Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

On 12/1/2020 at 7:57 PM, Cranker said:

I want that sweater !!!!! 😂 

I like the Atari one too!

2 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

I like the Atari one too!

 

Atari Master approves.  LOL.

Hi Tommy ! If you need a family testing Amico in French, we can !  👍

The father : Hardcore gamer

The Mother : Casual gamer

17 Years old girl : Casual gamer, but playing online Call of Duty with his boyfriend !

8 Years old boy : will become hardcore gamer, but like every style, every generetion of console !

Also my mom (70 years old) who bought me an Intellivision.

No computer, no cellphone, so she is not a player. I would like to see if she will like to play with me and my sister !

If not, April is coming ! I can't wait ! 

3 hours ago, MASTER260 said:

IMO, the Wii U is an underrated system.  I've long since moved my Wii saves, Virtual Console games, and WiiWare games to it, and it's great being able to play them in HD.  Plus I even get Virtual Console games that weren't on the original Wii like the Earthbound games.  I also have downloaded Wii Fit U and it's great how I was able to move my Wii Fit progress to it.  My Wii's disc slot is dying, so I'm currently lending my cousins', and I do in fact still use the original Wii.  Mainly to play Gamecube games but also to be able to use Wii homebrew that affects Gamecube games like the memory card dumper or the Action Replay Gamecube as the two actual disks I had for it got very scratched years ago but I still have the Action Replay memory cards which, being third party memory cards, works with the plain software regardless.  I even still use my Gamecube for the Gameboy Player.  So, all in all, I like most things Nintendo does lol.

Don't get me wrong.  I liked the Wii U. And I like Nintendo.  It just didn't have the same excitement for me as the Wii.  The Wii U wasn't the best name.  They should've called it the Wii 2.  I know people were confused about the console.  They though it was an attachment to the Wii.  LOL.  For some reason I preferred the Wii because it came first and it had the motion controls which was cool.  I'm glad the Amico has motion controls.  It'll be like playing the Wii all over again basically.  Anyway, it's true that the Wii U is an underrated system.  I wish I could've enjoyed it more.  I think what made me not like it as much was the lack of 3rd party support and it wasn't marketed that well.  I mean there were some 3rd party games but not enough.  Oh well.

16 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

I like the Atari one too!

 

I want that one too !! Who designed this ? It’s super cool 😎 

On 12/1/2020 at 7:58 PM, Cranker said:

https://arcade1up.com/products/atari-mini-pong-jr
 

i wanted this but $129USD, And I’m in Canada ! Ugggggg . That would be about 200$ for me. Too bad . Too expensive for me to justify ! And people say 250 is alot for the Amico ? Sheesh 

That does seem a little on the high side, but it does look like the build and materials are very high end.  Hard to tell exactly without holding it.  They will probably sell a certain number at that price on launch and then quickly try to get it under $100.  I would bet that COVID component and materials pricing (and the fact that now Arcade 1up is distributing and need their cut) has something to do with the higher price.  They may have originally planned it as a $99 MSRP initally and then a year later getting it down to $79, etc.  That is probably the sweet spot for this product (just like I say that I believe $199 will be the sweet spot for Amico).

Another thing about retail and distrubution that folks may find interesting (who haven't dealt with this kind of thing) is that retailers have the power to put things on sale which in turn could completely destroy the product in other retail outlets.  So you need to always be careful with initial pricing when you don't have the power and pull that companies like Sony, Microsoft & Nintendo do.  The pricing "wars" that go on between Walmart, Costco and Amazon are legendary.  We are very fornuate to have 3 people on our sales team with a combined 100 years experience in selling video games to retailers.  So lots of knowledge and experinece in making sure those types of things won't occur with Amico.

No one can predict the future, but having all of the fail safes on hand does sometimes make the difference between a retail product failing and succeeding.

On 12/1/2020 at 10:48 PM, Starpaddler said:

We’re more than good with that.  Where do we sign?

At the front door of course!

It will go a little something like this...
 

On 12/2/2020 at 9:58 AM, vongruetz said:

I added a few items. Taking everything into account, $250 is a great value. Would $199 without the added perks be better? Maybe? You could also add that every game is exclusive, which none of the other consoles have.

And... if you go the opposite way it looks like this...

Amico with one controller and no games = $149

Now people will think it's some cheap knock-off system... and for the audience we're going for who just want to play simple games together right out of the box... that audience then wouldn't exist.  So we would be killing the one thing that makes us unique to everyone else.

38 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

 

Would love to see pics of your collection!  And anyone elses as well!

I'm happy to post, but I don't do a room or a wall or anything.  I just have stuff that's here and there and my consoles are more preserved that anything else.  

I'll lay them out today.  Thanks for asking.  😊

On 12/2/2020 at 10:16 AM, Cranker said:

$250 is fine with me and I have a Founders Edition on order that I’m super excited for. It’s all about perception and the general public might perceive the $250 price as too high even though it does come with 2 controllers and 6 games. Time will tell. I would pay more that $250 ! But that’s me.

Our big retailers tell us that $249 for the type of experience we are presenting will definitely work for year one and potentially year two.  They also agree that at $199 they will start to fly off the shelves.  These folks know their customers... that is why they are so successful and literally the biggest corporations on the planet.  They're not successful because they guess and hope for the best.   

The other thing to consider is this...

Nintendo Wii - realeased 15 years ago with 1 controller and 1 tech demo.

$249

So anyone who says that non-gamers, casual gamers or families aren't willing to spend $249 on a casual video game console for the living room that everyone can play... may not understand retail, family buying and the game industry.  And that was 15 years ago!  

I totally understand that Nintendo has a trusted and huge name in the video game industry.  But so does Intellivision (on a much smaller scale these days).  But keep in mind that Intellivision did have 20% of the home video game market in the early 80's.  Comparable to what the XBOX does today in terms of percentages.  Not too shabby... and the majority of people who played it back then... are still alive, have kids or grandkids and feel that modern gaming has left them behind.  It will be our goal and mission to introduce that trust and value to tens of millions of people around the world who have never heard of Intellivision.  A task that we feel the product is up for.  All people need to do is play it.  That's all.  We see it happen time and time again with familes.  And most of the time (and like Cranker mentioned as well) people think the pricing is great and would pay up to $299.  

Elitist hardcore gamers love to equate Amico pricing to the Switch but always leave out the fact that after 4 years on the market... there is a REASON why those people haven't purchased a Switch yet.  Nintendo has all of the marketing power and partnerships in the world.  We are doing something different from them.  Something that all of the people who haven't bought a Switch (or PS or Xbox) WANT.  Very simple concept for a non-biased reasonable person to understand.

On 12/2/2020 at 11:03 AM, Intellivision Master said:

 

That was fun!  Listened to it in the car this morning on our way up to the mountains this weekend.

On 12/2/2020 at 11:05 AM, Intellivision Master said:

Tommy,

 

Are there any plans to have a rating system on the IE shop?  Such as reviews of the merchandise.  Maybe just give a star rating instead of written reviews or something.

Yes.  For the games.  Absolutely.

On 12/2/2020 at 12:03 PM, Silverbot said:

£250 is an absolute bargain if you ask me. Straight out of the box you can play multiplayer games with your family and friends without having to pay another penny. You don’t even need to buy any extra controllers, just get people to bring there smart phones and they can use them!. Up to £10 a game! I’m so sick of paying £40-£60. All the games/versions of, are exclusive to Amico. Sometimes it’s not what you pay for, but what you don’t pay for. 👍😀

And there you have it.

On 12/2/2020 at 12:04 PM, Intellivision Master said:

Some just want to complain the price is too high for Amico.  I say wait for a sale then.  I don't think it's that bad.  I pre-ordered the FE and that costs more.  But you get a lot of nice perks with the FE.  I remember when the Nintendo Wii released at $250.  I bought it a year later at the same price and paid for it in cash.  I was fine with the $250 and I really enjoyed the Wii.  The Wii U not so much, lol.

Totally.  

Every video game console (and almost ALL items ever sold) come down in price eventually.  I totally respect and appreciate that folks may not find the $249 price tag inviting.  Maybe they will at $199... and maybe they won't.  And that's fine as well.  It's the folks who say that no one will find value at $249 who are being elitist narcissists who believe that whatever they think MUST be the way the rest of the world thinks and that everyone who doesn't think like they do are idiots.  Ironic huh?   

On 12/2/2020 at 12:31 PM, vongruetz said:

I bought my Wii for $250 on launch day and still play it to this day. If I'm still playing my Founders' Edition Amico 14 years after it launches, then I would say it is definitely a great value.  And based on the hardware video where they talk about designing it to be built to last, I think I will be playing it for years.

 

At this stage in my life, I like to judge my electronics purchases based on how long they will last me. 

I'm the same way.  That is why we made the decision a long time ago to go with quality or price.  Yeah... we could have made the product at $199.  With cheap ass controller screens, crappy plastic, much cheaper components and batteries, etc., etc...  

And then what?

The product tanks after a few months and never gets off the ground because of how quickly word spreads that it's a piece of junk.

I can't wait til folks have the opportunity to hold Amico in their hands and start playing it.  When you feel how incredible the disc moves and how smooth it controls things on screen, and the quality of the controller screens and the build of the controllers... people will quickly understand and will thank the heavens that we didn't try to build the same machine at an initial price of $199.

On 12/2/2020 at 12:35 PM, Intellivision Master said:

I waited a year later and still had trouble finding a Wii.  They were sold out in most places.  I ended up having to pre-order one from Game Stop.  It was like trying to find the Turbo Man toy in that movie Jingle All the Way.  LOL.

Retail indications already are telling and showing us the same thing at this point.  And we haven't even begun any sort of real marketing or PR campaign.  

On 12/2/2020 at 12:49 PM, Intellivision Master said:

 

Hahaha!  That was fun.

He's having a great time.  So awesome to see.

On 12/2/2020 at 5:28 PM, Intellivision Master said:

Tommy,

 

Did you move into the new office location yesterday?

We've been preparing and slowly moving things in since November 1st.  A few hardware folks and software folks have slowly started coming in... but the majority of people are still working from home due to COVID restrictions.

And now... just yesterday...  we get the news that all non essential businesses in southern California must shut their doors for the next 3 weeks.  A new 3 week MINIMUM lock-down leading up right into the holidays.  Ugh!

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/california-governor-introduces-new-stay-home-order-amid-covid-19-n1249918

So to answer the question.  No... the company didn't all move in on December 1st as we have been planning for the past few months.

On 12/2/2020 at 5:33 PM, RxScram said:

The engineering team has slowly been moving in for a month, particularly the mechanical engineers so that they can have a centralized place for their testing equipment. Electrical and software engineers are making their way in as well. We're still very limited about what we can do due to Covid restrictions, so most people are still remote. 

And as of yesterday... it just got worse.

On 12/2/2020 at 5:35 PM, 1980gamer said:

What if I showed up at work on this?

I would give you a raise for being so AWESOME!!!!!

15 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Retail indications already are telling and showing us the same thing at this point.  And we haven't even begun any sort of real marketing or PR campaign.  

Did you hear Game-Stop will be selling LCD 4k TVs this season as well as into next year.

Pickup your PS5 (yeah, right), Amico and XBox...along with a nice 65 inch QLED.  Nice.

On 12/2/2020 at 7:40 PM, Intellivision Master said:

 

Love his videos.  More people should subscribe.  Show him the love!

On 12/2/2020 at 8:38 PM, RxScram said:

Hey, @Tommy Tallarico,

 

We should make a black and white console! That hybrid unit looked pretty sweeet!

I know right!  

 

On 12/3/2020 at 12:30 AM, GD Mof said:

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. I've been working on multiple demos suitable for the Amico, see which one works out the best. How important is it that the demo is running on Android, out of curiosity? I've got New 3DS dev hardware so I'm used to making stuff that runs well on less powerful hardware (and where everything gets rendered twice to boot). I'm currently aiming the demos at New 3DS level hardware, then I can crank up the settings as needed, if and when I get a better handle on what the Amico is capable of.

Targeting and developing something for Android is a smart way to go intially for sure.  

2 minutes ago, IMBerzerk said:

Did you hear Game-Stop will be selling LCD 4k TVs this season as well as into next year.

 

Pickup your PS5 (yeah, right), Amico and XBox...along with a nice 65 inch QLED.  Nice.

That's actually not a bad idea. When you go to a store looking for a TV, it's hard to find one that is fine-tuned for gamers. If Gamestop carried a small selection of TVs that made the most out of the new consoles, it'd make shopping a lot easier. Just don't know how they'd keep inventory for such large items.