Intellivision Amico | Amico Home on mobile | Meet Mico!

Yep, after some time away, it's time to return and don the full Amico Defence Force (ADF) outfit. I'm wearing the badge and am ready to tackle everything "wrong" posted about the Amico .

I will present "facts" in a way that supports my viewpoint! And explain why your opinion is "wrong"! And not answer any questions! And lie! And ask GG to delete the "wrong" posts! And try to ban everyone who doesn't love the Wii U! "But, jawa, this is what you've always done anyway - for nine years now! etc"

"Okay... so..."

jawa_ wrote:The announcement might not be about the launch date; it could be a reveal of the final console, the physical game format and/or the range of launch games.

Boom! The reveal was about the first games and their format! Now there wasn't anything new or shocking about this, really - the games had been known about for many months and we knew that the physical package format was to include an RFID/NFT download.

rinks wrote:...For those who are wondering, some of the games are on sale RIGHT NOW! Physical editions!

There are two sets of four games. Each individual box contains:
A lenticular card.
A metal coin.
A card containing an RFID tag, that will prompt the Amico to download the game...

...No actual physical game. It's essentially a boxed download code...

ADF says... "TRUTH!". These physical game editions are for the hardcore Amico fans; folk who want to have boxes on their shelves with a few wee trinkets in them. The boxes are surprisingly dinky and I like the look of the lenticular cards and the coins.

rinks wrote:...Of course, the Amico isn't on sale yet. And there's still no release date...

ADF says... "TRUTH!". At this point Intellivision are aiming for Q1 2022. It's disappointing for fans, but the impacts from COVID on sourcing electical components and booking shipping space is affecting all gaming companies, let alone the relatively smaller ones.

rinks wrote:...The game four-packs only cost $79.99 each, or $149.99 for all eight games. Remember, Amico game downloads are going to be priced at $10 or less, so you're paying at least double the amount for a download card in a box...

ADF says... "TRUTH!"... although there is another angle to this. No-one has to buy these editions and one can choose to just buy the download versions when they become available at launch. At launch, it's expected that the download versions will be around £10 and the physical (RFID/NFT) boxed versions around £17. Folk can just go digital if they don't want the box and trinkets versions.

Rex Kramer wrote:The opportunity to buy non-existent video games for a console you can't buy. Wowzers, I can see folks queuing out the door for that.

Sounds like Tommy's got bills to pay.

ADF says... "TRUTH!"...although, again, it needs some perspective. These physical versions are for the hardcore followers of Amico; you buy the bundles direct from Intellivision and they are limited (for the eight games, 50k copies in total). It's only the fans who have been following the Amico story for years who will be interested and the numbers reflect that. And... "Truth!" - Intellivision does have bills to pay! They're a small company whose product has been delayed for eighteen months; they probably do need income.

Victor Mildew wrote:...I saw a picture the other day of all the people shilling for them on youtube, and every single one of them was some random middle aged overweight bald bloke with a beard

ADF says... "TRUTH!", although with a wry smile. The core Amico followers, right now, are older gamers; they have played games since the 1970s/1980s, played on Atari or Intellivision and are aged 40+. I myself fit the description in terms of age, baldness and beardness!

Everyone wrote:...NFTs! ...it's a scam... it's an underpowered phone!... it's not coming out!...

ADF says... "Hold on!". Let's go through these points:

> NFTs are certainly a hot topic and, of course, there are totally valid concerns about the eco aspects. It's an interesting idea for games as it does raise possibilities in terms of your purchase (you'll own the game rather than "licensing" it like most other modern consoles) and the ability to sell it on. We'll have to see how this pans out.

> A scam? Maybe. It's a business just like any other and, of course, it needs income. But I wouldn't say it's a scam as you can pre-order the console and cancel any time you wish to. If it doesn't come out, you haven't lost anything. Now, if you bought the physical games (or Intellivision tshirts and bags!) and the company folds than, yeah, you'll lose out. But, really, nobody - and certainly the vast bulk of the market - will be losing out bar the company investors.

> Underpowered phone? Well... kind of. The console does have a low-powered mobile processor. It will run fairly basic games. It probably won't be for gamers who prefer higher tech. It does hurt that the launch has been delayed - probably by two years since the original plans - as that processor looks even weaker. But... for the games shown, it's no huge deal.

> It's not coming out? It's a possibility, of course. The extended delay must be hurting Intellivision. I guess it comes down to whether the investors can sustain things in the meantime. I hope they can!

Everyone wrote:...jawa, I'm not reading all that!... But you're wrong!... this is a scam and you should admit it!

ADF says... "Uhm...".

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Just in case you hadn't known, I cancelled my Amico pre-order back in July because cash (and then recently splurged out on the Switch OLED ). I doubt I'll get the system unless (a) I'm back in work soon, or (b) it's a big success and I get one in the future. But, hey, I like the ideas and enthusiasm behind the Amico and I want it to do well. We'll see. I'll try and pop back into the thread if I feel there is an opportunity for me to wear my ADF gear.

Jawa_ you marvellous bastard

I had already said this to Jawa but I will say it here as I think its an interesting point.

You know if the Amico games were selling these games that are out before the console singular not just in bundles id be temped to buy the weirdest one I thought would sell the least and put it sealed in a cupboard and forget it exists as it could be a really interesting bit of game collecting / game trivia particularly if the console itself goes tits up or anything weird happens.

I do wonder how many of these will go, not to Amico fans, but to 'disaster capitalist' style collectors who are hoping to make a buck on the console not arriving and these becoming a rare novelty down the line.

ADF says... "Yes!".

Even were the console not to appear - which I think is unlikely - these games (or, rather, packaging and trinkets) would probably be highly collectible in the videogame world; imagine a situation where games appeared for a console that doesn't exist!

These initial 50k game boxes also have "collectors edition" printed on them; nothing particularly flash and I would have liked something a little more elaborate, but it will only add to their collectibility for the more hardcore fans.

If I had the dough I would have ordered them... but, alas, I shall be a mere admirer rather than an owner.

jawa_ wrote:> Underpowered phone? Well... kind of. The console does have a low-powered mobile processor. It will run fairly basic games. It probably won't be for gamers who prefer higher tech. It does hurt that the launch has been delayed - probably by two years since the original plans - as that processor looks even weaker. But... for the games shown, it's no huge deal.

If it's only going to be comparable to a years-old mobile phone in terms of processor power, and therefore only capable of running basic mobile games, why would anyone be shelling out £250+ for the experience? Why shell out for any specialist kit all? Why not just play mobile games on, y'know...your mobile?

Your support for the platform is admirable (if ultimately empty as you aren't actually supporting it with your wallet), but it feels like this thing just has no appeal to the market that it thinks exists. It's bizarre.

Preezy wrote:If it's only going to be comparable to a years-old mobile phone in terms of processor power, and therefore only capable of running basic mobile games, why would anyone be shelling out £250+ for the experience? Why shell out for any specialist kit all? Why not just play mobile games on, y'know...your mobile?...

ADF says... "woah! Hold on there, Preezy!".

Amico is a TV-based console focussed on local multiplay; much like the Wii. When someone plays on their mobile, it's generally a solitary activity; other people in the room aren't joining in. The games for the Amico - again, in general - are not mobile games but designed around the unique controllers. The system isn't a technical powerhouse... but then again, neither is the Switch. I am not gonna speak for other folk but, in my personal experience, I find mobile games to generally be pretty ropey with the focus on making continual payments. Amico will not have additional payment systems (loot boxes or other gambling mechanisms).

Preezy wrote:...it feels like this thing just has no appeal to the market that it thinks exists. It's bizarre.

ADF says... "hey! Hang on again, dude!".

I think the key issue for folk in GR is that the console does not appeal to them. And that's fine! Generally - and, for clarity, I'm not saying everyone! - the people here are heavy (maybe even hardcore) gamers who are like a degree of power in their tech and who want to experience the latest, cutting edge titles. We're not sitting with the family playing multiplayer titles (again, I'm not saying never... just generally!) on the main TV; we're playing God of War Ragnorak II on PS5, Forza Horizon 8+ on Xbox X or maybe Fire Emblem Four Houses on Switch - by ourselves. Which is absolutely fine, of course, but let's take a step back. Would your partner / mum / dad / sister / cousin / nan join you in playing those? For a few folk, maybe yes. But, generally, those folk wouldn't; they want to play a simple game that's quick to pick up and fun. Something on the Wii... or Amico. Simple and intuitive controllers and fun multiplayer games.

I'm not trying to say this is gonna appeal to everyone. To many gamers it won't... at all! But Intellivision are looking at a potentially bigger market; we think of, say, Switch as being a huge success for selling 80m consoles but, really, that's not many in the big scheme of things. Games should be more popular! There should be more options; hardcore systems are not the mainstream option. Amico will have more hardcore games such as Night Stalker... but also kid-friendly stuff like Care Bears and Sesame Street.

I've said this many times but - once more! - it's absolutely fine to not like the Amico and to think it will fail. It's perhaps more likely to fail than to be a huge success. But just imagine... what could happen if enough people think about the possibilities? It'd be an incredibly dull and disappointing world if we all followed a completely logical and unadventurous path with things. You have to take risks bring about change and I feel that is what Intellivision are doing. It may not work out. But you gotta try if you want things to happen.

Is nobody else paying the 150 dollars for the 8 empty boxes then?

After being unable to play Finnigan Fox, the game I am next most excited to be unable to play with my friends and family will be Missile Command!

Abacus wrote:...the game I am next most excited to be unable to play with my friends and family will be Missile Command!

ADF says... "Yes! Missile Command is looking good!".

This video is a little old (March 2020) but it explains how the controllers are used in the game and then shows some multiplayer action.

jawa_ wrote:> NFTs are certainly a hot topic and, of course, there are totally valid concerns about the eco aspects. It's an interesting idea for games as it does raise possibilities in terms of your purchase (you'll own the game rather than "licensing" it like most other modern consoles) and the ability to sell it on. We'll have to see how this pans out.

NFTs will do nothing to change the current way you buy a licence for a game rather than own it. If you truly owned, the game, you'd also have the right to copy and redistribute that game if you wanted to. I can guarantee there will still be licenses attached to this software. Never mind that NFTs don't actually mean anything anyway in terms of ownership. They're a naff little certificate that says that you're definitely the owner of whatever digital file resides at a particular url. If the server that url directs to ever gets switched off, or wiped, or anything like that, you have a certificate stating you're the owner of a 404 error.

They're a scam, designed by people who looked at the benefit of digital media being infinitely replicable, decided that was bad actually because it isn't good for profit, and attempted to invent a way to create scarcity of digital items.

Knoyleo wrote:NFTs will do nothing to change the current way you buy a licence for a game rather than own it. If you truly owned, the game, you'd also have the right to copy and redistribute that game if you wanted to. I can guarantee there will still be licenses attached to this software. Never mind that NFTs don't actually mean anything anyway in terms of ownership. They're a naff little certificate that says that you're definitely the owner of whatever digital file resides at a particular url. If the server that url directs to ever gets switched off, or wiped, or anything like that, you have a certificate stating you're the owner of a 404 error.

They're a scam, designed by people who looked at the benefit of digital media being infinitely replicable, decided that was bad actually because it isn't good for profit, and attempted to invent a way to create scarcity of digital items.

ADF says... "Truth!". NFTs do seem to be a bit obscure in terms of ownership. I'm not sure that it's worse than the current "licensing" approach of most console digital games though; right now a publisher can withdraw that license whenever they feel like it (subject to individual country law) whereas at least the NFT approach grants (very slightly) more protection in that it's valid as long as the NFT ownership record is accessible.

I'm not personally a big fan of the NFT approach but I don't feel it's a worse offering than the current general licensing approach... bar the green/eco concerns.

Incidentally, Eurogamer recently published a great investigative article on how digital gaming can cause climate impact - I'm currently reading through it and it's worth a look.

Moon Patrol is (or was at the time) using star fox 64 text as placeholder, instead of Loren ipsum.

jawa_ wrote:I think the key issue for folk in GR is that the console does not appeal to them. And that's fine! Generally - and, for clarity, I'm not saying everyone! - the people here are heavy (maybe even hardcore) gamers who are like a degree of power in their tech and who want to experience the latest, cutting edge titles. We're not sitting with the family playing multiplayer titles (again, I'm not saying never... just generally!) on the main TV; we're playing God of War Ragnorak II on PS5, Forza Horizon 8+ on Xbox X or maybe Fire Emblem Four Houses on Switch - by ourselves. Which is absolutely fine, of course, but let's take a step back. Would your partner / mum / dad / sister / cousin / nan join you in playing those? For a few folk, maybe yes. But, generally, those folk wouldn't; they want to play a simple game that's quick to pick up and fun. Something on the Wii... or Amico. Simple and intuitive controllers and fun multiplayer games.

I'm not trying to say this is gonna appeal to everyone. To many gamers it won't... at all! But Intellivision are looking at a potentially bigger market; we think of, say, Switch as being a huge success for selling 80m consoles but, really, that's not many in the big scheme of things. Games should be more popular! There should be more options; hardcore systems are not the mainstream option. Amico will have more hardcore games such as Night Stalker... but also kid-friendly stuff like Care Bears and Sesame Street.

I've said this many times but - once more! - it's absolutely fine to not like the Amico and to think it will fail. It's perhaps more likely to fail than to be a huge success. But just imagine... what could happen if enough people think about the possibilities? It'd be an incredibly dull and disappointing world if we all followed a completely logical and unadventurous path with things. You have to take risks bring about change and I feel that is what Intellivision are doing. It may not work out. But you gotta try if you want things to happen.

I think most of us are aware that different experiences cater to different people, I just don't get how the Amico comes close to doing that when those people you mention are generally happy enough with mobile games. If they are tempted by a dedicated gaming machine then a Switch is about as natural a successor to the Wii and DS as Nintendo could have wished for. You only have to see four years worth of "lifestyle" Switch ads to see the importance Nintendo places on trying to win over that audience. Simply, how can this thing can be simultaneously aimed at people and families looking for a casual gaming experience and more or less only fronted by a fanbase that is mostly interested in a nostalgia trip to their childhoods of the 70s and 80s?

It's also absolutely true that the barrier to entry for videogames needs to be lowered and that there should be greater importance placed on cheaper gaming alternatives to what is offered by Microsoft, Sony, Nintendo, and large publishers. Again, I have no idea how the Amico priced at 90% of the cost of a Switch (now 95%) can be considered to do this or, if it somehow does becomes a miraculous success story, how it will have actually widened the options available or really done anything adventurous within the gaming industry.

I do think that there is a gap in the market for a Budget console with cheap games , I would love to see someone like Nintendo or Microsoft make a console thats sort of Wii power level with cheap games with the machine being like £80 and the games £15 or less.

I remember the Master system being a lot like this at one point the budget machine of choice

At this point that gap in the market has arguably just been covered by the main last gen consoles and games getting discounted or sold second hand once the newer system is out. Although I suppose that's changed recently with older consoles still receiving much more longer term cross gen support than happened a decade ago.

The actual casual gap in the market is probably something like a dedicated Android hub type thing that is sold for cheap and makes use of everyone owning a smartphone to connect to it. A big Jackbox Party Pack type thing that's bought by families for the Christmas period.

kerr9000 wrote:I do think that there is a gap in the market for a Budget console with cheap games , I would love to see someone like Nintendo or Microsoft make a console thats sort of Wii power level with cheap games with the machine being like £80 and the games £15 or less...

I tend to agree, kerr; although here in GRcade many of us folk will sometimes splash out three or four hundred quid on a games console and then pay out fifty quid for games, there is huge range of people that would - probably quite understandably - gasp at such expenditure on gaming. For market area, I suspect that the Amico is probably a bit too expensive at £250 (even though it comes with two controllers) but it hits a home run with the game pricing.

kerr9000 wrote:...I remember the Master system being a lot like this at one point the budget machine of choice

That's an interesting thought; the MS launched at £99.95 - and was regarded as being an affordable console - but that's equivalent to roughly £300 today. The games were quite expensive, too, with most being £19.95; approximately £60 today. But... yes, it was pretty popular (in UK, Europe and South America) as the console was seen as a cheaper entry into console gaming. In later years when the Mega Drive had arrived, the MS still remained popular for a few years as a "budget" console.

Cuttooth wrote:At this point that gap in the market has arguably just been covered by the main last gen consoles and games getting discounted or sold second hand once the newer system is out...

I do agree that many younger and casual gamers probably do use the older consoles and take advantage of the cheaper pricing. I still feel that this is looking at a small sector of the potential gaming audience, though; if we stand back and look at the people that currently aren't playing games, there is a huge potential market for the company that issues the right product. At the risk of repeating old points made way earlier in this thread - and tying in with kerr's point above - I feel that there is a chance for a cheaper console with cheaper games and accessible controllers; it may not be the Amico that cracks this bigger market, but there is a chance for someone.

Cuttooth wrote:...The actual casual gap in the market is probably something like a dedicated Android hub type thing that is sold for cheap and makes use of everyone owning a smartphone to connect to it. A big Jackbox Party Pack type thing that's bought by families for the Christmas period.

Exactly my thinking... and the Amico isn't a million miles away from this in having a mobile processor, the capability for existing smartphones to connect and use as controllers (with joystick and button screen attachments if preferred), and a few family-type multiplayer titles to get people playing together around the TV. It may not be the system to open up this potential but I feel that the gaming market can become way bigger than at present.

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Oh, and just to say... although in the past I was kinda waving Amico banners and was eager to talk about the console, I won't be replying to every thought that folk share here about Amico. I feel that some people think I'm on a mission to "protect" the Amico; so, just to confirm, the "Defence Force" stuff is only in jest and I know that, probably, no-one has, or is, going to change their mind about the console. That's all perfectly fine, of course. I did want to respond to the two posts above as they posed good questions that made me think about the system and the wider gaming market.

It's interesting that Amico game downloads use NFT tech... and now both Ubisoft and EA have announced that this approach will be a big part of gaming in the future.

Of course, this tech probably needs a thread of its own rather than here in the Amico one; but it's intriguing that the Amico may be the first home gaming system to utilise the approach.

Thread title needs updating

jawa_ wrote:It's interesting that Amico game downloads use NFT tech... and now both Ubisoft and EA have announced that this approach will be a big part of gaming in the future.

NFTs are a strawberry floating plague.