Why do all vintage machines look the same

[Rockery382]

I was wondering why all the machines look basically the same and function very similarly. From my very recent understanding there was like 8 companies and 2 major players.so with this much diversity why are so similar. Like phones today a Samsung and an apple are very different, but at a glance I can’t tell a Sankyo from a nisijin

[Moparformances]

early machines had all different nail patterns.. then they created a std nail pattern..

copied from Pachinko planets web site

In 1948 Shoichi Masamura introduced the masamura gage, or the "Positive Gage Forest". Prior to this innovation, balls followed mostly vertical paths through rows of nails. The Masamura gage allowed balls to bounce around, and if they missed one pocket, they might still score in a lower one. By 1952 nearly all machines had adopted the Masamura gage.

https://pachinkoplanet.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=page&id=2

they need to fit in a standardize cabinet for easy and frequent change of machines

like cars and slot machines they kept them all the sam style so anyone could play and understand the rules..

[lotsoballs]

I was wondering why all the machines look basically the same and function very similarly. From my very recent understanding there was like 8 companies and 2 major players.so with this much diversity why are so similar. Like phones today a Samsung and an apple are very different, but at a glance I can’t tell a Sankyo from a nisijin

There was and is far more than 8 manufacturers. They do not all look alike.

Once you’ve been around pachinkos enough and do your research you can tell the difference in a glance from one machine manufacturer to the next with some exceptions (many manufactures use same parts); just like a non-auto enthusiast doesn’t know the names/models of new cars (or classic cars) an expert can easily spot the differences and know what models are “special” vs ordinary.