Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

7 minutes ago, Loafer said:

Controller:  We know the Amico is primarily targeting those 3 billion casual gamers.  But as Tommy has confirmed and as we’ve seen from the announced games (and even that awesome night stalker video), it will cater to other types of gamers too via some more hardcore games.

 

so I don’t know about you guys but I’m presuming not all games will have 1 or 2 input “buttons”.  If the game demands an intellivision style overlay system, and an RPG would certainly fit that category which the touch screen would be perfect for it, then I gather they will use it.

 

I don’t think it’s a bad idea to get some of those questions in but personally I’m surprised people seem so stringent and question something like this.  Not every decision is so absolute you know; there will surely be exceptions to every “rule”.

Yeah... for sure!  That is the cool thing about the new controller design (as well as the games we are making for it)... each "control" method can be changed for each style of game.  I swear... (and I may be wrong)... I don't think any 2 Amico games have or use the same control method!!

Something as simple as throwing a Cornhole bag is a super easy motion.  Something a little more complex like Night Stalker (for more hardcores) is also obtainable. 

So as some folks may continue to bash on the controller without ever playing it... the reality is that I think it's one of the most diverse "all-in-one" input device the video game industry has ever seen.

But... take that with a grain of salt as I'm completely and 100% biased at this point!  Hahhahaha!

Just now, Tommy Tallarico said:

I use the Lumix as well!  Great and compact 4K if you can get the damn focus to... well... STAY IN FOCUS!!   Any hints or secrets you can share?  It's the camera I've used a few times to shoot some of the high quality video (that you'll also see sometimes get out of focus!). 

 

 

Studio work? Use manual focus, flippy screen, your wife (model), posed where you'll be. 

Focus on her eyes, leave it there. 

Then take white paint or White Out on a Q-tip and touch the focus ring lined up to the line on your lense pipe. Line up the line and dot you made every video session. You now have perfect focus every time you shoot as long as you remain at the same distance. 

😊

Walking stick or wand? Use the same technique except make sure your arm is extended to a comfortable position, cuz you'll go out of focus and have shaky camera movement if your arm gets tired and you start moving around.

1 minute ago, Blarneo said:

Studio work? Use manual focus, flippy screen, your wife (model), posed where you'll be. 

Focus on her eyes, leave it there. 

Then take white paint or White Out on a Q-tip and touch the focus ring lined up to the line on your lense pipe. Line up the line and dot you made every video session. You now have perfect focus every time you shoot as long as you remain at the same distance. 

😊

Walking stick or wand? Use the same technique except make sure your arm is extended to a comfortable position, cuz you'll go out of focus and have shaky camera movement if your arm gets tired and you start moving around.

Yeah.... it's mostly in "walking" or roaming mode. 

Thanks!

Speaking of Cornhole...

I bought a board for the office a few weeks ago (the company is entering a local Cornhole tournament for charity)... and um... I may need to "record" some sounds... (just sayin').  

Anyway... I wanted to make sure I got all the "regulation" and official stuff.  And ended up choosing the darker table as I felt it looked cooler.

Here's the box...

Ya just can't make this stuff up!!!!!!!!!!

I took a cool (and what I thought was funny) pic yesterday in the office.

CAPTION THIS!!!!!!!

1 minute ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Speaking of Cornhole...

I bought a board for the office a few weeks ago (the company is entering a local Cornhole tournament for charity)... and um... I may need to "record" some sounds... (just sayin').  

 

Anyway... I wanted to make sure I got all the "regulation" and official stuff.  And ended up choosing the darker table as I felt it looked cooler.

Here's the box...

 

 

Ya just can't make this stuff up!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

2 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

I took a cool (and what I thought was funny) pic yesterday in the office.

CAPTION THIS!!!!!!!

AG Bell: Watson! Get over here! This is not why I hired you!

4 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

I took a cool (and what I thought was funny) pic yesterday in the office.

CAPTION THIS!!!!!!!

Dude.. I just shit myself thinking this was yet another new Amico version.  Looks really cool though.  Maybe a dark brown version would be cool as well 

That picture is totally Classic Game Room's worthy! Tommy, you and Mark Bussler should do a video together. He loves the Vectrex and old consoles and is also a retro comic book fan.

After a dispute with Youtube, the channel was renamed "80scomics", the "CGR Undertow" subchannel and its contributors were cut and Mark no longer talks about video games, but I believe a video of Tommy and Mark playing Amico would be epic.

Just now, Tommy Tallarico said:

I took a cool (and what I thought was funny) pic yesterday in the office.

CAPTION THIS!!!!!!!

Back to the Future  featuring The Intellivision Amico starting  Night Stalker Marty McFly and  Emmett "DnD" Brown.

46 minutes ago, Blarneo said:

Regarding the original's use of the 12 key pad on certain games, we should keep in mind that Intellivision's release predated Mac's GUI system by 5 years and that's just the way it was done before 1984.

Xerox PARC's GUI 1973.

But Blarneo is right.  In the early days of console games they just didn't have the rom space or time to program on screen menu selection.  Plus, since nobody had computers in the home, it was meant to be more than just playing games.

1 hour ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Yeah... for sure!  That is the cool thing about the new controller design (as well as the games we are making for it)... each "control" method can be changed for each style of game.  I swear... (and I may be wrong)... I don't think any 2 Amico games have or use the same control method!!

Something as simple as throwing a Cornhole bag is a super easy motion.  Something a little more complex like Night Stalker (for more hardcores) is also obtainable. 

So as some folks may continue to bash on the controller without ever playing it... the reality is that I think it's one of the most diverse "all-in-one" input device the video game industry has ever seen.

But... take that with a grain of salt as I'm completely and 100% biased at this point!  Hahhahaha!

 

I think the controller looking different is why there's the bashing. In most ways I think it looks better, and less complex than the wiimote. 

I think it is just one of those things that people will have to just use to understand. Same problem I had bitd when it came to the N64 controller. Once I got one and played with it, I understood it better.

Have fun with the cornhole. I'm hoping that is the casual game we see soon. I think the game of washers would be a great one too.

And the box on that cornhole set had to be an inside joke...

Only Edutainment game that needs to be.

59 minutes ago, IMBerzerk said:

Dude.. I just shit myself thinking this was yet another new Amico version.  Looks really cool though.  Maybe a dark brown version would be cool as well 

A dark brown stained version? 

9 hours ago, fiudr said:

I mean, large fish do eat smaller fish. That's how it works.

 

 

Not enlightened fish! 

1 hour ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

I took a cool (and what I thought was funny) pic yesterday in the office.

CAPTION THIS!!!!!!!

Brothers From Another Mother.

TJ

1 hour ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

I took a cool (and what I thought was funny) pic yesterday in the office.

CAPTION THIS!!!!!!!

Batteries & Controller Cables Included... $229.95

Wireless... Who Needs Wireless!  

Stranglers Favorite Controllers... Cable Included. $239.95

then show the new wireless Amico... 

Stranglers Worst Nightmare... No Cables Included. $229.95

The Xerox Alto (1973) is my new favorite retro computer. Thanks for posting that! It's amazing:

- First graphical GUI

- Amazingly simple way to reconfigure the GUI and program new apps, even with graphical functions

- First "Paint" program and it seems to work better than the ones from Microsoft 20-40 years later

- Only 2,000 were made

- $32,000 each (more than $100,000 today)

- Only one game: Alto Trek (first game to use a mouse)

Here are some interesting links:

- Yesterday's Computer of Tomorrow: The Xerox Alto │Smalltalk-76 Demo

- Wikipedia: Xerox Alto

- Category:Xerox Alto games

- Alto Trek (1978) - First game to use mouse

Dear homebrew developers of AtariAge: Please release more games for this. We need to expand this 1 game list!

4 minutes ago, AtariSociety said:

Stranglers Worst Nightmare... No Cables Included. $229.95

"Stranglers Worst Nightmare" could be a horror game.

1 hour ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

I took a cool (and what I thought was funny) pic yesterday in the office.

CAPTION THIS!!!!!!!

Look at the Amico, consoling those little lost controllers

Little known fact. Math Fun is an incredible college drinking game.  We found out in the mid 80's , even though most of us at that time had moved on the new Nintendo system, one guy one weekend hooked up his old Intellivision. Most people ignored it til one rainy saturday night.  We started our Pre party drinking per usual and as we usually looked to play quarters etc , instead this night I challenged a guy to a Intv Math Fun.  Well that did it. As we got drunker more and more people gathered and played. Sure enough a couple hours later we had 30 or so people jammed into a room screaming and cheering and laughing all over this game.  I tell you being drunk and having to solve simple math questions quick while people are cheering and screaming and laughing at you is a real trip.   Good times....

4 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

I took a cool (and what I thought was funny) pic yesterday in the office.

CAPTION THIS!!!!!!!

Youngster cradles elderly parents

5 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

LOVE that idea!!!  Really good one.  I don't think I've ever seen anything like that before... and would be cool to see all the different creatures/ghosts/folklore/hoaxes, etc.

Epic!!!

 

My Wife would love this game - ghost investigations is all she watches. Controller could switch to a emp recorder and other devices. awesome ideas

46 minutes ago, Amico - Tony said:

My Wife would love this game - ghost investigations is all she watches. Controller could switch to a emp recorder and other devices. awesome ideas

There's a lot of angles that game could take on the Amico as well. I imagine trying to stay quiet and stay unseen could be meters you have to watch as you get closer to get better pictures, etc. And maybe the more pictures you get the more it fills out a "lore book" that has information on the creature, ghost, or alien. Maybe raising your camera could be motion controlled and the slower you do it the quieter you remain, etc. 

5 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Fun Fact:  Intellivision CFO Nick Richards was a national drift racing champion!  Owned his own team as well and competed (and won) at the very highest levels.  He was also the national Porsche Cup Champion in 2008!

He is a super successful CFO who sold his last company for over $150M.  Racing and fast cars have always been a hobby and passion.  If any of you watched the Jay Leno's Garage show, Nick is the one we all point to when Jay asked who the best driver is!  Nick & I actually met in the Ferrari Club a number of years ago.  If not for meeting Nick... I don't think Amico would exist.  He's the "money" guy and one of the best I've ever met!  (and he's my only friend who can beat me in car racing).  

 

 

OK, now I'm fully expecting some version of Absolute Drift for the Amico...