Pinball Pete’s

Pinball Pete’s COULD be one of the premier arcades in the country. Long an Ann Arbor fixture, it’s got a huge selection of arcade games and pinball that could keep you busy four hours. Unfortunately, it’s marred by a sense that ownership is uninvolved and disinterested, seemingly on cruise control, and it’s a real disservice to the business on the whole.
Despite boasting such a great catalog of pinball machines and being named «Pinball Pete’s» ffs, there are probably 10 games totally out of order and another half of the games available are in need of moderate to serious repair. So many of the problems are easy fixes, ave just show that the games never get the attention they deserve given how rare and valuable some of them are.
Most games have some lights out, some switches and other features not working, and are not properly leveled. This type of maintenance only requires regular cleaning, changing some light bulbs and fuses, and the occasional replacement of an inexpensive component. If this basic maintenance were done regularly, the bigger issues that put a game totally out of order would be less likely to occur.
Unfortunately there just seems to be a lack of pride and leadership in the whole establishment. Just visit the bathrooms if you want proof. Despite being «clean» ish, the plumbing is so destroyed, the smell once you step inside is one of the most putrescent things I have ever exposed myself to. I’ve been in some horrible rest stops, port-​o-​potties, and clubs, and this stench is next-​level repugnant. Like if you coated a ton of rotting broccoli in burning human hair and then took a dump on top of it. Totally toxic.
For other cues about the level of care, just check out the handwritten sign along the back wall. Dated 2010, it touts the return of «master tech» (misspelled) Pete himself, digging through his parts bin to resurrect two street fighter games. Although the sign hangs proudly above them both, one is nonfunctional and shut off. It would not surprise me if most games hadn’t been serviced in at least 5 years. It’s sad to see great classic games like Funhouse going to shit because of lack of basic maintenance.
It wouldn’t take that much to make this place a really incredible arcade, and it would be wise. Maybe ownership isn’t paying attention, but old school arcades are making a big comeback around the world. A road trip to visit some of the better arcades wouldn’t require a ton of investment, nor would hiring a proper tech to keep the machines in solid shape. You have access to a wonderful university where I can only imagine there is access to intelligent, skilled students, who might be into work study or internships, and games are cool! You could probably get excellent maintenance done for a minimal investment.
I really hope that pinball Pete can find the way to reinvest in this place and make our as awesome as it could be, because it has a TON of potential.

First, I can’t believe this place is still in business. That alone is worth five stars.
Second, the classic games like Donkey Kong are still only $ 0.25, the same as in 1982. Over the past 32 years inflation has gone up about 160%, so $ 0.25 in 1982 is about $ 0.65 today. $ 0.25 is a bargain. Pinball games are still only $ 0.50.
I brought my kids here and introduced them to pinball machines. They love it.

This place has some of the best pinball in Michigan! In addition to pinball they have a ton of other coin op arcade games. It’s also nice that the employees will let you finish out your games when it’s closing time. Highly recommend a visit if you are in the area.

I really like coming by this place every couple of months. I like to make it my place to stop by with my groups of friends right before the night adventures. Inexpensive, quality environment, classic games, etc. Great place.

I used to come here many years ago as a punk kid and remember it being so fun. We would spend all night here and would go often. As time has gone on, this place is less appealing. I’ve come back twice in the last few months and I’m so disappointed with how far downhill its gone. It seems to be kind of dirty, even in low light. A lot of the machines are broken too.
The guy at the counter was the same one both times I went and he was a little creepy. I fell just a hundred tickets or so short of what I wanted ($ 25 in tokens to buy something worth probably about $ 7 – 10). I was talking to the guy behind the counter who kept trying to talk me and my friend into liking pages on the internet for him and commenting on YouTube videos and he would give me the prize tomorrow if I’d come back.
The whole thing kind of creeped me out even though I know he was maybe just trying to be nice. The pages he wanted me to go to had nothing to do with the business. It was just weird. We also noticed how few people were there on a Saturday night (you’d think prime time). I think they need to make the appeal a little better (maybe make prizes a little more fair) and clean really well.

Go, by all means, there are issues but take the experience for what it is. The prizes are pitiful, I hit the jackpot of the big bass game and I was expecting something cool but I left with a pocketful of valentines candy and its May. The tootsie rolls weren’t heart shaped but they were rock hard. Many machines were out of order, out of tickets or jammed, the jackpots set by gameplay were all super low. The bathroom was clean but my stall didn’t lock, water fountain was a good choice, I definitely could have snuck a bottle in to spice up the fun, I’m sure they don’t care as long as you’re spending money. The machine that turns your dollars into quarters is the most consistent game I’ve played…

Best video arcade in know of. I practically grew up here eating backroom’s pizza by the slice.

Cool old school games, a lot of pinball machines. Very dirty inside. A lot of the games didn’t work and wouldn’t give you tickets. The price per games were expensive. And to get a prize a mini butterfinger was 100 tickets… rip off! Still a fun experience, although I think the kids would be bummed that they can’t get a good prize with their tickets

Pinball Petes is one of those places that’s fun for all ages. Games ranging from classic pac man, pinball and donkey kong to dance dance revolution, air hockey and time crisis. There’s a game for everyone. The employees are always nice and very helpful, and the prizes are great. It’s such a fun place to be and no one leaves disappointed.

I used to love this place. They have a fantastic selection of games and I loved going there to chill after work at night. But it seems they care less and less about fixing broken games and stocking tickets. The last time I went, almost every games I wanted to play was broken. Every game that both worked and was supposed to give tickets either gave less than stated or none at all. It was really frustrating and a waste of money. I had to ask the employee twice to replace money machines had stolen but I started to feel stupid and annoying so when it kept happening i gave up and left.

I love pinball Pete’s a lot. The people there are awesome, friendly and quick to fix any problems you might have with a game. My faves are pacman, galaga, basketball, skeeball, and air hockey. Tons of variety though — newer games, car games, shooting games, etc. It’s one of Ann Arbor’s gems

From DDR to House of the Dead, you can sneak sips of booze till your face turns red. Half the games don’t work but you can come down to just pee. Earn 5,000 tokens for an old piece of candy.
Fix dem basketball games tho… seriously.

There isn’t much to do at midnight in my home city of Canton that doesn’t involve drinking, smoking, or going to Walmarts, so I go here for a nice change of place.
It’s a very fun and safe way to kill an hour or two. Lots of very fun games including pool, air hockey, video games, claw games, shoot em up games, games where you can get inside and go for a ride, and of course Pinball.
It’s a great place to go if you are in a good mood and have a good time. It’s also a great place to go visit when you need a pick me up. There are always so many smiles here. Everyone is so nice.
If you are ever bored on a random Wednesday, Pinball Pete’s and some post game pizza down the street is always a winner.

i came here all the time when i was in school, but i don’t think i truly appreciated it enough. recently, i came here on a date, and maybe it was the nostalgia, but the place was magic.
sure, house of the dead three ate our money, as did house of the dead, and many of the pinball machines, but the guy working was nice enough to make up for that (no refunds, but they’ll put quarters in another machine for you). at some point, we just felt annoying so we probably lost two or three dollars at the end therehaha.
anyway, they have an awesome collection of pinball machines! when i went to school here, the back section of older machines were only a quarter, but now they’re fifty cents. not a big deal — still a great deal! my favorite is the simpsons, of course, but the last time i went, i discovered a new favorite — nascar! i know, i know, but just give it a shot and you’ll love it too and you’ll lose your mind when you get the second ball bonus.
i also enjoy the sticker machine. who doesn’t need sixteen tiny stickers of you and a friend and a random word with an inexplicable snowman in the forefront? i also like the terrible little prizes you can get with the tickets. ah pinball pete’s. a few dollars can go a long way with you. i will come back as soon as possible!

Had a great time with my significant other at Pinball Pete’s! He was impressed with the variety of games and had felt a bit nostalgic. We would recommend a Sega game where you beam lights back and forth to keep the red light from hitting your side. Definitely unique and different.
The only reason there are 4 stars instead of 5 is because of the staff. Tetris ate my quarters and it was difficult to find the staff for help. The staff member was also rude and short with customers.

Talk about taking a trip down memory lane?
Pinball Pete’s has been around for YEARS. It still looks as it did when I was in high school.
I attended a company party there and was hilariously fun to watch grown adults relive their childhood through the many games they offer. Although some of the games were down, their were plenty more to chose from. Skee-​ball is my favorite as well as pinball. We really had a blast.
This is a great place to burn off energy, relieve cabin fever or, do something with all that spare change you have.
Take the kids or adults and GO! :)

We find ourselves at Pinball Pete’s once every few months. It’s nice that there is a place to go *do* something that doesn’t involve drinking. Ann Arbor doesn’t have many such alternative locales, so I do appreciate Pinball Pete’s for that.
Beyond that, it has some major trubs (if you will)–
1. The games are constantly in a state of disrepair. There are some games that I swear haven’t worked since I first came here in 2008. There are many other games that are out for the night/​week/​month. And there are even MORE games that just eat your quarters.
2. The eating quarters thing is a problem because they refund your money by giving you another go at that game. But sometimes we come here as a group of three and do a racing game. When one person doesn’t get in, it’s too late for the other two. So two race, and then one person has to race by himself because they won’t just hand us the quarters that we lost. I do understand that people might otherwise lie, but I have to believe that there’s a third option for refunds.
3. The bathrooms are seriously questionable. This past weekend, we noticed that there are cameras in the men’s and women’s rooms. It’s not a secret, they have a sign on the door saying there’s CCTV, but what’s going on? I’ve never seen this and it seriously creeped me out. The stall door also wouldn’t lock, the soap machines were empty and clearly had been for quite a while, and there were no paper towels.
4. The guy who always works here strikes me as a creepy sexist. If I (as a woman) go up and ask for help, he’s always willing to help. When my fiancé (a man) goes up to ask for help, he’s not as willing to help. Sometimes he also strikes deals for extra tickets, but they too seem to be based on gender. He’ll arm wrestle women, but not men. Once he gave us a math problem and when I solved it quickly in my head (math lover over here) he made me write it down because he didn’t believe that my fiancé hadn’t slipped me the answer. Finally, this past weekend, we noticed that there’s a child’s pony ride (like the kind that used to be outside of grocery stores) that is newly placed right before where he sits; we could not avoid reaching the conclusion that he put it there to watch young college women ride it ironically.
So… we go here. I’m sure we’ll go back at some point. I just wish it weren’t such a creepy rip-​off.

Every now and then, I have a urge to whack some aliens on their heads. It brings me back to my childhood and entirely too many games of Whack a Mole at Chuck E. Cheese. Pinball Pete’s has the only alien-​whacking game in the area, so I find myself walking down the stairs to that dark and odd-​smelling basement of nostalgia.
I’ll echo what others have mentioned regarding the state of disrepair that many of the games are in. The racing games are in particularly bad shape, with most unmarked, even though they will take your money and fail to perform. Just stick with skeeball and the alien whacking and you should be able to avoid such pitfalls.
I don’t think anyone comes here with high hopes for their ticket redemption at the night’s end. We managed to get over 100 and walked out with an imitation slinky due only to my efforts in an arm-​wrestling match. I’ve nicknamed it «The Slinky of Defeat.» It glows a little.

If your a Fan of Pinball, than Pete’s is the Best Place for it!
Over a dozen machines, plus all the arcade classics!

In late elementary school, when life was so very, very miserable (I was such a misfit) I found solace taking my $ 2 in weekly allowance, going to our local mall, cashing it in for quarters and hiding in the dark arcade.
Years later I am (somehow) a high-​functioning, well-​adjusted adult but that little kid is still inside of me and sometimes she needs a game fix. Usually I just plug in my Atari 2600 and play a few games but sometimes I indulge in a trip to Pinball Pete’s.
I can’t spend too much time between the noise and mugginess but an hour of Donkey Kong with a few breaks to play a music game or some air hockey does the trick.
PP’s has the real deal when it comes to the games that were in the arcade when I was a kid. It’s not like Putterz with its knock-​offs. Yeah, it’s dark and sticky and dank but if you were a child of the 80’s you’ll love it.