Anyone watch that Intellivision Amico stream?

It is weird.

I only caught the last half of it. They're going for some weird combination of the Wii and the Ouya. The controllers look like extra chunky iPod Nanos. It costs $249, unless you want the Gamestop exclusive Galaxy Purple Limited Edition which is $299.

There are five pack-in games, including Cornhole, which is cornhole with motion controls.

They say they've been in discussion with Disney to make another Tron: Deadly Discs game.

The Amico logo reminds me of Moon: Remix RPG Adventure.

The "one more thing" finale was about 20 seconds of their new, exclusive Earthworm Jim game. It took about 10 seconds for Jim to say "pull my finger".

weird!

Yeah that whole thing is bizarre. Frank and I have been following it since its inception and I don‘t feel like they have much of an idea what they’re doing, especially with the numbers. If this were the mid-2000s people would be raking this thing over the coals, but instead nobody cares or has heard of it, ha ha.

I scrubbed through and saw they didn't put doug tennapel in their earthworm jim zoom call. they're gonna avoid showing him to skirt controversy while still having him work on it and voice the character, cool

So many things to say about the disaster that is this thing. I don‘t wanna be a jerk, but there are a lot of issues. I still can’t believe they are using renders of the console they want to launch within 12 months.

edit: oh I stand corrected. they showed the console after an hour. every developer that showed game footage before that was using a phone as a controller.

@shane#4130 yeah, there was this weird segment where Tommy Tallarico had what looked like a disassembled Amico on a table and then he threw a spring at the camera.

i definitely like the idea of there being more weird hardware out there. apparently they're selling "physical games" that just use RFID to redeem on the system? that's weird! but kinda cool! but i'm not even sold on price of new hardware that actually looks cool, like the Playdate or the Analogue Pocket. the Amico is launching at 2.5x the price of the Ouya, and $50 more than the Switch Lite.

i'm looking forward to reading the deep dive into whatever they're doing behind the scenes approx. one year from now (as well as the Atari VCS, which i definitely thought was the same thing as the Amico for a while)

For reference, here's the Intellivision Amico Special Event (August 5, 2020) 20,203 views

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Tzx2hBHI-U

I was kinda curious about it because of the ouya/homebrew vibes. But Tallarico has gives-off massive white-guy-with-no-clue-and-heaps-of-cash vibes that totally counteract that.

Watching the stream notes:

  • - Bruz I'm 50% bad language.
  • - Oh no, the camerawork.
  • - Aside: I should just invent my own console that's just a Raspberry Pi.
  • - I am a sucker for tank games, fuck.
  • - I wanna see how people are using the controller please.
  • - These cornhole boards are great.
  • - Nice Photoshopping team.
  • - Bruz 'spazzy' aint a good thing to say in an International video, fucking hell.
  • - Never trust a guy in a T-shirt and suit jacket.
  • - I thought that was Jeff Minter for a sec and got real excited.
  • - ...
  • - /me wonders if it's the developer singing the music in _Nitro Derby_.
  • - I feel like none of these people are actually trying to make something good?
  • - Who buys Euroshooters?
  • - Money-saving idea: ditch all the 1c LEDs
  • - Kinda telling the name for the console is 'male friend' tbh
  • @Blrb#4180 yeah, on the name it's also kind of weird/funny that they chose something that rhymes with Tallarico. THE INTELLIVISION AMICO, WITH TOMMY TALLARICO.

    that Nitro Derby game looked weird. is it still supposed to be a VR game? maybe the console is compatible with phone VR. weird!

    when they introduced a game as "rocket league meets asteroids" i immediately thought what? did someone clone VIDEOBALL?

    seems like the ideal version of what they're going for is just a nice-looking, more nostalgia-focused Nvidia Shield or just an Apple TV bundled with cheap controllers. seems like such a bad business call to launch a $250 console five months after the PS5 and Xbox, when last gen consoles will be sold at an all time low. I'm trying to imagine the family that would see the Amico next to a Switch on store shelves and choose the one that doesn't have Mario and Animal Crossing.

  • - somehow.
  • I don't know who sold them a which bill of goods, but there is zero market for this thing.

    I dunno who this is for either. Making games console exclusive is going to keep a lot of developers away, unless they are offering a boat load of money.

    They are offering a boat load of money - but the boat is for a mouse.

    Oh wait it just came to me who might be a target market for this: Very Religious American Families who want a console but don‘t want to worry about games that will “corrupt family values”. I think. I’m talking “not letting kids play pokemon or read Harry Potter” levels of religion. I don‘t think it’s explicitly stated but that‘s the kind of vibe I’m getting from these, especially the emphasis on family. But then…earthworm jim???

    >

    @zodiko#4185 that Nitro Derby game looked weird. is it still supposed to be a VR game? maybe the console is compatible with phone VR. weird!

    Yeah, the way the camera moves made me think that too.

    Maybe the audience is mid-life crisis game developers?

    @Blrb#4228 I heard a lot of “I'm remaking [Classic game] from my childhood” over and over. Which was a little concerning.

    @marlfuchs2#4226 i think you're onto something. This is from their website:

    >

    Amico comes with six premium, pre-loaded games, with additional games ranging from $2.99 - $9.99

    No bad language, graphic violence/blood or sexual content - every game on Amico is rated E for Everyone or E10+

    Gameplay adapts to your skill level

    No ads, downloadable content, loot boxes, or in-game purchases

    Extensive game library ranging from sports & recreation, educational & brain games, party games & retro classics, to your favorite table games — there’s truly something for everyone

    We have Nintendo at home.

    Nintendo at home. [picture of dusty Amico]

    Just FYI they literally asked us if we'd be willing to make (hushed tones) “christian games.”

    @exodus#4256 that could actually be cool. You could do a bible track and field game and throw in a few verses as win quotes.

    >

    “An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.” 2 Timothy 2:5 ESV

    or The Wisdom Tree Biblical Collection by Digital Eclipse (featuring Hellraiser)

    No swearing on my christian game console!

    This thing seems like slightly less of a scam than the Atari VCS but not by a whole lot. I really haven‘t seen anything about this thing that would make it more appealing to kids than, say, a Switch. I mean the thing is 250-300 dollars and I’m guessing that a lot of that is because of how badly overengineered those controllers are. They look expensive to make and horrible to use.

    It looks doomed and not in a particularly interesting way, just a vanity project for Tallarico more than anything.