Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

12 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

You just described how the majority of the people on the planet feel. 

Kinda cracks me up when folks say there is no market for us.



 

10 hours ago, mr_me said:

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.

I STILL play my original Mattel Electronics Football game from time to time.  Basic as hell, but still challenging and still fun!!

8 hours ago, GrudgeQ said:

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.

I went to a Catholic High School from 1982 - 1986.  In my freshman year we got one computer.  Punchcard storage!  No idea what make or model it was.  Assuming maybe an IBM?  My friends and I would go in there after school and program on it til they kicked us out.  All the nuns commented on how nice it was for us to take such an interest in new technology.  The reality was... we were programming dirty text adventures!   HAHAHAHAHA!!!



 

10 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Yeah... the card games bring a really cool and unique aspect to that genre (which I'm sure you can imagine by everyone having cards in their hands on screen and a main screen that everyone can look at).

 

The list you gave above is typically what I've been saying in interviews... but is changing and evolving all the time.  I don't know what games are going to make it to launch because if we don't feel a game is good enough... we won't release it right away.  Another thing that really isn't represented in that list is "edutainment".  So I think there is probably 5 main categories which we'll try to make about 20% each. 

I know you say you are competing more with Mobile and board games.

What are you doing to combat maybe the biggest hurdle to get the mobile crowd to play Amico. The convenience of mobile is something Amico will not have. I can play my mobile games at home, on the couch, waiting at doctor office, or heck on the porcelain throne.

What are the specific strategies you plan on using to compel those to put down their phones and play Amico?

8 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

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 agree with this.  Getting teenagers who are already playing PS4, COD, XBOX, Fortnite, etc. will immediately be turned off to Amico.  Just like all of those same folks were when their parents brought home a Wii.  But then... when they see their parents playing a video game... something that the kid LOVES and their parents are now partaking in (with or without them)... and then they call the teenager over to join in a game with mom & dad and younger sister.  They may just do it.  Again.. it won't be their main machine.  But it may be something that they do once or twice a week for an hour with their parents.

We're not relying on this in order to succeed.  It's just something that I saw happen with hardcore gamers during the Wii.  We would probably see this happen more if mobile wasn't so solitary!

 

7 hours ago, GrudgeQ said:

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.

Yep!  Nailed it.

It is SO MUCH FUN!!  The second you crash out... the real fun begins!  

This is a perfect example of a game that can ONLY be played on Amico.  You CANNOT have an experience like this on the Switch because you need the screen on your controller to pick the magnet, brick wall or stretch machine without any of the players knowing what you're picking.  Sorry curly one... wrong once again. 



 

15 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

I STILL play my original Mattel Electronics Football game from time to time.  Basic as hell, but still challenging and still fun!!

Dude, I got the recent rerelease of that and baseball - so much fun  

7 hours ago, IntelliMission said:

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.

Yep!  Our software line-up is definitely super unique.  And yes... I think people are overlooking that fact.

In Sports... remember it's recreational sports as well!  So pool, darts, bocci, shuffleboard, cornhole, etc.!  All fall under that category as well.

The car game GrudgeQ spoke about would be considered New IP's.  Really unique experience that can only be played on Amico because of our controllers.

There are so many amazing Retro games... I don't think we'll ever run out!

What is the most played video game genre on the planet Earth?  Some might think Match 3 games?  1st person shooters?  MMORPG's?  Nope!  Not even close.  It's card games!  Yet not a single home console has ever focused on them.  Why?  Because they don't have a screen on the controller... and folks who typically play consoles are not interested in typical traditional card games (not including things like Magic & Hearthstone, etc.... those are hardcore experiences... I'm talking traditional playing card deck games).

6 hours ago, Swami said:

I believe Tommy said that the controller would not be used for mousing around the screen, but with a cursor or cross-hair it could certainly work well, so i’m curious why it has been written off. N-Corp similarity?

In a game like Missile Command the screen does work like that.  So it really depends on the game.

6 hours ago, IntelliMission said:

Also, board games on the Amico could use a similar system to Tabletop Simulator, complete with a 3D simulation of rolling the dices. They could even release (simple, easy to control) miniature wargames.

Having a screen on the controller and motion controls even makes dice throwing fun on Amico!!  Again... something that isn't possible on other systems (the way we're doing it). 

3 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Yep!  Our software line-up is definitely super unique.  And yes... I think people are overlooking that fact.

In Sports... remember it's recreational sports as well!  So pool, darts, bocci, shuffleboard, cornhole, etc.! 

 

 

Cornhole? I thought it was a family friendly console!

6 hours ago, Blarneo said:

My favorite vid is when the Dad took the Xbox out to the grill, poured lighter fluid on it and set it on fire. 😂

I spent hours watching all those videos about a year ago.  It really helped solidify that there is a massive PROBLEM with home consoles that parents need to go to that extent to try and get through to their kids.

Would be funny to do an online marketing campaign that shows the exact opposite of that.  Make it seem like the parent is super mad... but only because they aren't playing together.  There was an episode of Young Sheldon similar to this.  MeeMaw kept playing a Zelda rip-off type game without Sheldon and he would get upset. 

39 minutes ago, MantaNZ said:

I like the idea of shaking the dice in your hand (controller) then throwing it into the table (TV screen). Haha.

Happening!

1 minute ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Happening!

 

Awesome. That solves the issue of rolling it off the table, trying to find the thing and people yelling "THAT DOESN'T COUNT" when you roll a six on the floor, hahaha!

24 minutes ago, MrBeefy said:

I know you say you are competing more with Mobile and board games.

 

What are you doing to combat maybe the biggest hurdle to get the mobile crowd to play Amico. The convenience of mobile is something Amico will not have. I can play my mobile games at home, on the couch, waiting at doctor office, or heck on the porcelain throne.

 

What are the specific strategies you plan on using to compel those to put down their phones and play Amico?

It's a great question. 

We don't intend on replacing mobile.  People who play Amico I'm sure will continue to play mobile for all the reasons you mentioned (on the go gaming!).

But our HUGE advantage is that none of those people play together.  There is no experience that exists for those people who want to play together.  Again... Nintendo Wii.  They did it then and they'll do it again.

Just because people play mobile now doesn't mean they never want to play another video game with people again.  Enough can't be said about the experience of simple live human interaction.  Something that the video game industry has greatly abandoned for the most part.  Especially mobile (for which it never really existed).

Mobile crowds will play Amico because they want to have fun with family and friends.  Its the reason board games have gone up 40% every year for the past 5 years.  People WANT that experience... and video games doesn't give it to them currently.

Specific strategies are putting it in peoples hands.  In store demos, mall tours, etc.  But also (because it has become the way to market these days) by getting influencers and celebrities super excited about it and talking about it to their millions of followers.

Would you say that sounds like a good strategy?  Any other thoughts or ideas on getting to the mobile audience?  We've even been talking about running mobile ads within mobile games!  Wouldn't that be funny. 

12 minutes ago, MantaNZ said:

Cornhole? I thought it was a family friendly console!

I know right.  I hate that name! 

I'm just glad they didn't fill the bags with peas instead of corn!



 

1 hour ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Hi Jeffrey!,

 

First time seeing you here.  Thanks for joining the conversation!  Great question.

It will affect certain original games... but because we have better technology now... we can use the controller in different ways to make it better.

I'll give you a perfect example... Baseball!!

In the original baseball the top button was "hit/swing" and the bottom button was "bunt".  Obviously, the way the new controller is set up it would be very difficult to press the "bunt" button.  But the new baseball will not be set up like the old one.  Imagine the controller horizontal with the screen on the left!  Having the screen on the left gives you more space to pick your infielders (the most important part).  How many of us would accidentally hit an outfielder or the 2nd baseman when we really wanted to get the shortstop?  Having the playfield horizontal gives more space for the most important players on defense... and we're also able to spread the area to press (as opposed to a single circle).  When holding it this way you also can easily pick if you want to hit or bunt (with the top 2 shoulder buttons). 

I'm sure some folks might be hating me right now as they have played Intellivision baseball the same way for 40 years.  But when you play the new one... it will make sense and feel a lot smoother and slicker.  But it may take folks who have been playing it a certain way for 40 years to get used to the new way.  I totally get it.  But I can tell you that picking fielders is a LOT quicker with a touch screen as opposed to going from pressing down keypad buttons over and over.  Some folks may also be concerned with the fact that we don't have those circle keypad buttons to feel around.  So how will you know where you are on the screen without having to look down?  First of all.. when the overlay was on the controller... it was a smooth surface... but lets face it... not many of us probably played with the overalays on baseball as we got better!  Our memories helped us to know exactly where the fielders were without looking.  As long as we had our thumb on the pitcher... everything else fell into place.  Make sure to look carefully at the controller design.  You'll see a tiny dimple right in the middle of the screen (where the pitcher would be positioned!).  So your brain will always know where the center of the controller screen is (whether you're horizontal or vertical).

If you go back and play... there aren't actually that many original Intellivision games (at least that we are remaking) that utilize 2 buttons on the same side.  I mean... did anyone really use the "pass" button in hockey?  

Hope that helps to answer your question and feel free to ask me more.

 

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let us use the controller with the REAL orientation.

I don't care if you do it horizontal as well.  But give us the option.  This is the best part of a controller like this.

Do you know ANYONE that played Intellivision with the overlay?  It was all feel.  I kind of wish I could put a domed overlay on the new controllers to mimic the feel of the originals.

I don't think the button location would cause a problem for swing or bunt.  It is one action.  I am either running or not with the disc. 

Do not overthink what is already gold!

Hey guys,

- I just realized that the mainframe terminal mentioned had no screen, only a printer. And yet people were playing games printing multiple "screenshots"? Wow... Now that's what I call hardcore gaming.

- Yes, one thing about sport games is that there used to be more ping pong, voley ball games... The Amico will probably have more variety than your typical FIFA and Madden games and that sounds fun.

- If the PS5 is a Ferrari and the Amico is a bycicle... What would the Atari VCS be?

" - If the PS5 is a Ferrari and the Amico is a bycicle... What would the Atari VCS be? "

A Pogo stick?  They are having a lot of ups and downs with that launch..  LOL

Thanks for the reply tommy. I have been active on this topic but not as much as others. 

1 hour ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Hi,

I'm not understanding what you are trying to say here.  Can you please expand and tell me more.  I think maybe some things are getting lost in translation?

Trying to understand your concerns.  Please advise.

 

Thanks!

 

I was answering to GrudgeQ's.

On 12/15/2019 at 4:21 PM, GrudgeQ said:

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.

I probably was misunderstand what the poster was saying.

31 minutes ago, IntelliMission said:

Hey guys,

 

- I just realized that the mainframe terminal mentioned had no screen, only a printer. And yet people were playing games printing multiple "screenshots"? Wow... Now that's what I call hardcore gaming.

 

 

When games were measured in frames per hour

2 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

I STILL play my original Mattel Electronics Football game from time to time.  Basic as hell, but still challenging and still fun!!

Same, brother had all...man he could score on the basketball like no other! 
 

Such simple, fun little machines...still have the football and play it at work from time to time!

53 minutes ago, IntelliMission said:

Hey guys,

 

- I just realized that the mainframe terminal mentioned had no screen, only a printer. And yet people were playing games printing multiple "screenshots"? Wow... Now that's what I call hardcore gaming.

 

- Yes, one thing about sport games is that there used to be more ping pong, voley ball games... The Amico will probably have more variety than your typical FIFA and Madden games and that sounds fun.

 

- If the PS5 is a Ferrari and the Amico is a bycicle... What would the Atari VCS be?

If you ask the supporters it goes like this...

It is going to be great! Atari is going to burst into the scene again and be a game changer. Sandbox is better than being locked in. Don't be a hater about the power, it isn't competing with Xbox or PS. It is doing its own thing! No critiques allowed as Atari's back. If you hate on it, it just means you are a troll and an idiot who like spreading misinformation about Atari. Go have another burrito in you mother's basement.

43 minutes ago, MrBeefy said:

If you ask the supporters it goes like this...

 

It is going to be great! Atari is going to burst into the scene again and be a game changer. Sandbox is better than being locked in. Don't be a hater about the power, it isn't competing with Xbox or PS. It is doing its own thing! No critiques allowed as Atari's back. If you hate on it, it just means you are a troll and an idiot who like spreading misinformation about Atari. Go have another burrito in you mother's basement.

I actually think it's a neat looking PC. Problem is I don't think it'd be powerful enough to replace my current rig so I'd have no use for it. I do like the style of the thing but I'm not buying one just for that. Would be an expensive paperweight! But hey, if I needed a PC and wasn't going to be doing any heavy lifting on it I'd definitely consider it. But yeah, it's an oddball...