Anti-glare solutions for pinball machines

The large piece of glass above the playfield can reflect much of the surrounding environment, which may be distracting depending on your room’s lighting. Bright overhead lights can create hotspots that obscure your view, making it harder to follow the ball. Fortunately, several solutions exist to reduce glare—each with its own advantages and drawbacks. Their effectiveness depends on your gameroom setup, whether it's dimly lit or brightly illuminated, and whether the lighting is direct or soft and indirect.

There are two main types of reflections: those caused by the game’s backbox and those from other objects in the room. This article explores two primary solutions: anti-reflective playfield glass and privacy filters.

DMD and LCD privacy filters

A major source of reflection on the back of the playfield comes from the bright DMD or LCD screens in the backbox. The translight can also reflect in the playfield glass, but finding a solution for this is more complex due to its size.

Years ago, people came up with the idea of a bent plastic installed at the top of the playfield glass. You can see an example here (aff. link). Personally, I’m not a fan. While it works, it protrudes from the cabinet. It might be usable at home, but for location play, it’s impractical and prone to damage or vandalism.

A better alternative is installing laptop privacy filters over the LCD screen. These filters are slightly more expensive than the bent plastic but deliver superior results. If you own a modern pinball machine with an LCD screen, such as those from Stern or Spooky, opt for a 15.6-inch LCD privacy screen. Be sure to purchase a privacy filter, not a blue light filter. As you can see in the picture below, they are also available in pinball shops for regular dmds (aff. link). Privacy filters are also available for standard DMDs in pinball shops.

Both types of privacy filter. Still new, with their dark protective filter on. Usually they come with cleaning pads and small pieces of double sided tape.

The technology behind privacy filters involves a miniature grid that restricts the screen’s viewing angle, allowing light to pass only when viewed directly from the front. From the side, the screen appears dark, reducing glare that would otherwise bounce off the playfield glass.

DMD filter halfway installed.

To demonstrate the effect, I’ve taped a DMD filter halfway over this Dr. Who DMD. Note: this is not the correct installation method: it should be applied directly to the glass. The protective foil is still on the filter, making it appear darker than it will once properly installed. As you can see in the bottom part of the picture, the reflection on the playfield glass is eliminated where the filter is applied. The 5th Doctor plastic on the backpanel is partly invisible, while the left side of the back panel remains fully visible.

To demonstrate the effect, I've taped a dmd filter halfway over this DrWho dmd. Note this is not how you should install it, it should go onto the glass itself. The protective foil is still on the filter, making it more dark than it will when it's installed correctly.
As you can see on the bottom part of the picture, the reflection on the playfield glass is gone in the part that's covered by a filter. The 5th doctor plastic is partly invisible, while the left side of the backpanel remains completely visible.

Installation on a Stern game is easy: open the backbox and unscrew the lcd with 2 screws on each side. Clean the lcd, stick the privacy filter on with the included double sided tape, and assemble again.

This is the before picture: no privacy filter installed, and a regular playfield glass.
Notice the large reflection of the startup screen.

Privacy filter and anti-reflective glass installed.
The reflection is almost totally gone, in a dark environment.

The pictures above with a dark playfield show the worst condition possible. Once the game has booted and the playfield is lit, no reflections are visible anymore. In a bright room they will also be less noticeable.

I genuinely love these privacy filters and have installed them on all my machines. For around $20 each, they’re one of the best and most affordable upgrades to reduce reflections and enhance your game’s appearance.

Some older WPC games have a black wooden back panel, where reflections aren’t as problematic. However, games like Monster Bash and Cactus Canyon benefit significantly from a privacy filter, as it improves visibility of the artwork. The only downside is a slight darkening of the display, though this is barely noticeable when used across multiple games.

Backglass filters

Anti-reflective plexiglass panels are available for full translights, though they’re expensive and offer limited benefits. A more cost-effective solution is dimming the backbox illumination: a setting available on WPC and Stern Spike machines. Lowering the brightness significantly reduces glare, especially when combined with anti-reflective playfield glass.

Anti-reflective playfield glass

Reflections don’t just come from the DMD or LCD; other light sources in the room can also reflect off the playfield glass. Anti-reflective playfield glass helps minimize these distractions.

'Roman Glass' from Germany was one of the first and most well-known options. Produced and sold by someone named Roman, in the early 2000s. It was one of the first anti-glare glasses on the market for pinball machines, and of the best quality. Today, most pinball manufacturers offer their own versions, such as Invisiglass. While this article doesn’t compare different brands, it’s important to note that a higher price doesn’t always mean better quality.

I won’t compare the different types and sources of glass here, but there are various grades and qualities. More expensive isn’t always better. Differences include:

• Reflection reduction: Some glass types minimize reflections more effectively than others.
• Glass tint: Some are crystal clear, while others have a slight green, purple, or blue tint.
• Anti-reflective technology and durability: Some glass has an internal anti-reflective layer, while others feature a coating on one or both sides, which is more fragile.

Advantages:

• Dramatically reduces reflections.
• Enhances playfield appearance: colors appear brighter and more vibrant.
• Creates an immersive experience: the playfield almost looks glass-free. It's almost like you can touch the pinball.
• Can be transferred between machines, retaining value when selling a pinball machine.

Disadvantages:

• Expensive, averaging $150–$200.
• Fragile: fingerprints show easily, and improper cleaning can damage it.
• Effectiveness varies depending on room lighting and game placement.

Below are some examples of the effect of anti-reflective glass.

Here you see both types of glass. Attack From Mars (regular glass) shows significant reflections from the ceiling, making the playfield appear flat.
Metallica (anti-reflective glass) eliminates glare completely, revealing richer colors and depth.

Anti-reflective glass does not eliminate all reflections. Bright overhead lights will still reflect to some extent. However, the reduction in glare and improvement in playfield visibility make this upgrade one of the best ways to enhance pinball gameplay.

Regular playfield glass.

Anti reflective glass installed. Both games are next to each other, pictures taken in identical conditions.

The difference is striking. It looks as if there’s no glass at all! Colors are vivid, and gameplay visibility is significantly improved. It’s hard to describe, but the game appears more three-dimensional. With regular glass, everything looks flatter.

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