Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

Ok. Now I get it. I like the original Intelly homebew over the newer version. Thanks for posting the video Nolagamer!

1 hour ago, IntellivisionDude said:

 

 

The interview with Tommy is up. This is my friends podcast. I am a guest halfway in. I tried my best but i was scared to death. lol

 

 

That was good interview.  It was a nice surprise seeing IntellivisionDude show up.

1 hour ago, 1001lives said:

Obviously, this doesn't end with the Amico. It's in every single products realm and all new releases are subject to this kind of crap. Even Animal Crossing: New Horizons was hit by people complaining and hating without even playing it.

This recent example is quite funny: https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2020/04/random_lego_mario_set_gets_its_first_angry_user_review_despite_the_fact_it_isnt_out_yet

47 minutes ago, Intellivision Master said:

That was good interview.  It was a nice surprise seeing IntellivisionDude show up.

Now Tommy is either just taunting us with his fan, or he doesn't know how to turn it off.

I also find it ironic how the argument about "graphics don't matter" when that was literally Intellivision's main talking point in their war with Atari.  But he's right. Gameplay is better than graphics. And I don't think Intellivision's version of baseball was better than Atari's just because of the graphics, but because it played more like real baseball.  The problem is that as graphics got better and better, the controls got more and more complex. There was eventually a tipping point where they get so complex that they make the experience less enjoyable.  Tommy even brings that up when talking about Red Dead. 

On 4/11/2020 at 2:16 PM, Tommy Tallarico said:

As a final note... in all of the focus group testing we've done... when non-gaming or casual gaming parents who have a total household income of at least $40,000 are asked how much they would be willing to pay for Amico (without telling them the price) the majority typically say around $300.  So again... those folks who are our target audience think our pricing is fantastic.  These are the families that will spend $80+ just to take their family of 4 to a movie which is a 2 hour entertainment experience.  Those folks have no problem spending 3 times that amount for a device that EVERYONE can play and have fun and that will provide hundreds of hours of SAFE family entertainment.

I've seen a lot of folk (mainly on YouTube) doggin the Amico's price point...but this testing says it all. One of you can remind me but there is a "Law" of marketing as it relates to pricing that if you price an item too high customers think of that item as too "exclusive/unobtainable" for them...and if you go to low they make an assumption that its a piece of junk. $250 is a steal for this thing as an initial offer and its right in the sweet spot! As well, and I don't see hardly any folk speaking to this when they talk about the console price...how about the fact that all your games are $10 at most after this is launched. Now don't get me wrong all... I like AAA as much as the next guy and most of them are priced at a $60 USD release. However...and i know everyone in here has experienced this multiple times. What about the buyer's remorse when you pay that $60 and you get a half assed, rushed to market, no polish, POS!!! Now think of what you felt when you bought Cuphead for $20ish! Whatever your gaming style and preference you can NEVER experience buyer's remorse on this system...PERIOD!!!! When they compare buying consoles most folk are saying why not buy a Switch...its the same money. Don't get me wrong we have one and we love it...love Nintendo can't say enough about them...but i'm $1500 USD in with extra controllers and games...that's not nuthin.

Gaming is a marathon not a sprint and this is where Amico beats everyone...on the price of its games...If you buy both systems the Amico costs you less and give you more games in the long run.  I'd also add that families that are having a tough time getting by...and the market is going to see a whole lot of that soon thanks to Corona...can get a new family game on the table every couple of weeks for $10 or less...that literally never gets old!

Lastly, to Tommy's point about going to to a movie...indeed. I have just myself, my wife, and my daughter (over $60 once everyone is pop-corned/candied up)... and based on that amount, I can watch most anything at my place with steak and lobster (Sorry Tommy) and still have $20 left over for a couple of Amico games.  

Cheers All  

3 minutes ago, The Wren said:

I've seen a lot of folk (mainly on YouTube) doggin the Amico's price point...but this testing says it all. One of you can remind me but there is a "Law" of marketing as it relates to pricing that if you price an item too high customers think of that item as too "exclusive/unobtainable" for them...and if you go to low they make an assumption that its a piece of junk. $250 is a steal for this thing as an initial offer and its right in the sweet spot! 

 

Lastly, to Tommy's point about going to to a movie...indeed. I have just myself, my wife, and my daughter (over $60 once everyone is pop-corned/candied up)... and based on that amount, I can watch most anything at my place with steak and lobster (Sorry Tommy) and still have $20 left over for a couple of Amico games.  

 

Cheers All  

Agree on everything you said. Pricing is definitely in a good spot. Too low everyone would call it junk. Too high its out of reach. I guess we are the crowd of realists lol . 

Out playing cornhole for the first time this year, 58 F and a little bit windy...which I blamed for my poor performance, of course.  Made me wonder if the Amico version will have weather to account for, like Wii Archery.  Unnecessary, but a fun way to add difficulty.  

So listening to his latest interview, Tommy talks a lot about Mattel properties (Hot Wheels, Masters of the Universe, Rockem Sockem Robots, etc) and I'm noticing a pattern.  That got me thinking about other Mattel properties that would be a perfect fit... Tommy, tell me American Girl is coming to Amico. My daughter still plays the crappy flash games on their website and she loves them. I can only imagine a better version on Amico would appeal a lot to moms and younger girls.

37 minutes ago, The Wren said:

I've seen a lot of folk (mainly on YouTube) doggin the Amico's price point...but this testing says it all. One of you can remind me but there is a "Law" of marketing as it relates to pricing that if you price an item too high customers think of that item as too "exclusive/unobtainable" for them...and if you go to low they make an assumption that its a piece of junk. $250 is a steal for this thing as an initial offer and its right in the sweet spot! As well, and I don't see hardly any folk speaking to this when they talk about the console price...how about the fact that all your games are $10 at most after this is launched. Now don't get me wrong all... I like AAA as much as the next guy and most of them are priced at a $60 USD release. However...and i know everyone in here has experienced this multiple times. What about the buyer's remorse when you pay that $60 and you get a half assed, rushed to market, no polish, POS!!! Now think of what you felt when you bought Cuphead for $20ish! Whatever your gaming style and preference you can NEVER experience buyer's remorse on this system...PERIOD!!!! When they compare buying consoles most folk are saying why not buy a Switch...its the same money. Don't get me wrong we have one and we love it...love Nintendo can't say enough about them...but i'm $1500 USD in with extra controllers and games...that's not nuthin.

 

Gaming is a marathon not a sprint and this is where Amico beats everyone...on the price of its games...If you buy both systems the Amico costs you less and give you more games in the long run.  I'd also add that families that are having a tough time getting by...and the market is going to see a whole lot of that soon thanks to Corona...can get a new family game on the table every couple of weeks for $10 or less...that literally never gets old!

 

Lastly, to Tommy's point about going to to a movie...indeed. I have just myself, my wife, and my daughter (over $60 once everyone is pop-corned/candied up)... and based on that amount, I can watch most anything at my place with steak and lobster (Sorry Tommy) and still have $20 left over for a couple of Amico games.  

 

Cheers All  

I’ve always thought $199 is the absolute sweet spot for Amico and the Intellivision team. I think a few posts back Tommy acknowledged that to reach millions AND millions of units sold they need to be at this price point. Don’t label me a hater or troll(I’ve got 2 Founders Edition ordered) but I think $250 to $279 gives some consumers a reason to pause. People like my wife(only market research I have to go on) will see Amico at $249 compared to Nintendo and their well-known IP’s and will think twice...in my opinion. Doesn’t mean they WON’T purchase Amico...but $249 gives pause to some consumers.
 

Tommy and his team know this and will hammer home value(6 games included), fun(all games co op) and safe for all families(e10 rating). We all love Amico here, yet we are not Intellivisions target audience. We all know it will sell at $249, but, make no mistake, the video game business and introducing a new console to market isn’t a cake walk.

1 hour ago, supahwally said:

Out playing cornhole for the first time this year, 58 F and a little bit windy...which I blamed for my poor performance, of course.  Made me wonder if the Amico version will have weather to account for, like Wii Archery.  Unnecessary, but a fun way to add difficulty.  

You can see wind will at least be a factor in the footage.

28 minutes ago, MarioMan88 said:

I’ve always thought $199 is the absolute sweet spot for Amico and the Intellivision team. I think a few posts back Tommy acknowledged that to reach millions AND millions of units sold they need to be at this price point. Don’t label me a hater or troll(I’ve got 2 Founders Edition ordered) but I think $250 to $279 gives some consumers a reason to pause. People like my wife(only market research I have to go on) will see Amico at $249 compared to Nintendo and their well-known IP’s and will think twice...in my opinion. Doesn’t mean they WON’T purchase Amico...but $249 gives pause to some consumers.
 

Tommy and his team know this and will hammer home value(6 games included), fun(all games co op) and safe for all families(e10 rating). We all love Amico here, yet we are not Intellivisions target audience. We all know it will sell at $249, but, make no mistake, the video game business and introducing a new console to market isn’t a cake walk.

This is unfortunately the spot we are in at my household with the price.

56 minutes ago, MarioMan88 said:

I’ve always thought $199 is the absolute sweet spot for Amico and the Intellivision team. I think a few posts back Tommy acknowledged that to reach millions AND millions of units sold they need to be at this price point. Don’t label me a hater or troll(I’ve got 2 Founders Edition ordered) but I think $250 to $279 gives some consumers a reason to pause. People like my wife(only market research I have to go on) will see Amico at $249 compared to Nintendo and their well-known IP’s and will think twice...in my opinion. Doesn’t mean they WON’T purchase Amico...but $249 gives pause to some consumers.

If someone were to choose a switch over an amico at $249, they should still make that choice at $199.  The $50 difference is small compared to the money that will be spent on switch games with those nintendo IPs.

I missed that MrBeefy, great news.

Regarding $199 VS $249...as Tommy said, these are advertised retail prices.  You may need to wait, but even if they release it at $249 I would think that eventual promos and sales would pull the price back down again closer to the magic $199. 

Generally speaking, American consumers really need to be coached to help understand how that extra few dollars will quickly get sucked up with the extra controller and games with any non-Amico system on the market.  We are price point shoppers and will buy 4 $100 pairs of shoes in 18 months instead of 1 $200 pair that last 4 years.   It's why we say 'buy American' and then head to WalMart.  It takes a lot of selling to get that point across.

57 minutes ago, supahwally said:

I missed that MrBeefy, great news.

 

Regarding $199 VS $249...as Tommy said, these are advertised retail prices.  You may need to wait, but even if they release it at $249 I would think that eventual promos and sales would pull the price back down again closer to the magic $199. 

 

Generally speaking, American consumers really need to be coached to help understand how that extra few dollars will quickly get sucked up with the extra controller and games with any non-Amico system on the market.  We are price point shoppers and will buy 4 $100 pairs of shoes in 18 months instead of 1 $200 pair that last 4 years.   It's why we say 'buy American' and then head to WalMart.  It takes a lot of selling to get that point across.

 

 

You need look no further than that Xfinity or CenturyLink bundle special offer for $129/mo that comes in the mail with a bill of $159/mo after taxes, fees, etc.

3 hours ago, mr_me said:

If someone were to choose a switch over an amico at $249, they should still make that choice at $199.  The $50 difference is small compared to the money that will be spent on switch games with those nintendo IPs.

See I disagree. Once it hit the $250 in my household it changed. $200 vs $250 made a big difference.

Switch games may be higher but there are certain games that you know are high quality polish, you will enjoy them for sure, and can get your money worth of that $50 to $60. One of the benefits of being a company that has pumped out games consistently over the years is that trust in first party games being good.

Wife hasn't seen anything to dictate the price at $250 when she knows she can find some simple games on the Switch she would like. When it was $150-$200 she was more positive on it. So yeah it can make a difference.

1 hour ago, MrBeefy said:

See I disagree. Once it hit the $250 in my household it changed. $200 vs $250 made a big difference.

 

Switch games may be higher but there are certain games that you know are high quality polish, you will enjoy them for sure, and can get your money worth of that $50 to $60. One of the benefits of being a company that has pumped out games consistently over the years is that trust in first party games being good.

 

Wife hasn't seen anything to dictate the price at $250 when she knows she can find some simple games on the Switch she would like. When it was $150-$200 she was more positive on it. So yeah it can make a difference.

Same! Wife had me at Gametop 6 hrs early to get the Switch...didn’t bat eye at $300. Mario, Zelda, Pokémon...on and on top tier first party games with years of hits behind them. I didn’t need to “convince” her...she knows. People won’t know Amico like this and the above $199 initially will, I think, give pause to some consumers.

1 hour ago, MrBeefy said:

See I disagree. Once it hit the $250 in my household it changed. $200 vs $250 made a big difference.

 

Switch games may be higher but there are certain games that you know are high quality polish, you will enjoy them for sure, and can get your money worth of that $50 to $60. One of the benefits of being a company that has pumped out games consistently over the years is that trust in first party games being good.

 

Wife hasn't seen anything to dictate the price at $250 when she knows she can find some simple games on the Switch she would like. When it was $150-$200 she was more positive on it. So yeah it can make a difference.

Yeah but lets be honest you didnt just pay 250 and to say 200 to 250 made a difference.  Really? Did adding another 60 dollars for 1 game make a difference?  Or another controller at a minimum of 45 buck for a 3rd party controller make a difference?  Because I have a switch and using the joycon isn't great as 2 controllers. So 250 for a console that has 2 controllers the option to add 6 more at not cost and 6 added games and a whole list of games at launch that dont cost 60 bucks but 10 or less. The total cost to own a switch and  the games will well exceed the Amico by nearly double.  So its obvious price isnt the issue.  

Regarding the 250 price point, they are delivering a complete package with 2 controllers and 6 games at this price. It could have been 200 with one controller since pretty much everyone will buy a second controller. Maybe Even 150 -170 with no games and one controller included. It’s hard to compare the price with other systems for this reason. It’s a complete package offered at launch. This must get across to the average casual consumer in their marketing. Pick up the Amico and you are good to go !

12 hours ago, Relicgamer said:

So not sure if this was asked. The GTO red and galaxy purple editions when and where will those be available for preorders? 

Not sure yet.

8 hours ago, supahwally said:

Out playing cornhole for the first time this year, 58 F and a little bit windy...which I blamed for my poor performance, of course.  Made me wonder if the Amico version will have weather to account for, like Wii Archery.  Unnecessary, but a fun way to add difficulty.  

Yep!  We have wind.

8 hours ago, vongruetz said:

So listening to his latest interview, Tommy talks a lot about Mattel properties (Hot Wheels, Masters of the Universe, Rockem Sockem Robots, etc) and I'm noticing a pattern.  That got me thinking about other Mattel properties that would be a perfect fit... Tommy, tell me American Girl is coming to Amico. My daughter still plays the crappy flash games on their website and she loves them. I can only imagine a better version on Amico would appeal a lot to moms and younger girls.

I'm not too familiar with American Girl.  I'll check it out!

25 minutes ago, Cranker said:

Regarding the 250 price point, they are delivering a complete package with 2 controllers and 6 games at this price. It could have been 200 with one controller since pretty much everyone will buy a second controller. Maybe Even 150 -170 with no games and one controller included. It’s hard to compare the price with other systems for this reason. It’s a complete package offered at launch. This must get across to the average casual consumer in their marketing. Pick up the Amico and you are good to go !

Absolutely!  And again.. I know I'm going to start to sound like a broken record... but we have all the market research and focus testing in the world on Amico.  People prefer a full package with a lot of value out of the gate as opposed to a stripped down machine at $150 with one controller and one game.  More than enough people are going to be willing to purchase at $249.  And we have the marketing plan in place which will show massive VALUE. Super easy!  All games $9.99 or less and NO microtransactions or ads or violent games.  BOOM.  VALUE & TRUST instantly achieved.  Something that NO OTHER game console offers.  Not a single one.  You should see the eyes widen of folks in our focus groups when we tell them all of this.  The smiles on their faces and the nods up and down in agreement.  "When can we get this?!" they all ask.  "I want one now!" they all declare.

For those who don't want to purchase at $249... that's totally fine.  I get it.  As I mentioned... I believe $199 will be the thing that takes us from millions of units to tens of millions of units.  Folks not interested at $249 will probably be able to wait a year.  In the meantime, you can always just go over all you friends houses to play it. 

To say people won't spend $249 on a machine with no AAA titles is also a bit silly as it's already been proven 14 years ago with the Wii.  Let me remind folks that TENS OF MILLIONS of people purchased a Wii for $249 (the equivalent of $317 today) to play a bowling demo.  And tens of millions of folks NEVER purchased another game for it.  They didn't care if it had the next AAA Zelda or Mario game.  They didn't care about Smash Bros, Pikmen or Metroid.  Quite frankly... they didn't care about the name Nintendo either.  It could have been the Sony Wii or the 3DO Wii or the Ouya Wii.  All they cared about is a simple bowling demo that they heard was great (via word of mouth or trying it out in a store) and that it was easy to pick-up and they could play with others without feeling intimidated or feel like they were being sucked for money every time they play.

Difficult mountain to climb... but I like our chances.

2 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

See I disagree. Once it hit the $250 in my household it changed. $200 vs $250 made a big difference.

 

Switch games may be higher but there are certain games that you know are high quality polish, you will enjoy them for sure, and can get your money worth of that $50 to $60. One of the benefits of being a company that has pumped out games consistently over the years is that trust in first party games being good.

 

Wife hasn't seen anything to dictate the price at $250 when she knows she can find some simple games on the Switch she would like. When it was $150-$200 she was more positive on it. So yeah it can make a difference.

Reasons for the cost difference in games can include the amount of content in the games.  That content requiring more developer man-hours and development cost.  If those are the types of games someone is interested in then price shouldn't be the issue.  Amico will have to distinguish itself from others not only in the types of games but also the style of graphics and sounds in their games.

14 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Absolutely!  And again.. I know I'm going to start to sound like a broken record... but we have all the market research and focus testing in the world on Amico.  People prefer a full package with a lot of value out of the gate as opposed to a stripped down machine at $150 with one controller and one game.  More than enough people are going to be willing to purchase at $249.  And we have the marketing plan in place which will show massive VALUE. Super easy!  All games $9.99 or less and NO microtransactions or ads or violent games.  BOOM.  VALUE & TRUST instantly achieved.  Something that NO OTHER game console offers.  Not a single one.  You should see the eyes widen of folks in our focus groups when we tell them all of this.  The smiles on their faces and the nods up and down in agreement.  "When can we get this?!" they all ask.  "I want one now!" they all declare.

For those who don't want to purchase at $249... that's totally fine.  I get it.  As I mentioned... I believe $199 will be the thing that takes us from millions of units to tens of millions of units.  Folks not interested at $249 will probably be able to wait a year.  In the meantime, you can always just go over all you friends houses to play it. 

 

To say people won't spend $249 on a machine with no AAA titles is also a bit silly as it's already been proven 14 years ago with the Wii.  Let me remind folks that TENS OF MILLIONS of people purchased a Wii for $249 (the equivalent of $317 today) to play a bowling demo.  And tens of millions of folks NEVER purchased another game for it.  They didn't care if it had the next AAA Zelda or Mario game.  They didn't care about Smash Bros, Pikmen or Metroid.  Quite frankly... they didn't care about the name Nintendo either.  It could have been the Sony Wii or the 3DO Wii or the Ouya Wii.  All they cared about is a simple bowling demo that they heard was great (via word of mouth or trying it out in a store) and that it was easy to pick-up and they could play with others without feeling intimidated or feel like they were being sucked for money every time they play.

 

Difficult mountain to climb... but I like our chances.

 

 

I completely agree and am exited  to get the complete package being offered. I was beginning to wonder if the price was around 179 with one controller and 1 game, would it be an easier sell ? People are bitching about the price so much it just made me wonder. But I think including 6 hand picked  games and 2 controllers is the right move ! The average casual gamer will appreciate it I think. It’s nice to get a variety of games right out of the box with no immediate pressure to buy games and wonder what games to start with.

Since I have a brother, I loved the fact that my very first console, the Master System, was sold with two controllers like most gaming systems back then. Unfortunately, it became some kind of standard to have only one controller included during the 16-bit era... 😕 If research shows that people want two controllers again, that's excellent news, but I've found out several times that a lot of people are not willing to pay 'more' for something they (think they) won't use unfortunately. Sometimes they are basic features that don't necessarily make the product more expensive anyway, and manufacturers will just remove them to improve their margin, not lower the price.

We all agree that $250 is not that much when you take into account the second controller and the 6 games included, but some people, especially hardcore gamers of course, are so used to buy systems with only one controller and no game included that they won't realize it. They won't do the math, so marketing will have to do it for them. Every hardcore gamer who got the Wii probably bought a game like Zelda at launch (I bought two), because included games often look like demos or short games that you only try a few times.

In fact, claiming the 6 games have a $40 value doesn't help, because most people consider digital software as something without any value, since you can make as many copies as you want (that's why they think downloading is not really like stealing). It's like when old people claimed that electronic music was not real music because it was created by machines. 😑 I remember an old article from a French newspaper about the war between Nintendo and SEGA, claiming games were sold $60 but only cost $5 to manufacture - as if developers didn't exist. 😭 I was hoping mentalites would change about it, but free games on phones didn't help at all... 😕

I personally don't mind paying $250 (even though I would have prefered to get the woodgrain model for that price), especially since I know I'll be able to buy another game like Night Stalker for less than $10. The only reason I didn't preorder yet is that I don't know how much it will really cost with taxes, shipping, and an adapter for the power cable. So I'll wait to preorder from French retailers (of from the German Intellivision HQ, which I hope will also offer the special models exclusive to Americain retailers - you may have noticed I love the color red).