Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

Chip shortage continues

Quote

In the span of 12 hours, Ford in the US said the chip shortage could halve production in the current financial quarter; Japan's Honda announced it will halt production at three domestic plants for five to six days next month; and BMW warned of delays at its facilities in Germany and England.

https://www.engadget.com/ford-bmw-honda-production-chip-crisis-124350237.html

20 hours ago, CurlyQ said:

Darth Vader doesn't go anywhere without his Amico.

 

This is great, but you should have saved it for Star Wars Day (May 4th Be With You)
You're really a maestro with Photoshop, or whatever you use.

15 hours ago, GrudgeQ said:

Chip shortage continues

https://www.engadget.com/ford-bmw-honda-production-chip-crisis-124350237.html

Well, it's also affecting the European car manufacturers... like BMW.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-56915685


Interestingly, after some research, it seems that cars do not use any normal mainstream
processors like X86 used in PCs, or the Arm families which are in most mobile phones, STBs
and of course, the Amico. (Actually, I presume it's not the Arm chip which is the Amico issue,
but the special components used in the controllers, as Arm set-top-boxes are easily available.)

As posted before, it's often the fabrication of any custom chips which is the blockage right now,
for most companies, and I would guess Amico gamepads have some custom components in use.

On 4/23/2021 at 10:43 PM, Tommy Tallarico said:

Wouldn't That Be Something?™

This evening, I discovered that Tommy's smile had a reason behind it, thanks to Amazon.
  
I saw a video on YouTube about being able to order the controller joystick "buttons", and
when I went to look, I saw also that controller overlays are already available for pre-order,
via Amazon.de, and they are under distribution from Koch Media, just like the console.

There are 6 sets listed, controllers only, but I'm guessing console skins are also coming?!
 

Not Amico but still cool.  Ratchet and Clank is the first game that FEELS like next Gen.

Plus it looks like it has DEVO in the soundtrack. So it can't be all bad The inclusion of them really makes me want it now. 

@Tommy Tallarico - I'd love to see Devo have their own game or just contribute to something on the Amico. Same for the Residents. Not quite sure how kid friendly it could be, but still fun. 

3 hours ago, justclaws said:

This evening, I discovered that Tommy's smile had a reason behind it, thanks to Amazon.
  
I saw a video on YouTube about being able to order the controller joystick "buttons", and
when I went to look, I saw also that controller overlays are already available for pre-order,
via Amazon.de, and they are under distribution from Koch Media, just like the console.

There are 6 sets listed, controllers only, but I'm guessing console skins are also coming?!
 

OMG Rainbow, the Shillaliens have invaded the Amico controllers! Run for the bunker but don't forget to grab your allergy medication! 🤣

(actually these are a great idea to designate different controllers for different people or just to add a bit of bling to a Glacier White or Graphite Black - really love these)

12 hours ago, IntelliMission said:

@LinemanDoc It's great to know different points of view and yours is surely original. However:

 

1) I think you disregard educational games too quickly. You say "no kid wants to play those". I confess I never played one, but these games exist for a reason. They are aimed at very small children. The educational part of them is not about future, potential working skills (to young for that?), but about having human values. Also, it's not about what they want, it's about what their parents want at those ages.

 

2) To counter your point of view about strategy games: they were too complex for me at 12, and they're still too complex for me at 41. And since Amico is about simple gaming that you can enjoy with non gamers, I don't think we will see too many strategy games released for it except for Utopia.

1) I see your point.  When I said, "no kid wants to play those," I was really thinking about my 7 year old boy.  At his age, anything school related seems boring.  On the other hand, my 2 year old daughter would probably love the Sesame Street ABC & 123 games.  I just don't see elementary age kids begging to play them over something like Minecraft or even Shark Shark.  I really just wanted to emphasize adding learning experiences in regular games.  I don't want to get rid of traditional educational games.

2) I don't want "too" complex strategy games either, but "too" is subjective and means different things for different people.  An example of the amount of complexity I imagine for Amico could be found in an old Sierra game called "The Time Warp of Dr. Brain" in its' mini game "Primordial Soup."  I linked a YouTube video of it.  The instructions are way too long though so fast forward to halfway.  Hopefully Amico designs the games so you learn by playing rather than reading or listening to lengthy instructions.

10 hours ago, justclaws said:

This evening, I discovered that Tommy's smile had a reason behind it, thanks to Amazon.
  
I saw a video on YouTube about being able to order the controller joystick "buttons", and
when I went to look, I saw also that controller overlays are already available for pre-order,
via Amazon.de, and they are under distribution from Koch Media, just like the console.

There are 6 sets listed, controllers only, but I'm guessing console skins are also coming?!
 

Good spot, justclaws! I noticed that the Amico console and controller storage bags are up for pre-order on Amazon Germany, too:

Console bag €28.99.

Controller sleeve $16.99.

There are a few of the controller vinyl packs ($14.99] available, too, such as:

My initial take... I like the console and controller bags whilst I'm not so keen on the controller vinyls!

I've checked on Amazon UK but these items don't appear to be listed there yet.

On 4/29/2021 at 5:00 PM, justclaws said:

This is great, but you should have saved it for Star Wars Day (May 4th Be With You)

I'm a HUGE Star Wars fan. My brain thinks EVERY DAY is May 4th Star Wars Day.

19 hours ago, GrudgeQ said:

I think you are right we won't (and shouldn't) see complex strategy games

I personally wouldn’t mind seeing something with some depth to it.  If Amico is truly going to be a family gaming machine then it should have games that appeal to family members of all ages.  Remember, it is not all about the retro titles.  In order for it to be successful it needs to grab the attention of more than just the limited pool of retro enthusiasts.  Having some in depth strategy games that older family members can play together doesn’t seem like a bad thing to me.  

13 hours ago, justclaws said:

This evening, I discovered that Tommy's smile had a reason behind it, thanks to Amazon.
  
I saw a video on YouTube about being able to order the controller joystick "buttons", and
when I went to look, I saw also that controller overlays are already available for pre-order,
via Amazon.de, and they are under distribution from Koch Media, just like the console.

There are 6 sets listed, controllers only, but I'm guessing console skins are also coming?!
 

Couldn't it be that some of the physical games also contain special controller overlays?

These racing overlays are slick looking! 🏎️🏎️

4 hours ago, Saldo said:

I personally wouldn’t mind seeing something with some depth to it.  If Amico is truly going to be a family gaming machine then it should have games that appeal to family members of all ages.  Remember, it is not all about the retro titles.  In order for it to be successful it needs to grab the attention of more than just the limited pool of retro enthusiasts.  Having some in depth strategy games that older family members can play together doesn’t seem like a bad thing to me.  

I don't agree non complex strategy games is a 'retro' thing, it is a 'most of the families in the world' thing. The most popular military strategy board game you are likely to find in a house is Risk (actually probably Chess, Checkers or Go but they are even more abstracted) not Twilight Imperium. The most popular economic simulation board game is Monopoly, not Arkwright.

Plus it all depends on what you consider a complex strategy game. When I think a complex strategy game I envision dozen(s) of unit/player types, complex rules sets and/or large/massive play areas/maps. I don't think those sorts of games are a good fit for the Amico. You will probably see Chess and maybe even Go on the Amico and those are incredibly complex games, but they are complex in their interactions between pieces, not so much in the variety of pieces, complex rules or massive play surfaces.

The Amico's primary market is actually families with young children, followed by some lesser markets, like retro. To match that primary market, I can see games (sticking with board games for consistency) like Catan, Pandemic, Ticket to Ride (all top sellers on Amazon right now) that are in that 7+/8+/10+ range (BTW Incan Gold is 8+) but I don't think you will see many ages 12+/14+ games (beyond party games like Telestrations) because that isn't the market they are going for.

If/when Pitfall comes to Amico, there could be an option where you play as OEB Pete.  Or perhaps he could have his very own game called Pitfall Pete.  Lol.  Wouldn't that be something?

Lovin' the army green and the American flag.  Anything with the flag is good in my book!

7 hours ago, totalamico said:

My initial take... I like the console and controller bags whilst I'm not so keen on the controller vinyls!

For me the obvious function is kid appeal. Can you imagine the difference between a kid into sparkles and rainbows getting the standard Amico controller vs the bling upgrade? A lot of kids back home (in the "heartland", i.e. middle America) would be into the 'merica set of camo & US flag. Younger me would have went for the space set, but mostly for the rocket ship one.

Also I wonder if there is a reason you might want to track the individual controllers? Maybe there is a 'master controller' setup on the Amico (the one that lets you share games and such). If nothing else it lets you make sure you get your controller back home after going on an Amico play session with friends. I am with @atarifan88 - present day me finds those racing ones pretty cool. Somehow I think Tommy might be rocking the middle one of that set himself.

Recently there's been talk on here about strategy games.  What about Advance Wars?  I know it's a Nintendo game.  But the last entry came out in 2008 on the DS.  It doesn't look like Nintendo is doing anything with this series anymore.  It might be cool to bring it over on the Amico.  Tommy would have to get permission from Nintendo of course.  This probably won't happen but it would be neat to see this series get revived.

19 hours ago, woobman said:

Not Amico but still cool.  Ratchet and Clank is the first game that FEELS like next Gen.

Plus it looks like it has DEVO in the soundtrack. So it can't be all bad The inclusion of them really makes me want it now. 

 

@Tommy Tallarico - I'd love to see Devo have their own game or just contribute to something on the Amico. Same for the Residents. Not quite sure how kid friendly it could be, but still fun. 

Mmmm...despite it being a pack in, Astro's Playroom "feels" like the first PS5 game in a way that the game just wouldn't be the same on a PS4. 

Interesting article about a leaked document from Electronic Arts. It shows that they are doing everything possible to move players to FIFA Ultimate Team (FUT), a cornerstone of which is loot boxes. "We are doing everything we can to drive players there". And people say we don't need the Amico, all that stuff is on other systems. Maybe it isn't so much about the stuff that is on other systems, but the stuff that isn't on the Amico.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/gopublic/fifa21-loot-boxes-electronic-arts-1.5996912

1 hour ago, Mockduck said:

Mmmm...despite it being a pack in, Astro's Playroom "feels" like the first PS5 game in a way that the game just wouldn't be the same on a PS4. 

I stand corrected on RnC.  Having not played either, I'm only going by what I see on the interwebs. .  But unlike other people who need to dunk on the Amico,  if contradictory info heads my way, I have no issue in correcting myself. LOLs. If, and when, the PSVR2 is announced as backward compatible.. I'll be a happy Camper.  

And at the same time, I'm looking forward to the Amico! Fingers crossed that we see a little bit of Tempest re-imagined soon. Adventure. And many more...

I can like more than one thing at a time for different reasons... Wow!! I can multi.............................................................task.

8 hours ago, Intellivision Master said:

If/when Pitfall comes to Amico, there could be an option where you play as OEB Pete.  Or perhaps he could have his very own game called Pitfall Pete.  Lol.  Wouldn't that be something?

Speaking of Pitfall...

Activision is apparently pulling Toys For Bob onto work on the Call of Duty franchise, meaning all of their owned studios will have contributed to COD.

Do they even want to own the classic Activision IP's? Maybe Intellivision shouldn't be asking if they want to license them from Activision...but rather, if they want to buy them!

22 hours ago, GrudgeQ said:

 

OMG Rainbow, the Shillaliens have invaded the Amico controllers! Run for the bunker but don't forget to grab your allergy medication! 🤣

(actually these are a great idea to designate different controllers for different people or just to add a bit of bling to a Glacier White or Graphite Black - really love these)

 

Holy Sheep Dongles!!!!!  Thanks for the warning as my Alien Detection Dongle broke last week and I had no idea the Shill'Aliens were this close!

I have some depends packed with some MREs so I can eat and shit in my rather small bunker for a week or more now.

Thanks

~Rainbow