Virtual Pinball: January 2025 Baller Installer Tutorial

Getting a virtual pinball cabinet running used to mean installing a long list of programs, figuring out where everything belonged, and making all those pieces work together. PinUP Baller Installer takes a whole lot of that work off your plate.

For this build, I’m using the January 2025 beta release, which also includes an updater. That means there’s now a much easier way to check and update the software in the installation instead of handling each program manually. Sweet!

My OLED playfield and the other cabinet screens are ready, so the goal is simple: install the software, get every display in the right place, and play some pinball. You don’t even need your cabinet buttons installed yet. A keyboard will get you through the first test games.

Prepare Windows Before Installing Baller Installer

Start with the installation requirements on the official PinUP Baller Installer wiki. Don’t skip the preparation just because the installer makes the rest easy. Incorrect display settings or blocked files can create problems before you’ve even launched a table.

Check antivirus settings and download tools

Antivirus software can interfere with a virtual pinball installation by blocking or removing files. Check the official installation guidance for your security software before proceeding. If you temporarily disable protection during installation, remember that Windows Defender may turn itself back on.

Later, we’ll add a Windows Defender exclusion for the pinball installation folder. That keeps Defender from scanning that folder and interfering with its contents, but it also means those files won’t receive the same protection. Use trusted downloads and keep any exclusion limited to the folder you actually need.

You’ll also want a tool for extracting downloaded files. I recommend 7-Zip, which is free.

For downloaded installers and archives, check whether Windows has blocked the file:

1. Right-click the downloaded file and select Properties.
2. If an Unblock checkbox appears, select it.
3. Click Apply, then OK.

Doing this before running an installer or extracting an archive helps avoid an installation where some files work and others are blocked.

Set every display to 100% scaling

Open Windows display settings by right-clicking the desktop and selecting Display settings. Select each monitor individually and set its scale to 100%.

Yes, every monitor. Check the playfield, backglass, DMD display, and topper if you have one.

On a 4K playfield, 100% scaling makes the desktop text and icons look tiny. It also makes moving around the desktop feel like a long trip. That’s not a great maintenance experience, but for this initial pinball setup, leave the displays at the required scaling. Making the desktop more comfortable is a separate job.

Use landscape orientation and the correct screen order

The playfield should be in landscape orientation in Windows, not portrait. From the left side of the cabinet, the desktop should look like a normal landscape screen.

Next, arrange the displays in Windows from left to right:

1. Playfield
2. Backglass
3. DMD display
4. Topper, if installed

The display numbers aren’t what matters. Their positions are. If Windows labels them in an unexpected order, drag the display rectangles into the correct arrangement rather than worrying about the numbers.

Keep the top edges of all the display rectangles aligned. Windows usually helps them snap into place, but give the layout a careful check before moving on.

Download and Install the January 2025 Release

Find the January 2025 PinUP Baller Installer on the official site and review its included software list. This walkthrough uses that beta release, so the exact versions and update recommendations may differ from later releases.

1. Download the installer.
2. Right-click it, open Properties, and unblock it if that option appears.
3. Run the installer and approve the Windows permission prompt.
4. Read and accept the installation agreement.
5. Keep the suggested installation location on the C drive. For this build, the main folder is C:\VPinball.
6. Click Install and let the process finish.

During installation, the DirectX setup may appear. Accept its agreement, continue through the prompts, and click Finish when it completes.

At the end of the main installation, leave the option to run the configuration enabled and click Finish. That opens the Baller Installer setup utility.

Choose Your Cabinet Layout

The setup utility is designed to work from left to right. Start with the introduction, then move to Set Layout.

Choose the layout that matches your machine. The available choices include desktop, two-screen, slim DMD, real DMD, and full DMD configurations.

My cabinet uses a full DMD display, so that’s the layout I select. Then choose the playfield resolution, either 1080p or 4K. I’m using 4K.

Click Apply Layout. The help information here reinforces the Windows requirements we’ve already handled: correct orientation, correct display positions, and 100% scaling.

Run the Setup Steps and Position the Screens

Move to the next page and follow the numbered steps in order.

Step 1: Test the display layout

Click the display layout test. If all monitors are reported as correct, proceed to the next step. If they aren’t, go back and fix the Windows display arrangement before continuing.

Step 2: Install the supporting apps

Click the application installation step and let it finish. Windows may appear while work happens in the background. Give it time and wait for the completion message.

Step 3: Set display positions

This is where you tell PinUP where its different screen areas belong. Select an area, drag its test window to the correct physical display, and use the full-width and full-height controls or Full Screen to fill that display.

For my cabinet, the assignments are:

• Backglass: Fill the backglass monitor.
• Playfield: Fill the playfield monitor.
• Full DMD: Fill the dedicated full DMD monitor.
• Music: Place it on the full DMD monitor for the PuP-Pack content that uses this screen area.
• Game Help: Place it on the full DMD monitor, where I want instructions to appear later.

A full DMD monitor and the smaller virtual DMD window are related, but they aren’t the same thing. Here, we’re assigning the full-screen display areas. We’ll position the virtual score display separately in the DMD test.

Only configure the areas your setup needs. I don’t have a topper or a physical DMD device in this cabinet.

One little annoyance: filling the playfield can cover the setup controls. If that happens, move the setup window temporarily to the backglass, finish sizing the playfield, and then bring the controls back where you can reach them.

Before saving, click through the assignments again. Make sure the backglass is on the backglass, the playfield is on the playfield, and the full DMD, Music, and Game Help areas are where you intended.

Click Save Settings, then exit that positioning window.

Step 4: Complete the remaining setup action

Return to the numbered setup page and run Step 4. In my installation, this completed quickly. Once it finishes, continue to the DMD page.

Test and Save the Virtual DMD Position

On the DMD page, use the backglass and full DMD test buttons to confirm those screen areas appear correctly.

Then start the virtual DMD test. A small PinUP Popper DMD window appears. Drag it onto your DMD monitor and resize it to roughly the position and size you want for your score display.

To save the starting position:

1. Right-click the virtual DMD window.
2. Select Save Position Globally.
3. Save the settings in the installer.

The global position gives new tables a starting point. As you add individual tables, save their DMD positions for those tables rather than repeatedly changing the global default.

Finish the setup pages, and stop the DMD test before closing the utility. If you get a warning that the test is still running, return to the DMD page, stop it, and close the setup again.

The amount of work this saves is pretty amazing. A few years ago, getting all these pieces installed and talking to each other was a much more manual process.

Use the Built-In Updater Carefully

Open PinUP Popper Config and look for Check for Updates in the upper-right corner. This is the handy new addition that makes keeping the installation current much easier.

Before running it, make sure:

• The computer has an internet connection.
• The PinUP Popper front end is not running.

Click Check for Updates, confirm the prompt, and run the check in the updater window. Review the results before choosing Apply Updates.

That review matters, especially with a beta installation. In my January 2025 beta setup, the updater flagged three files, but the recommended files were older than the ones already installed. I was using version 1.5 of the beta, so I left those files alone rather than replacing newer files with older ones.

The lesson is simple: an update recommendation isn’t a reason to click blindly. Compare the versions and dates. If the proposed update is appropriate for your installation, apply it and let the updater do the work.

Add the VPinball Folder to Windows Defender Exclusions

With the software installed, the next step in this setup is to prevent Windows Defender from interfering with the pinball folder.

1. Search Windows for Windows Security and open it.
2. Select Virus & threat protection.
3. Under the protection settings, select Manage settings.
4. Scroll to Exclusions and select Add or remove exclusions.
5. Approve the permission prompt.
6. Select Add an exclusion, then choose Folder.
7. Select C:\VPinball, or the actual folder where you installed the software.

This applies the exclusion to the folder and its contents, including software and tables added there later. Microsoft explains the process and its security implications in its Windows Security exclusion guide.

Keep that tradeoff in mind when downloading new files. An exclusion prevents scanning; it doesn’t make a download trustworthy.

Configure Visual Pinball for the First Test

Open C:\VPinball\VisualPinball and launch the default VPinballX executable. In this installation, that’s Visual Pinball X 10.8.

Go to Preferences, then Video/Graphics Options. For my high-end PC and 4K OLED playfield, I start with these settings:

• Graphics preset: High-end PC.
• Display: The correct playfield monitor.
• Display mode: Exclusive fullscreen.
• Resolution: The playfield’s 4K resolution.
• Refresh rate: 120 Hz.
• Frame pacing: Enabled.
• View mode: Cabinet mode.

These are starting settings for this particular machine, not a guarantee that every cabinet should use the same preset. Make sure your selected display mode matches your hardware, save the changes, and test before getting buried in fine adjustments.

Cabinet mode is worth double-checking. You don’t want to launch a table and discover you’re using the desktop view instead.

Play a Test Table and Check the Results

I start with Leprechaun King, which is available in the installation. This gets a table running before I spend time adding more content.

On the OLED playfield, the first impression is fantastic. The image is crisp, the text is easy to read, and the ball movement is buttery smooth. That’s exactly what I wanted to see after getting the screens and software together.

Of course, I couldn’t leave it there. I also added the Loaded Weapon mod of Creature from the Black Lagoon.

That table really shows off the display. The instruction card looks like a piece of paper, complete with readable text, folds, and little tears. The sidewall art and cabinet details look great, and the pop bumpers have a convincing physical appearance.

The cabinet itself still has gaps that will be filled with LEDs, and I’m still playing with a keyboard because the buttons aren’t installed. But this is already looking seriously good.

I also noticed ball trails were enabled, which is a setting I want to turn off. That’s why a first game is useful: it lets you spot the little visual changes you want to make after the basic configuration is working.

A 4K screen at 120 Hz doesn’t magically make me better at pinball, though. Apparently, I can still lose a ball in beautiful detail!

Fix the LG Companion Shutdown Timing

There’s one more cabinet-specific issue worth fixing before calling this done.

My LG Companion setup worked properly when I shut down the PC from the Windows desktop. But shutting down directly from PinUP Popper happened so quickly that LG Companion didn’t get a chance to turn off the OLED playfield.

The rest of the cabinet shut down, but the playfield stayed on. Not what we want.

The fix is a quick setting change:

1. Search Windows for Companion and open LG Companion.
2. Open Settings.
3. Find Shutdown settings.
4. Change Timing from Default to Early.
5. Click OK, then Apply to save the change.

The Early setting lets LG Companion act sooner during shutdown, giving it a chance to turn off the playfield before PinUP Popper finishes shutting down the PC.

A Working Cabinet, With a Few Finishing Jobs Ahead

At this point, the core virtual pinball software is installed, the display areas are assigned, the DMD has a default position, and the first tables are playable. The updater also gives us a much simpler path for maintaining the installation.

The next jobs for this cabinet are the physical controls and a better desktop maintenance experience. Running everything at 100% scaling is important for this setup, but tiny desktop icons on a 4K screen aren’t much fun. I also want the desktop to rotate for working from the front of the cabinet instead of standing beside it.

Those desktop conveniences are separate from the installation covered here. For now, we’ve reached the fun part: a crisp OLED playfield, smooth pinball, and a cabinet that’s finally starting to feel alive. Awesome.