Intellivision Amico’s trademark changed to ‘abandoned’

[Matt_B]

You can now buy the VCS at the discounted price of $159 direct from Atari, albeit without controllers, so it's getting pretty close to that. I'm not sure how much stock they've left to dump, but there may be further discounts if they can't move it at that price.

 

If there's to be a VCS 2.0, I suspect it'll just be a regular mini PC from someone who already makes them with an Atari badge slapped on it. That's probably what they should have done the first time around rather than spending all the time and money they did on eventually coming up with something that was basically just that.

 

I've long thought that going software-only would be the best business model for Atari (and Intellivision for that matter) though. It's much easier to make indie games on a comparative shoestring than to bootstrap an entire console ecosystem.

[Tommy2D]

44 minutes ago, MattPilz said:

Yes, it was the full bundle with one classic and one pro controller. Subsequently bought one more classic controller for more traditional feeling couch play of the back catalog.

Yeah, I was pretty tempted at $99.  Considering the retail price of the controllers, you basically got a free mini-pc in a snazzy custom case.  You could do a lot worse for $99.  

 

The thing that put me off was that people were saying that you could only run alternate operating systems from external drives.  Was that every resolved?

 

[famicommander]

6 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

That's a disservice to AtGames. 

AtGames is a disservice to AtGames. Laughing at Amico's failures has provided more entertainment than any of their trash products. I still have two Atari Flashback Portables (one I bought, one was just left at my house and the person who left it didn't want it back) where you have to hold the console at a ridiculous angle just for the screen to be visible. If you look at it directly half the screen is in negative colors. 

[MrBeefy]

4 hours ago, Matt_B said:

You can now buy the VCS at the discounted price of $159 direct from Atari, albeit without controllers, so it's getting pretty close to that. I'm not sure how much stock they've left to dump, but there may be further discounts if they can't move it at that price.

 

If there's to be a VCS 2.0, I suspect it'll just be a regular mini PC from someone who already makes them with an Atari badge slapped on it. That's probably what they should have done the first time around rather than spending all the time and money they did on eventually coming up with something that was basically just that.

 

I've long thought that going software-only would be the best business model for Atari (and Intellivision for that matter) though. It's much easier to make indie games on a comparative shoestring than to bootstrap an entire console ecosystem.

They probably would be better off as software companies. If they insist on hardware it has to be priced right, AND it has to have the games to justify it.

 

The Switch is a little more on the budget side, and also has good and bigger games.

 

Something like Amico or VCS have to be cheaper. The VCS getting Atari 50 last is kind of a WTH type thing.

 

VCS problem was it was an overpriced cheap PC.

 

Amico problem is it is an overpriced out of date phone.

 

For the price the VCS is at least capable more than Amico. Amico has shown zero games that justify that premium price tag.

 

Also @Rev you asked about the FB group. Pretty sad.

 

6 minutes ago, famicommander said:

AtGames is a disservice to AtGames. Laughing at Amico's failures has provided more entertainment than any of their trash products. I still have two Atari Flashback Portables (one I bought, one was just left at my house and the person who left it didn't want it back) where you have to hold the console at a ridiculous angle just for the screen to be visible. If you look at it directly half the screen is in negative colors. 

Weird. Don't have that problem with my Atari portable nor the first Gen Sega handheld. Doesn't seem like ridiculous angles to me.

Have you heard of Intellivision Entertainment? They hate AtGames. Maybe Amico is for you?

[Bill Loguidice]

5 minutes ago, famicommander said:

AtGames is a disservice to AtGames. Laughing at Amico's failures has provided more entertainment than any of their trash products. I still have two Atari Flashback Portables (one I bought, one was just left at my house and the person who left it didn't want it back) where you have to hold the console at a ridiculous angle just for the screen to be visible. If you look at it directly half the screen is in negative colors. 

A few years back I helped AtGames pivot out of the plug and play market (miniscule margins and very inexpensive products) into the home arcade market (bigger margins, more expensive products, much higher expectations, including all kinds of connected services). It was a huge shift and represented a big jump in quality and price. It's still not perfect - no company in the home arcade space is - but they do offer the best value and most features in mass market home arcade gaming products. It's not a perfect comparison, but you can certainly see how AtGames was able to pivot into a new type of market segment and other companies, like the group behind Amico, struggled to execute.

[Bill Loguidice]

3 minutes ago, MrBeefy said:

They probably would be better off as software companies. If they insist on hardware it has to be priced right, AND it has to have the games to justify it.

 

The Switch is a little more on the budget side, and also has good and bigger games.

 

Something like Amico or VCS have to be cheaper. The VCS getting Atari 50 last is kind of a WTH type thing.

 

VCS problem was it was an overpriced cheap PC.

 

Amico problem is it is an overpriced out of date phone.

 

For the price the VCS is at least capable more than Amico. Amico has shown zero games that justify that premium price tag.

I agree. Like I said, I just didn't see a justification back when the VCS was just an idea and I didn't see one after they turned it into a product. The justification was literally because it's "Atari." That absolutely works on a small percentage of people, but not enough to make a sustainable product. There's no reason to play those games on the VCS over any other platform except for those who like the twisting classic controller, and that could have just as easily been made strictly a third party controller for other systems with similar sales. 

 

My one suggestion instead of the VCS if Atari wanted to go the hardware route was to rebrand a PC gaming handheld, but it was rightly pointed out that Atari wouldn't have been able to match the performance-to-price-ratio of a Steam Deck or even the Logitech G Cloud (which is primarily for streaming), but since we're talking a year or two+ before those "mainstream" devices were released, it would have arguably been more successful (than the VCS) and certainly could have more justified a dedicated Atari digital store. But the fact remains that that still wouldn't have solved the longer term issues that the VCS faced. It's INCREDIBLY difficult being a small company in today's competitive, and well-funded, landscape.

 

I also wonder if anything from Atari would have been more interesting if Atari didn't saturate the licensed market for years and years. From plug and plays to arcade machines to controllers to this and that, everything from the logo to nearly every possible game they still owned was out there in one form or another. That certainly dampens the impact of an Atari release because there's nowhere that what Atari can offer is not already available.

 

I would have still liked to have seen how the Amico would have fared had they met their original stated goals and original timelines. They were certainly on the right path to sustainability in a specific niche, at least offering the impression - if not a true realization - of offering something different. Even if it does release one way or another, the brand/platform is almost certainly damaged beyond all hope, so we'll never know how it would have actually fared. Of course, since it seems like it was mostly smoke and mirrors, that's a what if? (or two or three) too far.

[famicommander]

12 minutes ago, Bill Loguidice said:

A few years back I helped AtGames pivot out of the plug and play market (miniscule margins and very inexpensive products) into the home arcade market (bigger margins, more expensive products, much higher expectations, including all kinds of connected services). It was a huge shift and represented a big jump in quality and price. It's still not perfect - no company in the home arcade space is - but they do offer the best value and most features in mass market home arcade gaming products. It's not a perfect comparison, but you can certainly see how AtGames was able to pivot into a new type of market segment and other companies, like the group behind Amico, struggled to execute.

They should change their name, then. The stink of the AtGames name will never, ever wear off for myself and many others.

 

Sort of like what LG did. My dad was shocked when I told him they used to be Goldstar, because Goldstar had a reputation for trash products and LG has a by and large good reputation.

[Razzie.P]

2 hours ago, famicommander said:

AtGames is a disservice to AtGames. 

 

1 hour ago, famicommander said:

They should change their name, then. The stink of the AtGames name will never, ever wear off for myself and many others.

 

 

I agree.  And actually, I think I’m a little harsher on them that you seem to be.   I have a few plug n’ play items, and picked up the Legends Gamer pro sets during the Sams/Walmart “we gotta get rid of this crap” sale a while back, and from what I’ve seen personally, I feel that they’re kind of a disservice to retro gaming in general.  Their products can take a great game, and make it leave a shitty impression.

 

I know they have their fans and people enjoy them so that’s cool, and I’m not gonna crash any of their threads and conversations just to crap on them, but it saddens me how many times I see people try to play older games on those things (without nostalgia goggles) and just come away with the impression that “these games suck” because of issues like input lag and such.   But then let them play the same games on real hardware or quality emulation, and they have a blast. 
 

[Rev]

56 minutes ago, famicommander said:

They should change their name, then. The stink of the AtGames name will never, ever wear off for myself and many others.

 

Sort of like what LG did. My dad was shocked when I told him they used to be Goldstar, because Goldstar had a reputation for trash products and LG has a by and large good reputation.

LG used to be Goldstar??!!??  😱   

[rayik]

2 hours ago, famicommander said:

They should change their name, then. The stink of the AtGames name will never, ever wear off for myself and many others.

 

Sort of like what LG did. My dad was shocked when I told him they used to be Goldstar, because Goldstar had a reputation for trash products and LG has a by and large good reputation.

 

Back in the day Goldstar made some of the worse TVs and VCRs.  Ugh bringing up that name.

[Matt_B]

You can see the same with Blaze vs Evercade. The former name is associated with cheap and somewhat inaccurate emulation devices, while the latter is a collectable and almost premium brand.

 

The tricky part for AtGames is they they'd need to come up with a significantly better product for the rebrand to be worth it, otherwise they'll be needing another one a few years down the line.

[MrBeefy]

2 hours ago, Razzie.P said:

I agree.  And actually, I think I’m a little harsher on them that you seem to be.   I have a few plug n’ play items, and picked up the Legends Gamer pro sets during the Sams/Walmart “we gotta get rid of this crap” sale a while back, and from what I’ve seen personally, I feel that they’re kind of a disservice to retro gaming in general.  Their products can take a great game, and make it leave a shitty impression.

 

I know they have their fans and people enjoy them so that’s cool, and I’m not gonna crash any of their threads and conversations just to crap on them, but it saddens me how many times I see people try to play older games on those things (without nostalgia goggles) and just come away with the impression that “these games suck” because of issues like input lag and such.   But then let them play the same games on real hardware or quality emulation, and they have a blast. 

I like the double arcade sticks with trackball I got from GS too.

 

I will have to apologize for being a gaming racist earlier. I'm going to rectify that now.

Nailed it!

[Steven Pendleton]

NEVER forgive AtGames for this impossibly terrible piece of shit

 

[Rev]

ShAT Games?

[Rev]

32 minutes ago, MrBeefy said:

I like the double arcade sticks with trackball I got from GS too.

 

I will have to apologize for being a gaming racist earlier. I'm going to rectify that now.

Nailed it!

Beefy is an IntelliHater! 

[Rev]

1 hour ago, rayik said:

 

Back in the day Goldstar made some of the worse TVs and VCRs.  Ugh bringing up that name.

Some people didnt get the memo. 
 

We cant mock Goldstar too much, they actually did manage to ship products.  Unlike some company that shall remain nameless….

[+GoldLeader]

20 minutes ago, Rev said:

Some people didnt get the memo. 
 

We cant mock Goldstar too much, they actually did manage to ship products.  Unlike some company that shall remain nameless….

As long as we can still mock this new version of "atari",  then I'm good.

[Matt_B]

Goldstar were involved in the 3DO, which will be enjoying its 30th anniversary next year.

 

Perhaps we'll see yet another old brand resurrected for a new fling at glory?

[roots.genoa]

5 hours ago, famicommander said:

Sort of like what LG did.

And that's also why Steven Tallarico changed his name to Tyler, since Tallarico means a-hole in more than 35 different languages. 🤡

[Rowsdower70]

6 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

I like the double arcade sticks with trackball I got from GS too.

 

I will have to apologize for being a gaming racist earlier. I'm going to rectify that now.

Nailed it!

I dig the fake woodgrain model, mine's just the black plastic but it does get some play time.   

I have mixed opinions on AtGames, for every product like this one they have several clearance sale special pieces of junk.  Their poor reputation is well earned.   Why they decided to make 10 different Atari Flashbacks I'll never know.  The market obviously didn't care as much as they thought since you see them unsold on clearance and at Goodwill/Thrift Stores across the US.   They couldn't even make the Intellivision flashback without screwing up one of the best games so bad its literally unplayable. 

Okay so my opinion isn't that mixed.   They make garbage really and some of it just manages to be cheap and fun.

[MrBeefy]

7 hours ago, GoldLeader said:

As long as we can still mock this new version of "atari",  then I'm good.

[MrBeefy]

7 hours ago, Steven Pendleton said:

NEVER forgive AtGames for this impossibly terrible piece of shit

 

I think it has less to do with AtGames and more to do with it is Genesis. 😜

[Razzie.P]

8 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

I like the double arcade sticks with trackball I got from GS too.

 

 

I'm not familiar with all their product line, but that sounds like the Gamer Legends one that I was talking about.   If so, good news for you then -- if the input lag and delay on that mess doesn't bother ya, Farkle on Amico (or whatever game they showed with lag) should run like a dream.

 

 

[Hwlngmad]

12 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

Weird. Don't have that problem with my Atari portable nor the first Gen Sega handheld. Doesn't seem like ridiculous angles to me.

 

Ditto here.  I have the model previous to this version featured here.  I think it is a good little device.  Granted, it is a bit cheap looking and feeling, and doesn't work the greatest.  Still, for what it is, I think it does a pretty darn good job.  Definitely I would very much like to have the woodgrain model as I believe that is the best iteration of the handheld line.

[atarifan88]

I've purchased several different At Games products over the years and had mixed reviews...

 

The not so good:

1. Atari Flashback 7 which had the infrared wireless controllers. These were garbage, but improved upon them in later versions.

2. Intellivision Flashback which had the composite video output.

3. Atari Flashback Paddles never seemed to work correctly with the Atari Flashbacks.

 

The good:

1. Atari Handheld Portable works like a champ with the SD card slot. However, the games are somewhat limited only because of compatibility issues. This was mostly fixed thanks to @Nukey Shay who could hack the games to work!

2. Atari Flashback 9 Gold works like a champ with HD video output and an SD card slot so you could add games to your hearts content! I personally didn't notice any input lag which could have something to do with my TV's game mode. The wireless joysticks were completely redesigned and worked so much better so that you didn't have to sit close to the TV for them to work as they replaced the infrared technology with something better.

3. Legends Flashback works like a champ with HD video output and an SD card slot so you can play games over multiple consoles. This was a big deal for me because I could play the Genesis version of NHL 94 without having to purchase the Genesis mini which I heard was a headache.

4. I was able to have my Intellvision Flashback gutted and have a pi installed which turned it into an HD Intellivision console as I don't have the original anymore.

5. I was able to use my Atari Flashback Paddles on my Retron 77 and finally play those classic paddle games I have been missing!

 

Based on the above, I think I was able to make the most out of the At Games products I bought. No I don't have the issues some others have mentioned. I still wonder if it has to do with TV compatibility? I play mine on Samsung and Insignia TV's and have had nothing but great gaming experiences!

Edited December 21, 2022 by atarifan88