Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

9 hours ago, GrudgeQ said:

FYI Next Level Gaming has put up a YouTube scheduled event in 4 days: An Evening With Tommy Tallarico

 

From the title it sounds like Tommy will just be playing some smooth Jazz  but I bet he will get some Amico stuff in there too

 

 

Very cool!  Funny title.  Hahhaha!  Will start promoting this tomorrow.

Here's an interview I did with Dean Takahashi at CES that dropped today.  I think there may be some new info in there that folks here may not know...

p.s.  I think it was a typo, but I let Dean know that it should have Intellivision from the 80's... not the 90's.

https://venturebeat.com/2020/01/12/tommy-tallarico-is-making-a-lot-of-noise-about-intellivision/?fbclid=IwAR2FLFtaM2KtvB_r0gNcHoY0OQ__f7cdcn9EMN52cqsA4VUriYgeLOZtDt4

9 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

Someone asked a good question that I am curious about to. Beyond the FE will there be different bundles (beyond console color) that has more than two controllers? 

Not sure yet.  Could do a family bundle.  Still talking to retailers about this.  Something we don't need to decide until March.  I want to be careful that we don't have all these different versions as it could easily confuse the general public (which version do I get?).  So we're talking about doing "exclusive" packages with different retailers.  Buy the "FAMILY PACK" that includes 2 extra controls, $30 gift certificate for the store, etc.  Need to be mindful of pricing though.  I don't want to see most retailers selling this in the $299 range.  Will know a lot more as the months progress... but lots of factors to consider.

9 hours ago, IMBerzerk said:

I'm of the opposite of both.  I always take a wait and see before I give a final verse of my opinion.  Just like much of what I do.  Hold final thoughts and opinions until you are sure... Good or bad.  

Makes total sense to me!

Everyone in here has always said that from the beginning (especially me).  Wait and see before you make a decision.

It's just pathetic to see people who are ROOTING for the success being heralded as blind stupid cultish fanboys.  That's where it becomes a problem.  And that is different than the negative haters that only try to tear it down before playing.

MUCH MUCH different.

Haters will not admit that they should give it a chance before they decide.  "Positive folks" (for lack of a better term) wholly admit that their hopes are high but they won't be able to know or decide for sure until they play it.

HUGE difference!

9 hours ago, Blarneo said:

but Amico will not be a life saving CPAP machine that people need to survive the night.

I read that as "PAP Smear machine"...

...and chuckled.

9 hours ago, jaybird3rd said:

Yes.

8 hours ago, m-crew said:

Ciao Tommy, not sure if this has been asked before. Is there any plans for the Amico to be assembled or manufactured in Canada? This way for value wise for us Canadians that 35% exchange hit wont have as much of an impact on cost differences from the US.  

It is being talked about and on the table as a possibility.  Hoping it's the case... but lots of work and comparisons still to be gone through.  The logistics of it all are pretty insane.  We have a team of people (both internal and external) that deal with this every day.

8 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

I'm the 'anti'?? that. I know I want it to succeed but also see the potential problems, or reasons I think it will be cool.

 

I had done a bunch of complaining how there isn't a simpler system anymore that has great fun on it that isn't a handheld. I like going back to arcade like experiences, but I would really LOVE to see more of the SNES or Genesis era come back. You had a little bit of everything in that era and the graphics still hold up and make the first gen 3D consoles look like trash. Then this was announced.

 

It might not quite have the SNES games I loved (big old RPG guy), but I think it can hit some of them. Time will tell I guess.

I think it definitely has that Genesis & SNES vibe to it for sure.  A lot of the games that are being done are by folks who were around in that era making those games and as developers they are so excited to be able to work in that kind of "world" again.  It's a breath of fresh air for them.

Not every game is going to be like by every person.  But that's okay.  I believe there will be enough for everyone no matter what you prefer.  That is the goal.

2 hours ago, Rev said:

Will Intellivision Entertainment have a nice sized booth at E3 2020?

Not sure of the size just yet.  It's the difference between spending $100K and $300K or $500K.  Could that money be more well spent on social media or malls/in-store displays a commercial on Ellen or the OWN network, etc.

When you look at it like that (with a somewhat limited budget compared to everyone else) we gotta spend money SMART.  So we're still looking at everything.

Here's some super cool new news I can share!

We just added an in-house full time VP of Marketing and she came from Mattel and was the head of all the Disney products over there!  We'll be introducing her to the world next month... but she is super amazing and we are really lucky to have her.  She is in love with our vision and the product and has over 15 years experience in marketing to kids, families and moms!

1 hour ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Don't let a few negative haters deter you from being here.  That is their main objective.  To get you to leave (and a few of them have made it clear in other posts)... they would like to see all of us "pack up and leave".

Don't let them win.

Hope you'll stick around.

 

 

I’m all in for the Founders Edition(2 if I can as I am gifting one to my brother) and for the hype of the console this summer and it’s release...just may take a break from this AA thread. However I see I’m still here 😉😀

6 hours ago, Rev said:

 

I never come to this thread, whats this all about now???

The post have all been removed , and Im happy for that for sure.. Nothing more discuss to now. Cheers Brother .

Hey Tommy, I have an interesting question about the number of games available for the console.

Can you confirm that only 2 games will be released each month? If this is true, it means that only 24 will be released each year, so the Amico will only have around 100 games after 2 years, potentially reaching around 300 games even if it's a huge success and lasts for 10 years on the market.

This would put the Amico final catalogue closer to the N64 (around 350 games) and Sega Saturn (around 500) than the PS1, PS2 and other systems with more than 2,000 games. Is this correct or am I missing something?

3 hours ago, IntelliMission said:

Hey Tommy, I have an interesting question about the number of games available for the console.

 

Can you confirm that only 2 games will be released each month? If this is true, it means that only 24 will be released each year, so the Amico will only have around 100 games after 2 years, potentially reaching around 300 games even if it's a huge success and lasts for 10 years on the market.

 

This would put the Amico final catalogue closer to the N64 (around 350 games) and Sega Saturn (around 500) than the PS1, PS2 and other systems with more than 2,000 games. Is this correct or am I missing something?

He said 1 game every 7 to 10 days but eventually once a success every 5 to 7 days potentially teaching upwards to like 75 titles ayear. I think was said many pages back. 

18 minutes ago, Nolagamer said:

3 hours ago, IntelliMission said:

Hey Tommy, I have an interesting question about the number of games available for the console.

 

Can you confirm that only 2 games will be released each month? If this is true, it means that only 24 will be released each year, so the Amico will only have around 100 games after 2 years, potentially reaching around 300 games even if it's a huge success and lasts for 10 years on the market.

 

This would put the Amico final catalogue closer to the N64 (around 350 games) and Sega Saturn (around 500) than the PS1, PS2 and other systems with more than 2,000 games. Is this correct or am I missing something?

He said 1 game every 7 to 10 days but eventually once a success every 5 to 7 days potentially teaching upwards to like 75 titles ayear. I think was said many pages back. 

Here it is !

On 9/23/2019 at 6:26 PM, Tommy Tallarico said:

Personally I'd rather have 20 - 30 GREAT games than 100 mediocre ones. 

 

We want quality over quantity.  But if we find ourselves getting non-stop amazing things... of course that release date number will go down.

It could be 7 - 10 days.  That would take the yearly total up to over 50 quality games a year.  But again... if the quality is coming in droves... then we'll make it 5 - 7 days.  Then it would be 100!

But at first... we are looking at around an average of 10 days at launch.

 

 

Thanks, guys! Another question: Will the potential money from the Roblox lawsuit/friendly agreement be used for the Amico project?

8 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

I read that as "PAP Smear machine"...

 

...and chuckled.

 

 

That's what I call mine. 🤣 

I don't know how useful this will be or how much this will impact anyone's thinking. I wanted to add something more constructive than just negative posts. I learned about the Amico about two weeks ago and read some about it on Reddit. After looking at several outlets all across the internet I have come to a few conclusions. 

The first conclusion that seems to have been reached about the Amico, and I think the worst one, is that it is not a serious game console and just plays phone games. The overwhelming majority of comments on Youtube, Reddit, Resetera, Gamefaq, other message boards, even places like 4chan's Video Game board (never thought I'd see Amico there, never want to go back either), is that this is a system for phone games. Most people do not seem to understand the idea is to bring people together, to play games on their TV, and not on their phones alone in isolation. So maybe marketing will help clear that up - maybe even an "Intellivision Direct" that highlights a dozen games and their gameplay with couch co-op? Also showing off the controllers and their gameplay elements.

The second conclusion that seems to have been reached (people love to see things fail) is that this is "OUYA 2" or something crowdfunded from the beginning. They all see new hardware and just immediately say "flop" or don't take the time to understand what makes it different. I don't know if this is a marketing issue or if this is just people loving the idea of things failing no matter what. They all did this with Nintendo Switch too. There were so many videos with claims of "Switch will fail." Some Youtubers even went back and deleted their "Switch fail" videos to save face. There is still a thread on resetera and it's pretty sad to read today how totally SURE the people are of themselves about Switch failing. Maybe some Amico marketing is planned to give a full walk through of the system and it's controllers by March? I think this is definitely needed to show people why this is absolutely nothing like Ouya, it really doesn't even have the same concept. Ouya has ruined things for everyone it seems.

The third conclusion is about the games themselves. I see a lot of people who may be seriously considering the Amico if it's affordable and has remakes or re-imaginings of games - particularly Earthworm Jim. The more hardcore gamers really mention EJ3 a lot and I see "Big Blue" discussion or Ecco the Dolphin discussion. It definitely seems like Tommy has something there with the gaming audience, even if he is not planning to solely target hardcore gamers. Unfortunately, and in the interest of staying honest, - I also see people saying they want Amico to flop so "EJ3 will be ported to other systems." This was on 4chan and websites like gbatemp and other offshoot websites I found doing broad searches on Google. So that to me says the people are not convinced of the proposition that Amico may have a LOT of good games, all worthy of being exclusive on Amico, and all worthy of paying for an Amico. So I think if the games are shown off and people really start to understand that this is a system focused on 2D/2.5D gaming you can't find on phones or other systems, these people may get it. These are the same people who buy a Switch for Mario and also say they want Mario games on PS4/Xbox One from what I have seen, so their opinions don't mean a whole lot, but it's still misinformation/negativity I wanted to highlight. They mistakenly believe, for one reason or another, EJ3 will be the one "Real" game stuck on a system without "real" games. They haven't been convinced or told that this is a real console with a LOT of "real" games. Is the best way I can interpret it.

The final point was that some people don't know what to think, at all. I believe that is just because there hasn't been a strong marketing push as production ramps up for March. A lot of these people aren't really enthusiasts and probably don't read Tommy's twitter or watch interviews. Once people are really told what this is and why they need it in commercialized information, they will probably be a lot more positive. 

I will definitely be supporting Amico when it launches and just wanted to try to give some thoughts based on a week and a half of deep dives into Google and about 15 different message boards. Hope to hear and see a lot more, perhaps E3 will be what's needed to help get an understanding out. 

Amico marketing starts this summer, they have many millions of dollars budgeted.  We'll finally see some gameplay of the dozens of games expected at launch.  It's expected that they will also announce licenses this summer that are bigger than earthworm jim. 

Edit:

What are people trying to say by phone games?  Phone/mobile games are touch screen control only.  Amico has hand controllers with a direction-pad, buttons, and touch-pad.  If they're questioning quality can a phone/mobile game not be high quality?

32 minutes ago, 1001lives said:

I don't know how useful this will be or how much this will impact anyone's thinking. I wanted to add something more constructive than just negative posts. I learned about the Amico about two weeks ago and read some about it on Reddit. After looking at several outlets all across the internet I have come to a few conclusions. 

 

The first conclusion that seems to have been reached about the Amico, and I think the worst one, is that it is not a serious game console and just plays phone games. The overwhelming majority of comments on Youtube, Reddit, Resetera, Gamefaq, other message boards, even places like 4chan's Video Game board (never thought I'd see Amico there, never want to go back either), is that this is a system for phone games. Most people do not seem to understand the idea is to bring people together, to play games on their TV, and not on their phones alone in isolation. So maybe marketing will help clear that up - maybe even an "Intellivision Direct" that highlights a dozen games and their gameplay with couch co-op? Also showing off the controllers and their gameplay elements.

 

The second conclusion that seems to have been reached (people love to see things fail) is that this is "OUYA 2" or something crowdfunded from the beginning. They all see new hardware and just immediately say "flop" or don't take the time to understand what makes it different. I don't know if this is a marketing issue or if this is just people loving the idea of things failing no matter what. They all did this with Nintendo Switch too. There were so many videos with claims of "Switch will fail." Some Youtubers even went back and deleted their "Switch fail" videos to save face. There is still a thread on resetera and it's pretty sad to read today how totally SURE the people are of themselves about Switch failing. Maybe some Amico marketing is planned to give a full walk through of the system and it's controllers by March? I think this is definitely needed to show people why this is absolutely nothing like Ouya, it really doesn't even have the same concept. Ouya has ruined things for everyone it seems.

 

The third conclusion is about the games themselves. I see a lot of people who may be seriously considering the Amico if it's affordable and has remakes or re-imaginings of games - particularly Earthworm Jim. The more hardcore gamers really mention EJ3 a lot and I see "Big Blue" discussion or Ecco the Dolphin discussion. It definitely seems like Tommy has something there with the gaming audience, even if he is not planning to solely target hardcore gamers. Unfortunately, and in the interest of staying honest, - I also see people saying they want Amico to flop so "EJ3 will be ported to other systems." This was on 4chan and websites like gbatemp and other offshoot websites I found doing broad searches on Google. So that to me says the people are not convinced of the proposition that Amico may have a LOT of good games, all worthy of being exclusive on Amico, and all worthy of paying for an Amico. So I think if the games are shown off and people really start to understand that this is a system focused on 2D/2.5D gaming you can't find on phones or other systems, these people may get it. These are the same people who buy a Switch for Mario and also say they want Mario games on PS4/Xbox One from what I have seen, so their opinions don't mean a whole lot, but it's still misinformation/negativity I wanted to highlight. They mistakenly believe, for one reason or another, EJ3 will be the one "Real" game stuck on a system without "real" games. They haven't been convinced or told that this is a real console with a LOT of "real" games. Is the best way I can interpret it.

 

The final point was that some people don't know what to think, at all. I believe that is just because there hasn't been a strong marketing push as production ramps up for March. A lot of these people aren't really enthusiasts and probably don't read Tommy's twitter or watch interviews. Once people are really told what this is and why they need it in commercialized information, they will probably be a lot more positive. 

 

I will definitely be supporting Amico when it launches and just wanted to try to give some thoughts based on a week and a half of deep dives into Google and about 15 different message boards. Hope to hear and see a lot more, perhaps E3 will be what's needed to help get an understanding out. 

You are right on a lots of thing, and thanks for sharing.

But Full marketing will probably begun only at E3 and later.

You must know when you want to be at the heart of the discussions !

You need proofs by letting people play it ( Tour Show, TV Show, etc. ) and it's impossible before the big unveiling at E3.

4 hours ago, IntelliMission said:

Hey Tommy, I have an interesting question about the number of games available for the console.

 

Can you confirm that only 2 games will be released each month? If this is true, it means that only 24 will be released each year, so the Amico will only have around 100 games after 2 years, potentially reaching around 300 games even if it's a huge success and lasts for 10 years on the market.

 

This would put the Amico final catalogue closer to the N64 (around 350 games) and Sega Saturn (around 500) than the PS1, PS2 and other systems with more than 2,000 games. Is this correct or am I missing something?

It could be anywhere from 7 - 14 days.  Probably start with 10 - 14 days and then as interest starts blowing up and we get more and more designs from Indie's and won't be restricted anymore by a fixed budget... the number of games will gradually increase per year.  We'll probably never make it to 2,000 as I would say over half those games were probably utter crap (just a total guess) and we want to keep quality as high as possible.  We'll probably end up killing about 25% of games we start but don't feel hit the quality barrier we're looking for.  It may sound like a crazy way to throw away money, but we will typically spend $10K - $30k on a working demo before deciding if we want to move forward.  That way the loss isn't as great if we decide the idea didn't translate as good as we hoped.

1 hour ago, IntelliMission said:

Thanks, guys! Another question: Will the potential money from the Roblox lawsuit/friendly agreement be used for the Amico project?

Potentially.

11 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

It could be anywhere from 7 - 14 days.  Probably start with 10 - 14 days and then as interest starts blowing up and we get more and more designs from Indie's and won't be restricted anymore by a fixed budget... the number of games will gradually increase per year.  We'll probably never make it to 2,000 as I would say over half those games were probably utter crap (just a total guess) and we want to keep quality as high as possible.  We'll probably end up killing about 25% of games we start but don't feel hit the quality barrier we're looking for.  It may sound like a crazy way to throw away money, but we will typically spend $10K - $30k on a working demo before deciding if we want to move forward.  That way the loss isn't as great if we decide the idea didn't translate as good as we hoped.

 

 

Please, keep some of those demo for someday, like with Intellivision Lives with unrealeased games !

When Amico has made a name for himself, it could be something interesting !? 

And are you filming a lot for a future making of ?

Tommy are you guys still toying with the idea of user created games?? I know you mentioned it a few months back. Not sure if in a message or via a podcast. 

Lots to catch up on, but wanted to throw out a couple replies/thoughts:

• I know Tommy already stressed exclusive, showcase focus on the Amico app store of just one game, and the exclusive time is 10-14 days, but I think we need to consider the flexibility of the statement.  I know Intellivision is.  Having an exclusive promoted on the eShop, Appmico *cringe*... ahem, the games shop, is really important for the developers to have a grace period to promote and have that install base looking at their game.  That said, the time exclusive may be malleable.   An exclusive on the Amico shop in early 2021 when there's a customer base of several hundred thousand Amico owners is a different value proposition from an exclusive around Holiday 2022 when that install base could very well be several millions.   Also, there's some balance they're probably thinking about.. having Fruit Kingdom Princess Adventure might be a great pull for younger girls.  Fruit-themed colorful princesses from diverse lands using their fruit-themed abilities together to solve problems/puzzles.  Like A Boy and His Blob meets Power Rangers.  New IP!  Nobody'd doing it!  But it may not be the big pull for younger boys (could be.. maybe they like fruit?  Maybe 2021 is less gender-averse than prior years?)  But there's some potential hobbling of general sales if the exclusive being promoted for a week or two weeks is an edutainment title, a recreational sports title, etc.  All get ~20 percent of Intellivision's overall library, give or take.  Everything has its audience - and while Intellivision is more than happy to say every audience could find cross-appeal in multiple genres, that there's something for everyone; maybe card games just aren't my thing, and that promoted game on the shop isn't of too much interest.  If the next game also is of low interest, maybe I don't check the eShop next month either... we all get that it's a balance.  BUT - Intellivision are doing some games in-house.  Maybe these don't need to follow the exclusive showcase rule.  Intellivision is fond of easter eggs and Tommy's talked about maybe surprising owners with a free game on their birthday, with a holiday game, maybe a free game on Intellivision Day... there are ways to increase that library size without strictly adhering to the 1 game every 10-14 days rule.  It's not set in stone, but I think they'll keep to the spirit of the rule because it's such a big draw to indie devs AND they don't want a 2,000 game library.  A 400 or 600 game library after 5 years though, of well-curated games, should be every video game player's hope.  We all hope for interesting, varied, fun libraries.  I trust they'll deliver.

• Tommy's gonna kill games?  Bastard.  😆   What I think this means is some games will have a good enough concept to get initial funding and see some development, but for one reason or another, won't click.  Maybe Intellivision already has 14 games lined up this year for recreational sports/leisure titles, maybe too many already, and Uncomfortably Warm Spot in the Pool just isn't going to make next year's line-up.  So they shelf it.  Maybe kill it.  But maybe that concept of trying to figure out where other players were each round or evade detection, by using the LED lights or the gyroscope to give a little player feedback indicating "You've hit a warm current" and moving around to confuse the chase, each detective player tapping the potential suspects for this round - maybe there's a game concept there, maybe the artwork assets were fun, or the premise fun, but it just didn't work out in this iteration.  Maybe a Pool Party Whodunnit isn't the knock-it-outta-the-park game concept Intellivision had in mind.  Maybe it'd be a surprise hit on mobile, or Steam or Switch.  Point being, Intellivision is taking in all these great ideas - they're like a clearinghouse for innovative gameplay and new IPs.  They can be choosey.  And the ones they don't pick - they can sideline like Nintendo does, going back to its ideas and concepts from its development studios time and time again to apply old concepts mixed in new ways.  They can send the developer team off and wish them success if they haven't paid in full to move ahead as an Intellivision-only project.  OR (and this isn't Intellivision's focus now, but in a couple years when success is a past and present state, not some milestone) they can leverage that "development clearinghouse" asset and prestige within the industry, and push these projects to more suitable homes.  Intellivision taking a cut, but hands-off from that point.. Intellivision the hardware manufacturer.  Intellivision the software manufacturer.  Intellivision the third-party dev incubator for on-system products.  AND Intellivision the industry investment group quietly steering games to better platforms.  Just saying, there's room to find success, even in what looks like failure.

If this 200 page thread has given us nothing else, we at least know that peeing in the pool has real gameplay merit.  Next summer, at the pool, the guy with a big grin looking like he's just come up with the next killer app that'll pave the way to early retirement?  Nah, that's just me. 

Playtesting.  Just market research.  Time to move along.  Discreetly..    

On 1/12/2020 at 10:39 AM, IMBerzerk said:

Defenders of the Amico... Unite!!!

Introducing, the Three Amicos! 😁

1 hour ago, mr_me said:

Amico marketing starts this summer, they have many millions of dollars budgeted.  We'll finally see some gameplay of the dozens of games expected at launch.  It's expected that they will also announce licenses this summer that are bigger than earthworm jim. 

 

Edit:

What are people trying to say by phone games?  Phone/mobile games are touch screen control only.  Amico has hand controllers with a direction-pad, buttons, and touch-pad.  If they're questioning quality can a phone/mobile game not be high quality?

They're usually implying mobile phone games are trash.  "That's a mobile game" just rhymes with "That's trash" in comments about games.  

Unfortunate, because mobile has hundreds, thousands of innovative concepts, good storylines, well-written games hidden in app stores tens of thousands (hundreds of thousands) of games long.  Many of those games have a budget of $10k, $30k.. clones and shovelware obscuring the really good stuff.  Those better games largely go undiscovered by the general public, or are only ever niche and beloved by that dedicated market seeking out darling indie hits.  Rarely do they break through.  

And yes, the biggest problem with mobile games, aside from being lost in obscurity, is that the screen you use to see the game is also shared as the surface you use to make command inputs.  Tap part of the screen, swipe one way or another.  Drag a finger to guide in a direction.  Overlay a controller layout over 20% of the screen, making your view even teeny-tinier, and forcing you to use direction controls on a glass pane with a d-pad no bigger than your thumb.  It's hard to make control seamless and fluid when confined to a glass pane as your only input.  

And mobile games are typically solitary.  

Those questioning quality and saying, "it's just mobile" I promise haven't spent more than ten minutes really following on those thoughts and thinking about how the inputs could work, or how you could add to the controller experience with a touchscreen informational display, microphone and audio built in unique to each operator.  They want an Xbox controller, they want Metroid Prime 4, 5 and 6, GTA 12, Call of Duty: When Duty Calls 3 Squad Leader Edition, and they want it all on the Switch yesterday... (OK kinda exaggerating, but.. I'm pretty close.  Like, shower before internet comments, man! close)