Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

13 hours ago, Swami said:

I hear a lot about how the Amico is too close in price to the Switch and I've been wondering how they made a console with a detachable portable screen that has an introductory price of $300. There is the obvious: less power than PS4 and XBox One. However, I think most of it is cutbacks and low quality control. I only bring this up because dismissive gamers insist on saying the Switch is competing with the Amico.

Switch is competing with Amico only as far both are videogames. Their respective markets are quite different.

13 hours ago, Swami said:

Gamers are needing to replace or fix their joycon after a few months of use. I don't remember the last controller this was true about. I have 15 year old dual shocks and Wii controllers that work perfectly and 90's gamepads that work perfectly. The early 80s I guess. Next  there are frequent complaints on forums of the screen getting scratched up after only a couple of months. People are told they should have a screen protector because the screen is mid-quality plastic. People often respond that the screen was warped when they got it, so they could not get a screen protector to fit, sometimes when buying two in a row. They are then told they should use a flexible screen protector, but couldn't this have been included at the point of sale because people may not think about it since how many game consoles have you had to buy a screen protector for?

hhmmpf.. Low cost materials. They only have to look good long enough for "reviewers" or paid megaphones to broadcast whatever it is they're broadcasting.

13 hours ago, Swami said:

In addition, the little half-controller joycons dismissers insist are individual controllers are the tiniest controller in forever and the worst controller ergonomically in 40 years.

Smaller = cheaper. Ergonomics is a dying art in today's disposable world. Why waste hundreds of hours making it 10% more comfortable, when 90% for 10 or 20 hours will do the job "long enough"?

13 hours ago, Swami said:

Did Nintendo know the controllers would go bad or the screen would scratch easily or the plastic would warp.

Course they did. They spec'd the cheapest materials possible, didn't they? It'd be just as easy to use a scratch resistant Sapphire polymer screen, but it might cost 8 bucks more. And the customer would absolutely not stand for it. Be a lost sale to competitors with cheaper products - where the complaining about cheap shit can start all over again!

13 hours ago, Swami said:

They would have if they did good quality control and they could have fixed the issues, but it probably would have raised the price $30. Then there is the frequent hacking of the system's online accounts and games and the poor e-shop quality control. Hacking has led to children being exposed to pornography online in games like Mario Odyssey.  I haven't bought a Switch due to these issues. They could have run a tighter ship so they could have made a quality system to match their AAA games, but it would have probably raised the price to $350 and likely figured it would sell on the strength of game reputation, so, no. I wonder how they can drop the price of the console $100 for the Switch Lite without further compromise, since it will contain the vast majority of the Switch's capabilities.

It's a cheap toy, don't expect surgical quality construction and support. Not even automotive grade materials or related parts network support, and all that.

10 minutes ago, RREDDWARFF said:

Also, I could see a physical release of this game having an exclusive Hotwheels car with a chip inside to scan and play the game vs just a card you scan. Heck, just pack the game (car) on a Hotwheels card/package instead of a standard box. How funny would that be. 

Awesome idea. Limited edition RFID car!

29 minutes ago, RREDDWARFF said:

Perhaps the Amico team will reach out to these guys to film the games intro. What a great way to get people pumped to play the game. I'm willing to bet it would help sell a few Hotwheels too.

 

Also, I could see a physical release of this game having an exclusive Hotwheels car with a chip inside to scan and play the game vs just a card you scan. Heck, just pack the game (car) on a Hotwheels card/package instead of a standard box. How funny would that be. 

That would be pretty cool. 

I'd like to see some 60's cars in the Nitro Racing game as well.

12 hours ago, Juice said:

This event was not kid friendly that's all I'm gonna say, it was like a documentary your parents would force you to sit through, I only found one kid reaction and he was not pleased. Will kids be calling their friends saying hey did you see that live Amico event on YouTube? Can we admit this was geared towards an older generation?

That is a good observation. I can see that this was more of a mature presentation to excite the parents and to impress them, which gets them to choose this for their kids instead of the kid just choosing the next big name system. This is probably because couch co-op is dead and parents probably want their kids to play together in the same room more than the kids do. Also it would be harder for a non-gamer parent to be introduced to playing games with the kids than the other way around.

yeah im hoping they do something along these lines with the hot wheel license and not something like just slapping the hotwheel license on an existing product like sideswipers.

2 hours ago, nightmonkeyii said:

Agreed. Its a very busy screen, especially multiplayer

I agree that missile command looks very  very busy and  in the updated astrosmash demo, things seemed very large, almost too big for the screen , but I’m sure when I play both games I will change my mind. I liked the look of the  original astrosmash demo better. But again , I have not played either of these games so I will trust that the developers will get it right !

I would love see to hand and foot cards games

Although I still think Amico is too similar to Amiibo. They should’ve went with my name: The Tommyvision 5000Z. Now that’s a console name!

1 hour ago, Steven Pendleton said:

So I never got a confirmation email for the controller, but it appears that others did. Did anyone else not get this?

I think i’m the only one who mentioned that I got a confirmation email.  it was a joke, the jk in the message was meant to let people know i was kidding.

I don't understand why so many people don't understand the Amico. 

The very idea of it seems to be rubbing a portion of the gaming industry and gaming public the wrong way.  Are modern gamers who isolate themselves for hours to play harboring some kind of guilt about it?  If not, what's with the defensive and irrational reaction by so many to a simple system that people MUST be in the same room to play against (or cooperatively with) one another?   The Amico is not your Mom telling you to take off the headphones and come down for dinner, it's not your wife standing in the doorway waiting for you to finish your game and take care of the kids, it's not your fat, depressed dog who hasn't been exercised in a week because you have a level to beat.  It's just a console, stop projecting!

The people who write about the gaming industry appear to think it's current state is the only possible way it will ever be, and challenging that notion confuses them.   'Baffling' in the title, CNET? Seriously?  Then, a questioning subtitle implying the public at large will be as puzzled as the 'experts'?  Really?  With the team Tommy has assembled, the international game developers on board, the worldwide distribution network, exclusive editions for different retailers, not to mention controllers with a form factor never seen before...I think the word you are looking for is 'unprecedented'. 

The CNET article title, subtitle, AND those critical lead in paragraphs were all loaded with negativity and derision.  He calls it a 'Bizarro' console.  The controller is described as a 'weird, knock-off iPod'.  'Bizarro and Weird' put in the reader's mind that the controller is hard to understand, and 'knock off' implies...cheap.  Any attempt at a compliment has a caveat-'the controllers look interesting IF you're a lover of paddle games'...huh? The caption under the Earthworm Jim rendering asks if anyone even remembers the first 3.  He says the Amico 'supports 8 player multiplayer, if you buy more controllers', which is a flat-out lie.  No mention of the smartphone app that allows your phone to be a controller?  The smartphone-as-controller thing is HUGE.  Massive.  Never done before, groundbreaking, and this guy not only doesn't mention it, but implies you need to spend more money to use this with more than 2 people-one of the major selling points.  Pathetic.  Deliberately misleading or unprofessionally lazy?  Base on the tone of the article, I'm picking the former.

Sure, he talks about the games, but includes little digs all the way through.  Calling it bean-bag toss, not Cornhole, like it's a little kids game.  No mention of the reasons for the 2021 delay, no mention of the experience level of the Amico team, no mention of the international developers and sales teams, no mention of retailer exclusives, no mention of the number of consoles that have already been pre-ordered.  Just the 'Coolier Than Thou' tone of the hardcore gamer, with a bit of implied eye-roll in the direction of these clowns who think there is a market for...whatever it is they are trying to do.  Insular is the word that keeps coming to mind.  Did the Wii even exist to these people?  The idea that the market is being fully served is absurd. 

If my coworker, who knows little about the Amico (but is casually interested, he's 40, played video games all his life and has 2 kids in early teen years) found that CNET article, I am quite certain he'd lose interest.  That article was absolutely a hit piece-consciously or not-and fits exactly what I said at the beginning:  The Amico triggers some personal response in 'gamers' that makes them immediately, irrationally defensive.  

OK that's my rant.  I'll be back the next time something pisses me off.

TT, can we challenge you to add a game like Bard’s Tale/Wizardry/Wasteland, something that would be an RPG-style game with 2-4 co-op players, each character could have stats and abilities on the controller, and playable by the group from start to finish in a couple of hours?

8 minutes ago, supahwally said:

The people who write about the gaming industry appear to think it's current state is the only possible way it will ever be, and challenging that notion confuses them.   'Baffling' in the title, CNET? Seriously?  Then, a questioning subtitle implying the public at large will be as puzzled as the 'experts'?  Really?  With the team Tommy has assembled, the international game developers on board, the worldwide distribution network, exclusive editions for different retailers, not to mention controllers with a form factor never seen before...I think the word you are looking for is 'unprecedented'. 

 

The CNET article title, subtitle, AND those critical lead in paragraphs were all loaded with negativity and derision.  He calls it a 'Bizarro' console.  The controller is described as a 'weird, knock-off iPod'.  'Bizarro and Weird' put in the reader's mind that the controller is hard to understand, and 'knock off' implies...cheap.  Any attempt at a compliment has a caveat-'the controllers look interesting IF you're a lover of paddle games'...huh? The caption under the Earthworm Jim rendering asks if anyone even remembers the first 3.  He says the Amico 'supports 8 player multiplayer, if you buy more controllers', which is a flat-out lie.  No mention of the smartphone app that allows your phone to be a controller?  The smartphone-as-controller thing is HUGE.  Massive.  Never done before, groundbreaking, and this guy not only doesn't mention it, but implies you need to spend more money to use this with more than 2 people-one of the major selling points.  Pathetic.  Deliberately misleading or unprofessionally lazy?  Base on the tone of the article, I'm picking the former.

 

Sure, he talks about the games, but includes little digs all the way through.  Calling it bean-bag toss, not Cornhole, like it's a little kids game.  No mention of the reasons for the 2021 delay, no mention of the experience level of the Amico team, no mention of the international developers and sales teams, no mention of retailer exclusives, no mention of the number of consoles that have already been pre-ordered.  Just the 'Coolier Than Thou' tone of the hardcore gamer, with a bit of implied eye-roll in the direction of these clowns who think there is a market for...whatever it is they are trying to do.  Insular is the word that keeps coming to mind.  Did the Wii even exist to these people?  The idea that the market is being fully served is absurd. 

 

If my coworker, who knows little about the Amico (but is casually interested, he's 40, played video games all his life and has 2 kids in early teen years) found that CNET article, I am quite certain he'd lose interest.  That article was absolutely a hit piece-consciously or not-and fits exactly what I said at the beginning:  The Amico triggers some personal response in 'gamers' that makes them immediately, irrationally defensive.  

 

Nailed it. This is exactly how I felt when reading the article. Author either is lazy, or writing a hit piece, and neither is acceptable if there was such a thing as professionalism in their arena. 

A small run of limited edition hotwheels cars, that don't contain the game, but instead can be added to the garage that cannot be acquired any other way. These would be pretty special cars.

this would be a great way of getting kids to buy a amico, knowing it works in the game, like a amiibo. I dont think this crosses the line of micro transactions.

Next Level Gaming interview with Tommy

34 minutes ago, supahwally said:

I don't understand why so many people don't understand the Amico. 

 

The very idea of it seems to be rubbing a portion of the gaming industry and gaming public the wrong way.  Are modern gamers who isolate themselves for hours to play harboring some kind of guilt about it?  If not, what's with the defensive and irrational reaction by so many to a simple system that people MUST be in the same room to play against (or cooperatively with) one another?   The Amico is not your Mom telling you to take off the headphones and come down for dinner, it's not your wife standing in the doorway waiting for you to finish your game and take care of the kids, it's not your fat, depressed dog who hasn't been exercised in a week because you have a level to beat.  It's just a console, stop projecting!

 

The people who write about the gaming industry appear to think it's current state is the only possible way it will ever be, and challenging that notion confuses them.   'Baffling' in the title, CNET? Seriously?  Then, a questioning subtitle implying the public at large will be as puzzled as the 'experts'?  Really?  With the team Tommy has assembled, the international game developers on board, the worldwide distribution network, exclusive editions for different retailers, not to mention controllers with a form factor never seen before...I think the word you are looking for is 'unprecedented'. 

 

The CNET article title, subtitle, AND those critical lead in paragraphs were all loaded with negativity and derision.  He calls it a 'Bizarro' console.  The controller is described as a 'weird, knock-off iPod'.  'Bizarro and Weird' put in the reader's mind that the controller is hard to understand, and 'knock off' implies...cheap.  Any attempt at a compliment has a caveat-'the controllers look interesting IF you're a lover of paddle games'...huh? The caption under the Earthworm Jim rendering asks if anyone even remembers the first 3.  He says the Amico 'supports 8 player multiplayer, if you buy more controllers', which is a flat-out lie.  No mention of the smartphone app that allows your phone to be a controller?  The smartphone-as-controller thing is HUGE.  Massive.  Never done before, groundbreaking, and this guy not only doesn't mention it, but implies you need to spend more money to use this with more than 2 people-one of the major selling points.  Pathetic.  Deliberately misleading or unprofessionally lazy?  Base on the tone of the article, I'm picking the former.

 

Sure, he talks about the games, but includes little digs all the way through.  Calling it bean-bag toss, not Cornhole, like it's a little kids game.  No mention of the reasons for the 2021 delay, no mention of the experience level of the Amico team, no mention of the international developers and sales teams, no mention of retailer exclusives, no mention of the number of consoles that have already been pre-ordered.  Just the 'Coolier Than Thou' tone of the hardcore gamer, with a bit of implied eye-roll in the direction of these clowns who think there is a market for...whatever it is they are trying to do.  Insular is the word that keeps coming to mind.  Did the Wii even exist to these people?  The idea that the market is being fully served is absurd. 

 

If my coworker, who knows little about the Amico (but is casually interested, he's 40, played video games all his life and has 2 kids in early teen years) found that CNET article, I am quite certain he'd lose interest.  That article was absolutely a hit piece-consciously or not-and fits exactly what I said at the beginning:  The Amico triggers some personal response in 'gamers' that makes them immediately, irrationally defensive.  

 

OK that's my rant.  I'll be back the next time something pisses me off.

 

 

I think the reality is that a lot (I mean, really, A LOT!) of people simply aren’t going to get the Amico until they’ve played it or see it being played. That would have been a huge benefit to a live E3 this year.

I’ve been thinking about the video from Tuesday. It didn’t do a whole lot for my excitement level. I understand it wasn’t specifically geared toward me. But as someone with two pre-orders in, I wondered why I wasn’t more stoked with all the game footage. 

I realized that part of it was the reality that 10/10/20 wasn’t going to happen. Having family in California and following pandemic news there, I wasn’t surprised by a release delay, but I had kind of expected February 2021 for release... not April. (I love Christmas, but for me it’s too soon to be excited for it yet, let alone something in April of next year.)

For me, that was a downer over the rest of the video, although I respect Tommy for telling everyone at the top of the video instead of waiting until the end. 

But digging deeper into my “Meh” about seeing the games (and this, finally!, kind of gets to why I’m replying) is that I didn’t get to see people playing the games together.

Everyone remember the video of four people playing the car game some weeks back? That’s the moment where things can click for people... actually seeing people interact as a group with the games... laughing, trash talking, working together, battling against each other, etc. 

Obviously those videos are hard to make these days when you can't get together in groups. But when there are finally more of those videos (and I would hope there will be) I’d like to believe more people/journalists will better understand the Amico. A roadshow to key journalists/media outlets probably wouldn’t hurt, either. 

Doesn’t mean they’ll all like it, but maybe the talking points can be based off of hands-on experience.

2 hours ago, supahwally said:

I don't understand why so many people don't understand the Amico. 

 

The very idea of it seems to be rubbing a portion of the gaming industry and gaming public the wrong way.  Are modern gamers who isolate themselves for hours to play harboring some kind of guilt about it?  If not, what's with the defensive and irrational reaction by so many to a simple system that people MUST be in the same room to play against (or cooperatively with) one another?   The Amico is not your Mom telling you to take off the headphones and come down for dinner, it's not your wife standing in the doorway waiting for you to finish your game and take care of the kids, it's not your fat, depressed dog who hasn't been exercised in a week because you have a level to beat.  It's just a console, stop projecting!

 

The people who write about the gaming industry appear to think it's current state is the only possible way it will ever be, and challenging that notion confuses them.   'Baffling' in the title, CNET? Seriously?  Then, a questioning subtitle implying the public at large will be as puzzled as the 'experts'?  Really?  With the team Tommy has assembled, the international game developers on board, the worldwide distribution network, exclusive editions for different retailers, not to mention controllers with a form factor never seen before...I think the word you are looking for is 'unprecedented'. 

 

The CNET article title, subtitle, AND those critical lead in paragraphs were all loaded with negativity and derision.  He calls it a 'Bizarro' console.  The controller is described as a 'weird, knock-off iPod'.  'Bizarro and Weird' put in the reader's mind that the controller is hard to understand, and 'knock off' implies...cheap.  Any attempt at a compliment has a caveat-'the controllers look interesting IF you're a lover of paddle games'...huh? The caption under the Earthworm Jim rendering asks if anyone even remembers the first 3.  He says the Amico 'supports 8 player multiplayer, if you buy more controllers', which is a flat-out lie.  No mention of the smartphone app that allows your phone to be a controller?  The smartphone-as-controller thing is HUGE.  Massive.  Never done before, groundbreaking, and this guy not only doesn't mention it, but implies you need to spend more money to use this with more than 2 people-one of the major selling points.  Pathetic.  Deliberately misleading or unprofessionally lazy?  Base on the tone of the article, I'm picking the former.

 

Sure, he talks about the games, but includes little digs all the way through.  Calling it bean-bag toss, not Cornhole, like it's a little kids game.  No mention of the reasons for the 2021 delay, no mention of the experience level of the Amico team, no mention of the international developers and sales teams, no mention of retailer exclusives, no mention of the number of consoles that have already been pre-ordered.  Just the 'Coolier Than Thou' tone of the hardcore gamer, with a bit of implied eye-roll in the direction of these clowns who think there is a market for...whatever it is they are trying to do.  Insular is the word that keeps coming to mind.  Did the Wii even exist to these people?  The idea that the market is being fully served is absurd. 

 

If my coworker, who knows little about the Amico (but is casually interested, he's 40, played video games all his life and has 2 kids in early teen years) found that CNET article, I am quite certain he'd lose interest.  That article was absolutely a hit piece-consciously or not-and fits exactly what I said at the beginning:  The Amico triggers some personal response in 'gamers' that makes them immediately, irrationally defensive.  

 

OK that's my rant.  I'll be back the next time something pisses me off.

 

 

We've been here before. Screw the Wii??? It's starts out about shortages, but a couple of people really hate this console and waggle business.

3 hours ago, Keatah said:

Switch is competing with Amico only as far both are videogames. Their respective markets are quite different.

 

hhmmpf.. Low cost materials. They only have to look good long enough for "reviewers" or paid megaphones to broadcast whatever it is they're broadcasting.

 

Smaller = cheaper. Ergonomics is a dying art in today's disposable world. Why waste hundreds of hours making it 10% more comfortable, when 90% for 10 or 20 hours will do the job "long enough"?

 

Course they did. They spec'd the cheapest materials possible, didn't they? It'd be just as easy to use a scratch resistant Sapphire polymer screen, but it might cost 8 bucks more. And the customer would absolutely not stand for it. Be a lost sale to competitors with cheaper products - where the complaining about cheap shit can start all over again!

 

It's a cheap toy, don't expect surgical quality construction and support. Not even automotive grade materials or related parts network support, and all that.

 

The glass on the Amico controller (I tried to get Amicontroller or Amicon to catch on early on, but failed 😟) is polycarbonate, so it will not shatter (was something about Gorilla Glass mentioned?), but I would push for screen protectors to be included or at least prominently recommended with instructions.

15 hours ago, Juice said:

but this is good feedback from people out of the amico bubble.

I dont think they are running the company/project based on the feedback on AtariAge, they have done a lot of focus group testing with non gamers and “out-of-the-bubble” persons for sure, but I wouldn’t worry  so much about IE getting enough “good feedback”, if you don’t like the system maybe it’s not for you, but for  me the presentation wasn’t a disappointment at all (a part from the expected confirmation of a delayed launch date). I was happy to hear several new games in the casual/kids category, especially the “Incan gold” game, can’t wait to play that with my kids. 

5 hours ago, Swami said:

The glass on the Amico controller (I tried to get Amicontroller or Amicon to catch on early on, but failed 😟) is polycarbonate, so it will not shatter (was something about Gorilla Glass mentioned?), but I would push for screen protectors to be included or at least prominently recommended with instructions.

The Amico controller touchscreen is acrylic.  Acrylic is stronger than glass but not as strong as polycarbonate.  Acrylic is more scratch resistant than polycarbonate and imperfections can even be polished away.

7 hours ago, nightmonkeyii said:

A small run of limited edition hotwheels cars, that don't contain the game, but instead can be added to the garage that cannot be acquired any other way. These would be pretty special cars.

this would be a great way of getting kids to buy a amico, knowing it works in the game, like a amiibo. I dont think this crosses the line of micro transactions.

Nooo....I already have a small army of cars...all...over...the...place. This would just encourage my kid to acquire more cars...🤣 Jk.  Actually it would be really cool to have something like that. But he does have a lot of Hot Wheels. 

4 hours ago, theswede said:

I dont think they are running the company/project based on the feedback on AtariAge, they have done a lot of focus group testing with non gamers and “out-of-the-bubble” persons for sure, but I wouldn’t worry  so much about IE getting enough “good feedback”, if you don’t like the system maybe it’s not for you, but for  me the presentation wasn’t a disappointment at all (a part from the expected confirmation of a delayed launch date). I was happy to hear several new games in the casual/kids category, especially the “Incan gold” game, can’t wait to play that with my kids. 

I hope eventually we can get a board game like Clue because thanks to the screen your check list could be on the controller this system has so much potential thanks to that unique controller design.

on a separate note I’m really looking forward to the monthly q&a video series and the up coming controller spotlight. 
 

Man I had a question I wanted to ask but totally blanked on it. Even though I don’t have children as someone who spent several years working at a state licensed daycare I was happy to see the partnership with Sesame Street Workshop and I hope other educational properties will join suit I remember the kids getting really excited for educational time when we would use things like a Muppet themed educational game on the computer.  Tommy any plans for maybe some Sesame Street themed interactive story book type games?

38 minutes ago, Alpha82 said:

I hope eventually we can get a board game like Clue because thanks to the screen your check list could be on the controller this system has so much potential thanks to that unique controller design.

Clue and Game of Life were two titles in the Hasbro Family Game Night release for the Wii that my daughters played over and over again. And they even got their grandmother to play with them.

Well lease intellivison amico had event but AtariVcs they not show any event.  That one for intellivison amico and AtariVcs zero who winner now score is 1_0 

11 hours ago, Keatah said:

Switch is competing with Amico only as far both are videogames. Their respective markets are quite different.

 

hhmmpf.. Low cost materials. They only have to look good long enough for "reviewers" or paid megaphones to broadcast whatever it is they're broadcasting.

 

Smaller = cheaper. Ergonomics is a dying art in today's disposable world. Why waste hundreds of hours making it 10% more comfortable, when 90% for 10 or 20 hours will do the job "long enough"?

 

Course they did. They spec'd the cheapest materials possible, didn't they? It'd be just as easy to use a scratch resistant Sapphire polymer screen, but it might cost 8 bucks more. And the customer would absolutely not stand for it. Be a lost sale to competitors with cheaper products - where the complaining about cheap shit can start all over again!

 

It's a cheap toy, don't expect surgical quality construction and support. Not even automotive grade materials or related parts network support, and all that.

 

It was the Analogue Pocket with Gorilla Glass (although I am meh on FPGA). Mr me says the amico screen is acrylic (lucite). I thought Tommy was holding the screen in the special event and said it was polycarbonate, but maybe he was holding something else. I have to rewatch the video, I guess.