Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

49 minutes ago, Metal Ghost said:

Tommy!  Super important question: when is Intellivision's line of Intellivision themed hotels breaking ground?

 

I refer back to one of my previous posts....how did I end up in this timeline??    

I know right!!!   I gotta get on that. 
 

42 minutes ago, GrudgeQ said:

I am a huge right to repair guy but I know enough about manufacturing and consumer product safety that this isn't an easy ask. You are asking for an accessible door (complexity, might break, might represent a choking hazard and might expose electronics underneath to unwanted touches or liquid spills) and a using some sort of standard sized battery with built in contacts available instead of the much cheaper (because they are vastly more popular) batteries designed for industrial manufacture with a mini plug or ribbon cable. This would raise manufacturing cost, increase design cost & create potential liability and potentially even a worst product (they might not be able to fit as large of a battery in). This is going to raise the cost for the 99% of average consumers who will never bother to swap the batteries and would only make it convenient for preservationist - who typically are often tech savvy enough to unscrew some screws and swap the battery themselves. If Intellivision was gluing/electronic welding the thing shut like the Stadia controller then I would be asking if they would reconsider. However I think the current controller design looks reasonably repairable from a modern electronics perspective.

You are 100% correct my friend.

We looked into at one point and the amount of cost and different parts and manufacturing times completely outweighed the ability to change a battery after 4 or 5 years of use (and that can be wired if needed).

7 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Ebay? 

40 years later I can still buy original Intellivision controllers and parts. 

 

 

We can't really offer that "officially" with the type of battery we're using and how the devices are put together. 

But like I mentioned... I'm sure there will be a lot of DIY videos on what you need to do.  Same with all the PS controllers.  Tons of vids out there.

 

 

Well sure, Ebay for the controllers. But again, what about the battery? I could buy an Amico used controller in 5 or 10 years, but it will have a dead battery in it. Sounds like it may be proprietary? If it can also be powered wired as well, that's great, and relieves my concerns about the battery, as long as there's a way to remove the dead battery so it won't eventually cause issues with leaking.

I don't mean to sound negative. I'm hyped for this system. But I hate how so many things are locked into a fixed life cycle due to the built-in batteries these days.

I had to throw away my gamer rocker chair years ago because it had a car battery in it for power. Eventually it died of course. You could power it via AC, but it had a dead car battery in there leaking acid. The only way to remove it was to cut the entire back of the chair to pull it out, and it was not easy to remove. I just tossed the whole chair out of frustration. They gave no thought into what happens when the battery dies.

42 minutes ago, Swami said:

What we’d really like, of course, is to get the source code for the games in 10-15 years, so we can make endless silly or fun hacks of them, like making Tommy one of the robots in Night Stalker, or maybe the spider. 😬

What makes you think we won't already be doing that?  

23 minutes ago, xucaen said:

 

another comment - I have the Amico web site open and ready. I'm half expecting that we will all hit the site at once and make it come to a screeching halt.

 

Remember you'll need the link from the e-mail.  It's a hot link so you'll just open the e-mail and click! 

Good luck!!   I really hope everyone in here is able to get one.  If not... please let me know and if someone else eventually backs out for whatever reason... I can start a "list" that folks can get on.

7 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

You are 100% correct my friend.

 

We looked into at one point and the amount of cost and different parts and manufacturing times completely outweighed the ability to change a battery after 4 or 5 years of use (and that can be wired if needed).

 

 

As long as the controller can be opened without it breaking and the battery is not glued or soldered in we should be okay.  There's no reason that can't be.

I saw the Astrosmash video and liked the game play.  However, I would have much preferred to hear the game sounds instead of the music so I can get an authentic experience.  Any reason why the music was dubbed over top the game sounds in the video?

20 minutes ago, fiudr said:

The truth is though, this is a company breaking into the market with a new product, and we honestly just don't know how well it will be received. Of course we all want it to be well-received and stay around for a long time to come. But I also want to know that my controller will work in 5 years, even if the company stop producing new controllers if things don't go as planned. With a built-in battery, that controller won't work later.

 

I'll also point out that my xbox controller has a standard-style battery cover and takes rechargeable batteries. Nice and simple. I don't hear people complaining that they can swap the batteries in the xbox controller.

 

Yes, the Amico controller is a high-drain device, much like a cell phone, so of course I don't expect it to use AA rechargeables. I just think a user-replaceable battery gives any product a longer shelf-life, and that's a good thing. Nobody is going to like throwing away a perfectly good Amico controller in 3-4 years, just because the battery is dead. With cell phones, tech changes and people want newer phones anyways as they improve in tech. With the Amico, you'll be throwing away a perfectly good controller and buying another one just like it, just because the battery can't be swapped.

 

Just my opinion.

 

 

That's cool.  I understand your concern.  It's a fair one.

I think maybe in your case it would probably be best to wait a year or so before purchasing an Amico to ensure the company is doing great and we're still around.

29 minutes ago, fiudr said:

I don't mean to sound negative. I'm hyped for this system. But I hate how so many things are locked into a fixed life cycle due to the built-in batteries these days.

 

I had to throw away my gamer rocker chair years ago because it had a car battery in it for power. Eventually it died of course. You could power it via AC, but it had a dead car battery in there leaking acid. The only way to remove it was to cut the entire back of the chair to pull it out, and it was not easy to remove. I just tossed the whole chair out of frustration. They gave no thought into what happens when the battery dies.

 

 

Yikes!  That sucks.  Car battery fluid... not good.

I understand your concern... its just not something we are prepared to offer because of the cost trade-off's right now.  Maybe in the future (or a 3rd party maker).

14 minutes ago, mr_me said:

As long as the controller can be opened without it breaking and the battery is not glued or soldered in we should be okay.  There's no reason that can't be.

Correct on both accounts.

7 minutes ago, atarifan88 said:

I saw the Astrosmash video and liked the game play.  However, I would have much preferred to hear the game sounds instead of the music so I can get an authentic experience.  Any reason why the music was dubbed over top the game sounds in the video?

Cause I haven't started making them yet. 

Starting in a few weeks.  Still locking down animations, explosions, how we're going to fire, etc.

These reimagined retro games, while not my favorite part of the Amico catalog, are looking really nice. The graphics, sound and, most importantly, multiplayer options give you a reason to try them, to play them even if you were not a fan of any of them. For me, Moon Patrol, Breakout... Those were always solitary games, so it's great I can rediscover them in a multiplayer mayhem.

But it's more than 4 months until the E3 and more than 8 until the console gets released... so we better find more Amico things to talk about!

Here's an idea: Let's sort the 5 Amico main "game types" based on your personal preferences. These are mine:

1) New games

2) Sports/recreational games

3) Board/card games

4) Classics reimagined

5) Edutainment games

2 hours ago, GrudgeQ said:

I love ETA Prime teardowns! Probably because I have had a tendency to crack open electronics since a young age too. I can also recommend the YouTuber Big Clive although he does more terrible quality, often dangerous imported home/industrial appliances type stuff. Hilarious and educational.

Haha used to be the first thing I’d do when I bought a new console - open it up! I think I stopped after the Jaguar as stuff started getting too hard to put back together after that. Lol.

Hey Tommy, I think you missed my question on the last page! I will post it again and add a new one:

Quote

I would only buy the Founders Edition to receive the console some days earlier than the rest of the world, but I guess the delay shipping the console to Europe means that we lose this advantage over here... Tommy, can you confirm that?

And the second question would be... How many hours do you sleep and at what times? I hope you don't mind, but since you told us you create music at night... Do you sleep in the mornings? I used to to that and it's not as bad, they are colder than nights! 🙃

39 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

That's cool.  I understand your concern.  It's a fair one.

I think maybe in your case it would probably be best to wait a year or so before purchasing an Amico to ensure the company is doing great and we're still around.

 

 

Honestly, I'll probably be right on board at launch. I'm behind you guys all the way. I think there's a lot of spirit in this project, and I'm an original Intellivision (II) owner myself. I just want to see it be the best it can be, and I'm sure you also want the same thing.

Where will the number and signature appear on the Founders Edition consoles? On the bottom, or somewhere on the top face so it's always visible? (I'd prefer the bottom.)

Will stand-alone Limited Edition controllers be available separately from the Limited Edition consoles?  I want to get the red console with 2 red controllers but my wife wants 2 more controllers in purple (total of 4 controllers).

Apologies if this has already been answered. 

45 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Cause I haven't started making them yet. 

 

Starting in a few weeks.  Still locking down animations, explosions, how we're going to fire, etc.

 

 

Aww.... You know you missed an opportunity there, you could have done the demo 'Lego Batman' movie style and just done your own sound effects to what was happening on screen.

Pew.. pew... pew...



Seriously though, the music was pretty awesome, and the game play spectacular! This is one of the games I am very much looking forward to playing!

1 hour ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

What makes you think we won't already be doing that?  

 

 

Well, that would be great. 

Oh and by the way, while I'm not a great fan of the music of this last video... The music for Breakout and Night Stalker was amazing.

Also, am I the only one who identified the music in the dice demo? It's from Treasures of the Deep! A really cool and relaxing song. Funny how Tommy made the soundtrack for 2 of my first games for my first home console: MDK and Treasures of the Deep for the PS1. 🤘🎶🎸

1 hour ago, fiudr said:

Well sure, Ebay for the controllers. But again, what about the battery? I could buy an Amico used controller in 5 or 10 years, but it will have a dead battery in it. Sounds like it may be proprietary? If it can also be powered wired as well, that's great, and relieves my concerns about the battery, as long as there's a way to remove the dead battery so it won't eventually cause issues with leaking.

 

I don't mean to sound negative. I'm hyped for this system. But I hate how so many things are locked into a fixed life cycle due to the built-in batteries these days.

 

I had to throw away my gamer rocker chair years ago because it had a car battery in it for power. Eventually it died of course. You could power it via AC, but it had a dead car battery in there leaking acid. The only way to remove it was to cut the entire back of the chair to pull it out, and it was not easy to remove. I just tossed the whole chair out of frustration. They gave no thought into what happens when the battery dies.

 

 

You only sound negative, because you are not being positive... 😀 
In ten years time, you should be all pumped up about the launch of the all new backwards compatible, affordable, Amico Due equipped with elevated technology, longer lasting controllers that work in multiple atmospheres.

1 hour ago, fiudr said:

Well sure, Ebay for the controllers. But again, what about the battery? I could buy an Amico used controller in 5 or 10 years, but it will have a dead battery in it. Sounds like it may be proprietary? If it can also be powered wired as well, that's great, and relieves my concerns about the battery, as long as there's a way to remove the dead battery so it won't eventually cause issues with leaking.

 

I don't mean to sound negative. I'm hyped for this system. But I hate how so many things are locked into a fixed life cycle due to the built-in batteries these days.

 

I had to throw away my gamer rocker chair years ago because it had a car battery in it for power. Eventually it died of course. You could power it via AC, but it had a dead car battery in there leaking acid. The only way to remove it was to cut the entire back of the chair to pull it out, and it was not easy to remove. I just tossed the whole chair out of frustration. They gave no thought into what happens when the battery dies.

Man that sucks on the gaming chair. Also I should be clear I *WISH* every product had a replaceable battery, I just worry about the trade offs, especially for a small company. Maybe in controller 2.0 or like Tommy said a 3rd party controller - it is a valuable feature if you can pull it off right.

Tommy I’m at work so hoping the email comes into the cell phone and I get no connectivity issues

in case there are and it sells out I now have dibs on the first spot of the cancellation list lol

5 MINUTES!!!

Everyone this is very important you must read this before ordering the founders edition this is just a distraction RUuun!