Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

Absolutely love the idea of this system and the concept(s) behind it. (Family, Two player, etc.)

Grew up with the Atari. My neighbor had an Odyssey 2 and my Uncle bought the Intellivision. I loved them all for different reasons.

I currently own all the retro systems and the games that get played the most are the games we play together.

Here are our favorites 2 player games for each system:

Atari: Maze Craze, Slot Racers, Indy 500, Downfall

Intellivison: Burgertime, Baseball

Odyssey 2: Smithereens!

I would love to see these types of games re-made today.

Oh btw Tommy.....My wife an I took our son to "Video Games Live" 7-8 years ago in Colorado Springs and he won the costum contest. That still is one of our favorite family outtings/memories!

1 hour ago, Serguei2 said:

Of course, yes.

 

I understand you, atariage members, love Amico. It's a new console and gets hype here and everybody is exited about it.

 

That's why Amico is a different console for you all.

 

Also we are familiar with old games and Amico provides them.

 

For others, Amico is just an underpowered video game system. It might have a niche at the market.

 

Only time will tell.

The Amico is targeted at several markets - none of whom need a super powerful machine and all of whom appreciate a lower cost console (especially if you include the total ownership costs which includes the console, games & accessories). *One* of those is retro gamers, about 25% of the library are going to be re-imagined classics and yes, AtariAge being the home of retro gamers, that means we are getting a new console that caters *somewhat* to us - and yeah a lot of us are excited for that. Gee 25% of games seems rather small, what about the other 75%? Well that is the market that Intellivision will be spending it's marketing money on come summer of 2020. Not us retro folks - the primary market is families with young children and then past that causal gamers. Got 2 or 3 kids? You can buy a single 100% family friendly console (no having to monitor or fiddle with parent controls) for less than $200 (or maybe $250 if you need an extra controller or want to pick up *several* more games beyond the 5 built in ones) and entertain them all. Then when the kids invariable get bored of that, pick up a new game for the price a McDonalds drive through meal. Hate typical gaming consoles with dual analog sticks & complicated controls but loved the Wii - unfortunately it's in a box upstairs because your new TV doesn't have composite input? Well then the Amico is a modern, supported machine and has simple motion controls & fun, casual games. It also has simple, entertaining menus and graphics & is easy to setup & use.

You are assuming that the Amico is targeting "retro" or "gamers" and is in the "console" market ala the Xbox, PSx or Switch. The competitor the Amico is the Wii, not the Switch or any other machine sold today. The Wii is nearly 14 years old, unsupported and a game release rate of one or two every few years at maximum - in other words "on life support" for a non retro fan (retro fans will keep anything going). That is the core market of the Amico, not the retro scene. You are right, only time will tell but you will be surprised when [insert name of trendy celebrity] is on Facebook ads pitching the Amico to soccer moms & Tommy is on The View telling parents this is the safe, fun, inexpensive machine you need for your family this Christmas.

58 minutes ago, GrudgeQ said:

Hate typical gaming consoles with dual analog sticks & complicated controls but loved the Wii - unfortunately it's in a box upstairs because your new TV doesn't have composite input? Well then the Amico is a modern, supported machine and has simple motion controls & fun, casual games. It also has simple, entertaining menus and graphics & is easy to setup & use.

I'm sure it won't be rocket science to hook it up, but you talk like you have experience already with hooking it up and the UI. Did some systems go out already and I miss something?

I find the TV talk funny. My 2600 Jr. Can plug into my 55 inch flatscreen and my system isn't modded. Like I said I'm sure it will hook up just fine but I know there have been some problems with the Phoenix and I'm sure everyone thought it would be a easy hook up to their TV. 😅

Competitive against a system is no longer supported of their owners is not right.

Customers would always judge any consoles are available. They won't care if Amico is more advanced than Wii.

Yeah. There are some kids are playing video games all day in their bedrooms/playrooms, mostly when they're playing on-line games.

Seeing Amico ads on Facebook and elsewhere are not guaranteed of success.

I saw plenty of the sims 4 ads everywhere and today, ts4 is considerate as a failure.

I which Amico best luck. 

1 hour ago, Machine said:

Absolutely love the idea of this system and the concept(s) behind it. (Family, Two player, etc.)

Grew up with the Atari. My neighbor had an Odyssey 2 and my Uncle bought the Intellivision. I loved them all for different reasons.

I currently own all the retro systems and the games that get played the most are the games we play together.

 

Here are our favorites 2 player games for each system:

Atari: Maze Craze, Slot Racers, Indy 500, Downfall

Intellivison: Burgertime, Baseball

Odyssey 2: Smithereens!

 

I would love to see these types of games re-made today.

Oh btw Tommy.....My wife an I took our son to "Video Games Live" 7-8 years ago in Colorado Springs and he won the costum contest. That still is one of our favorite family outtings/memories!

The Intellivision did have some great sports games but I wouldn't call Intellivision Burgertime a two player game.  Amico Burgertime will have multiplayer modes possibly co-operative.  In addition to Biplanes and some of the sports cartridges, Sea Battle was one of my favourite Intellivision two player games.  I wonder if Sea Battle gets an Amico remake.  The thing is, these Intellivision two player only games rarely get played anymore.

17 minutes ago, mr_me said:

The Intellivision did have some great sports games but I wouldn't call Intellivision Burgertime a two player game.  Amico Burgertime will have multiplayer modes possibly co-operative.  In addition to Biplanes and some of the sports cartridges, Sea Battle was one of my favourite Intellivision two player games.  I wonder if Sea Battle gets an Amico remake.  The thing is, these Intellivision two player only games rarely get played anymore.

I have a limited Intv collection. What I have played has been fun. I like the retro stuff but I'm really more curious about the new games and possibly card type games.

Remind me if I have % breakdown correct...

25% retro (includes old and reimagined)

25% New 

25% Sports

25% Card/board games

Y'know what would be neat? Offering a print-on-demand service for physical Amico games, something like Warner Archive for WB's DVDs and Blu-ray

1 hour ago, MrBeefy said:

I'm sure it won't be rocket science to hook it up, but you talk like you have experience already with hooking it up and the UI. Did some systems go out already and I miss something?

 

I find the TV talk funny. My 2600 Jr. Can plug into my 55 inch flatscreen and my system isn't modded. Like I said I'm sure it will hook up just fine but I know there have been some problems with the Phoenix and I'm sure everyone thought it would be a easy hook up to their TV. 😅

No the easy, fun interface is promised - up to Tommy to deliver on that. It may sound silly to tech savvy people but often common folk (i.e. most people) find electronics hard to setup and use. I know this because as an IT professional and as such am the free tech support service to friends & family (and their friends sometimes). The good news is they will all be sad when I die, because they will have to start paying for Geeksquad

Having a fun, simple interface is definitely a selling point for a console and if you noticed the new, animated logo on the Amico Club AR app you are getting a sense of what the Amico interface will be like - full of 'Wii whimsy'.  I have three newer flat panel TVs and only two of them have  composite in - and one of those requires a special cable which I am sure would confuse 90% of my family - it isn't a universal feature. Just the fact you mention a modded console means you know more than probably 90% of America about this stuff.

1 hour ago, Serguei2 said:

Competitive against a system is no longer supported of their owners is not right.

 

Customers would always judge any consoles are available. They won't care if Amico is more advanced than Wii.

 

Yeah. There are some kids are playing video games all day in their bedrooms/playrooms, mostly when they're playing on-line games.

 

Seeing Amico ads on Facebook and elsewhere are not guaranteed of success.

 

I saw plenty of the sims 4 ads everywhere and today, ts4 is considerate as a failure.

 

I which Amico best luck. 

Not sure what the first statement means but I think you mean this: The main market Intellivision has publicly stated they are going after and has raised tens of million of dollars on isn't the one they are going after. Wow some very wealthy people are going to be very angry.

Customers are going to judge the Amico on features & price (like all products). The price to value ratio is excellent (never before seen in a console in fact) because the game prices are so low while still being curate for quality. The 100% family friendly guarantee is also unique - it is an idiot proof choice for young children. That alone makes it attractive to gift givers who really don't understand game consoles but want to do the right thing for their children.

Yes almost every parent worries about that and knows it is toxic. Offering worried parent an alternative would be genius - oh look - the Amico does.

No ad is a guarantee of success however the fact that companies spend money on them means they are *often* a success. In fact, the foundation of many a million/billion dollar business. 

Sure enough not every product succeeds. Cancel the Shark Tank and close Wall Street - it is hopeless!

I sure Tommy appreciates it.

1 hour ago, mr_me said:

The Intellivision did have some great sports games but I wouldn't call Intellivision Burgertime a two player game.  Amico Burgertime will have multiplayer modes possibly co-operative.  In addition to Biplanes and some of the sports cartridges, Sea Battle was one of my favourite Intellivision two player games.  I wonder if Sea Battle gets an Amico remake.  The thing is, these Intellivision two player only games rarely get played anymore.

Yeah, you are right. We do play it a lot with two people, taking turns. It would make a great two-player co-op game!

Burgertime co-op and a burgertime battle mode would be cool. Dropping patties and pushing baddies onto each other....

I would love to see an updated Ladybug game. Two player co-op would be a blast! Mr. Do, Qix, Mappy, the list goes on & on!

7 hours ago, Lathe26 said:

What part of northern Minnesota?  Anywhere near Duluth?

Bagley. About 200 miles west of Duluth. I spent a summer at UMD, though, for a college research assistantship.

2 hours ago, Swami said:

Bagley. About 200 miles west of Duluth. I spent a summer at UMD, though, for a college research assistantship.

Cool, I've been to Bemidji. 

1 hour ago, Lathe26 said:

Cool, I've been to Bemidji. 

Well, I haven't! 😜

One of the most interesting aspects of video games is how each generation played different consoles and computers when they were 10-20, which I believe are the golden years of video gaming for a regular person (too busy with toys before, too busy with beers afterward).

I started playing in 1989, with an 8 bit computer, so I learned to tolerate games with 4 colors, low resolutions, 2D environments and the lack of ability to save your progress.

My 27 year old cousin, however, started playing with my PS1 at a much younger age. So I recently asked him about the experience, because when I was 9 I was fascinated with some of the 320x200, 4 color 2D environments and I figured out the PS1 3D levels would have an even bigger impact on him when he was 6 years old. He said it was amazing, like virtual reality. His favorite game was Twisted Metal 2.

Since a few of you are around 50, does anyone have any interesting experiences with the first generation of video games, before there were interchangeable cartridges? I never touched those. Did any of you get to play games on a mainframe-like environment or black and white arcade machines where you "needed" other player(s) but allowed you to waste your money playing against an immobile adversary?

I saw a mate I hadn't seen in 26 years today. Told him about the Amico and as I described it being family focussed etc his eyes lit up and he said "that's what I want!". Went on to say his son never gets off Fortnite and he's keen to get the Amico for the family to play. He was also pissed off that a mobile skating game he downloaded STILL had ads after paying $13.99. Apparently you need a $10 monthly subscription to remove them. Another reason for the Amico

That's interesting, MantaNZ. As I said dozens of pages ago, I don't really need the Amico to sell 20-50 millions of consoles. I will be happy with a few millions and hundreds of games to choose from. And I think it's great that thousands of players will enjoy the same experiences too, regardless of the final results of the console wars (I do however not guarantee that I won't troll the forums in Spain if this machine sells like the Wii).

14 hours ago, Serguei2 said:

Customers would always judge any consoles are available. They won't care if Amico is more advanced than Wii.

 

Seeing Amico ads on Facebook and elsewhere are not guaranteed of success.

 

I saw plenty of the sims 4 ads everywhere and today, ts4 is considerate as a failure.

I disagree with you that if some consumers see the Amico is more advanced than the Wii, it might get them to buy the system knowing they can continue with that kind of gaming experience they won't get on some of the top systems around.  Also, comparing the Amico to a game, especially one like the sims that has been around for almost 2 decades, is not a true apples to apples comparison.  Personally I think the sims have outstayed their welcome.  The Amico is up and coming and is a system, not a game.  Give it time and we will see if it finds it's place in the market...

3 hours ago, IntelliMission said:

...

Since a few of you are around 50, does anyone have any interesting experiences with the first generation of video games, before there were interchangeable cartridges? I never touched those. Did any of you get to play games on a mainframe-like environment or black and white arcade machines where you "needed" other player(s) but allowed you to waste your money playing against an immobile adversary?

You've never played pong?  It was and still is great fun.  Breakout was also a first generation game.  Amico will have new versions of both these games.  You'd have to be a little older to experience the mainframe games, although some did make it to early microcomputers.  A ten year old kid in the late 1970s could play space invaders and asteroids in an arcade and probably didn't have access to a microcomputer.  I'd never waste a quarter to play a two player only game by myself.  In fact it was a way two could play for the price of one.  Another aspect of 1970s gaming were the handhelds, pioneered by Mattel.  Graphics were just red dashes but they were very popular with kids.

My apologies for the failed attempt at drunk joking up there at #3663. It was late and I was loopy. Tried to delete it, but it didn't work.

7 hours ago, Lathe26 said:

Cool, I've been to Bemidji. 

I went there years ago, had a cool Paul Bunyan statue there if I remember correctly!

5 hours ago, IntelliMission said:

One of the most interesting aspects of video games is how each generation played different consoles and computers when they were 10-20, which I believe are the golden years of video gaming for a regular person (too busy with toys before, too busy with beers afterward).

 

I started playing in 1989, with an 8 bit computer, so I learned to tolerate games with 4 colors, low resolutions, 2D environments and the lack of ability to save your progress.

 

My 27 year old cousin, however, started playing with my PS1 at a much younger age. So I recently asked him about the experience, because when I was 9 I was fascinated with some of the 320x200, 4 color 2D environments and I figured out the PS1 3D levels would have an even bigger impact on him when he was 6 years old. He said it was amazing, like virtual reality. His favorite game was Twisted Metal 2.

 

Since a few of you are around 50, does anyone have any interesting experiences with the first generation of video games, before there were interchangeable cartridges? I never touched those. Did any of you get to play games on a mainframe-like environment or black and white arcade machines where you "needed" other player(s) but allowed you to waste your money playing against an immobile adversary?

At the first university I went to the main computer lab had CRT terminals (fancy!) connected to the mainframe - but that was way across campus. So I usually went to the one teletype terminal in the basement of the library nearby. You had to dial the number on the phone handset and once you heard the modem squeal, place the phone's round speaker/microphone in the 'ear muffs' on the modem to connect at a blazing *cough* 300 baud to the mainframe. The 'screen's showed up as dot matrix printout and it printed about as fast as you could casually read - so you couldn't be in a hurry. About the only games available were Zork (a text based dungeon maze game) and Star Trek (my favorite). In Star Trek (an unlicensed fan game) written in BASIC I believe, you maneuvered around a series of grid maps (the map was huge for the day) and had to manage your shields & supplies of photon torpedoes by resupplying at star bases while going after those pesky Klingons. It was a really challenging resource management/strategy game for the time. The attached pics are from the actual game and a similar style terminal to the one I used.

3 hours ago, MantaNZ said:

I saw a mate I hadn't seen in 26 years today. Told him about the Amico and as I described it being family focussed etc his eyes lit up and he said "that's what I want!". Went on to say his son never gets off Fortnite and he's keen to get the Amico for the family to play. He was also pissed off that a mobile skating game he downloaded STILL had ads after paying $13.99. Apparently you need a $10 monthly subscription to remove them. Another reason for the Amico

He wants Amico. His kid is lost to the wasteland and isn't coming back. Should have parented harder and not let him play it in the first place.

Not saying it won't happen but those kids already playing and basically addicted to those games will not want to listen to their parents.

I see Amico being better as an intro console for younger kids. More of a gateway. Going backwards is going to be harder. Same basic reason I hope my Atari is still kicking by time my 1 year old is old enough to start playing.

I have to agree with you.  My college age daughter and I still play Frog Bog, Lego PC games, Animal Crossing, Wii Sports...and other similar stuff on the Switch.  We're both light gamers.  My game is Skyrim (was always a big D&D guy)... And her's is still Minecraft.

We get together for a Minecraft session or other fun stuff now and then.  But loosing your kid to Fortnite or Call of Duty to where you can't even join in and become someone bangin' on a bedroom door to me is scary.  

I don't see the Amico as the save my life, my kid and my family... I see it as a fun time with simple games that we can break balls, joke around and do all kinds of fun stuff together.

On 12/7/2019 at 2:08 AM, Alpha82 said:

I look for new videos on Intellivision Amico almost every day somehow I didn’t see this one for two weeks it’s some things we have heard before but some tidbits about multiplayer that were fun to hear such as a way to do multiplayer on a “plane game “ where you are in a bomber 

 

 

I know this post is a bit of a blast from the past but I was rewatching this video and suddenly realized we just learned a lot more about one of the racing games shown in the Gamescon trailer. It is basically slot car racing (no/limited steering) with the goal of crashing into the side of the other players and sending them flying off the track. Once eliminated, the player isn't totally out (keeping with the Intellivision mantra that all multiplayer action needs to keep all the players involved) but instead you can set traps (like the magnet & rollers shown in the screen cap below). If your enemies get caught in the traps then you still score points in the game (and also seek your revenge). You can jump to 10:59 in the video if you want to hear the part about (what is almost 100%) this game.

One of the most unique aspects of the Amico, that we are probably overlooking, is the 25% ratio of new/retro/sports/card & board games.

- Sports games: The system will definitely see many more sports games than other systems. This will be a refreshing change, as most systems nowadays have 25% RPGs and 25% open world/action adventure games. In the "top 100" games list that IGN updates every year, there are no sports games... what is going on? We need more of those.

- New IPs: This is a more standard feature, but it will be interesting to see what developers have in mind.

- Retro: There will be many more of these compared to other systems too. I wonder if they will eventually run out of retro games to release and keep the 25% ratio.

- Card/board games: This will be hugely different to other consoles. 1 card/board game out of 4 are a lot of board games. I'm not a big fan of card games, but we are living in the golden era of board games, so I have a couple of questions: 1) Will there be official versions of existing "complex" board games (i. e. not chess or parcheesi)? 2) Even if there's no way to license the best board games out there, are there any plans to create new video games based on existing, modern board games?

For anyone that doesn't know what I'm talking about, check out this Youtube channel with board game reviews.