Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

https://www.engadget.com/sega-game-gear-micro-060756060.html

This article mentions the Game Gear Micro has save states and a 5th color option.  

On 6/1/2020 at 4:17 AM, Tommy Tallarico said:

It makes them feel disconnected to the experience in a small way.  That's been some initial feedback... but we're still figuring out the best way to handle.

Question. How can they feel uncomfortable about a toggle option they wont even know about? I suspect they feel uncomfortable because you are telling them about these toggles, therefore you are making them uncomfortable by telling them about these options, the toggle isnt the issue.  The key to these options is this. You put them in and you really only talk about them when player/customers themselves ask about and for them.  These toggles are for the times when someone goes to complain about something and you simply say, oh, you can do that by turning this toggle on... boom happy customer.    No other customers need to know that these things exist until they ask.  So uncomfortable noobs cant be a thing since they wont even know these toggle are there and or do anything.

Hell if we told all our govt clients  all the options our stuff had, most heads would explode. Some of our stuff is actually hidden because we dont want people getting themselves in over their head so the options are hidden.  Perhaps you can do that for the Amico.   People love to think the know secret stuff.  Do something like in the menu screen, press a sequence of buttons on the controller and boom.. the customize stuff pops up on the menu.  This way NOOBS would never ever know it exist all the while letting savy tech customers feel like they are "in on the secret".   Its a win win

54 minutes ago, GrudgeQ said:

. A “fog” network is like a cloud (think Stadia) but the computing power is closer to the user (maybe shifting the internal boards of the arcade machines to a local in building rack or something).

A fog network is basically a xbox or playstation basically. You are tied to a network and have access to the large database but everything needed is local. So this is a big nothing.  Things like Stadia are diffferent, they run on the back end so your local hardware specs dont matter much, Fog gaming is different, you need the specs locally, so again, think Playstation/xbox

6 hours ago, Cranker said:

Not exciting at all for me 😕

ridicolous, how disappointed

42 minutes ago, Intellivision Master said:

https://www.engadget.com/sega-game-gear-micro-060756060.html

 

This article mentions the Game Gear Micro has save states and a 5th color option.  

They dont come with a keychain attachment so I'm out.lol

2 hours ago, woobman said:

OK Tommy - Your Order of importance is:

1)Get Amico out.

2)Resurrect the Vectrex.

3)Get Tron 3 made.

 

I'm sure you can get that done within 2-3 years No Pressure!

DEAL!

Sounds like a good plan! 

2 hours ago, vongruetz said:

This thing looks like a bad April Fools' joke. It's laughably small.  It's so tiny that you could put it in your pocket and lose it.  I mean, what were they thinking?  And worse of all is that anyone who has nostalgia for Game Gear is now too old to even see what's on a 1" screen.  Maybe they're trying to go after the kids' market, because only a 4 yo could hold this thing comfortably.

Yeah. 

We're doing something a little similar with the original Intellivision with Arcade 1UP.  Won't be out til 2021.

But its more of a cool collector item as opposed to a real system you would play on all the time (or instead of the original).

31 minutes ago, bigdaddygamestudio said:

A fog network is basically a xbox or playstation basically. You are tied to a network and have access to the large database but everything needed is local. So this is a big nothing.  Things like Stadia are diffferent, they run on the back end so your local hardware specs dont matter much, Fog gaming is different, you need the specs locally, so again, think Playstation/xbox

The term is kind of nebulous as the name "fog" might imply but it basically means doing some things locally (storage, processing, etc) instead of almost completely cloud based (like Stadia). Probably the best fog example I can think of is a Tesla self driving system. There are numerous cameras & a radar sensor which gather information and they pre-process it (to save bandwidth and improve recognition) and then that goes to a local, onboard computer which actually makes decisions on how to drive the car. That is the local low level cloud, the fog. Then a summary of the data & decisions is uploaded to the Internet cloud to improve the AI, which is fed back into the computer over time. But anyway, enough beat-down geekiness - no matter how you cut it the Sega Fog service is pretty much only for Japanese arcade owners & Sega's arcade business.

On 6/1/2020 at 1:17 AM, Tommy Tallarico said:

The issue we've been seeing though is that even IF there are options to go deeper (no matter where you put them) it makes the average person feel a little uncomfortable.  They feel that maybe the product isn't for them and that they aren't getting the most out of the system because there's all these things you could do... but they don't want to.  It makes them feel disconnected to the experience in a small way.  That's been some initial feedback... but we're still figuring out the best way to handle.

 

I say just keep it simple. If you want to add it later cool but for me as a guy some would say is a hardcore gamer doesn't really care. I have all the current systems and I rarely customize them. I have added screen shots of game play in the past when my wife and I were playing fortnite together but thats pretty rare when I do that and thats only because of a concert event they were hosting.  Honestly its not that important to me. To others it can be. I could see some being more upset if it had an element of customization then an update removed it vs it just never having it to begin with. 

Microsoft is constantly updating their user interface and it pisses me off. They will go a year or 2 with everything work 1 way then change it all and I have to relearn where everything is. Side scrolling to scrolling down and even worse updates in the past. Hope the Amico get it right at the beginning.  

6 minutes ago, Relicgamer said:

Hope the Amico get it right at the beginning.  

impossible. No one gets its 100% right out the gate.  Once again, better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it.  

1 hour ago, GrudgeQ said:

If this is the big announcement it is very niche and only important to Japan’s arcade industry.

Which probably makes sense as to why the big announcement came in a Japan only magazine.

7 minutes ago, bigdaddygamestudio said:

Once again, better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it.  

I would respectfully disagree. 

Better to ship simple and then get user feedback and make adjustments later if warranted.

But yes... I agree with you that no one will get it 100% out of the gate.  Including us.

5 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Which probably makes sense as to why the big announcement came in a Japan only magazine.

 

I find it super interesting though that the entire industry and hardcores were hoping so much that Sega was going to do another console.  Why?  I read many user comments and industry takes.  The reason:  Because they were nostalgic for older and simpler games and setups.  Because platforms like Genesis & Saturn were easily playable with friends. 

 

Hmmm??   Isn't that interesting.

😁

 

Kinda wish someone would make a re-imagined version of one of the most beloved consoles of all time, but make it family focused, 100% couch co-op and dust off some old games and bring them into a new era.... hmmm If I only knew someone with those chonies !  LOL ... just saying

2 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Better to ship simple and then get user feedback and make adjustments later if warranted.

obviously your call, but simple can mean many things. Clean simple interfaces doesnt necessarily need to mean weak restrictive non customizable interfaces.  Just saying why give critics and reviewers fuel. You only make a first impression once.

49 minutes ago, bigdaddygamestudio said:

Question. How can they feel uncomfortable about a toggle option they wont even know about?

My answer would be... because there is a toggle option to begin with.

I'm not saying I'm right.  I think this is a great discussion.  But the idea that there is a toggle and some unsuspecting person is going to select it just to see what it does... and then gets a big drop down menu of intimidating things they can mess with... you just lost the ability to make them feel like the system understands their wants and needs.

Just now, bigdaddygamestudio said:

obviously your call, but simple can mean many things. Clean simple interfaces doesnt necessarily need to mean weak restrictive non customizable interfaces. 

I agree.  And it's a challenge for sure because of the balance we are trying to keep.

Just now, bigdaddygamestudio said:

Just saying why give critics and reviewers fuel. You only make a first impression once.

I'd say because I don't care what critics and reviewers think.  I only care what the people who will be buying it think. 

There isn't a single movie reviewer or critic on the planet I trust.  Not a single one.  I don't even trust the "average" Rotten Tomato scores from users or critics.  Critics will tear Amico part no matter how the options screens are set up.  But the folks we do want to care... our target audience... will marvel at the ease of use... not the complexity.

1 minute ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

I'm not saying I'm right.  I think this is a great discussion.  But the idea that there is a toggle and some unsuspecting person is going to select it just to see what it does... and then gets a big drop down menu of intimidating things they can mess with... you just lost the ability to make them feel like the system understands their wants and needs.

Its a good discussion, of course as I mentioned you can hide the toggle, and I guess it comes down to who you think is going to play and have this machine. We will see, you seem to think millienial moms, Im thinking youre going to discover the 70 million US grandparent market, who are already gamers.  Industry hasnt figured out that time passes for some reason, and grandparents arent out of touch never played game people, but we are the people who started it all and want a retro good feeling system that is fun, simple, brings back good memories and gives us something to offer and play with the grand kids.  That demo is perfect for the Amico.

6 minutes ago, OEB_Pete said:

Kinda wish someone would make a re-imagined version of one of the most beloved consoles of all time, but make it family focused, 100% couch co-op and dust off some old games and bring them into a new era.... hmmm If I only knew someone with those chonies !  LOL ... just saying

I have a feeling this is a trick question.  But I'm assuming THIS is the answer?

No?

3 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

My answer would be... because there is a toggle option to begin with.

I'm not saying I'm right.  I think this is a great discussion.  But the idea that there is a toggle and some unsuspecting person is going to select it just to see what it does... and then gets a big drop down menu of intimidating things they can mess with... you just lost the ability to make them feel like the system understands their wants and needs.

Part of my job is doing support on a software product that allows you to customize the layout of the screen by turning things on and off. You would be surprised how many "I can't see my documents anymore" emails I get and then I need to explain to them that they turned off the preview window by mistake. I am sure some power users love the flexibility but for the market Amico is going for - my vote is to minimize options down to the bare basics.

8 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

I'd say because I don't care what critics and reviewers think.  I only care what the people who will be buying it think. 

 

There isn't a single movie reviewer or critic on the planet I trust.  Not a single one.  I don't even trust the "average" Rotten Tomato scores from users or critics.  Critics will tear Amico part no matter how the options screens are set up.  But the folks we do want to care... our target audience... will marvel at the ease of use... not the complexity

I agree right now they dont matter, I disagree that they wont matter once this comes out.  Amazon ratings for instance matters a lot.   I think the  " is it cool in school" is gonna be the biggest hurdle you have for the millenial parent market. No parent will buy this if the "kids" even in grade school dont think its cool   Tough hurdle.

Hell I remember as early as 2nd grade, if my mom tried to buy me " toughskins" jeans..... hell now,, cant be seen in those.  Levi or Lees back in the day  LOL  and its only gotten worse, kids have their parents so tied around their fingers in embarrassing.

Just now, Tommy Tallarico said:

 

I have a feeling this is a trick question.  But I'm assuming THIS is the answer?

No?

 

 

Wait, What? Are you trolling me?

1 minute ago, bigdaddygamestudio said:

Its a good discussion, of course as I mentioned you can hide the toggle, and I guess it comes down to who you think is going to play and have this machine. We will see, you seem to think millienial moms, Im thinking youre going to discover the 70 million US grandparent market, who are already gamers.  Industry hasnt figured out that time passes for some reason, and grandparents arent out of touch never played game people, but we are the people who started it all and want a retro good feeling system that is fun, simple, brings back good memories and gives us something to offer and play with the grand kids.  That demo is perfect for the Amico.

Yeah... I believe you're correct about grandparents.  Our initial research and focus testing finds that families between 30 - 45 are our biggest audience.  45 - 60 is our 2nd biggest and 60+ is our 3rd.

We have some very interesting partnerships to announce this summer. 

4 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Our initial research and focus testing finds that families between 30 - 45 are our biggest audience

just curious, have you tested the kids, after all this will likely be a birthday or xmas present, and they are gonna have to be asking for it as I doubt a parent is gonna spend 200+ on a system the kids not asking for , especially during troubled economic times.

3 minutes ago, bigdaddygamestudio said:

I think the  " is it cool in school" is gonna be the biggest hurdle you have for the millenial parent market. No parent will buy this if the "kids" even in grade school dont think its cool   Tough hurdle.

That's actually not our market at all though.  It's our lowest market and will NOT be our target.  Trying to get older grade school kids (12+) is the exact opposite of who we're going for. 

But more importantly... Millennial parents do not have 12 year old kids.  They have kids that are 1 - 7 right now.  21 million households in the U.S. with kids between the ages of 2 - 7.  21 million more in Europe and 20+ million more in Canada & Mexico.

Parents are buying for kids at that age.  Parents are making the decisions... not the 4 or 5 year old.

3 minutes ago, bigdaddygamestudio said:

just curious, have you tested the kids, after all this will likely be a birthday or xmas present, and they are gonna have to be asking for it as I doubt a parent is gonna spend 200+ on a system the kids not asking for , especially during troubled economic times.

 
Absolutely.  10 and under pick us over any other game console (and mobile device) out there.  They LOVE the touchscreen, they love the games and LOVE that they can play with their parents and friends.

And the younger they get... they more they like it. 

We've even seen a lot of our Amico followers make videos showing their 10 and under kids watching our videos, freaking out, super excited about the launch and the game, etc.

Not even a question in our mind. 

Still a LOT of things we haven't announced as to why they love it so much.  Won't be releasing that info until the system launches.