Intellivision Amico’s trademark changed to ‘abandoned’

[Hwlngmad]

12 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

It was totally intended to be retro. The problem with getting investors you start to give them say in it. I'm sure they wanted it to reach a broader audience.

 

There is really nothing about it that stands out as being more family oriented than other consoles.

 

My wife laughed the other day when I called our Switch the porn machine. She said that was a totally dumb statement, and she's yet to see any of that on the Switch. ?

 

When she told me to buy a Switch it was currently at $220. After the latest price hike I started with, "So you remember how the Amico was $250?" Before I could tell about the recent hikes, she was like, "OMG when did it become $250, you better not have put a pre-order in!" She then thought the new pricing was dumb obviously.

 

Yeah, that is feeling that I get too, but we have been told otherwise numerous times now.  Either way, I just feel that this was always going to be a niche product a la ColectorVision Phoenix, ZX Spectrum Next, and/or Playdate.  Why something along the lines for those machines wasn't done is a bit of a head scratcher for me.  But, then again, one only needs to look at what Atari has attempted with the VCS and it is not too big to wonder much after that.

[Hwlngmad]

21 hours ago, number6 said:

@thread

 

To those who mentioned Evercade, keep in mind they have partnered with the successful RetroGames Ltd. company and have already

officially announced TheC64 collection, along with hints about further releases.

While there may be an argument that older s/w packages tend to have fewer titles that hold up in today's world, the notion of thousands of finished titles that may appear over time certainly has sparked interest.

About 5 minutes in if you're curious, but the entire interview is informative

 

Apologies for this being somewhat off-topic, but watching the competition is never a bad idea.

 

Re:the hints

Source for above

 

#6

Blaze Entertainment is positively on a role with the Evercade.  It is coming out with some many different cart collections I might just finally have to give in and get one along with some carts.

[MrBeefy]

2 hours ago, atarifan88 said:

I'm surprised this is still a topic that gets talked about.  With no news or updates, speculation is just going to go in circles about what this was going to be or could be.  In the end all the speculation in the world doesn't mean a hill of beans.  I'm just glad I never invested in it and still play by the same rules, if it isn't a physical product, don't put any money down on it or you set yourself up for getting screwed.  If there is one good thing that came out of the Amico is it taught me the best modern console for me is a Switch!  The games are fun and not too expensive...

This is why Amico was going to struggle at $200+. If you want Amico style games they are littered on the eshop, but you also will have bigger games as options which Amico won't have.

 

That is the funniest thing about people defending the price. They would ignore that Amico styled games are all over the Switch and are often cheaper than $9.99. Also people might not like it but Switch came with two controllers too. The original ads flaunted the idea of portability and playing with your friends. Did everyone forget playing of the rooftop?

 

As far as games go I always thought this list is funny. Amico Similar Game List

 

30 minutes ago, Hwlngmad said:

I will say I do remember the sharing of the possible design concepts for the Amico.  Man, if people had issues with what they ultimately went with, the other ones were very much woof for me.  Design wise, not that we were really discussing that or anything, but I don't think it is bad like some people want to make it out to be.

I agree that some of the other ones were just bad. I don't dislike the footbath design. The controllers were the worst part of the design.

[number6]

58 minutes ago, mr_me said:

What is this all about?  The company said Prism was one of the names they were considering before settling on Amico.

I left one off the list earlier. "Intellivision Spark". 

And since the direct quote from Tommy was "I can tell you a few that were on "a list"", there were obviously more than Amico, Prism, Quest, and Spark.

 

#6

[Hwlngmad]

12 minutes ago, MrBeefy said:

This is why Amico was going to struggle at $200+. If you want Amico style games they are littered on the eshop, but you also will have bigger games as options which Amico won't have.

 

That is the funniest thing about people defending the price. They would ignore that Amico styled games are all over the Switch and are often cheaper than $9.99. Also people might not like it but Switch came with two controllers too. The original ads flaunted the idea of portability and playing with your friends. Did everyone forget playing of the rooftop?

 

As far as games go I always thought this list is funny. Amico Similar Game List

Yep.  The Switch really has pretty much any gaming aspect covered.  I have told my son many times that if I were a kid his age again I would have a Switch as the ability to switch (see what I did there) between being a home console and a handheld is so (relatively) easy.

[MrBeefy]

4 minutes ago, Hwlngmad said:

Yep.  The Switch really has pretty much any gaming aspect covered.  I have told my son many times that if I were a kid his age again I would have a Switch as the ability to switch (see what I did there) between being a home console and a handheld is so (relatively) easy.

Yeah I love ther versatility. I can still play if kid or wife have the TV etc. 

[crade]

3 minutes ago, Hwlngmad said:

Yep.  The Switch really has pretty much any gaming aspect covered.  I have told my son many times that if I were a kid his age again I would have a Switch as the ability to switch (see what I did there) between being a home console and a handheld is so (relatively) easy.

I'm looking forward to the steamdeck myself, hopefully I'm not a fool throwing my lot into yet *another* long preorder

[mr_me]

22 minutes ago, number6 said:

I left one off the list earlier. "Intellivision Spark". 

And since the direct quote from Tommy was "I can tell you a few that were on "a list"", there were obviously more than Amico, Prism, Quest, and Spark.

 

#6

What's the Prism discussion here about?

[MrBeefy]

12 minutes ago, crade said:

I'm looking forward to the steamdeck myself, hopefully I'm not a fool throwing my lot into yet *another* long preorder

I think you will get one if that's what you are worried about. Way less of a gamble than putting money into Amico.

1 minute ago, mr_me said:

What's the Prism discussion here about?

Trademarks and ways they are/were possibly going to use it.

[Hwlngmad]

28 minutes ago, crade said:

I'm looking forward to the steamdeck myself, hopefully I'm not a fool throwing my lot into yet *another* long preorder

Yeah, I am waiting on mine as well.  Hopefully it will arrive sooner rather than later, but I am not holding my breath as it might not arrive until September.

[atarifan88]

1 hour ago, MrBeefy said:

As far as games go I always thought this list is funny. Amico Similar Game List

 

Funny it may be, but I'm going to check some of those games out!  Thanks! ?

[MrBeefy]

14 minutes ago, atarifan88 said:

 

Funny it may be, but I'm going to check some of those games out!  Thanks! ?

I can vouch for these...

 

Super Bit Blaster XL

Jack box Games

Clubhouse Games

World of Tanks

One Strike (very simplistic one hit one kill fighter)

Children of Morta (just beat this one)

Enter the Gungeon

MagiCat 

Mutant Mudds Collection

Bloodstained

Mana Spark

Mechsternation Force

No Reload Heroes - simple shooter with drop in co-op, haven't played much but didn't hate what I have.

SW Episode 1 racer - is a classic if thats your thing

Ding Dong XL

Fuze Player (interesting can program stuff) YMMV I got it for like 0.99

Stellar Interface

All the Sesame Street games

Hugry Shark World

Carcassonne

Ticket to Ride

Among Us

 

 

[Razzie.P]

3 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

The original ads flaunted the idea of portability and playing with your friends. Did everyone forget playing of the rooftop?

 

 

I got mine at launch and the damn thing came with neither friends nor rooftop.  Was pretty disappointed. 

[MrBeefy]

1 hour ago, Razzie.P said:

I got mine at launch and the damn thing came with neither friends nor rooftop.  Was pretty disappointed. 

That's because they are really in dark basements of their  mom's eating frozen burritos. Do I need to friend you on Switch? If you have Animal Crossing you should do a search for Amico or Intellivision at the design shop. ?

 

It's kind of like the controller function of going to a friend's house and bringing your games with you. No one will have one to take to. Maybe you could load the games on the controller. Step out and walk around the house a few times, go back in and load them up to get the experience.

 

[Razzie.P]

9 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

As far as games go I always thought this list is funny. Amico Similar Game List

 

 

7 hours ago, atarifan88 said:

Funny it may be, but I'm going to check some of those games out!  Thanks! ?

 

 

I find it funny, too, but probably for a different reason than you guys are thinking.  Or maybe not, I dunno.   Glancing over it, its like - Maneater is about as similar/equivalent to Shark Shark as something like the new Flight Simulator is to River Raid.  They both have a plane in them, so I guess that meets the criteria for whoever created this list.   ?

[Matt_B]

You might say that they jumped the Shark there. ?

 

Aside from everything else, Maneater M-rated for realistic violence. While I'm not one to say that everything has to be E10 myself, that's not exactly in line with the Amico ethos.

 

Elsewhere though, there's a lot of good stuff that fits the bill including a couple of other Shark Shark-likes. It also illustrates how Clubhouse Games gives you a one stop shop for a lot of the traditional board/card/backyard sports games to the extent that Amico could never be a credible competitor there.

[mr_me]

Any game where each player has private information, e.g. Scrabble, it would be helpful if each controller has a display.  It should be possible to work cell phones as controllers with any system but publishers generally want to create games for the default controller to reach the widest audience.

[wolfy62]

12 hours ago, Hwlngmad said:

Blaze Entertainment is positively on a role with the Evercade.  It is coming out with some many different cart collections I might just finally have to give in and get one along with some carts.

I think the Evercade is a great value.

It already has 26 carts out and they come out with new ones faster than I can play them all.

Not all the games are great,some aren't even good.

But many are hidden gems that I never heard of or had never played. 

I love my Evercade,and the VS. is growing on me also.?

[Rev]

1 hour ago, wolfy62 said:

I think the Evercade is a great value.

It already has 26 carts out and they come out with new ones faster than I can play them all.

Not all the games are great,some aren't even good.

But many are hidden gems that I never heard of or had never played. 

I love my Evercade,and the VS. is growing on me also.?

Evercade is on my list as well.  One day!

[Cebus Capucinis]

Not going to lie, I got a VCS for my birthday and while I think it's still too pricey, it's not a bad little machine. The games are pretty cool.

 

EDIT: thought wolfy said VCS not VS, d'oh!

[IMBerzerk]

48 minutes ago, Cebus Capucinis said:

Not going to lie, I got a VCS for my birthday and while I think it's still too pricey, it's not a bad little machine. The games are pretty cool.

I wouldn't doubt that would have been the overall sentiment of the Amico as well.

Sad that we'll never know.  I thought some of the games really looked like a lot of fun.

[MrBeefy]

2 hours ago, mr_me said:

Any game where each player has private information, e.g. Scrabble, it would be helpful if each controller has a display.  It should be possible to work cell phones as controllers with any system but publishers generally want to create games for the default controller to reach the widest audience.

This is why Intellivision should have dropped the idea of the screen on the controller. It added an unnecessary cost and really hasn't been shown to be very effective or game changing. It's actually less versatile than the WiiU pad and we saw how that worked.

 

Adding price of the console for games like Spades was a bad move. Especially considering they were planning on having a phone app anyways. Games like that are 10 minute time wasters at family gatherings. If a family wants to make a full game night out of it they pull out an actual deck of cards.

 

This article mentions how the screen is less than ideal for games like Finnegan Fox https://nerdlypleasures.blogspot.com/2022/07/the-last-gasp-of-intellivision-amico.html?m=1. I remember watching the FF trailer and whoever was playing seemed to struggle with the jumps. In a different video the menu/pause button was accidently triggered on the screen once or twice.

 

They would have been better off for simplicity and cost to stick to a NES style of just 2 to 3 face buttons and lose the screen. Use the app for card games. Choosing what color of fish you want to be can easily be done on the TV screen and is just a gimmick to do on the tiny screen. Looking at hints on the screen in Shark Shark is also a gimmick. Many games have incorporated forms of rubber banding and they did not need a screen.

 

Their lack of showing the controller a bunch makes me think they hadn't got all the kinks out. Not to mention the Amico shuffle that has to be done to recognize orientation.

 

Bomb Squad which is suppose to show how great the controller was looks to be a mess to controller it. This videos shows no less than 10 takes and in all of them the controller messes up inputs. The one they used for their promotional video seems to be a snippet of one before it messes up. You can hear the frustration from the guy trying to get it to work.

 

 

That's not even calling out that they expect you to scroll through 30 pages of text on the screen for info. That is far from simple.

 

[MrBeefy]

3 hours ago, Matt_B said:

You might say that they jumped the Shark there. ?

 

Aside from everything else, Maneater M-rated for realistic violence. While I'm not one to say that everything has to be E10 myself, that's not exactly in line with the Amico ethos.

 

Elsewhere though, there's a lot of good stuff that fits the bill including a couple of other Shark Shark-likes. It also illustrates how Clubhouse Games gives you a one stop shop for a lot of the traditional board/card/backyard sports games to the extent that Amico could never be a credible competitor there.

Yeah Clubhouse Games and now Switch Sports pretty much is a one stop shop for casual games. Amico's tank game was probably going to be more involved than the Clubhouse Tank game. But Clubhouse had a huge variety.

 

It also didn't have the leg up on Tanks by stealing other people's work to cut corners.

 

Man that was a fiasco.

[roots.genoa]

4 hours ago, mr_me said:

Any game where each player has private information, e.g. Scrabble, it would be helpful if each controller has a display.  It should be possible to work cell phones as controllers with any system but publishers generally want to create games for the default controller to reach the widest audience.

I think that's the real issue with Amico. It was probably the most interesting feature to me, because the Dreamcast couldn't push the concept since VMUs were not mandatory, the GameCube/GBA connection required a convoluted setup, and the Wii U limited the GamePad to a single player. But there was a good reason for that; the GamePad would have cost a lot if it had been sold separately (probably $150). Also the technology that allows the data to go back and forth between the console and the GamePad is quite elaborate; it involves a lot of compression to limit input lag, so you don't get what Beefy showed in the video above.

 

I remember having a conversion prior to the PS5 reveal with someone who claimed the controller would have a touch screen, and I told him it would never happen since modern controllers are already quite expensive. And I already knew about the Amico. However, getting rid of the expensive controllers wouldn't have saved the Amico imho, because it would have lost one of its most interesting and unique features - one that makes it really different from the other game systems.

 

In the Nintendo Life article below, Reggie explains the Wii U could have used dual GamePad support if the system had been more successful, with a bigger install base, and at least one killer app that would make it worth having a second GamePad. In the end, Nintendo themselves slowly started to use the Wii U unique features less and less...

https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/07/reggie-explains-why-the-nintendo-wii-u-didnt-utilise-dual-gamepad-support

 

So even if I think it couldn't succeed anyway, I think Intellivision Entertainment should have focused on this feature a lot more from the beginning, rather than show remakes of games most people don't know about, and that could clearly be played with any controller. Except for Bomb Squad (and the board games of course), we haven't seen any interesting use of the touch screen imho.

[youxia]

4 hours ago, Cebus Capucinis said:

Not going to lie, I got a VCS for my birthday and while I think it's still too pricey, it's not a bad little machine. The games are pretty cool.

That's fine, but most (if not all) of these games are available on a PC and other platforms.

 

This would be probably the same for Amico, no matter their initial exclusivity boasts, and is to extent the same for Evercade. So all that differs is just names and bits of plastic used to house the electronics, with an occasional gimmick thrown in.

 

That's what I find fascinating about these machines and the brohuaha around them, because they are to an extent a reflection of the mad, totally consumerist end-of-times period we live in. Basically, people go incredibly excited about the fact that they can spend money on something that is either available free, elsewhere, or in many cases, what they already own.