Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

 

I'm with ya!! That's exactly why I'm creating that version. It's the one I want!

 

Although the Ferrari red with black carbon fibre Special Edition might be sitting right next to it. Whoops! I've already said too much!!

 

 

 

No one said I was going to buy only one

 

I'm with ya!! That's exactly why I'm creating that version. It's the one I want!

 

Although the Ferrari red with black carbon fibre Special Edition might be sitting right next to it. Whoops! I've already said too much!!

 

 

 

Wait, what now? 😎

No one said I was going to buy only one

I like the way you think!!

variant?!? who said variant?!?

A question for Tommy... I see that you guys are actively working on having a bunch of game titles ready for launch, which is great. Will the console be open in any way to small or indy developers?

I have another question. We've spoken in the past about the possibility of physical media games in the form of sd cards packaged in game cases resembling psp game boxes I think. Is that still going to happen Tommy?

A question for Tommy... I see that you guys are actively working on having a bunch of game titles ready for launch, which is great. Will the console be open in any way to small or indy developers?

I'm sure Tommy will lay out more details, but from what I recall, one goal for the platform is that small 1-5 person development teams on small budgets are encouraged and ideally relatively common. There was talk of even offering help with assets (sound, visuals, code framework). To gain entrance to the store still means getting your game approved - no crap games. But we know that you don't need a huge budget to make a great game.

Having good game offerings at an aggressively low price point pretty much implies this kind of ecosystem. If you need a $20 million dollar budget with hundreds or more people involved, you won't be able to hit a $10 price point -- unless you've got tens of millions of units out there and expect a huge percentage of customers to get the title. Not saying such ambitious efforts can't or won't happen -- just that until the console is strongly established, that level of investment will be infrequent. (IMO)

variant?!? who said variant?!?

You forgot the "s" on the end of that word!

A question for Tommy... I see that you guys are actively working on having a bunch of game titles ready for launch, which is great. Will the console be open in any way to small or indy developers?

We hand pick each and every developer for the system. So in that regards, it is open to any developer who is talented and has a great idea or concept for the machine. They just need to submit the idea (or game remake) to us. [email protected] is the e-mail address to get that going. Many of you know Paul from here and his incredible Intellivisionaries podcast. Paul is our VP of Production for Vintage/Classic/Retro games.

The word "open" is not used to describe that anyone can make a game and then upload it to our servers (i.e. every other current gaming platform). We curate and partner with EVERY game and developer on the system and give them any resource they need to make the best game possible.

I have another question. We've spoken in the past about the possibility of physical media games in the form of sd cards packaged in game cases resembling psp game boxes I think. Is that still going to happen Tommy?

Yep... but even in a more incredible way that I can't mention right now because of current patent writing going on as we speak.

The physical versions will be so amazing and incredibly unique! I can't wait for people to learn more!

Tommy,

Just watched the bulk of you talking about the new unit and I have to say, if what you suggest comes to fruition, it will revolutionize home video gaming. Having buttons light-up for each game you play, literally changing the style of the control on the fly is something that has never been done before...at least to my knowledge. One of the reasons I never bought or got into the Xbox or PlayStation variants was because of the sheer amount of buttons and remembering them... and because I have pretty bad arthritis in both my hands from playing football. The controller is what will sell me, and of course, the game section.

I like the idea of being able to take my library on the fly and just tap into someone else's set and play my library (although at this point in life might be a little far shot to find a "friend down the block" scenario..Lol).

I'm looking forward to the new unit and what it will offer. Just the sound of your enthusiasm about it alone makes it worth watching it develop and eventually buy. Thanks for considering a wood grain model! I NEED MORE WOOD GRAIN!!!

Funny note... My tag is called 'IM Berzerk" for a reason... not because I'm crazy, but because growing up I loved Berzerk and it's the name of my MAME cabinet which I refurbished and built. Like you... I used to go to the arcade with a tape recorder and do the same thing... however, I just wanted the sound effects from the games. Had a ton of tapes with Defender, Berzerk, Asteriods... and all the classics. Lost to time.

Best luck and looking forward to more updates.

JR

Tommy,

 

Just watched the bulk of you talking about the new unit and I have to say, if what you suggest comes to fruition, it will revolutionize home video gaming. Having buttons light-up for each game you play, literally changing the style of the control on the fly is something that has never been done before...at least to my knowledge. One of the reasons I never bought or got into the Xbox or PlayStation variants was because of the sheer amount of buttons and remembering them... and because I have pretty bad arthritis in both my hands from playing football. The controller is what will sell me, and of course, the game section.

 

I like the idea of being able to take my library on the fly and just tap into someone else's set and play my library (although at this point in life might be a little far shot to find a "friend down the block" scenario..Lol).

 

I'm looking forward to the new unit and what it will offer. Just the sound of your enthusiasm about it alone makes it worth watching it develop and eventually buy. Thanks for considering a wood grain model! I NEED MORE WOOD GRAIN!!!

 

Funny note... My tag is called 'IM Berzerk" for a reason... not because I'm crazy, but because growing up I loved Berzerk and it's the name of my MAME cabinet which I refurbished and built. Like you... I used to go to the arcade with a tape recorder and do the same thing... however, I just wanted the sound effects from the games. Had a ton of tapes with Defender, Berzerk, Asteriods... and all the classics. Lost to time.

 

Best luck and looking forward to more updates.

 

JR

Patent Pending!

Thanks for your kind words and support!

Yes... we feel we have a lot of aspects that are going to be disruptors for the entire industry.

Every day in the office you can literally feel the excitement the second you walk in.

Really excited to share this with the rest of the world!!!

Is the Amico going to have Streaming App functionality?

We hand pick each and every developer for the system. So in that regards, it is open to any developer who is talented and has a great idea or concept for the machine. They just need to submit the idea (or game remake) to us. [email protected] is the e-mail address to get that going. Many of you know Paul from here and his incredible Intellivisionaries podcast. Paul is our VP of Production for Vintage/Classic/Retro games.

 

The word "open" is not used to describe that anyone can make a game and then upload it to our servers (i.e. every other current gaming platform). We curate and partner with EVERY game and developer on the system and give them any resource they need to make the best game possible.

I have to admit, this wasn't quite the answer I was hoping for. I understand that the vision is to have everything curated, but I was hoping there might be some "area" of the console that had apps born from a less formal structure. Guidelines, with a submission and approval process - for sure - but with less commitment and formality on everybody's part.

As a homebrew dev, I thought it would be fun to play with the hardware, and see where it took me. Certainly the controller is idea-provoking. Doubtful that I'd come up with anything worthwhile, nor the next eight people like me, but the tenth would probably add a gem to the system.

Not a deal breaker, and I don't fault you for only opening to hand-picked developers. I understand that the alternative would probably require more infrastructure, partnering, and admin.

I have to admit, this wasn't quite the answer I was hoping for. I understand that the vision is to have everything curated, but I was hoping there might be some "area" of the console that had apps born from a less formal structure. Guidelines, with a submission and approval process - for sure - but with less commitment and formality on everybody's part.

 

As a homebrew dev, I thought it would be fun to play with the hardware, and see where it took me. Certainly the controller is idea-provoking. Doubtful that I'd come up with anything worthwhile, nor the next eight people like me, but the tenth would probably add a gem to the system.

 

Not a deal breaker, and I don't fault you for only opening to hand-picked developers. I understand that the alternative would probably require more infrastructure, partnering, and admin.

In a way I can't fault them for this, it allows them to prevent the system from being overloaded with shovelware. Ala Wii and mobile.

I think a better approach would be to give you access to a dev kit as a potential dev and allow you to try your hand at creating a game, even if in the long run it does not get approved. Basically you are allowed to play around with the hardware and develop without an approved business proposal ahead of time, per se.

I think that would be ideal approach. Anyone can attempt to create a game. But only decent games get approved/published. But I can understand if they want to keep tighter control around dev kits (whatever that may look like for the platform).

And unrelated, I think it's great to see Tommy engaging on the forums and <gasp> actively responding to questions and concerns. Unlike a certain other company that gobbled up a lot of money and went radio silent, that shall not be named.

What you propose with the devkits would work well. Totally understandable if that doesn't work for them either.

And yes, Tommy's engagement and feedback is refreshing.

After many years of lurking the forums, what compelled you to finally take the plunge? Do you feel like you know some of the guys here? (for better or worse)

How are 3rd party devs reacting to the (Intellivision) Amico? Is there younger generations of people in these companies that react negatively at the sales pitch due to not knowing what Intellivision is?

How much of the Amico final product will be something Keith talked about or envisioned?

What is your opinion on the Intellivision aftermarket (homebrews)? Any favorite games? Any homebrews you would like to see make it to the Amico in some form?

Thanks

Will the Amico have a snow level?

*ducks*

Is the Amico going to have Streaming App functionality?

As of now... we don't have any intentions of doing that.

Maybe that will change. Maybe a great deal with Disney would change our minds.

It would need to make sense for the console and the people using it.

I have to admit, this wasn't quite the answer I was hoping for. I understand that the vision is to have everything curated, but I was hoping there might be some "area" of the console that had apps born from a less formal structure. Guidelines, with a submission and approval process - for sure - but with less commitment and formality on everybody's part.

 

As a homebrew dev, I thought it would be fun to play with the hardware, and see where it took me. Certainly the controller is idea-provoking. Doubtful that I'd come up with anything worthwhile, nor the next eight people like me, but the tenth would probably add a gem to the system.

 

Not a deal breaker, and I don't fault you for only opening to hand-picked developers. I understand that the alternative would probably require more infrastructure, partnering, and admin.

I will say this... we have been talking to a few big developers about having "game making" software that people can download and make their own games with and pass them around to their friends. We would also have yearly "competitions" for the BEST games for different categories (Driving, Puzzle, Sports, Original, etc.)... maybe break it up into a few age groups as well. Then we would award the winners with something like $10,000 and then publish the games on the system.

It's an idea that is currently on the drawing board. Would be great to encourage folks (especially young people) to create. I wish I had something like that when I was 10 or 11. Me & brother spent HOURS making our own tracks in Motocross on Intellivision.

In a way I can't fault them for this, it allows them to prevent the system from being overloaded with shovelware. Ala Wii and mobile.

 

I think a better approach would be to give you access to a dev kit as a potential dev and allow you to try your hand at creating a game, even if in the long run it does not get approved. Basically you are allowed to play around with the hardware and develop without an approved business proposal ahead of time, per se.

 

I think that would be ideal approach. Anyone can attempt to create a game. But only decent games get approved/published. But I can understand if they want to keep tighter control around dev kits (whatever that may look like for the platform).

 

And unrelated, I think it's great to see Tommy engaging on the forums and <gasp> actively responding to questions and concerns. Unlike a certain other company that gobbled up a lot of money and went radio silent, that shall not be named.

In essence, this would be very easy to do because anyone could create a concept in Unity and just get our special Unity controller App (that replicates the controller hardware). So they wouldn't even need dev kits... they could do it all in software.

We definitely want to promote people creating on our system.

After many years of lurking the forums, what compelled you to finally take the plunge? Do you feel like you know some of the guys here? (for better or worse)

 

How are 3rd party devs reacting to the (Intellivision) Amico? Is there younger generations of people in these companies that react negatively at the sales pitch due to not knowing what Intellivision is?

 

How much of the Amico final product will be something Keith talked about or envisioned?

 

What is your opinion on the Intellivision aftermarket (homebrews)? Any favorite games? Any homebrews you would like to see make it to the Amico in some form?

 

Thanks

1. I typically stay away from forums because there is always a lot of negativity... this one is no exception, but because I feel the age group here is older (i.e. probably 40's & higher because of the content we're talking about) it isn't as nasty & negative as most. I'm also interested in knowing what questions people have and getting opinions from people that have the same passion and love for Intellivision and Classic Gaming that I do. I work about 18 - 20 hours a day (not joking, ask anyone who works with me) so engaging with folks is a nice escape from the norm... especially when it's 4am and I can't get to sleep.

2. Every developer is absolutely floored and excited about the system. We currently have 20 hand-picked developers signed up. And a lot of them reached out to us after they saw the initial trailer. Honestly... we've only spoken to 1 developer (and they were kids in their 20's) who didn't get it and didn't "long for the old days". We are offering EVERYTHING they've always wanted, dreamed and asked for. Any developer who is negative about the system (I've read a few things on other message boards) have not spoken with us and just saw the trailer and started assuming a bunch of stuff that wasn't true. We will be releasing a list of developers leading up to E3. Some of the top developers in the world are working on it and we'll be getting a lot of them on film at E3 to share with everyone in a special developer trailer. Without super creative and happy developers... then the system fails. We have the most unique approach to game developers that anyone has ever seen. Why? Because the folks making the system have all been developers for 30 - 40 years and we know the problems they face.

3. Keith reached out to me maybe 3 or 4 years ago and we talked about getting me involved in the company to help on the business & creative side of things. I pitched him the idea of a new console and he loved it. We really didn't get into too much of the details except for maybe a touch screen instead of a keypad.

4. I freaking LOVE the Intellivision Home Brew community and games!!!!! I often brag about it during pitch meetings with investors! Almost 40 years later people are STILL making games! So cool. Favorite Home Brews would be: Space Patrol (Moon Patrol) by JZ, the DK Arcade stuff (shh! don't tell Nintendo!), Sydney Hunter, Ultimate Pong, Miner 2049er, Sea Venture, Lost Caves of Kroz (too hard though!). I'm sure there are others that I'm forgetting... but these are definitely my favorites.

 

...I freaking LOVE the Intellivision Home Brew community and games!!!!! I often brag about it during pitch meetings with investors! Almost 40 years later people are STILL making games! So cool. Favorite Home Brews would be: Space Patrol (Moon Patrol) by JZ, the DK Arcade stuff (shh! don't tell Nintendo!), Sydney Hunter, Ultimate Pong, Miner 2049er, Sea Venture, Lost Caves of Kroz (too hard though!). I'm sure there are others that I'm forgetting... but these are definitely my favorites.

 

I can attest to this! Tommy has pretty much every home brew game released for the Intellivision. He’s as big a fan as the rest of us here. And those if you who met and hung out with him at PRGE already know this. He left your booth with quite a stack of games, Rev!

Sent from my Keyboard Component using Jack's Conversational Intelli-talk cassette

I can attest to this! Tommy has pretty much every home brew game released for the Intellivision. He’s as big a fan as the rest of us here. And those if you who met and hung out with him at PRGE already know this. He left your booth with quite a stack of games, Rev!

 

 

When Tommy and I met after the Video Games Live concert in Germany he introduced me to Jason Paige as one of the guys who are still making Intellivision games.

I can attest to this! Tommy has pretty much every home brew game released for the Intellivision. Hes as big a fan as the rest of us here. And those if you who met and hung out with him at PRGE already know this. He left your booth with quite a stack of games, Rev!

 

Sent from my Keyboard Component using Jack's Conversational Intelli-talk cassette

Thats a lot of games. 😎