Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

21 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

It's TOTALLY YOU!!  You are the Drunk Uncle for sure!  Did you actually watch the beginning of your last video?? 



Seriously though... thanks so much for your enthusiasm and support!  You will forever be known within our company as the SANTA GUY!!

Everyone gets excited whenever you post a new video! 

 

Oh yeh... I watched it...  and would it be strange if I say I giggle at my own videos.  haha.

Yeh, I am good as the Santa Guy for sure.  Father Christmas would be proud... as well as my mom. 😀

BTW, I am the Santa Tenkara Guy at the company I manage Customer Service for so it seems to be part of my job description these days.  I will add that to my resume.

TJ

4 hours ago, AtariSociety said:

Too soon Tommy Tallarico?

TJ

 

 

It's the same re-occuring nightmare I have each and every night. 

4 hours ago, mr_me said:

She didn't describe what they're doing with Amico as censorship.  She said they are alienating developers, alienating customers, and limiting growth of the console.

 

Of course it is a business decision to lose some customers and gain others.  Developers aren't being censored or alienated.  Any one developer creates different kinds of games, has many choices of platforms and are free to develop on any or all of them.  Back in 1988 you could argue Nintendo was practicing censorship since they monopolised the platform for video games.

 

I still don't understand how they're going to have Texas Hold'em or even Horse Racing on Amico since, my understanding is that, simulated gambling requires a teen rating.

We personally strongly disagree that Horse Racing and Texas Hold 'em should get a teen rating.  We had an in depth conversation with our friends at the ESRB over this.  Especially the way we are making those particular games.  I don't believe parents out there think that way either (correct me if you have a different opinion, I would love to hear and understand it).  I played Intellivision Horse Racing and of course P&BJ as a kid and never once felt that I was doing anything I shouldn't be.  Or that earning money by using a strategy is any different than gathering points and gold in Utopia!  Keep in mind... we really don't need to get any of our games "rated" by all the different ratings boards around the world (there is about 10 different ones!).  So something that is considered "gambling" and Teen here in the U.S. is definitely not in other countries.  We try to stick with the term Family Friendly in the future as opposed to E for Everyone or E+10 as most folks in the U.S. don't know what it is... and NO ONE outside the U.S. does because they don't even use that same ESRB rating system.

 

1 hour ago, Battlefish said:

Speaking of that, will the power adapter have two prongs, or three? I've had consoles short circuit on occasion, due to lack of grounding.

Great question.  I'm not 100% sure of the answer.  I'll ask.  But I'm pretty sure its 2.

1 hour ago, JasperAK said:

Thank you Tommy for coming here and talking with us at this late hour for you.

Thanks for coming here and reading!

1 hour ago, Blarneo said:

Just a little convo with my 45 yo sister about Astrosmash. 

 

And one much earlier after the original announcement... 

Love seeing this real world type of stuff that people are having.  Lots of the negative folks just can't comprehend anything outside their own little hardcore bubbles and think that I'm just hyping everything up based on zero facts or data. 

It is the kind of stuff that keeps the fire going though!  So I commend the haters for helping me to work even harder. 

1 hour ago, ASalvaro said:

is Mike Mika doing any other Amico games right now? i think he's going to be one of my fav game designers after looking at his work on Night Stalker

YES!!!  5!!!!!!!!

49 minutes ago, Jeffrey Bouchard said:

Tommy,

 

I bought some merchandise before the Amico order and they came with the Golden Tickets. How will those work? Also, since the Amico well founders edition comes with an RFID golden ticket can that be reloaded with funds for the console? Thank you very much for all the answers you can give and for recreating my favorite console.

Good questions!

The Golden Tickets that folks get with merchandise is for drawings/give-a-ways that we'll be launching soon.  The RFID metal Golden Ticket from the Founders Edition is basically more of a Gift Certificate for $50 and will not be able to be recharged.  But we will be selling similar types of things at retail and online.

Sorry for the confusion... I probably should have renamed the $50 Gift Certificate in the Founders Edition... but I just couldn't help myself and wanted to keep the Golden Ticket name... especially because of the cool design. 

I know that the Amico looks awesome and is supposed to be part of the Intellivision family, and that the RCA Studio II is the worst video game system ever made... But they are similarly shaped enough for a Special Edition Amico Studio II... 

45 minutes ago, NinjaWarrior said:

Love the Intellivision

 

Love Astrosmash, Love the new version

Thanks!   Love your comments! 

36 minutes ago, save2600 said:

Pulling off motion control is fairly easy with the cheap tech that's been available for years, but does modern software really distinguish in real time, the difference between a soft, medium and hard motion - with everything (expecting a certain digital limitation, but should still be hi-res today) in between - in most of its analog glory? 
 

This is the main reason I ditched the Wii early on... the motion control gimmick (that was so wildly popular at first) was so two dimensional, could always predict where, when and how hard (for instance) the bowling ball would roll. Got old REAL quick. Yes, had "motion control"... but its actual range was quite limited. So much so, that it felt digital. Like playing a so-called "virtual pinball" machine. Ball only travels a certain way. Always on a certain path, momentum and spinner speed hits ignored, etc. 

I agree about the Wii stuff. 

A lot of that has to do with the physics programming.  Something we are VERY focused on. 

You can see a little bit of it in the Moon Patrol demo.  The way the car rocks back and forth depending on the speed and braking.  It's that little stuff that sometimes developers tend to ignore these days as they just use the typical physics stuff standard in Unity and are done with it.  But we feel it's a super important part of what we're doing.  I think you'll see a big difference in the way we are approaching physic stuff.  Something that you don't need a ton of power to pull off if done properly... just smart programmers and designers. 

1 minute ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

I agree about the Wii stuff. 

A lot of that has to do with the physics programming.  Something we are VERY focused on. 

You can see a little bit of it in the Moon Patrol demo.  The way the car rocks back and forth depending on the speed and braking.  It's that little stuff that sometimes developers tend to ignore these days as they just use the typical physics stuff standard in Unity and are done with it.  But we feel it's a super important part of what we're doing.  I think you'll see a big difference in the way we are approaching physic stuff.  Something that you don't need a ton of power to pull off if done properly... just smart programmers and designers. 

 

 

Gotta say... LOVE the attention to such detail.  
 

Little shit like this really does add up to equal big shit.

I have a couple marketing questions, Tommy, and it's clear you know what you're doing. So with that in mind, I have the following marketing questions, and understand (and appreciate!) if you can't share info at this point:

1) You're targeting moms and families. . .how will you be approaching marketing toward kids, so you build up the demand from their perspective?

2) Will game producers be allowed to promote their own games or other IE-related developing, or will it all have to be centrally handled by IE? Or will there be a gag order/embargo for a time with the "one title at a time" feature model?

3) After typing that, I guess I have a third (sorry!). . .will any title releases be surprises?

9 hours ago, AtariSociety said:

you coming down yet from the Getting HIGH of the purchasing of the Founders Edition Amico?

No, it hasn't really sunk in for me. Been too busy with work. But, i was so excited that I dug out my Wii, replaced my wiimotes, and bought some games on ebay, mostly point & click adventures. I needed something, you know? ✌️😎💯

12 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

YES!!!  5!!!!!!!!

 

 

I really like the look and feel of Night Stalker but one picky thing really bugs me. The robots are too close to the 60s Lost in Space robot, especially when you already have two distinctive robots in your inventory to draw from:

The guy on the right side is a 3d model I made and 3d printed a couple years ago but why not use these two robots from the classic cover instead of the ones in the demo?

And how about official action figures of them? 😉

2 minutes ago, save2600 said:

Gotta say... LOVE the attention to such detail.  
 

Little shit like this really does add up to equal big shit.

Preach brother! Tommy is way more than just a retro fan - he is a gaming fan. That is why I often say these games are being "lovingly re-imagined". If nothing else I can guarantee you Tommy is going to try to make the games on the Amico great. That is why I pre-ordered the Founders - I know the attention & care going into this machine & these games. You just aren't going to get this kind of passion anywhere else. I am sure it won't be perfect - nothing is - but it won't be for the lack of trying. I don't think I am the only one that thinks this too - about 2600 folks seem to be with me on this. I guess this is just my way of saying thanks to Tommy & the rest of the hard working Amico team for all of their hard work & dedication!

6 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

I agree about the Wii stuff. 

A lot of that has to do with the physics programming.  Something we are VERY focused on. 

You can see a little bit of it in the Moon Patrol demo.  The way the car rocks back and forth depending on the speed and braking.  It's that little stuff that sometimes developers tend to ignore these days as they just use the typical physics stuff standard in Unity and are done with it.  But we feel it's a super important part of what we're doing.  I think you'll see a big difference in the way we are approaching physic stuff.  Something that you don't need a ton of power to pull off if done properly... just smart programmers and designers. 

 

 

Can I heart this comment twice? Amico! Yes, yes!

9 hours ago, AtariSociety said:

I figured I was among a small party here that has never owned on at all.. 😀  TJ

Nope I never owned one either. I had an Atati in 1979. 👍🕹️

OK... someone just sent me this and I gotta talk about this.  I'm going to try and be as respectful as possible here and I hope others will do the same.

Watch the section of the video below and I think you can start to understand why folks like Pat & Ian are so against what we're doing and why some of the haters exist.

Watch how hard they try to make their point that the world doesn't need a casual system because the other 3 systems already do that.  Look at the fire and passion in their eyes and facial expressions as they try to convince anyone listening that EVERYONE can EASILY use the menu screens and controllers of the top 3 systems. 

Watching this shows you why some folks are just not getting it.  These guys have become so hardcore in their thinking that they actually think that everyone in the world will find a PS, XBOX or Switch controller super easy and that 8 buttons is absolutely NO PROBLEM. 

I'm not going to make fun of them here, but it is super interesting to me how completely ignorant they are to folks who aren't like them.  It's literally mind-boggling.

And that's okay that they feel that way.  The more they take this path... the more people will start to understand their distaste for what we're doing.  But honestly... I've never heard such naive statements.
 

Totally okay to think that way yourself... but to tell folks that the rest of the world doesn't find the modern era stuff confusing at all... is just... well.... incorrect.

Yes... there are TONS of casual games on the PS, XBOX & Switch... and yes... the majority of the people who play video games have zero interest in playing them on those machines.

It all comes back to this statistic...

200 million hardcore gamers...  3 BILLION people playing hyper casual or casual or edutainment on mobile.

Astonishing that the data doesn't sink in for some folks.  But at least it gives a good insight as to why they don't believe anything like Amico could ever be popular.

Interesting stuff.  Would love to hear others thoughts after checking out the section of the video below.

p.s.  Also super interesting to me that Atari is now claiming their system is for the "casual" players.  Hilarious considering it is exactly the opposite and more hardcore than the Switch, PS & XBOX.

6 hours ago, GrudgeQ said:

Preach brother! Tommy is way more than just a retro fan - he is a gaming fan. That is why I often say these games are being "lovingly re-imagined". If nothing else I can guarantee you Tommy is going to try to make the games on the Amico great. That is why I pre-ordered the Founders - I know the attention & care going into this machine & these games. You just aren't going to get this kind of passion anywhere else. I am sure it won't be perfect - nothing is - but it won't be for the lack of trying. I don't think I am the only one that thinks this too - about 2600 folks seem to be with me on this. I guess this is just my way of saying thanks to Tommy & the rest of the hard working Amico team for all of their hard work & dedication!

Don't get me wrong - I too am a "Founder", twice over. Just that so many others are asking so many questions... just felt I should put something out there that's often ignored (why, I don't know) and something really important to me. Video game physics in the year 2020. What? Yeah. They're important.

6 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Watch the section of the video below and I think you can start to understand why folks like Pat & Ian are so against what we're doing and why some of the haters exist.

"Keenan Michael Peele" 😯 

9 minutes ago, squirrelgotdead said:

I have a couple marketing questions, Tommy, and it's clear you know what you're doing. So with that in mind, I have the following marketing questions, and understand (and appreciate!) if you can't share info at this point:

 

1) You're targeting moms and families. . .how will you be approaching marketing toward kids, so you build up the demand from their perspective?

 

2) Will game producers be allowed to promote their own games or other IE-related developing, or will it all have to be centrally handled by IE? Or will there be a gag order/embargo for a time with the "one title at a time" feature model?

 

3) After typing that, I guess I have a third (sorry!). . .will any title releases be surprises?

1.  I can't say right now because of something huge we haven't yet announced.  That being said... we will get to the younger kids and families.  2 - 5 year olds typically get what they get because of the parents.  Not because they necessarily asked for it.  I never asked for an Intellivision in 1980.  My parents made the decision and bought one for the family.  My mom could have easily picked up the cheaper and more popular 2600 and maybe none of us would even be here right now!  But my dad personally loved sports games... and Intellivision was definitely the clear choice so him and my mom made the decision to spend the extra money on the cooler, more advanced system at the time that played what they wanted to play (my mom LOVED Skiing, SNAFU & Horse Racing as well).  We're taking that same approach.  Once kids are 8+ they start wanting what their friends have or are already on Roblox or Minecraft.  By 10 they are on the Switch, by 12 they want to play Fortnite and early teens they want PS or XBOX.  It's what the data shows.  And there is a HUGE gaping hole in the 2 - 7 year old category for home consoles.  One that we will hopefully be filing like crazy. 

2.  We encourage all of our folks to promote the heck out of what they are doing with us.  This is why you have seen some of our developers freely talking about it on social media and YouTube.

3.  OH MY.... YES YES YES!!!   So many I can't even begin to explain.  So many.

13 minutes ago, Tarzilla said:

I really like the look and feel of Night Stalker but one picky thing really bugs me. The robots are too close to the 60s Lost in Space robot, especially when you already have two distinctive robots in your inventory to draw from:

 

 

The guy on the right side is a 3d model I made and 3d printed a couple years ago but why not use these two robots from the classic cover instead of the ones in the demo?

And how about official action figures of them? 😉

Yep!  Don't worry... we're all over it!!

Robot in Night Stalker is only place-holder for now. 

Just now, save2600 said:

Don't get me wrong - I too am a "Founder", twice over. Just that so many others are asking so many questions... just felt I should put something out there that's often ignored (why, I don't know) and something really important to me. Video game physics in the year 2020. What? Yeah. They're important.

Yeah and I am right there with you. I am just happy that Tommy is passionate about the details. He understands the important of physics, graphics, sounds - again because I think he truly loves games & gaming. Look the head of Atari SA - he seems barely aware they are making a console much less what might run on it, even less if they have paid attention to physics. Just paying thanks for somebody in charge who cares about these things.

11 minutes ago, GrudgeQ said:

Preach brother! Tommy is way more than just a retro fan - he is a gaming fan. That is why I often say these games are being "lovingly re-imagined". If nothing else I can guarantee you Tommy is going to try to make the games on the Amico great. That is why I pre-ordered the Founders - I know the attention & care going into this machine & these games. You just aren't going to get this kind of passion anywhere else. I am sure it won't be perfect - nothing is - but it won't be for the lack of trying. I don't think I am the only one that thinks this too - about 2600 folks seem to be with me on this. I guess this is just my way of saying thanks to Tommy & the rest of the hard working Amico team for all of their hard work & dedication!

Thank you!!!!  I know I say this a lot here... but you and others saying and recognizing stuff like this... really means a lot to me.

Thanks!