found this which I think supports the theory
"Then there's the small matter of competition in the pinball market. Stern's claim to be "The only maker of REAL pinball games on the planet" is about to be negated by Jersey Jack Pinball - a company making full-featured games to counter Stern's back-to-basics approach. Jersey Jack Pinball (JJP) is appealing to the serious collectors who want more in their games than Stern has been offering of late and are prepared to pay accordingly.
Tron is Stern's first move towards the ground JJP is occupying - adding a little extra hardware and producing a premium version with more hardware and additional rules. Plus, of course, a higher price tag, taking it every closer to the price point for JJP's The Wizard of Oz."from Pinball News
http://www.pinballnews.com/games/tron/index6a.html
