What are the differences between Pinball FX and FX3. Is one better or newer?

[Eville Byron]

I see that Pinball FX is still widely supported even though Pinball FX3 is available. I also see that Steam offers bundles that come with the same tables for both FX and FX3. Now, I can understand getting a table for FX if that particular table was not available yet for FX3, but if a table or pack were available for both programs, what reason would there be for wanting the same tables on both programs? What are the differences between FX and FX3. I would assume that that FX3 is a newer version of the program and would think it is better, but obviously that's a huge assumption to make, especially since they're still making FX tables that aren't available, at least yet, on FX3.

I'm looking into picking some of these up, but I'm really confused by having two different programs available.

[Eville Byron]

OK, a little Googling and searching on MobyGames and I think I've answered my own question. I'll post here in case anyone else has a similar issue. Hopefully, someone else can confirm my findings.

So, Pinball FX, to me, sounds like the original program, and FX3 is obviously a later revision. When I looked a little closer I saw that Pinball FX was an Xbox 360 only program released in 2007. Then came PC versions of FX2 and FX3. Now it seems like the newest PC version has dropped the number, reverting to just Pinball FX, which is thoroughly confusing to anyone not completely familiar with the history of the franchise, like me. This would make sense though since, as I'd mentioned, I've seen newer tables such as Star Trek TNG coming out only on Pinball FX and not FX3, which I thought was really strange until I figured out that Pinball FX is actually the latest version of the game on Windows.

Anyway, if someone else can confirm all of that, I'd really be appreciative and, hopefully, it will help some other Pinball FX newbie like me in the future.

[exe]

Pinball FX is the newer version than Pinball FX3, confusing it is.
In old days, the first one was, I think, also called Pinball FX, later came Pinball FX2, later Pinball FX3, now the new Pinball FX. The new Pinball FX has higher demands on the system than Pinball FX3. The new Pinball FX and Pinball FX3 plays very different. Pinball FX3 runs better and faster. The new Pinball FX had until recently a big flipper delay (lag), that was around a second. After applying the new patch this week, this flipper lag has been solved (or it looks that way).

Before the new Pinball FX, Zen used its own game engine. With the new Pinball FX, Zen uses the Unreal Engine.

[KroKoFox]

I hate the new P FX, looks ugly feels ugly. The menus are poor. I hope noone will buy any of the tables in the new game. Also its a shame that ppl have to buy all tables again to play them in Unreal Engin. FBS! Greets