Is the Amico dead?

[Rev]

12 minutes ago, mr_me said:

We know planned features, like online leaderboards, wasn't going to make release.  So less than 100% was expected.

How do we know that.  Is there a statement from Intellivision Entertainment?  

[MrBeefy]

100% means it is ready to go for release. You roll updates out after it is ready to go. That doesn't mean it isn't ever 100%. Also ignores the games not being complete. So even if you believe that about the OS it doesn't explain the games.

 

Even Alvarado mentioned not all the games were good to go. They didn't have enough of anything ready to update that console that ME Ign saw. I mean it was "all working" right? Pandemic ate their firmware updates that could be delivered by their backend that happened to also been eaten by the pandemic. I hope no one at Intellivision has a dog because then all the code they've done so far will probably be eaten by that. ?

 

It hasn't been ready to go and that's a fact and it isn't just parts.

 

Anyone know where I can buy oversized masks for my PC? Maybe I will buy a VCS try to get it sick so I can then have a brand new 2600.

 

Speaking of, guess Game Stop being out means Atari made it to retail and not Intellivision. Is there any puffery that they've managed to actually follow through on?

[MrBeefy]

1 hour ago, Rev said:

How do we know that.  Is there a statement from Intellivision Entertainment?  

No where did they say consoles would be released in Beta. It's an arguement to try and excuse them not having firmware and software done despite 5 delays.

 

[SoloZolo]

21 hours ago, phoenixdownita said:

[note that having to handle 2 SKUs instead of one adds some logistic issues of its own so the savings for them should offset all that as well, if you remember the unpacking video proudly shows the box mentioning 2 controllers ... I just don't see them physically taking out one controller from a 2 controllers packaging while applying stickers/whiteout over the packaging/literature to correct the "list of content"  in order to fulfil each purchase at the lower price point ... but maybe that's "the plan"]

Luckily, there's no reason to believe they're actually sitting on a stock pile of printed packaging materials. Just like the console itself, that box was clearly a one-off mock up, hence that nice dent in the cardboard that couldn't be swapped out.

[MrBeefy]

5 minutes ago, SoloZolo said:

Luckily, there's no reason to believe they're actually sitting on a stock pile of printed packaging materials. Just like the console itself, that box was clearly a one-off mock up, hence that nice dent in the cardboard that couldn't be swapped out.

I hope they aren't sitting on a huge pile of them. It would be embarrassing to send out that many boxes that can't spell their own company name correctly.

[Cebus Capucinis]

6 minutes ago, MrBeefy said:

I hope they are sitting on a huge pile of them. It would be hilarious to send out that many boxes that can't spell their own company name correctly.

FTFY

[roadrunner]

So how many Amico's are known to currently exist?


 

[Pink]

5 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

I hope they aren't sitting on a huge pile of them. It would be embarrassing to send out that many boxes that can't spell their own company name correctly.

It's also embarassing how reliant they are on photoshopped stock photos and stolen assets, even years after the Amico was initially announced... despite the 600+ years experience and all of the money & loans that they've raised. (And also don't forget that there's an old Atariage post from Tommy himself I linked to in a previous post of mine where he's bragging about Intellivision's impeccable quality control as well)

 

North America Pre-Orders — Intellivision Entertainment

Father Son Watching Sports On Tv Stock Photo (Edit Now) 610882967 (shutterstock.com)

 

Not to worry, I'm sure Mr_Me will have a perfectly reasonable explanation for all of this on behalf of Intellivision Entertainment.

Edited April 11, 2022 by Pink

[mr_me]

9 hours ago, Rev said:

How do we know that.  Is there a statement from Intellivision Entertainment?  

What is it that you want to know more about.  That online leaderboards is a planned feature or that it wasn't expected to make release.

 

8 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

...

Even Alvarado mentioned not all the games were good to go. They didn't have enough of anything ready to update that console that ME Ign saw. I mean it was "all working" right?  Pandemic ate their firmware updates that could be delivered by their backend that happened to also been eaten by the pandemic. I hope no one at Intellivision has a dog because then all the code they've done so far will probably be eaten by that. 

...

Updating firmware over the internet was seen working last summer.  The bug that IGN middle east saw was, at the time, a recent bug that could have been a result of firmware updates. 

 

The CTO said games were either ready or in gold master level bug testing.  That level means bugs, if any, aren't serious enough to block release.

 

6 hours ago, roadrunner said:

So how many Amico's are known to currently exist?

There should be dozens with developers.

Edited April 11, 2022 by mr_me

[SegaSnatcher]

7 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

I hope they aren't sitting on a huge pile of them. It would be embarrassing to send out that many boxes that can't spell their own company name correctly.

It was done on purpose as an easter egg!   Just like the reversed controls in the Finnigan Fox gameplay demo and the "borrowed assets" in Battletanks/Tank Battle.  

What easter eggs will we find next?    

[1980gamer]

I would think they gave the 80% complete for a few reasons.

 

1.  The cloud servers is most likely running on a local server.  This needs to be lifted to AWS or Azure etc. with multiple regions.  This takes $$.  But it is not a difficult task.  However a big one.

2.  Certainly planned features.  Most likely none are critical.  But nice to have.

3.  I hate this one, but see it ALL the time.  Hold back items to show progress to investors.  I cringe, but have seen this many times.

 

As far as software,  I don't know how much you can hold IE's feet to the fire?  They contract this work out.

Again, when they realized they would not be able to source components and launch date kept being pushed back.

They had to inform these entities of the  facts. 

A) We planned to pay X based on revenue from console and game sales.

B) The development firms could shift to projects that bring in revenue sooner.

 

Conversely, if development hardware was not available in a timely manner, they may have been delayed.

Or if the development tools had significant changes based on hardware redesign etc.  This would also cause delay.

 

The bottom line is, we do not know.

 

What is completely amazing is how many people that have no intention of buying or using this thing, have such passion for it.  love or hate.

 

I have actually played games on it.  It works, it work well.  The controllers are comfortable and responsive.

The games are fun.  This is a critical piece for me.  Otherwise, what is the point?

 

 

 

 

[MrBeefy]

1 hour ago, mr_me said:

Updating firmware over the internet was seen working last summer.  The bug that IGN middle east saw was, at the time, a recent bug that could have been a result of firmware updates. 

Show where there is evidence of it updating firmware online. 

 

Also they said that the ME IGN was running old firmware and didn't have the most up to date.

[MrBeefy]

2 hours ago, Pink said:

It's also embarassing how reliant they are on photoshopped stock photos and stolen assets, even years after the Amico was initially announced... despite the 600+ years experience and all of the money & loans that they've raised.

I am surprised that even the biggest fans ignore they literally stole assets for one of their first party games and accept it as "placeholders" despite them scrambling like cockroaches the day that video was released. It was probably the pandemic's fault.

 

How many times did they upload the same video changing the name? Battle Tanks, Battle Tanks, Tank Tank. I know at least 3 but I feel like it was 4. It was a total crap show. The CCO must really like cutting corners. Remember this was a first party title too.

[MrBeefy]

20 minutes ago, 1980gamer said:

I have actually played games on it.  It works, it work well.  The controllers are comfortable and responsive.

The games are fun.  This is a critical piece for me.  Otherwise, what is the point?

So do you think it's worth $350?

[youxia]

29 minutes ago, 1980gamer said:

As far as software,  I don't know how much you can hold IE's feet to the fire?  They contract this work out.

Again, when they realized they would not be able to source components and launch date kept being pushed back.

They had to inform these entities of the  facts. 

A) We planned to pay X based on revenue from console and game sales.

B) The development firms could shift to projects that bring in revenue sooner.

 

Conversely, if development hardware was not available in a timely manner, they may have been delayed.

Or if the development tools had significant changes based on hardware redesign etc.  This would also cause delay.

S'funny, coz this makes it sound like we're talking about big studios working on huge AAA projects. Meanwhile, somebody knocked out that Shark Shark parody in one day using just some cheap asset pack.

 

34 minutes ago, 1980gamer said:

What is completely amazing is how many people that have no intention of buying or using this thing, have such passion for it.

It's true that some of the "haters" really are deserving of this moniker (especially the reddit crew, some whom can be pretty nasty, and as obsessive as those they mock), but apart form that this is a redundant argument. I am interested and comment on many things which I might not necessarily be buying (atm), but which are part of a broader videogame landscape.

[mr_me]

33 minutes ago, MrBeefy said:

Show where there is evidence of it updating firmware online. 

 

Also they said that the ME IGN was running old firmware and didn't have the most up to date.

I mentioned this before, youtuber Artofmana witnessed a firmware update using his home internet, when they brought a prototype Amico to his home last summer. 

 

There might be conflicting statements, but it was also said that it was a recent bug, and videos by SmashJT shows the same function in the same game without that issue prior to that article.

 

23 minutes ago, MrBeefy said:

So do you think it's worth $350?

The more expensive special editions are currently $340.  They haven't priced the standard black and white editions, which are expected to be the bulk of their sales once they go to volume production.

Edited April 11, 2022 by mr_me

[SegaSnatcher]

16 minutes ago, youxia said:

It's true that some of the "haters" really are deserving of this moniker (especially the reddit crew, some whom can be pretty nasty, and as obsessive as those they mock), but apart form that this is a redundant argument. I am interested and comment on many things which I might not necessarily be buying (atm), but which are part of a broader videogame landscape.

Same, I'm interested in talking about all consoles, even the ones I might never buy.  I have no plans to buy the Playdate, but I still find it interesting enough to want to talk about.  

And let's be real, the whole Amico story is incredibly interesting, from it's inception to present day.   Someone could write a book about it and I would definitely buy it. So much can be learned from this project.  

Though, I would 100% try the Amico if I ever had a chance, but I don't expect kiosks happenning now and manufacturing is still up in the air. Who knows what if anything gets manufactured and released at this point. If it does it will probably be under 10K units produced which would make it a very rare item. 
 

Edited April 11, 2022 by SegaSnatcher

[atarifan88]

11 hours ago, 1980gamer said:

What percent complete to think Windows 10 is?

10 percent.   That's why it's called Windows 10! ?

[atarifan88]

9 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

Speaking of, guess Game Stop being out means Atari made it to retail and not Intellivision. Is there any puffery that they've managed to actually follow through on?

Did someone say "puffery?!"

[atarifan88]

58 minutes ago, MrBeefy said:

So do you think it's worth $350?

 

You start at a price point of $150 and end up at $350.  When is enough, enough?  This has gotten out of control, IMO and is the last straw for me.  At this point I'll be saving money buying a Switch...

Edited April 11, 2022 by atarifan88

[SegaSnatcher]

1 hour ago, mr_me said:

The more expensive special editions are currently $340.  They haven't priced the standard black and white editions, which are expected to be the bulk of their sales once they go to volume production.

Do you think it was a smart move to only sell the premium versions now?   Also, where do they plan on acquiring the funding to go into high volume production for the black and white editions?   The sales for the premium consoles won't be enough, especially not when they have to hand over $100 per unit sold. 

 

Edited April 11, 2022 by SegaSnatcher

[crade]

I found them a buyer.

 

[mr_me]

25 minutes ago, SegaSnatcher said:

Do you think it was a smart move to only sell the premium versions now?   Also, where do they plan on aquiring the funding to go into high volume production for the black and white editions?   The sales for the premium consoles won't be enough, especially not when they have to hand over $100 per unit sold. 

 

Amicos cost more than a hundred dollars per unit to manufacture, so the $100 is only part of it.  The board/director loans might be enough to fund a few thousand units.  They'll need many millions in short term credit to go to volume production.  The risk disclosure goes over it. 

 

Limiting high cost production and collecting at higher prices in the short term might be what they're thinking, if they're not doing the standard editions now.

Edited April 11, 2022 by mr_me

[ColecoGamer]

On 3/25/2022 at 7:57 PM, Rev said:

 

What in the world????    I thought the patent was all passed, I looked at it before. 

 

Would intellivision Entertainment been able to release the console WITHOUT having a US patent approved?

I believe they can, but not without being fined out the ass. This happened with Commodore and the Amiga CD32, if I remember correctly. I also believe they had all their US NTSC CD32s confiscated for trying to sell them here without US patent approval.

[Leonard Smith]

Then how do you explain all the electronics with "Patent Pending" stamped on their cases? 
As long as it's been filed and in process, then they should be ok barring any unforseen scenarios that others have brought up.