Intellivision Amico’s trademark changed to ‘abandoned’

[mr_me]

6 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

...

Kind of like they don't have the money to get those FCC certs eh?

 

Manufacturing could be less about financing and more about they can't get certain parts anymore. 😝

 

Truth is other than to avoid possible legal recourse, there is zero reason for them to want to make anything. The platform has less than 6000 potential user base. It isn't worth the dev money to keep the backend up no make new games. Even if allowed direct ports, without crappy multi-player shoehorned in, there is no reason for a dev to port for such a small base.

 

So if you want to talk financing you are right. They'd rather spend everyone else's money and move on to licensing to make more money. Them making consoles is just going to cost them more and have no benefit long term.

...

The cost of fcc certification is relatively small compared to the cost of manufacturing thousands of units let alone the tens of millions of dollars required to scale up manufacturing to where they want to be.  So it's not a reason for not going to manufacturing but it certainly is a symptom of it. 

 

We don't know what their component supply situation is (if you do please let us know) but engineering changes during manufacturing was always something they might face and also a relatively small part of the manufacturing cost.

 

Amico currently has a zero install base.  It's why they've had to fund the development of Amico games.  That's expected and will remain that way until they find success selling in to their primary target markets. Licensing on other platforms isn't going to make their investors money, they need to reach the target audience for which the games are designed.

[+5-11under]

I've got a great clock radio... woodgrain, slim, vacuum fluorescent display, was free, has a dimming option, has CSA/FCC approval, doesn't lose the time if the power goes out for a second or two, doesn't look like a foot massager. Lots of retro appeal. I'm glad it got off the launchpad many years ago.

 

[+5-11under]

6 minutes ago, mr_me said:

We don't know what their component supply situation is (if you do please let us know) but engineering changes during manufacturing was always something they might face and also a relatively small part of the manufacturing cost.

Time to talk with people who are currently designing boards, sourcing parts, buying parts. Some have already replied (Kevtris a number of days ago, for example), and I'm sure you can find other stories out there in the w w w. Compared to 3 years ago, it's horrific out there. Before, it was just sourcing the combination of parts to fit your priorities (such as overall cost). Now, it's what's available now and will hopefully still be available (and hopefully not at significantly higher price) over the next number of months/years.

 

For example... fortunately, because of overall cost (parts, assembly, programming), a few years ago I started moving from using small CPLDs to using discrete logic chips. However, I still have one board that uses a Xilinx XC9536XL chip, in a specific form factor. These used to be plentiful, but now they're difficult to find, cost more, and there's no simple replacement to move to. It's not too bad to redesign for a board with 5-10 parts on it, but imagine a board with hundreds of parts. It can be done... look at Analogue, and some other/similar companies. However, it's a whole new way of thinking now, and I don't think the Amico was designed with this in mind.

[mr_me]

Yes, that's what the company has been talking about for a while now.  People here point out that other electronic products are getting produced and claiming they are just making up excuses.

[Cebus Capucinis]

52 minutes ago, Steven Pendleton said:

In that case, it's possible you could end up with 88:88, so you'd end up with a time that doesn't exist

[jerseystyle]

2 hours ago, mr_me said:

Yes, that's what the company has been talking about for a while now.  People here point out that other electronic products are getting produced and claiming they are just making up excuses.

This is where there is such a disconnect… that you trust that there is still an actual company working towards getting these consoles out in any substantial way. I think after the first missed deadline, and probably before, everything they have said turned out to be a lie. This is easily proven because two years ago everything was finished except waiting on parts but now games aren’t done and units are being tested. They have long ago lost the benefit of the doubt, in my opinion.

[mr_me]

While the production of some games have been halted others should be ready having gone through testing.  And yes they made an announcement about dramatically reducing staff.  And we know all about their financial troubles.  As I've said they have loans due at the end of the year so we'll see if they survive beyond then.

[SteveTheColecoDude]

4 hours ago, MCHufnagel said:

I think the really sad thing here is that the people who were deceived by IE just won't own it. Everyone makes mistakes, but it's what you do after that matters. Still hanging on with the hope you're going to get rewarded in this debacle is just not mentally healthy. Just admit that you're screwed, learn from it, and move on the best you can. This is something I told my kids when they were in elementary school. I would hope that adults would be able to do the same. 

 

The problem for them is that they went so hard in on it. A quick look at some of the biggest fans show that it became one of their main focuses/identity, if not the biggest. So to give it up, or admit they were duped, to them probably would feel like admitting that the last 2-3 years of their life was a lie/for nothing. It's not just like they did one video with a sleazy CEO which could be brushed or laughed off with "Oops I made a mistake", it was literally hundreds of hours of their lives. They went along with every single thing and believed every lie that was told to them, despite reality being there ready to welcome them back at any opportunity.

 

Added to the fact that it's now been confirmed by multiple Amico fans that Tommy privately used them as attack dogs to go out on coordinated attacks against critics... how can you go back from that? It sounds sort of insane when you look at what happened, but here we are.

Edited October 26, 2022 by SteveTheColecoDude

[Rowsdower70]

2 hours ago, SteveTheColecoDude said:

 

The problem for them is that they went so hard in on it. A quick look at some of the biggest fans show that it became one of their main focuses/identity, if not the biggest. So to give it up, or admit they were duped, to them probably would feel like admitting that the last 2-3 years of their life was a lie/for nothing. It's not just like they did one video with a sleazy CEO which could be brushed or laughed off with "Oops I made a mistake", it was literally hundreds of hours of their lives. They went along with every single thing and believed every lie that was told to them, despite reality being there ready to welcome them back at any opportunity.

 

Added to the fact that it's now been confirmed by multiple Amico fans that Tommy privately used them as attack dogs to go out on coordinated attacks against critics... how can you go back from that? It sounds sort of insane when you look at what happened, but here we are.

They dug their own graves, may as well climb in and start pulling the dirt in. 

[Wayler]

6 hours ago, mr_me said:

Yes, that's what the company has been talking about for a while now.  People here point out that other electronic products are getting produced and claiming they are just making up excuses.

You know how something can be a fact but still an excuse depending on who's talking about it? 

 

Let me paint a vivid picture. 

"Oh no, now we can't go into the water, how unfortunate" says the man who can't swim on the shore of an acid lake. 

 

You see, it's a fact that you can't swim in acid water. But even if the water was as blue and pure as your twinkling eyes, the man still couldn't swim in it. So he used a fact as an excuse.

 

It's a mystifying concept, isn't it. 

 

[roots.genoa]

7 hours ago, Steven Pendleton said:

In that case, it's possible you could end up with 88:88, so you'd end up with a time that doesn't exist

Why do you assume we're talking about terrestrial time to begin with? 😒

[roots.genoa]

3 hours ago, SteveTheColecoDude said:

 

The problem for them is that they went so hard in on it. A quick look at some of the biggest fans show that it became one of their main focuses/identity, if not the biggest. So to give it up, or admit they were duped, to them probably would feel like admitting that the last 2-3 years of their life was a lie/for nothing. It's not just like they did one video with a sleazy CEO which could be brushed or laughed off with "Oops I made a mistake", it was literally hundreds of hours of their lives. They went along with every single thing and believed every lie that was told to them, despite reality being there ready to welcome them back at any opportunity.

 

Added to the fact that it's now been confirmed by multiple Amico fans that Tommy privately used them as attack dogs to go out on coordinated attacks against critics... how can you go back from that? It sounds sort of insane when you look at what happened, but here we are.

Yes, we should also remember several of them bought a lot of merchandise and own Amico caps and T-shirts that will puzzle everyone if they dare to wear them again. 😅

[Cebus Capucinis]

47 minutes ago, roots.genoa said:

Why do you assume we're talking about terrestrial time to begin with? 😒

How PLANETIST of you. Galactic bee got tree!

[Rev]

5 hours ago, mr_me said:

While the production of some games have been halted others should be ready having gone through testing.  And yes they made an announcement about dramatically reducing staff.  And we know all about their financial troubles.  As I've said they have loans due at the end of the year so we'll see if they survive beyond then.

Dramatically Reduce staff….

 

You mean everyone but a small handfull quit or got fired.   

[Rev]

14 hours ago, Matt_B said:

About the only thing that they've clearly got the financing for is putting a single pre-production unit in the hands of an obscure YouTuber.

 

If you really want to set the bar low, you could perhaps discuss how long it'll be before they can manage to do that with a second.

 

I've a feeling that it'll be a long time before they're into double figures though, if ever.

I dont think that single tester uploaded another video yet? 
 

When will that other investor get the test unit from tester 1?  
 

Other than optics to show an unwitting investor what was the point of this charade with youtube testers?   

[mr_me]

1 hour ago, Rev said:

Dramatically Reduce staff….

 

You mean everyone but a small handfull quit or got fired.   

That sounds pretty dramatic.  It's what happens when a company has no product in the market and runs out of funding.

 

59 minutes ago, Rev said:

I dont think that single tester uploaded another video yet? 
 

When will that other investor get the test unit from tester 1?  
 

Other than optics to show an unwitting investor what was the point of this charade with youtube testers?   

To get feedback from customers prior to going to mass production, no need for videos.  It's not uncommon with new products.

[jerseystyle]

1 minute ago, mr_me said:

That sounds pretty dramatic.  It's what happens when a company has no product in the market and runs out of funding.

 

To get feedback from customers prior to going to mass production, no need for videos.  It's not uncommon with new products.

WHY WOULD THEY NEED FEEDBACK IF THE SYSTEM IS FINISHED AND LINED UP FOR MASS PRODUCTION?

 

Also, nothing about how they’ve handled this has been in any way “common”. 

[mr_me]

Although they may have done some market research and focus group testing, this will be with a customer for an extended period of time.  And it is something that companies do with new products.  If their most enthusiastic customers aren't happy with it, they'd want to know before investing millions in mass production.  Not saying they are going to mass production, they haven't mentioned it.

[jerseystyle]

33 minutes ago, mr_me said:

Although they may have done some market research and focus group testing, this will be with a customer for an extended period of time.  And it is something that companies do with new products.  If their most enthusiastic customers aren't happy with it, they'd want to know before investing millions in mass production.  Not saying they are going to mass production, they haven't mentioned it.

They don’t hand it off to self identified fanboys. They have it market/focus tested by a wide range of groups, not an unemployed CHUD broadcasting to a minuscule audience from a fetid basement. You know, like the markets TT claimed this was for (which weren’t Gamers according to him). Again, this makes no sense if you think this a step before production. This only makes sense as either a grift or a way to show good intentions to stave off a lawsuit.

Edited October 26, 2022 by jerseystyle

[MarioMan88]

The fact some people STILL defend, believe and provide conjecture for this so called company is mind boggling. Yea, just Mr Me here on AtariAge but others exist in the AmicoVerse.

 

Why not just own it like one user said few posts back? This system is a unicorn….

[Tommy2D]

6 hours ago, roots.genoa said:

Why do you assume we're talking about terrestrial time to begin with? 😒

I request an updated thread title: "Chrono Chat-cum-Classic Console Curmudgeons".

Edited October 27, 2022 by Tommy2D
update

[Rev]

12 minutes ago, Tommy2D said:

I request an updated thread title: "Chrono Chat-cum-Classic Console Curmudgeons".

No way Im googling “curmudgeons”.  😳

[Rev]

2 hours ago, MarioMan88 said:

The fact some people STILL defend, believe and provide conjecture for this so called company is mind boggling. Yea, just Mr Me here on AtariAge but others exist in the AmicoVerse.

 

Why not just own it like one user said few posts back? This system is a unicorn….

Yeah, Mr Me is an Amico hater………but he is OUR Amico hater!

[Tommy2D]

24 minutes ago, Rev said:

No way Im googling “curmudgeons”.  😳

A curmudgeon is just a person who complains a lot.  Think of an Abe Simpson "get off my lawn" type.

 

I also used the term "cum", meaning "with", for added alliteration.  There was no dirtiness implied.  (Cum Laude, etc.).  

 

Anyway: More clock arguments, please. 

 

[jerseystyle]

1 hour ago, Tommy2D said:

A curmudgeon is just a person who complains a lot.  Think of an Abe Simpson "get off my lawn" type.

 

I also used the term "cum", meaning "with", for added alliteration.  There was no dirtiness implied.  (Cum Laude, etc.).  

 

Anyway: More clock arguments, please.