Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

13 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Hi Folks!,

 

A lot to catch up on, but wanted to pop in real quick to bring your attention to a few "tough questions" I was challenged by on YouTube today.  I know we want to keep a positive vibe so I prefer never to post negative videos here.  But a set of 4 videos were trying to stump me with their so called "tough" questions.  The questions weren't tough at all.  When you have nothing to hide... then no need to hide anything. 
 

Because of the negativity angle, there were a few questions that haven't been asked in here, so I wanted to share the answers with you all.  This is a Q&A thread after all.  

 

I'm not going to post the links to the videos (they'll probably end up deleting my answers anyway) and if anyone finds the videos and comments on them... please try to keep it positive.

So-called "tough" questions.

 

....

 

Anyway... bottom line... I thought the answers were interesting so I wanted to share them here with everyone.  Normally I wouldn't have responded...  but thought that some of you would be interested in some of the answers.

Thanks!

 
 

Maybe something got lost between the asking of the questions, and seeing them in print. These don't seem to be very hateful questions, but asking about concerns on the financial stability of the company. Again, maybe something got lost in translation such as tone of voice or general demeanor of how they were asked.

I think at this point, so much has been talked about that the last remaining "tough questions" are financial ones. The skeptics will bring up examples of OUYA or the Atari VCS and ask, "They failed, why can we trust Intellivision?" Even Microsoft took a huge hit on the XB360 during its RROD debacle. Smaller companies would not have been able to survive that, but Microsoft had the deep pockets to weather the storm. 

Personal questions are definitely not appropriate, and it is nobody's business how much Tommy has invested into this company. More than financial, he's invested his time, his energy, and his reputation. I'm not sure you can put a price tag on that. I really liked the answers though and can't wait to hear more about the digital event.

Now I'm just really curious about the mystery pictures of the controller on a horse.  What could it be?...

9 hours ago, Oldfool said:

Most haters do not understand the drive it takes to create and become a successful entrepreneur. People instilled with that drive generally have a powerful positive outlook combined with a talent to identify what inspires people. Their ability to create and transform ideas is one I value highly, as we advance much more quickly with innovation.
 

Tommy is creating a new revision of game entertainment to bring people together. If that is not a brand of gaming you are interested in, it is okay to not want it. To try to derail and destroy something that will really not affect your life, but would deny others pleasure by the same destruction, is rooted in a place of selfishness, ego, and even narcissism, where you believe your opinion carries much more weight and importance. 
 

Thank you Tommy for having the drive to create. I pray your perseverance is rewarded. 
 

I also hope the haters can find a positive project on which to focus their talents. I know their pursuit of happiness will have better success when they can fight for their passion instead of crusading against their dislikes.   

One of the benefits of being in business a few decades is you learn a few things and you occasionally run across people who I call "go getters" (for lack of a better term). Much like a pit bull clamped onto a prize bone, when they have their eyes on a prize they are nearly unstoppable.

I once went to a non profit annual meeting and the entertainment was a talented young man who gone to Julliard. The reason he was playing there was his mother had been single, unemployed, living in her car and basically wiped out and had received help from this non profit. A great story of someone giving a helping hand and having great results, right. However after speaking with the mom for one minute I knew she would never have been forever destitute and her son WOULD go to Julliard this non profit's help or not. She was a go getter - mostly for her son's future, but none the less a pit bull with a bone. She would never have seen herself as a failure or given up because that would mean her son wouldn't get the opportunities she wanted for him. She WAS going to do it and the non profit's help was just a stepping stone along the path. It was great the stone was there but if it wasn't she would have just leaped twice as far to the next stone or hewn one herself and threw it in the river. The amount of unwavering drive contained in that woman for a specific goal was just staggering, even after she had accomplished it.

Anyway, my advice if you ever run across a "go getter" in business and you are a competitor: 1) switch sides, 2) switch businesses or 3) brush up on bankruptcy laws and try to maneuver into a golden parachute. I identified Tommy as a "go getter" after watching that first interview way back when. Good luck haters...

27 minutes ago, GrudgeQ said:

One of the benefits of being in business a few decades is you learn a few things and you occasionally run across people who I call "go getters" (for lack of a better term). Much like a pit bull clamped onto a prize bone, when they have their eyes on a prize they are nearly unstoppable.

 

I once went to a non profit annual meeting and the entertainment was a talented young man who gone to Julliard. The reason he was playing there was his mother had been single, unemployed, living in her car and basically wiped out and had received help from this non profit. A great story of someone giving a helping hand and having great results, right. However after speaking with the mom for one minute I knew she would never have been forever destitute and her son WOULD go to Julliard this non profit's help or not. She was a go getter - mostly for her son's future, but none the less a pit bull with a bone. She would never have seen herself as a failure or given up because that would mean her son wouldn't get the opportunities she wanted for him. She WAS going to do it and the non profit's help was just a stepping stone along the path. It was great the stone was there but if it wasn't she would have just leaped twice as far to the next stone or hewn one herself and threw it in the river. The amount of unwavering drive contained in that woman for a specific goal was just staggering, even after she had accomplished it.

 

Anyway, my advice if you ever run across a "go getter" in business and you are a competitor: 1) switch sides, 2) switch businesses or 3) brush up on bankruptcy laws and try to maneuver into a golden parachute. I identified Tommy as a "go getter" after watching that first interview way back when. Good luck haters...

 

Awesome story man and punctuated by the one and only Mr T.  I remember in grade school I think second grade they held a contest anyone who could make it across the monkey bars during this one recess you received a prize of a Mr. T Eraser I was afraid of heights and with my cerebral palsy had a lack of coordination that also presented a problem but with some help I made it across the monkey bars for the one and only time in my life and got the eraser 

8 minutes ago, Intellivision Master said:

 

Can't wait to see what some of these sports titles look like on the Amico.  Only really seen skiing so far, and I love the way that one looks.  I was a huge fan of the original Intellivision skiing title so I'm thrilled that skiing is coming as one of included games. 

Can't wait to see hockey, baseball, football and basketball.  Let's see some early game play Tommy!!

On 7/13/2020 at 11:01 AM, Intellivision Master said:

 

That was great!

On 7/13/2020 at 11:44 AM, Intellivision Master said:

 

Awesome idea!!

On 7/13/2020 at 11:45 AM, Zee said:

 

Good to see more people questioning all the hate around the Amico from certain youtubers.  People love to take a side and then let it get personal for whatever reason.  This is video games we're talking about not politics.  At the end of the day you just want to have some fun surrounded by people you like.  That's what I believe the Amico can provide. I like the fact this guy just throws his opinion out there, it's as valid as anyone else's and shows there's probably more of a market for Amico then others will want to admit.

So wait... you mean trashing a video game system before you've even had a chance to play it and don't even understand it, is not the norm?

On 7/13/2020 at 2:53 PM, GrudgeQ said:

As much as I find the Amico critical, I don't think it qualifies under the California new closure rules

 

Yep.  Yet another launch setback for Amico that is 100% out of our control. 

But no worries...  we have the "capital" to survive (something a pre-revenue company must ALWAYS be conscious of.  And as I've been mentioning since February, it just gives us even more time to make more amazing things for a later launch. 

Literally around 100 people are helping to make this decision with us.  Manufacturing, distributors and most importantly... retail!

We are still working our hardest to attempt 10/10... but it's not looking very good as more and more closures are happening.  We need around 50 compliance tests done by separate companies.  Most of which are completely backed up (no matter how much more money you offer) and some have now been shut down again.  It's brutal for manufacturing electronics right now... especially for the "little guys".

On 7/13/2020 at 6:52 PM, Bloodfire said:

Dakota County, Minnesota is open for business.  You can use my basement, work room, and I have great bandwidth  🙂

Hahaha!!  May need to take you up on that offer!  Can you make sandwiches for around 40 people every day?

On 7/13/2020 at 7:38 PM, Relicgamer said:

Wonder if the new office in salt lake city was opened due to this?

We have a division in Utah because they offer great incentives.  California is an extremely expensive place to hire and do business (high cost of living, high taxes, etc.) so having some of our other divisions in Utah makes a lot of sense.

Accounting & Customer Service is already there.  Lots more coming.  It's more like our Administrative branch.  The creative and development branch is mostly Orange County, CA based.

On 7/14/2020 at 7:27 AM, GrudgeQ said:

Unless some non Cali staff are out that way, Salt Lake is about 10+ hours drive out of LA so it isn't a practical main office replacement. I think it is mostly for the coming call/support center and was driven by the pro small business incentives of the state. Of course, all just my speculation and from what little Tommy has said about it.

Bingo!

Other Admin stuff as well.  And yes... Utah is very pro small business.  Really grateful for that.

On 7/14/2020 at 8:14 AM, Intellivision Master said:

Those are some good ideas Michael.

AWESOME stuff!!

23 hours ago, GrudgeQ said:

It is for merchandise purchasers who received a RFID "Golden Ticket" with their orders - they are automatically entered. You can also submit a manual entry but I think the window for those have closed.

Yeah.  The window of entry is currently closed.  If you purchased merchandise from our online store you were automatically entered.  You could have also entered (without purchase) but currently everything is closed and the drawing happens today.

The drawing is today at 3pm Pacific, 6pm Eastern.  The wait is almost over.  

21 hours ago, Relicgamer said:

Tommy have you guys reached out to the governor over all of this? My friend owns a company in Anaheim and hes frustrated.  

We're so focused on trying to get everything together in hopes to hit 10/10 that we just don't have the capacity.  I don't think it would make a difference unfortunately. 

17 hours ago, SuperJeremyWorld said:

Little bit of fun at a place called Sharkies.  

Hahahhaa!!   Yikes!

Here's one I did at Universal Studios about 30 years ago!

https://www.tallarico.com/gallery?lightbox=dataItem-jhjrvqmq1

1 minute ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

https://www.tallarico.com/gallery?lightbox=dataItem-jhjrvqmq1

Jaws ate Tommy, lol. 

10 minutes ago, Intellivision Master said:

The drawing is today at 3pm Pacific, 12pm Eastern.  The wait is almost over.  

phhhh, that's midnight over here...

So, I get the lucky notice delivered for breakfast.  

24 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

We have a division in Utah because they offer great incentives.  California is an extremely expensive place to hire and do business (high cost of living, high taxes, etc.) so having some of our other divisions in Utah makes a lot of sense.

 

Accounting & Customer Service is already there.  Lots more coming.  It's more like our Administrative branch.  The creative and development branch is mostly Orange County, CA based.

 

 

Just move over the whole business to your German office in Nuremberg.  

10 hours ago, Oldfool said:

Most haters do not understand the drive it takes to create and become a successful entrepreneur. People instilled with that drive generally have a powerful positive outlook combined with a talent to identify what inspires people. Their ability to create and transform ideas is one I value highly, as we advance much more quickly with innovation.
 

Tommy is creating a new revision of game entertainment to bring people together. If that is not a brand of gaming you are interested in, it is okay to not want it. To try to derail and destroy something that will really not affect your life, but would deny others pleasure by the same destruction, is rooted in a place of selfishness, ego, and even narcissism, where you believe your opinion carries much more weight and importance. 
 

Thank you Tommy for having the drive to create. I pray your perseverance is rewarded. 
 

I also hope the haters can find a positive project on which to focus their talents. I know their pursuit of happiness will have better success when they can fight for their passion instead of crusading against their dislikes.   

Greatest post so far this week!

It is pretty interesting that all of the things they "accuse" me of... they themselves do on a daily basis. 

Lie, misinform, delete comments, make fake accounts, talk trash, waste time, have inflated narcissistic egos, etc.  They look at success and project their own failures on to me.

But like you said... hopefully they can find a more productive and positive use of their time as opposed to giving something fuel for which they hate.

Your quote:  "I know their pursuit of happiness will have better success when they can fight for their passion instead of crusading against their dislikes." should be put on a poster or Hallmark Card for trolls.

I'm late to this discussion, but I'm really excited for this system. I just put one on pre-order. Looking forward to playing these games with my kids. 6 premium games included upon release. Thumbs up to that!

4 hours ago, Steven Pendleton said:

Sure enough:

 

ELIGIBILITY: The Sweepstakes is open to individuals who meet the following criteria: (a) are twenty-one (21) years of age or older as the date of entry, (b) legal residents of the United States (50 states and District of Columbia, but specifically excluding the territory of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, United States territories, possessions, and protectorates, foreign based United States military installations and wherever restricted or prohibited by law) (“Entrant” or “entrant”). Sponsor, each of its respective partners, advertising, promotion and public relations agencies and their respective officers, directors, employees, representatives and agencies (collectively, the "Sponsor Affiliates") are not eligible to participate in the Sweepstakes and/or win a Prize.

 

So... what about people who meet these requirements but don't live in the United States? Maybe there's something I missed, though.

I asked about this on this forum a couple weeks ago and @RxScram replied with this:

TLDR; My non-lawyer understanding is that if you bought a Golden Ticket, Intellivision will enter you into the sweepstakes unless prohibited by your local country.

---

I wasn't involved in the creation of the sweepstakes, but from my reading of the terms and conditions the U.S. portion of it seems mostly related to the non-Golden Ticket entry methods. (The U.S. requires sweepstakes like this to have entry methods that don't require the purchase of merchandise... such as the hand-written or emailed entry method described in the T&C.) Towards the bottom of the T&C, it has the following: "For those purchasing items or entering from outside of the Sweepstakes geography as defined above, Intellivision will make an effort to adhere to local laws but if local law prohibits participation in the Sweepstakes as defined in these Official Terms and Conditions, then Intellivision reserves the right to disqualify entrant from Sweepstakes."

I would hope they wouldn't send Golden Tickets to people they know weren't eligible for the contest.

8 minutes ago, Intymike said:

 

phhhh, that's midnight over here...

 

So, I get the lucky notice delivered for breakfast.  

 

I meant 6pm Eastern.  I was thinking 9am Pacific and 12pm Eastern.  I had to go back and change my post.

Hi.  Any chance there might be an updated version of Artillery Duel for the Amico?  I always loved playing that game.