- description
- A solenoid-driven [[gameplay-feature:kickers]] mechanism in [[gameplay-feature:shooter-lanes]] that fires the ball into play at the press of a button, replacing the manual spring [[gameplay-feature:plungers]]. Because the machine itself controls the launch, it can re-serve balls automatically — feeding the shooter lane during [[gameplay-feature:multiball]], relaunching after a [[gameplay-feature:ball-save]], or firing on a timer — and can stage a button-press [[gameplay-feature:skill-shot]] in place of a measured plunge. Auto-launchers spread across the [[display-type:dot-matrix]] era on [[manufacturer:williams]] and [[manufacturer:bally]] machines and are now near-universal on modern [[manufacturer:stern-pinball]] games such as *[[title:godzilla]]* (2021).