Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

28 minutes ago, RetroAdvisoryBoard said:

 

Little idea that could be a cute touch.

 

Tommy's nephew exclaiming "Amico!" is adorable.

 

However, what if, because a number of these machines are being gifted/bought by grandparents to play with grandchildren (two such machines on order for my parents and in-laws, thanks!).. what if... we could record the kids for a second or a second and a half and it synced that welcome to THAT console.  So whenever the grandparents booted up their Amico, be it to play with their grandkids, be it to play cards or sports or recreational games with friends, or, if Amico makes its way into senior living homes.. how meaningful would it be to hear their own grandchildren or for kids to hear themselves exclaiming "Amico!" or "Let's play" "Love you grandma, kick ass with Borderlands 2!" or some short quip upon start-up?

 

Maybe it'll be less universal than the PlayStation intro or "Sega!" or the GameCube start-up screen.

 

But a helluva lot more personal.

 

(let's not talk about it being the cherry on top helping promote sales to parents looking for the meaningful gift for their own senior-generation parents so the kids can play with grandma and grandpa.  I know this thing has zero appeal to anybody, and wouldn't want to appear to be swindling people by playing to their sentimental sides).

 

Screw it.  Yes I do.  You should sell it in a box with a giant, sad-eyes puppy blazed across the box, as if to say, "won't you take me home?" 

my 3 favorite startup screens/logos are the Intellivision title screens,Sega!,and i love the Digital Pictures startup screen for those FMV games 

and that Amico logo is right up there with them..its very memorable 

4 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

This post was just brought to my attention and I hate bringing up these guys but this is so bad and moronic that people need to see and understand the mentality, intelligence level, laziness and complete lack of research and knowledge that these 2 peddle.

 

I guess I was wrong about him.  He literally IS this dumb and uniformed.

Makes sense why he's so afraid to talk to me.  I'll obliterate his logic within minutes and deep down he knows it.

 

What a fraud.

 

 

 

 

 

For those of you interested in some "real" figures (and growth rates)...

 

Hey I recognize that report!  It really hints at one of the critical walls Ouya ran into - in addition to its multiple other troubles, and not to draw parallels, Ouya was announced in early 2012 - and the numbers for "Mobile" for 2011 would've been something closer to 10-12% of the market, and they probably didn't have such data available, or the trend wasn't so ominous.  Anyway, before 2009, that share was incredibly small (pre-smartphone era, phone games were played with the keypad and data wasn't exactly "unlimited" plans before then).  But it just highlights the absolute shockwave mobile gaming added to the market.  Console and PC gaming are, since that point, reaping DLC microtransaction income largely AFTER this point in time, yet their growth earnings is still low single-digit year over year, but mobile growth is doubling every 2-4 years.  Mobile is certainly a market disruptor and very much not a "niche".  I'd say three times the size of PC or Console is not a good definition of "niche"

Ill-informed, lack of research, lazy.. I would say these are apt adjectives and descriptors.  I might bristle against dumb or moronic, but that's me.  We all have our language we use, when I'm in 4-hour traffic and my kids aren't in the car, forget about it, Andrew Dice Clay would weep openly like I was some long-lost prodigal son - after double-checking that I am in fact too old to be eligible for the alimony.  But.. maybe here, maybe saying someone is dumb.. comes across as personal against the person, when ill-informed and wrong are better descriptors of his position/take on the market, lazy and doesn't do the research better aimed at the homework shown.  In this case: a doodle.  At the end of the day, anybody says whatever, big boys wear pants and if one can dish, they should be prepared to take.  And Pat and Ian are dishing like the lunch lady needs to be worried about job security.  Far be it for me to say it isn't just desserts, or just uncensored expression. Not trying to moderate or police -  thinking about the perspective of anybody else coming in a little fresher, a little less cognizant of the history - it may come across a little harsh.  Which may be fine.  Just sayin.  All right, time to put away this soapbox.

2 hours ago, rjchamp3 said:

Okay lets get to the bottom line here Tommy

 

I want Dracula

I want Beauty and Beast

I want Shark Shark

I want Night Stalker

I want Sanfu

and and and I want Venture

 

Get me that and I am sold

 

and whatever else comes to mind

You'll have nothing and like it!

5 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

And did you guys ever remember that during the summer time they would do those sherbert watermelons???  It was green on the outside (lime I'm presuming) and raspberry on the inside... but with chocolate chips to represent the "pits/seeds". 

Those were LEGENDARY!!

My favorite thing to get at Friendly's though was the Mint Chocolate Chip & Buttercup Crunch on a sugar cone with chocolate sprinkles!  The Mint Chocolate Chip had to be on top though to maximize the sprinkle area along with the chips already in there.  

I'd break my vegan diet for a day for that!  (I also break it when I'm in Italy!... but not with meat... just dairy).

 

 

Yes! I used to request the watermelon 'roll' for my birthday cake. I wish those were still made!

edit : thank you, internet! https://www.friendlys.com/ice-cream-item/wattamelon-roll/

And my wife (then girlfriend) in our college days would often get...altered...go to Friendly and order the Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Sundae with...wait for it...Mint Chocolate Chip and Butter Crunch. THE. BEST.

2 hours ago, Michael Garvey said:

Wait??? You promised me you'd hook up surveillance video from John Alvarado's house.

 

Forget this silly Amico stuff.

 

Let's get back to the important stuff...watching John's every move through the use of high tech Navy grade spy equipment. 

Did someone say Navy?  Trust me, for what one of those cameras would cost, you could just pay John to allow you to follow him around for a few years. You could wallpaper his entire house in Ring cameras for less, and still have money left over to pay off the mortgage to his house.

2 hours ago, RetroAdvisoryBoard said:

(let's not talk about it being the cherry on top helping promote sales to parents looking for the meaningful gift for their own senior-generation parents so the kids can play with grandma and grandpa.  I know this thing has zero appeal to anybody, and wouldn't want to appear to be swindling people by playing to their sentimental sides).

I like the idea, and as I mentioned I think grandparents will ultimately turn out to be THE market demo for this product, but we will see. As long as it sells. I still wonder if those controllers may have a camera on them?  Some PSVR games take pictures of people when the win and puts the picture directly on the TV screen. I could see Amico doing something similar.

5 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

WOW!!  Cool.  I gotta go visit one when I'm back there!

 

Fribble!!   Hahahhaa!!  Haven't heard that word in a very long long time!!

I wonder if they still have the Jim Dandy!  (It's like their banana split thingy).

 

And did you guys ever remember that during the summer time they would do those sherbert watermelons???  It was green on the outside (lime I'm presuming) and raspberry on the inside... but with chocolate chips to represent the "pits/seeds". 

Those were LEGENDARY!!

My favorite thing to get at Friendly's though was the Mint Chocolate Chip & Buttercup Crunch on a sugar cone with chocolate sprinkles!  The Mint Chocolate Chip had to be on top though to maximize the sprinkle area along with the chips already in there.  

I'd break my vegan diet for a day for that!  (I also break it when I'm in Italy!... but not with meat... just dairy).

 

 

https://www.friendlysrestaurants.com/menu/ice-cream/

Oh yes, the Jim Dandy is still on the menu...

6 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

 

Ask yourself an important question... why do you spew hatred and hope for the destruction of a video game machine you've NEVER played.

Some people's lives, especially since the internet, seem to revolve around and are based on things they hate. I dont get it either.  There are a gazillion consumer products I dont have interest in but like you I would never go and waste my day going around and trashing them.. its really sad when you think of it.  Schadenfreude really does seem to be turning into a widespread mental disorder. 

4 minutes ago, timbofry1 said:

Jim Dandy! 

damn, I loved the Jim Dandy.

2 hours ago, Michael Garvey said:

Wait??? You promised me you'd hook up surveillance video from John Alvarado's house.

 

Forget this silly Amico stuff.

Stalker!

4 hours ago, OEB_Pete said:

In would be so happy if you video and post your wife using a Flowbee on your head.

That would be like gold Pete.... Gold!

TJ

1 hour ago, RetroAdvisoryBoard said:

Hey I recognize that report!  It really hints at one of the critical walls Ouya ran into - in addition to its multiple other troubles, and not to draw parallels, Ouya was announced in early 2012 - and the numbers for "Mobile" for 2011 would've been something closer to 10-12% of the market, and they probably didn't have such data available, or the trend wasn't so ominous.  Anyway, before 2009, that share was incredibly small (pre-smartphone era, phone games were played with the keypad and data wasn't exactly "unlimited" plans before then).  But it just highlights the absolute shockwave mobile gaming added to the market.  Console and PC gaming are, since that point, reaping DLC microtransaction income largely AFTER this point in time, yet their growth earnings is still low single-digit year over year, but mobile growth is doubling every 2-4 years.  Mobile is certainly a market disruptor and very much not a "niche".  I'd say three times the size of PC or Console is not a good definition of "niche"

 

Ill-informed, lack of research, lazy.. I would say these are apt adjectives and descriptors.  I might bristle against dumb or moronic, but that's me.  We all have our language we use, when I'm in 4-hour traffic and my kids aren't in the car, forget about it, Andrew Dice Clay would weep openly like I was some long-lost prodigal son - after double-checking that I am in fact too old to be eligible for the alimony.  But.. maybe here, maybe saying someone is dumb.. comes across as personal against the person, when ill-informed and wrong are better descriptors of his position/take on the market, lazy and doesn't do the research better aimed at the homework shown.  In this case: a doodle.  At the end of the day, anybody says whatever, big boys wear pants and if one can dish, they should be prepared to take.  And Pat and Ian are dishing like the lunch lady needs to be worried about job security.  Far be it for me to say it isn't just desserts, or just uncensored expression. Not trying to moderate or police -  thinking about the perspective of anybody else coming in a little fresher, a little less cognizant of the history - it may come across a little harsh.  Which may be fine.  Just sayin.  All right, time to put away this soapbox.

 

 

Yeah... the "dumb" comment was definitely harsh.  Foolish may have been a better term.  But I know they read these posts so I wanted to put a little something extra in there for them... being that they are too spineless to speak to me directly.

4 hours ago, woobman said:

Are we going to get a ride review from you? Can't tell from the face if you did or not. Looking forward to the one they are building in Florida.

43 minutes ago, vongruetz said:

Did someone say Navy?  Trust me, for what one of those cameras would cost, you could just pay John to allow you to follow him around for a few years. You could wallpaper his entire house in Ring cameras for less, and still have money left over to pay off the mortgage to his house.

John can not be bought. Also where's the fun in that...also price is no object when it comes to me and my hobby (which happens to involve spying on John Alvarado)

😅🤣😀

3 hours ago, Jake67 said:

Two other questions, if you wouldn’t mind, Tommy...

 

1. Is the card game Fluxx on your radar? It’s by Looney Labs. Playdek makes their app. This is really the only game I play these days because it’s so easy for short bursts of time. (My joy for Xbox and Playstation gaming left me some time back.) With your controller, it would be perfect for everyone to see their own cards while the TV shows the main window of control cards. (I was also going to mention Boss Monster but I’m not sure their artwork is what you’re looking at now as I believe it’s got that retro look. Great game, though.)

Not familiar with Fluxx.  Will check it out.

3 hours ago, Jake67 said:

 

2. A question about controller battery management. Let’s say, heaven forbid, I know I’m not going to be playing the Amico for an extended period. Should the controllers be removed from the console? I guess this points to over-charging issues that we’ve seen with other devices, and I don’t know if that comes into play with the Amico controller.

 

Thank you again.

@RxScram is probably better qualified to answer this question.

Jeff??

3 hours ago, Blarneo said:

Let's see... $149-$200 for the consumer Vectrex model. $2799.95 "Beemtrex game package" option from BMW. BARGAIN!🥳

Wait til you see the GTO Red with Carbon Fiber Founders VIP Super Duper Signed Lenticular Limited Edition Ferrari sponsored version for $279,000!

Aaaaaaand... we only require $150,000 down but it's TOTALLY 100% NOT refundable.

3 hours ago, rjchamp3 said:

Okay lets get to the bottom line here Tommy

 

I want Dracula

I want Beauty and Beast

I want Shark Shark

I want Night Stalker

I want Sanfu

and and and I want Venture

 

Get me that and I am sold

 

and whatever else comes to mind

3 of them are in production and will be available on launch.

2 of them are on the list for 2021 releases.

Venture we currently don't have, but agree it is an epic game.

6 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Yikes!  I feel like I've just been put in a time machine and gone back 2 years!  

 

 

Except this time I'm going to completely crowdfund it, make sure it's NOT for families (wait til you see how cool all the blood and gore look on in vector style graphics!), will take pre-orders and NOT refund or return money and will definitely not sell any merchandise for fans and especially not outreach to people to talk about it.

 

Phew!  I just saved myself a BUNCH of time.

 

 

 

 

 

This is so strange. Just the other day, I was wondering what would've happened if the Atari VCS project did things more like you guys.

Like the idea of SAFE, for instance...

Atari VCS

 Still

 Ain't

 F'n

'Ere!

2 hours ago, RetroAdvisoryBoard said:

 

Little idea that could be a cute touch.

 

Tommy's nephew exclaiming "Amico!" is adorable.

 

However, what if, because a number of these machines are being gifted/bought by grandparents to play with grandchildren (two such machines on order for my parents and in-laws, thanks!).. what if... we could record the kids for a second or a second and a half and it synced that welcome to THAT console.  So whenever the grandparents booted up their Amico, be it to play with their grandkids, be it to play cards or sports or recreational games with friends, or, if Amico makes its way into senior living homes.. how meaningful would it be to hear their own grandchildren or for kids to hear themselves exclaiming "Amico!" or "Let's play" "Love you grandma, kick ass with Borderlands 2!" or some short quip upon start-up?

 

Maybe it'll be less universal than the PlayStation intro or "Sega!" or the GameCube start-up screen.

 

But a helluva lot more personal.

 

(let's not talk about it being the cherry on top helping promote sales to parents looking for the meaningful gift for their own senior-generation parents so the kids can play with grandma and grandpa.  I know this thing has zero appeal to anybody, and wouldn't want to appear to be swindling people by playing to their sentimental sides).

 

Screw it.  Yes I do.  You should sell it in a box with a giant, sad-eyes puppy blazed across the box, as if to say, "won't you take me home?" 

It's a good idea for sure.  But the logo is written into the chip so could potentially be a huge logistic nightmare.

3 hours ago, RetroAdvisoryBoard said:

You should sell it in a box with a giant, sad-eyes puppy blazed across the box, as if to say, "won't you take me home?" 

In about 5 months from now your going to remember this day.

🥰

3 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

 

Not familiar with Fluxx.  Will check it out.

 

 

 

@RxScram is probably better qualified to answer this question.

 

Jeff??

 

 

It would be fine either way. Just to keep track of everything I'd leave it on the console. There are 2 independent safety circuits built into the controller and also the battery itself to prevent overcharging or other safety issues.

2 hours ago, GrudgeQ said:

Fun fact - me and my college roommate where brainstorming cool character names like "Snake Plissken" after watching Escape from New York. We came up with Grudge.... Quimby. I always hated the Quimby last name but he loved it so "GrudgeQ" because my handle.

Always meant to ask you how you got your handle in here!

How about others here??  Tell us the significance of your name you use in AA.

Here's mine...

My parents.

Just now, RxScram said:

It would be fine either way. Just to keep track of everything I'd leave it on the console. There are 2 independent safety circuits built into the controller and also the battery itself to prevent overcharging or other safety issues.

I mean... yeah... that's what I was gonna say too... but.. uh... y'know... I wanted to give Jeff a chance at answering some stuff too!

(total lie... I would have had to ask him).

1 hour ago, popsicle said:

Yes! I used to request the watermelon 'roll' for my birthday cake. I wish those were still made!

 

edit : thank you, internet! https://www.friendlys.com/ice-cream-item/wattamelon-roll/

 

And my wife (then girlfriend) in our college days would often get...altered...go to Friendly and order the Reeses Peanut Butter Cup Sundae with...wait for it...Mint Chocolate Chip and Butter Crunch. THE. BEST.

 

 

Hahahha!!  That's awesome!  Your wife clearly has good taste!!

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!   So check this out... on that link you sent there was a tab to WHERE TO BUY so just for the hell of it I clicked it and put in my zip code.

Come to find out that there are 8 places around me that allegedly sell the "Wattamelon Roll!"  Target & Walmart carry them I guess!!!

Will need to be checking back in the summer about this!

Not to steer it back to negativity, but... Just wanted to post up some more fun stats...

These guys are just driving themselves into a pit. Total stagnation. Stuck at 242k subs, with less and less video views every month. 

They also lose 1,000 subs and gain 1,000 subs frequently. 

Guess when their latest drop in subs occurred?

Last week.