Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

7 hours ago, IntelliMission said:

As a sci fi fan, a few months ago I decided I should finally give Battlestar Galactica a try, at least in one of its forms.

 

<snip>

just echoing @Relicgamer, I really liked the series (even as it got weirder towards the end) and the first episode of the first season ("33") is one of the greatest episodes of television sci-fi ever written.

what were the religious motivations of the original series creator?  I don't recall anything about that...

31 minutes ago, Starpaddler said:

Wow Tommy, you are going all out on this Amico scam thing.  Cool read, thanks. 

Think of all of the actors he had to hire to pretend to be developers, the former head of Spectrum Holobyte or a famous Japanese game designer (how do even find impersonators for people like that?!?). Plus when the real J Allard finds out he is going to be pissed! When Aprils fools day rolls around in 2021 I think "Tommy" is going to finally rip that fake mask off (well after he rips off the Spider-man mask first) and reveals himself to be Pat. Then he will finally be right - it was just all a scam.

And by Pat of course I mean:

6 minutes ago, GrudgeQ said:

Think of all of the actors he had to hire to pretend to be developers, the former head of Spectrum Holobyte or a famous Japanese game designer (how do even find impersonators for people like that?!?). Plus when the real J Allard finds out he is going to be pissed! When Aprils fools day rolls around in 2021 I think "Tommy" is going to finally rip that fake mask off (well after he rips off the Spider-man mask first) and reveals himself to be Pat. Then he will finally be right - it was just all a scam.

 

And by Pat of course I mean:

And he’d ‘have gotten away with it, if it wasn't for those pesky kids”

11 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

For the Hardware & Controller design video... what would you be interested in hearing about?

It's not something that the intended target consumer for the thing is interested in, most likely, so I don't suppose you'd be doing a complete teardown on camera, would you? That's what I'd like to see. Reassembly optional, of course, and if you are feeling too lazy to reassemble it, just send it to me and I'll do it for you!

Also, again, not something that most people who will buy this thing will care about, but since you're talking about the internals, I'd like to have some more detailed specs for both console and controller since the only thing that we have right now is

Also the results of matte vs glossy for woodgrain. Perhaps also a demonstration of the interactive lighting and how some of the existing games use it. Also, what ever happened to the controller you exploded? Did that get sent out already?

2 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

The Chrillcast guys just sent this Twitter poll to me and were delighted to see Amico holding it's own against the PS5 and even beating the Switch and Xbox. 

Small account, and not drinking the Kool-Aid, but interesting and fun none-the-less.

 

If you have Twitter... VOTE AMICO!!!

 

 

 

 

Looks like you guys are in the lead

13 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

QUESTION FOR EVERYONE HERE!!!

 

For the Hardware & Controller design video... what would you be interested in hearing about?

 

Please feel free to give me a list of questions and I'll try to make sure we answer them all.

 

 

I think it's important to show how the controller makes gameplay possible that cannot be done using other controllers, since the controller is the killer app for the console.

7 hours ago, D Train said:

just echoing @Relicgamer, I really liked the series (even as it got weirder towards the end) and the first episode of the first season ("33") is one of the greatest episodes of television sci-fi ever written.

 

what were the religious motivations of the original series creator?  I don't recall anything about that...

As I said in my original message, I loved the looks, music and characters of the original series, but I noticed there was a bit of an obsession for religious themes. So I googled it and it looks like the creator was a Mormon and the series is full of religious elements.

And honestly, scary as it is, it all works quite well and it's pretty entertaining.

Hears a question Tommy. Is there any chance of a shovel knight for the Amico???

6 hours ago, Swami said:

I think it's important to show how the controller makes gameplay possible that cannot be done using other controllers, since the controller is the killer app for the console.

I agree with this, also I'd like to know what choice was made for the console -- matte or glossy. 

To build on this, what is it about the controller that will differentiate it as far as ease of use for a variety of people? In the special event there were people of all ages playing. What are some unique aspects of the controller that can be shown that covers this? 

20 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

QUESTION FOR EVERYONE HERE!!!

 

For the Hardware & Controller design video... what would you be interested in hearing about?

 

Please feel free to give me a list of questions and I'll try to make sure we answer them all.

On the controller end of things, I would like to see some highlights on what makes it different/better than the original Intellivision controller for those of us who are familiar with it.  Also show us some different ways we would use/hold the controller based on the type of game we are playing.  Thanks Tommy!

5 hours ago, IntelliMission said:

As I said in my original message, I loved the looks, music and characters of the original series, but I noticed there was a bit of an obsession for religious themes. So I googled it and it looks like the creator was a Mormon and the series is full of religious elements.

 

And honestly, scary as it is, it all works quite well and it's pretty entertaining.

Crazy never knew that about the creator.  Makes more sense to me now.  

It probably been asked but I'm going to ask anyway.  On the controller there is a usb c port. Is there any plans for addons to the controller? Like a accessory of some sort. Can added storage be connected to the port? Or a camera for some new experience? 

35 minutes ago, Relicgamer said:

It probably been asked but I'm going to ask anyway.  On the controller there is a usb c port. Is there any plans for addons to the controller? Like a accessory of some sort. Can added storage be connected to the port? Or a camera for some new experience? 

It's gotta be for this. Connect it to the port, drop the controller in the back, and we’re ready to roll.

While I’m sure the Amico controller will be better than a traditional game controller for typing in stuff like passwords, nothing beats a full-size keyboard, especially for those of us in the 50+ crowd. This will be the biggest selling point when the Amico is featured in the AARP magazine. (Look for the article next to that ad with the happy seniors holding a cell phone with massive buttons on it.)

And for those of us who grew up with early computer gaming, everyone knows keyboard control is the most efficient way play.

All pre-orders come with a dozen blank tapes to install loads of games. 

1 hour ago, Relicgamer said:

It probably been asked but I'm going to ask anyway.  On the controller there is a usb c port. Is there any plans for addons to the controller? Like a accessory of some sort. Can added storage be connected to the port? Or a camera for some new experience? 

The controller USB-C port is for charging only. No data connectivity.

20 hours ago, IntelliMission said:

As a sci fi fan, a few months ago I decided I should finally give Battlestar Galactica a try, at least in one of its forms.

 

I usually like the original more than the reboots and I don't think the comic books are the correct way to enjoy this, so I googled both TV series to know what all the fuzz was about.

 

The only recommendations I had was 1) some nerd co-worker who was a fan of the reboot more than 10 years ago and 2) what I read here about the original series.

 

So I decided to download freaking everything and try to watch and here's what I found:

 

- The reboot is so boring and soulless I couldn't even finish an episode

- The original, while a bit scary when you think about the religious motivations of the series creator, had awesome actors and scripts and an catchy musical tune. The effects don't look too bad for the 70s and a young version of Face from the A-Team is there! The VGA version of Roger Wilco is clearly inspired by that guy.

I would recommend to watch the Battlestar Galactica 2003 reboot mini-series.

In my opinion, it was considerably better then anything they produced once they got picked up and started producing the show as a series.

11 hours ago, Swami said:

I think it's important to show how the controller makes gameplay possible that cannot be done using other controllers, since the controller is the killer app for the console.

I definitely agree. The more information pictures videos the better.

4 hours ago, Jake67 said:

nd for those of us who grew up with early computer gaming, everyone knows keyboard control is the most efficient way play.

 

All pre-orders come with a dozen blank tapes to install loads of games. 

ahh the sweet sound how I missed you, nothing like having to listen to this for 30 minutes to load and play a 48k game

On 9/16/2020 at 11:34 AM, Tommy Tallarico said:

 

Don't worry!  I went though this same thing when working on the Sonic the Hedgehog series.  Didn't like the 3D route it took... and neither did most fans.

Ours will play much more like the original than that 3D version.  Like you're seeing with Missile Command & Moon Patrol.

A classically styled Yars' sounds awesome, but I really liked the "reboot" too. Any chance that "Yar's Revenge" could be revisited at a later time? Maybe as a remastered version, or even a sequel, if people actually want that?

Huge honor for Intellivision to be nominated and a finalist for "Best Consumer Technology Innovation" Award at the 2020 High Tech Awards this year!

1 minute ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Huge honor for Intellivision to be nominated and a finalist for "Best Consumer Technology Innovation" Award at the 2020 High Tech Awards this year!

 

You now need to refer to Amico as "The award winning Intellivision Amico" in the future.

17 hours ago, Starpaddler said:

And he’d ‘have gotten away with it, if it wasn't for those pesky kids”

4 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Huge honor for Intellivision to be nominated and a finalist for "Best Consumer Technology Innovation" Award at the 2020 High Tech Awards this year!

 

Is that a sick-ass GTO Red Amico I spot on the right side?

5 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Huge honor for Intellivision to be nominated and a finalist for "Best Consumer Technology Innovation" Award at the 2020 High Tech Awards this year!

 

This is awesome Tommy.  Also, I see a red Amico, is this the GTO Red?

Just now, Battlefish said:

Is that a sick-ass GTO Red Amico I spot on the right side?

Huh?  I'm not sure... I didn't notice anything.

😋

1 minute ago, Battlefish said:

Is that a sick-ass GTO Red Amico I spot on the right side?

@Tommy Tallarico I think it's time for an update! LOL!