-generated designs, following a failed commercial attempt by Deeproot Pinball in 2021.
Hobbyist builder CNCDan is constructing a physical recreation of the classic Windows 3D Space Cadet pinball game, a title that was bundled for free with Microsoft operating systems through Windows XP. The project utilises 3D-printed mechanical components, including flippers, slingshots, and pop bumpers with embedded LEDs, to replicate the virtual table’s layout and mechanics. This effort follows a 2021 attempt by Deeproot Pinball to release a commercial table, which was abandoned after the company collapsed amid fraud allegations.
Scaling the virtual playfield to a 1-metre-tall table resulted in a 56 cm wide rectangular playfield, presenting specific engineering challenges not present in the digital original. This scaling resulted in bumper sizes of 53 mm, which are significantly smaller than commercially available prebuilt bumpers. To address reliability issues with the tiny bumpers, CNCDan replaced plastic microswitches with Hall effect magnets.
Wiring for the raised playfield bumpers required careful arrangement to avoid blocking a kickback return alley underneath, a positioning problem the original virtual designers did not have to consider. A physical mechanism has also been added to simulate the short delay players remember when the ball drops from the raised playfield back to the flippers below.
CNCDan is currently seeking human artists to create hand-drawn artwork for the playfield, explicitly rejecting the use of AI for this task. The builder stated in a video documenting the build process that while AI could potentially generate the art, he prefers to give the job to a real human being.
The original game was part of the Full Tilt! Pinball software collection sold by Maxis starting in 1995 and was not based on an existing physical pinball machine. While CNCDan is still a long way from having a complete Space Cadet table, the project highlights the tangible progress being made by enthusiasts in recreating a digital icon.
