Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

1 hour ago, MASTER260 said:

Yeah, but it probably means that Intellivision will end up making less money than they spent, leading to layoffs, leading to the console's store going down, leading to the console becoming a brick.

 

That doesn't mean it won't necessarily have any good games.  The people who buy this when it comes out might have some fun playing some of the games with friends in their bedrooms.  I wanna buy one myself, but I don't really think it'll be a huge success honestly.  I'd be glad to be proven wrong, though.

1 hour ago, IntelliMission said:

@MASTER260 They only need 180K units sold to break even according to their CEO. So no, the console will not "become a brick".

Intellivision in targeting to launch with about 20 to 30 games (plus the 6 pack ins) on launch and will have a queue of games in development because they always have to be about a year ahead in development. So even if the Amico doesn't sell well, eStore sales are almost likely almost all revenue so it would make no business sense to close that right away. In a 'disaster scenario' you would finish up the games in the queue that were late in development in order to get them in the store. So worst case, you end up with a console that maybe has a game library of maybe 40 games. Great? No, but that isn't a terrible library if the games are good and they have replay value. Also unlike Stadia, you are not depending on revenue to keep the console or any major feature of the console running except the store (which again, could be run a relative dime and only generates profit as long as you are getting sales). Once the games are on your Amico you don't even need Internet access so they basically are playable until your Amico dies.

Getting even further into the weeds, Intellivision business model is structured way differently than most consoles. First they make money on each console sold. They don't do 'loss leader' pricing to sell the console at cost and only make it up on software sales. Not only does Intellivision have much better margins, they offer dramatically better retailer margins too (like $20 or $30 instead of $5). That means retailers get more money per inch of shelf space for the Amico. That is why people like Walmart, Best Buy & Game Stop (plus probably a few other majors 'to be announced soon') want to carry the product. Also Intellivision has flipped the eStore sales revenue model. On the downside Intellivision almost always pays to have the games made BUT what they pay to have those games made is in the low $100,000 range typically. In the gaming business world that is probably what Bethesda spends on the staff coffee machine refills for the development of Fallout 4. However the upside to Intellivision paying for game development is that they take the vast majority of eStore revenue. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo take about 30% from their stores. Intellivision will be taking 70%+ in their store. They turned 30/70 into better than 70/30. So lets say Intellivision only sells 100,000 units and they don't make their investment back. However when they release "Super Space Attack 2" for $8 on the store, it sell say 40,000 copies. It cost $100,000 to develop, sold 40,000 units at $8, Intellivision took 70% of that (actually on an unlicensed game it would be closer to 90+%) and they generate $224,000. That is more than enough to keep the eStore running and maybe even plunk $100,000 of that into "Super Space Attack 3" and continue to produce new games.

All of that 'margin talk' is why Intellivision only need to sell 180,000 units to break even and return the investor's investment. Quite frankly that is yet again a 'chump change' number in the video game market especially with major retail distribution. That is where a lot of people have no idea of the scale of just doing that. Just think if you put 10 Amicos in each Walmart Super Center, Best Buy & Game Stop for Christmas of 2021, that is over 100,000 units in the US alone. To even sell in Walmart you have to be able to meet their financial requirements and need a huge line of credit to finance the production & distribution. Just saying you are going to be on a Walmart shelf says a lot about your company if you think about the logistics behind getting a product made and into those stores.

12 hours ago, IMBerzerk said:

You got my vote for Best handle....and best avatar!!

 

Great album, brings back a lot of memories 

 

RIP The Professor!

 

Thanks, IMBerzerk!

Ya, such a shame about Neil.  He will be missed.

54 minutes ago, GrudgeQ said:

 

Intellivision in targeting to launch with about 20 to 30 games (plus the 6 pack ins) on launch and will have a queue of games in development because they always have to be about a year ahead in development. So even if the Amico doesn't sell well, eStore sales are almost likely almost all revenue so it would make no business sense to close that right away. In a 'disaster scenario' you would finish up the games in the queue that were late in development in order to get them in the store. So worst case, you end up with a console that maybe has a game library of maybe 40 games. Great? No, but that isn't a terrible library if the games are good and they have replay value. Also unlike Stadia, you are not depending on revenue to keep the console or any major feature of the console running except the store (which again, could be run a relative dime and only generates profit as long as you are getting sales). Once the games are on your Amico you don't even need Internet access so they basically are playable until your Amico dies.

 

Getting even further into the weeds, Intellivision business model is structured way differently than most consoles. First they make money on each console sold. They don't do 'loss leader' pricing to sell the console at cost and only make it up on software sales. Not only does Intellivision have much better margins, they offer dramatically better retailer margins too (like $20 or $30 instead of $5). That means retailers get more money per inch of shelf space for the Amico. That is why people like Walmart, Best Buy & Game Stop (plus probably a few other majors 'to be announced soon') want to carry the product. Also Intellivision has flipped the eStore sales revenue model. On the downside Intellivision almost always pays to have the games made BUT what they pay to have those games made is in the low $100,000 range typically. In the gaming business world that is probably what Bethesda spends on the staff coffee machine refills for the development of Fallout 4. However the upside to Intellivision paying for game development is that they take the vast majority of eStore revenue. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo take about 30% from their stores. Intellivision will be taking 70%+ in their store. They turned 30/70 into better than 70/30. So lets say Intellivision only sells 100,000 units and they don't make their investment back. However when they release "Super Space Attack 2" for $8 on the store, it sell say 40,000 copies. It cost $100,000 to develop, sold 40,000 units at $8, Intellivision took 70% of that (actually on an unlicensed game it would be closer to 90+%) and they generate $224,000. That is more than enough to keep the eStore running and maybe even plunk $100,000 of that into "Super Space Attack 3" and continue to produce new games.

 

All of that 'margin talk' is why Intellivision only need to sell 180,000 units to break even and return the investor's investment. Quite frankly that is yet again a 'chump change' number in the video game market especially with major retail distribution. That is where a lot of people have no idea of the scale of just doing that. Just think if you put 10 Amicos in each Walmart Super Center, Best Buy & Game Stop for Christmas of 2021, that is over 100,000 units in the US alone. To even sell in Walmart you have to be able to meet their financial requirements and need a huge line of credit to finance the production & distribution. Just saying you are going to be on a Walmart shelf says a lot about your company if you think about the logistics behind getting a product made and into those stores.

I meant it'll be a brick for people who buy it after it ends support if it fails.  Because it'll only work if you already downloaded your games.

11 hours ago, Nolagamer said:

@Tommy Tallarico. https://bloody-disgusting.com/video-games/3627389/throwback-action-game-demons-ate-neighbours-announced-pc-switch/

 

You gotta reach out to them for an amico exclusive version with expanded co op and more levels.  

 

Im been pushing for zombies ate my neighbors on amico forever . I iust ran into this.. This is close enough.    ill buy a physical copy 9f this. 

 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1372650/Demons_Ate_My_Neighbors/

 

its not expected  to release til Sept 2021.  @Tommy Tallarico you guys should try to.lock this up as an exclusive..  might not wanna use the initials though lol

 

 

 

I think this was gonna be published by the ToeJam & Earl peeps at one point, so maybe the connections to their company are still there?

15 minutes ago, MASTER260 said:

I meant it'll be a brick for people who buy it after it ends support if it fails.  Because it'll only work if you already downloaded your games.

That's what I fear if the games sold at retail require a download.

8 minutes ago, Battlefish said:

That's what I fear if the games sold at retail require a download.

Being a collector I don’t generally like digital or download only. I’ve made exceptions for the new Intellivision. Hope it’s a success!

14 minutes ago, Battlefish said:

I think this was gonna be published by the ToeJam & Earl peeps at one point, so maybe the connections to their company are still there?

@Tommy Tallarico should reach out . This would be a great exclusive .perfect Halloween  title.

Great interview Tommy.

13 hours ago, Nolagamer said:

@Tommy Tallarico. https://bloody-disgusting.com/video-games/3627389/throwback-action-game-demons-ate-neighbours-announced-pc-switch/

 

You gotta reach out to them for an amico exclusive version with expanded co op and more levels.  

 

Im been pushing for zombies ate my neighbors on amico forever . I iust ran into this.. This is close enough.    ill buy a physical copy 9f this. 

 

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1372650/Demons_Ate_My_Neighbors/

 

its not expected  to release til Sept 2021.  @Tommy Tallarico you guys should try to.lock this up as an exclusive..  might not wanna use the initials though lol

 

 

 

It's a cool looking game.  But considering it involves demons, Hell, and ilk, I don't think this will be appearing on the Amico given its family friendly nature.  Now, this on the Switch or another console, definitely I can see it happening.

1 hour ago, MASTER260 said:

I meant it'll be a brick for people who buy it after it ends support if it fails.  Because it'll only work if you already downloaded your games.

Well actually it won't because you always have the 6 (or maybe 7) games that are built in. Also since the estore will be the last thing to close you are basically only talking about sales off craigslist or something after it has left stores for a long time.

Even that assumes the machine isn't hacked and people side load stuff (which has happened on every discontinued console so far, so the chances are pretty good).

59 minutes ago, Hwlngmad said:

It's a cool looking game.  But considering it involves demons, Hell, and ilk, I don't think this will be appearing on the Amico given its family friendly nature.  Now, this on the Switch or another console, definitely I can see it happening.

None of that is un family friendly.  Its a family friendly  tounge and cheek  camp hortor game  taking nods from 50s 60s horror and monster movies. 

No graphic violence, sex or bad language or drugs.    Does include fun 2 player and single player.  Amico could bump that up to 4 to 8.   With co op  vs. Team vs.  Maybe expand the amount of levels they aim to have.  Possibly a few extra multiplayer modes . 

This game represents everything the amico is about. 

And i could picture some super cool  physical media for Halloween.  

Update @Tommy Tallarico looks like the developers planning to do a kickstarter in September  . Totally now is the time to snag them up. This seems like a game that will do great on amico but easily lost in the shuffle on the switch e shop and steam

48 minutes ago, GrudgeQ said:

Well actually it won't because you always have the 6 (or maybe 7) games that are built in. Also since the estore will be the last thing to close you are basically only talking about sales off craigslist or something after it has left stores for a long time.

 

Even that assumes the machine isn't hacked and people side load stuff (which has happened on every discontinued console so far, so the chances are pretty good).

This is confusing. Are you guys saying you steam the games and dont' download them to the hard drive? does that mean you have to rely on the internet to play the games?

4 hours ago, MASTER260 said:

The people who buy this when it comes out might have some fun playing some of the games with friends in their bedrooms.

I was hoping I could hook mine up in the family room. Is it possible to get a version that also works in the family room?

Oh wait a minute, I see what he did here. It was an extremely clever way to make me not want to buy the system. I’ll probably cancel my orders. 

@Oldfool You won the Internet today.

what is the best email address to use to send them an amazing amico TV commercial idea I have?  [email protected] ?

22 minutes ago, mtamborra said:

This is confusing. Are you guys saying you steam the games and dont' download them to the hard drive? does that mean you have to rely on the internet to play the games?

No once the games are downloaded they are yours to own 

51 minutes ago, mtamborra said:

This is confusing. Are you guys saying you steam the games and dont' download them to the hard drive? does that mean you have to rely on the internet to play the games?

Once a game is on the system you have it, no streaming, no store connection needed. The system comes with 6 (maybe 7) games pre-installed. So worst case you will always have those games no matter what. This means it isn't a brick, although I agree 6 games isn't much but that is the absolute minimum number of working game on each and every Amico. This would be if you bought an Amico used and the estore was closed down and nobody had ever purchased any games for it. If someone had already purchased more games, you would have those too. Again the eStore is where companies make easy money (and with Intellivision more than most) so the eStore would be the last part of Intellivision to close even if it is a retail flop. You do not need internet access to continue to play Amico purchased or pre-loaded games. However you do need Internet access to purchase new ones. So it is only adding games that you need the eStore to be up and be connected to the Internet.

Nice run on the Moon Patrol app:

https://youtu.be/wMw8qbnbl_c

I felt I had to buy the Evercade handheld gaming machine today.

This was mainly due to the fact that I searched through my entire game collection and I couldn't find a version of Earthworm jim for any platform.

I thought I owed it for the Sega Genesis but I guess not.

I know I never really played it and now I will be able to.

Looks like a fun little system and due to the fact I am really excited by what I saw of Earthworm Jim for the Amico,I knew I had to purchase it .Very easy decision for me,as I looked at Ebay securing an original copy of the game is kinda pricey. Gotta play the original Jim for a while!🤩👍

6 minutes ago, wolfy62 said:

I felt I had to buy the Evercade handheld gaming machine today.

This was mainly due to the fact that I searched through my entire game collection and I couldn't find a version of Earthworm jim for any platform.

I thought I owed it for the Sega Genesis but I guess not.

I know I never really played it and now I will be able to.

Looks like a fun little system and due to the fact I am really excited by what I saw of Earthworm Jim for the Amico,I knew I had to purchase it .Very easy decision for me,as I looked at Ebay securing an original copy of the game is kinda pricey. Gotta play the original Jim for a while!🤩👍

 

I was beginning to wonder if I’m the only one here who hasn’t played EWJ in some form.

The game came out during my console wilderness years (basically 1986 - 2001) so while I recognize the name, I’ve never owned the game or played it at someone’s house.

Obviously there’s tons of love for the game, so it will definitely be something I keep an eye out for on the Amico.

23 hours ago, RetroAdvisoryBoard said:

 

Just want to take a moment to highlight how this simple, introductory little game has a pretty decent amount of TLC put into something as seemingly old-hat as Moon Patrol.

 

First, you'd think it'd be a pretty non-starter to just press the fire button and blast your way through the level.  It isn't.  Your front cannon recoils, takes just about a second to reload, and the blast has a limited range.  Fire too soon and you lose your opportunity to destroy an obstacle.  Fine, just jump over it.  But if you weren't intending to jump, it's a split second reaction.  Oh and jumping an obstacle is 50 points rather than 100, so your high score run is probably moot.

 

Second, terrain alters your line of fire.  Hit a slightly elevated bump and you think you will take out an obstacle with your shot (or be on the downward slope of said terrain) and you may be shooting over that obstacle or into the soil just before it.. oops.  

 

Jumps have affect your fire when you land as your shocks absorb the impact and you realign, making it a little difficult to land that jump AND get the rock out of your way in that moment.

 

UFOs and flying enemies only have a brief fraction of a second when they align with your antiballistic turrets.. miss and you've spent your front cannon shot, making it that much more dangerous if you are taking too much focus on the ships firing at you.

 

Mines are discreetly placed (maniacally placed?) as you progress, lots of traps to memorize as you progress.. it's a challenge.  

 

More than a couple Checkpoints are just beyond difficult obstacle courses (UFOs+jumps+rocks+mines with changes in speed needed).

 

 

We've seen one level.. a brief taste of the game.. a power-up (maybe there are a lot of others, I've only made it to about Checkpoint S), a little variety in the waves of enemies, ramping difficulty, change-up in the music as you get later, some thoughtful level design and placement - gratifying power-through moments and cautious lots-coming-at-you sections.  I heard this was just another Moon Patrol clone of which there are several so no need for it.  I was told by a casual observing podcast host how this looks like garbage.  

 

I can't find all those "better looking" 'Moon Patrol' games in my App Store or cursory searches online.  There seems to be a good deal being put into this (before I even play VS mode, competitive challenges, or the Co-Op mode where friends control different functions of the rover, the in-between levels where you travel between moons).  This is a good little demo - something you don't see much of in games these days (free demos).. definitely a better game than other app versions of Moon Patrol I've trialed over the years.  This is a hefty Moon Patrol iteration, I'm excited to play it with buttons and see some of the tricks and surprises in store.  Well done.  

 

Great points. I was very pleased with this demo also. The level of detail of the graphics, physics, and sound is incredible. I specifically admired the little bounce in the shocks of the moon buggy that causes you to wait until the shock is absorbed enough before the front cannon is aiming straight up enough to blast a close object. This annoyed me yet I couldn't help but appreciate that level of quality. They didn't need to spend that time on the game, but they did and it was just a little reminder for the gamers that this is going to be a simple system with high quality. I wanna say keep the demos coming, but I also wanna be surprised 😆😎🤘

6 hours ago, MASTER260 said:

  7 hours ago, IntelliMission said:

In his new video about the Sega Saturn in Japan, Sega Lord X made a very interesting reflection about how video game fans are obsessed with sales figures compared to movie fans or music fans. This can be applied to the Amico: as we said a few pages ago, the console will still offer something new and fresh even if it doesn't sell more than 1M units.

6 hours ago, MASTER260 said:

Yeah, but it probably means that Intellivision will end up making less money than they spent, leading to layoffs, leading to the console's store going down, leading to the console becoming a brick.

 

That doesn't mean it won't necessarily have any good games.  The people who buy this when it comes out might have some fun playing some of the games with friends in their bedrooms.  I wanna buy one myself, but I don't really think it'll be a huge success honestly.  I'd be glad to be proven wrong, though.

Yea, except that Amico is not targeting “video game fans”, but rather gaming fans; totally different animals. 

6 hours ago, Alpha82 said:

 

1. A team that features just in the core group over 600 years of experience in the games industry from all different aspects of the business including high quality marketing people and while this does not guarantee success I would think it would be a positive aspect towards success.

Who left IE? Last I knew it was over 700 years. You’re only off by a century, but who’s counting 🤗

oh, and I agree with you about outselling the wii

Today, there are

1) greater number of families (Bigger potential market)
2) more expendable income (Covid aside)

3) $249 today is much cheaper than when the Wii sold 14 years ago 

4) $10 games

5) quality of the team (not disparaging current manufactures, but am saying I’d pick IE against any of them)
6) 2 controllers 

7) 6 pack-ins (officially - note what number this one happened to fall on though - Coincidence?)

8 ) Family friendly, safe space (more pertinent today then in the Wii days)

9) simple - turn on and play; no minutes to hours long updates, no dlc’s, no adds, no micro transactions, no loot boxes

10) share-ability

11) no time investment required to train (or relearn) a game

12) every new game supports single player - Wonder if original games will be updated to add AI...

13) every new game supports multiplayer

14) up to 8 players out of the box, no additional investment required (assuming tablets or phones already available)

15) Games that focus on FUN (imagine that, seems so simple)

16) and finally, while IE may not have the name recognition of Nintendo, we do have C-mart

Maybe I should have just led with number 16

5 hours ago, GrudgeQ said:

 

Intellivision in targeting to launch with about 20 to 30 games (plus the 6 pack ins) on launch and will have a queue of games in development because they always have to be about a year ahead in development. So even if the Amico doesn't sell well, eStore sales are almost likely almost all revenue so it would make no business sense to close that right away. In a 'disaster scenario' you would finish up the games in the queue that were late in development in order to get them in the store. So worst case, you end up with a console that maybe has a game library of maybe 40 games. Great? No, but that isn't a terrible library if the games are good and they have replay value. Also unlike Stadia, you are not depending on revenue to keep the console or any major feature of the console running except the store (which again, could be run a relative dime and only generates profit as long as you are getting sales). Once the games are on your Amico you don't even need Internet access so they basically are playable until your Amico dies.

 

Getting even further into the weeds, Intellivision business model is structured way differently than most consoles. First they make money on each console sold. They don't do 'loss leader' pricing to sell the console at cost and only make it up on software sales. Not only does Intellivision have much better margins, they offer dramatically better retailer margins too (like $20 or $30 instead of $5). That means retailers get more money per inch of shelf space for the Amico. That is why people like Walmart, Best Buy & Game Stop (plus probably a few other majors 'to be announced soon') want to carry the product. Also Intellivision has flipped the eStore sales revenue model. On the downside Intellivision almost always pays to have the games made BUT what they pay to have those games made is in the low $100,000 range typically. In the gaming business world that is probably what Bethesda spends on the staff coffee machine refills for the development of Fallout 4. However the upside to Intellivision paying for game development is that they take the vast majority of eStore revenue. Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo take about 30% from their stores. Intellivision will be taking 70%+ in their store. They turned 30/70 into better than 70/30. So lets say Intellivision only sells 100,000 units and they don't make their investment back. However when they release "Super Space Attack 2" for $8 on the store, it sell say 40,000 copies. It cost $100,000 to develop, sold 40,000 units at $8, Intellivision took 70% of that (actually on an unlicensed game it would be closer to 90+%) and they generate $224,000. That is more than enough to keep the eStore running and maybe even plunk $100,000 of that into "Super Space Attack 3" and continue to produce new games.

 

All of that 'margin talk' is why Intellivision only need to sell 180,000 units to break even and return the investor's investment. Quite frankly that is yet again a 'chump change' number in the video game market especially with major retail distribution. That is where a lot of people have no idea of the scale of just doing that. Just think if you put 10 Amicos in each Walmart Super Center, Best Buy & Game Stop for Christmas of 2021, that is over 100,000 units in the US alone. To even sell in Walmart you have to be able to meet their financial requirements and need a huge line of credit to finance the production & distribution. Just saying you are going to be on a Walmart shelf says a lot about your company if you think about the logistics behind getting a product made and into those stores.

Good points. I was just thinking about the massive losses Microsoft has made to squeeze their way into the market with Xbox. They are doing it again with gamepass ($5/mo for AAA exclusives and awesome indie games). I'm running with it for as long as I can for that price.

For the Amico - call me crazy... But I plan to putt my credit card on file in the eShop and buy every single game as it comes out. Complete collect. Why not? $10/game, 4 games/month, $40/month, 1 new game typically $20-$60/month.... Sounds good to me. Now call me bias, but how many other geeks would do this? This is such an easy investment for parents also. How does revenue look then? I think the Amico will be OK.