Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

9 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

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.

 

 

 

The proof is in the pudding, Tommy.  I just know that the Amico is going to be the "Davey" to the big 3's "Goliath".... I honestly CAN'T WAIT to see it unleashed to the world!

13 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

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.

 

 

 

How old is the dude on the left in the video? Those two are annoying!! What makes them experts in the gaming world?

16 minutes ago, ColdCoffee said:

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

So happy to hear this. 

8 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

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 don't think they are as bad as people make them out either. It sometimes simply depends on the game. Also the problem seems to be more for older people. Not younger adults or kids. Heck this is a great example of a young kid showing he can grasp a more difficult controller. My wife seemed to grasp the Xbox controller fine considering she didn't play jack until she met me. But once again it sometimes seemed to depend more on the game and how it plays than the controller specifically.

Speaking of the wife she thought that Astrosmash looked good. She said it looked easy though. Also are the Icetroids suppose to have the words 'Temp' on them?

RE: Atari Hotel: "This is not going to be a cheap place to stay." Probably about $299 per night.

"Danger of nostalgia" was an interesting phrase. Someone who proudly names himself after a 35-year old property, mocking a 40-year old property.

The bringing up of Hard Rock is ironic. . .they would likely not be around if they were not a hotel & casino business moreso than a restaurant chain.

"Only retirees will want to stay here. And kids." Guess who has disposable income and where most of it goes?

32 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

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.

 

I shouldn't be surprised you're on top of it.  I'm just going by the guidelines on the esrb website.  I guess they don't follow their own guidelines.

I don't have a problem teaching kids casino games or how to bet on horses.  I was playing poker with my father before we got the intellivision.  The only problem I had with intellivision horse racing is you could bet on one horse and jockey another horse and screw up its chances.  That's not right.

14 minutes ago, MrBeefy said:

I don't think they are as bad as people make them out either. It sometimes simply depends on the game. Also the problem seems to be more for older people. Not younger adults or kids. Heck this is a great example of a young kid showing he can grasp a more difficult controller. My wife seemed to grasp the Xbox controller fine considering she didn't play jack until she met me. But once again it sometimes seemed to depend more on the game and how it plays than the controller specifically.

 

 

 

Speaking of the wife she thought that Astrosmash looked good. She said it looked easy though. Also are the Icetroids suppose to have the words 'Temp' on them?

 

 

 

I would argue that they are actually worse!

Not just older folks, but remember "women" as well.  Those folks who make up more than half the entire planet.  You ask your typical 25 - 30 year old female if she would rather play a video game on her phone as a controller... or the PS4.  I know the answer as I have the data.  Although any of us here could probably ask any female that same question and you'll probably get the same answer.  I'm not saying women don't play PS's, etc... but they are definitely not the majority.  More women are on PC's gaming (Warcraft, LOL, DOTA2) but mostly hyper casual on mobile. 

Controls and UI (User Interfaces) DOES matter.  Those guys don't understand that the overwhelming majority of people who play video games (200 million compared to 3 billion) does NOT prefer those types of experiences.

Lets take a simple look at the numbers... a mere 6.7% of people who play video games play on PS, XBOX, Switch & PC's.   SIX POINT SEVEN PERCENT.   The numbers and the issue is very obvious.

 

9 minutes ago, squirrelgotdead said:

RE: Atari Hotel: "This is not going to be a cheap place to stay." Probably about $299 per night.

 

"Danger of nostalgia" was an interesting phrase. Someone who proudly names himself after a 35-year old property, mocking a 40-year old property.

 

The bringing up of Hard Rock is ironic. . .they would likely not be around if they were not a hotel & casino business moreso than a restaurant chain.

 

"Only retirees will want to stay here. And kids." Guess who has disposable income and where most of it goes?

I read a recent comment somewhere that said something like...

"Atari hotels?!?!    If it's anything like the VCS, you'll check in and your reservation won't be ready and you'll need to reschedule a year later."

I LOL'd on that one. 

The only gaming stuff I kept over the years are Intellivision and some atari 2600 items. The Intellivision is the only console I still use today.  Probably because I grew up with it. I have a wii console that my daughter left here. I really mostly use it for retro games via the wii brew. I cannot play modern games today. The Amico is a welcome relief to the video game community.

Just as a side note, one of the things I am really looking forward to with the Amico is reimagined versions of original inty games.  Wishlist is below, in no particular order:

1) Night stalker (wish already granted)

2) Astrosmash (granted again)

3) Shark Shark

4) Frog Bog

5) Bomb Squad

6) Snafu

7) Buzz Bombers

8 ) Dracula

9) Truckin'

10) Lock n Chase

..... and so on.... and so on....  I'm freakin salivating just thinking about the possibilities!

Just now, ArcadeJunkie said:

Just as a side note, one of the things I am really looking forward to with the Amico is reimagined versions of original inty games.  Wishlist is below, in no particular order:

1) Night stalker (wish already granted)

2) Astrosmash (granted again)

3) Shark Shark

4) Frog Bog

5) Bomb Squad

6) Snafu

7) Buzz Bombers

Dracula

9) Truckin'

10) Lock n Chase

..... and so on.... and so on....  I'm freakin salivating just thinking about the possibilities!

 

8 of them are on our "to do" list.  5 of them are already in production and should be available on launch!

And 3 of them you will get FOR FREE as the built-in games on the console!

Holy Crap!  I just noticed that we have 26 members in here recently!  That's gotta be a record for this thread.

Thanks for coming everyone!!!!!!!!!!!

Gotta get back to Intellivision Skiing notes.  Can't wait for everyone to see this!!  Lots of work still to do... but gonna be super cool when it's done.

Have you considered this cancelled Kickstarter as a more "hardcore-tailored" game, similar to EWJ?

The head of this project has also led programming for Sonic Mania, as well as those mobile remakes of Sonic 1 and 2.

Dracula and Shark Shark. Awesome!

6 minutes ago, ArcadeJunkie said:

Just as a side note, one of the things I am really looking forward to with the Amico is reimagined versions of original inty games.  Wishlist is below, in no particular order:

 

7) Buzz Bombers

 

This is a title I've thought about too, and isn't getting enough chatter! The buzzing sounds I'm sure will make skin crawl if/when they remake it.

I preordered the FE and still have not received an email confirmation from Intellivision. Is anyone else in the same boat?  I see the charge on my card. I checked my spam folder as well. I am wondering if it is because I just used the credit card option on the preorder page instead of signing into PayPal. 

What about Beauty and the Beast and Tropical Trouble? Re-imagined.

5 minutes ago, Battlefish said:

Have you considered this cancelled Kickstarter as a more "hardcore-tailored" game, similar to EWJ?

 

The head of this project has also led programming for Sonic Mania, as well as those mobile remakes of Sonic 1 and 2.

 

 

Will check it out.  I wasn't aware.

1 minute ago, poconojo said:

What about Beauty and the Beast and Tropical Trouble? Re-imagined.

Absolutely!! Especially the first one!

5 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

I would argue that they are actually worse!

Not just older folks, but remember "women" as well.  Those folks who make up more than half the entire planet.  You ask your typical 25 - 30 year old female if she would rather play a video game on her phone as a controller... or the PS4.  I know the answer as I have the data.  Although any of us here could probably ask any female that same question and you'll probably get the same answer.  I'm not saying women don't play PS's, etc... but they are definitely not the majority.  More women are on PC's gaming (Warcraft, LOL, DOTA2) but mostly hyper casual on mobile. 

Controls and UI (User Interfaces) DOES matter.  Those guys don't understand that the overwhelming majority of people who play video games (200 million compared to 3 billion) does NOT prefer those types of experiences.

Lets take a simple look at the numbers... a mere 6.7% of people who play video games play on PS, XBOX, Switch & PC's.   SIX POINT SEVEN PERCENT!!!   The numbers and the issue is very obvious.

Oh I agree that UIs should be simpler. But preference doesn't mean inability. Wife was hesitant with the controller but was stoked to try Battlefront 2. She does fine with it. Preference doesn't mean can't.

Unless your data is suggesting that women aren't as capable as men to use more complex controllers! 🤣🤣🤣

But more seriously, preference doesn't mean inability. I prefer a SNES controller to anything else. Doesn't mean I can't play an Xbox, PS, Painline, or Intv controller. Some PC games can have really difficult controls too.

35 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

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. 

Oh crap. I pre ordered 2 consoles made for 2-7 year olds ! 🤔

Lol, I can't wait to play night stalker, astrosmash, and all those licensed Atari games! 👍😎💯 Grazie, amico! 

3 minutes ago, Orange Guard said:

I preordered the FE and still have not received an email confirmation from Intellivision. Is anyone else in the same boat?  I see the charge on my card. I checked my spam folder as well. I am wondering if it is because I just used the credit card option on the preorder page instead of signing into PayPal. 

Yikes!  You should have definitely gotten it by now.  Please reach out through our website contact page and someone will look into it and get back to you.  If it charged your card then you're definitely in the system and will be getting one... so don't worry about that.  Besides... I'll make SURE of it!  I know people. 

When might we see a more casual game in the same vein as Wii Sports?

58 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Yeah... the whole concept of "Amico will be the only place to play these games" is gonna hit hard for certain folks come 2021.  And that is EXACTLY the point! 

Would the system do well if all we did was port over Steam, Mobile & Switch games??  And then take the re-imagined Intellivision games and ported those to all the other systems? 

The more great and unique and exclusive stuff that hits the machine (that you won't be able to get ANYWHERE else!) will have a HUGE impact on hardware sales. 

But just remember and keep in mind...  A lot of folks said I was absolutely crazy and that the thing was going to fail miserably because I have exclusives and don't allow direct ports.

Will be interesting to see what happens. 

 

 

Perhaps I am showing my age a bit here, but I do remember when Halo came out. It was insanely popular, and everyone wanted to play it. Microsoft certainly did not say 'Oh, you are feeling excluded Playstation owners. Don't worry, we will port it over for you'. They sat on it as a console exclusive for a decade plus. If you wanted to play it, you had to buy their console for it.

Same as Sonic and Mario; absolutely exclusive to their respective companies. If you wanted to play a Mario game, you better have some Nintendo hardware. Ditto for Sonic and Sega.

Granted recently the big boys have been dabbling in cross platform games; but when you have a multi-billion dollar a year empire and a large and dedicated consumer base backing your products you can then afford to experiment a bit.

That some people are angrly demanding Amico exclusives be ported to their preferred systems shows that there is interest in these games, and it would be foolish to toss that interest away in immediately porting them to multiple other systems. Like you had said, it might increase software sales but the hardware is now going to take a hit.

Indeed I was just recently having a conversation on console exclusives with someone. I had mentioned 'The Box' and that with a 390$ price tag, it was bringing nothing unique or exclusive with it. Which makes me wonder how well it would do in the retail market when most people already own equipment that can easily replicate anything shown so far by this system (basically a decent laptop and internet). Nostalgia and name brand recognition might bring some people in the door, but you will still need to offer something to keep them interested and using the system if you want to establish yourself in the market.

It will be interesting to see what happens and I am expecting many people are going to be surprised by the success of the Amico come October.

2 minutes ago, MrBeefy said:

Unless your data is suggesting that women aren't as capable as men to use more complex controllers! 🤣🤣🤣

 

Now you're just trying to start a Twitter war/backlash.  

Hahhahaa.



Seriously though... it's going to be super interesting for us to see what the male to female ratio will be for Amico.  A win for us would be a 50/50 split.  NO home video game console has ever done that.  Not even the Wii.  Mobile does it (more female actually)... but not in the home.