Intellivision Amico’s trademark changed to ‘abandoned’

[MrBeefy]

15 hours ago, SegaSnatcher said:

Agreed, at this point I'm not sure why they would even bother.  There is no saving the brand reputation at this point. 

Nah you pump out some type of Flashback unit and some retro people will buy it. 

 

From a modern side, I think Intellivision will now be known more for being the biggest gaming scam. Sucks if you are a diehard fan, but that's also why people should have a more critical eye and not simply throw money at a name.

 

 

[rayik]

Lenovo developed the Legion Play, a portable Android gaming device with a 7" screen.  Looks to be positioned as a mobile gaming device minus the phone.  Something for the casual free to play crowd.  Yet Lenovo decided to cancel the project.  Too bad Lenovo did not have TT's market research and data. If they did they would have seen they would have had a sure hit with the 3.1 billion casual gamer market.

 

https://liliputing.com/lenovo-legion-play-is-a-handheld-game-console-running-android-leaks/

 

https://liliputing.com/prototypes-of-lenovos-canceled-legion-play-handheld-game-console-go-on-sale-in-china/

[MrBeefy]

Latest episode from Tommy's favorite podcast. Intellivision talk around 43 minute mark.

 

Edited January 11, 2023 by MrBeefy

[roots.genoa]

7 hours ago, Rev said:

GTO Red?  We know a fanboy when we see one!  You also going to slap a Ferrari sticker on it and spoon it at night?  
 

🤔

No because I don't like cars though (except MicroMachines)

 

Btw, I just realized that I really hope Keith Robinson's widow is not aware of what's going on. She would feel terrible about letting it happen. 😔

Edited January 11, 2023 by roots.genoa

[Wayler]

I feel it would be an awkward conversation to have, letting someone know that a console spooning is about to happen.

Confusion might be the main result in this case. But feeling terrible? I guess that would depend on one's life view and values 🤔

Edited January 11, 2023 by Wayler
the

[Rowsdower70]

10 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

Sucks if you are a diehard fan, but that's also why people should have a more critical eye and not simply throw money at a name.

 

 

Surely you aren't implying that it's Intellivision's fans fault that Amico gave Intellivision a bad name.    That would be akin to blaming investors for not being savvy enough to know better to invest, so its their fault they got scammed. 

[Bill Loguidice]

11 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

Nah you pump out some type of Flashback unit and some retro people will buy it. 

 

From a modern side, I think Intellivision will now be known more for being the biggest gaming scam. Sucks if you are a diehard fan, but that's also why people should have a more critical eye and not simply throw money at a name.

 

 

I feel like, in general, the classic Intellivision brand only has the loosest of association with Amico, so I feel like it's insulated enough. The bigger problem will always be that in most cases, control schemes will be imperfect, like with the Evercade collections, without recreation of the controllers as well. That, combined with it not ever really being at the same level of popularity as some other retro platforms will probably be the biggest limiting factor versus anything to do with Amico. 

[Bill Loguidice]

10 hours ago, rayik said:

Lenovo developed the Legion Play, a portable Android gaming device with a 7" screen.  Looks to be positioned as a mobile gaming device minus the phone.  Something for the casual free to play crowd.  Yet Lenovo decided to cancel the project.  Too bad Lenovo did not have TT's market research and data. If they did they would have seen they would have had a sure hit with the 3.1 billion casual gamer market.

 

https://liliputing.com/lenovo-legion-play-is-a-handheld-game-console-running-android-leaks/

 

https://liliputing.com/prototypes-of-lenovos-canceled-legion-play-handheld-game-console-go-on-sale-in-china/

I wonder if they canceled in light of the tepid response to the Logitech G Cloud (which is not that bad, actually) and the aggressive price point and relative reach of the Steam Deck? With that said, it looks like the Lenovo could have hit sub-$200, so would have definitely been at a more aggressive price point than either the G Cloud or Steam Deck.

It IS a crowded category, though, with several smaller players. I'm not proud to say I presently have 5 PC gaming handhelds, having gotten the other 3 before the Steam Deck and Logitech G Cloud (to be fair, this is more of an Android gaming handheld designed for PC game streaming). 

[Northcoastgamer]

I read something awhile back that the Purple Amico console shell was exclusive to Gamestops in Canada and I'm pretty sure the price was $379. What was the deal there? You would think you could get any color you wanted for the base price $249 - $299 or whatever it was. It truly is a shame that so many good people have been affected by this saga of stupidity. Probably some of the folks that worked on this project are still owed money along with the investors and the $100 preorder crowd. Will there be criminal lawsuits as well as civil? It truly is sad and depressing when one phony individual pulls the wool over everyone's eyes. This has been happening for years, decades, if not centuries and it will happen again. Just like the guy in the American west years ago trying to sell a tonic that "Cures all ailments" in small towns and villages, then moving on to the next town with the same spiel like a gypsy. I think it's best to continue to play the games all of us do have and are real. Ted Turner said it best, "Americans are the biggest suckers in the world". I know it may be hard for some, but don't stoop to this guys level, you are all better than that. I wish every one the best in 2023, Happy Gaming!

[SegaSnatcher]

18 hours ago, MrBeefy said:

Nah you pump out some type of Flashback unit and some retro people will buy it. 

 

From a modern side, I think Intellivision will now be known more for being the biggest gaming scam. Sucks if you are a diehard fan, but that's also why people should have a more critical eye and not simply throw money at a name.

 

 

Not sure they have the money to pump out anything at this point. 

[MrBeefy]

15 hours ago, Rowsdower70 said:

Surely you aren't implying that it's Intellivision's fans fault that Amico gave Intellivision a bad name.    That would be akin to blaming investors for not being savvy enough to know better to invest, so its their fault they got scammed. 

I'm more thinking in lines of enabling not specifically blame. When it comes to retro consoles people will simply throw money at something because of its name, and not because it's good. If people show they are willing to buy just on a name and not based on quality that makes it easier for companies to skip on quality. It isn't strictly an Intv problem but a retro/nostalgia bait problem.

 

It's basically the same reason why I would say if you are "writing off" your refund you are enabling companies to do the same thing in the future. "Hey they will buy in, we will drag our feet, not deliver or under deliver, and they will let it ride."

 

Ultimately Intellivision gave Intellivision a bad name not the fans. I still don't see how after the Chameleon, people didn't see how Amico was a grander version of it. Amico = Chameleon with more money.

 

If Tommy and them decided to make a console not under the banner of Intellivision would it have got as much traction as it did? Would it have been as talked about here on AA? Would the same people have put down preorder money if it was called the Tallarico Studios' Amico?

8 hours ago, SegaSnatcher said:

Not sure they have the money to pump out anything at this point. 

Nah they can litter their office with $500 chairs! Think of how many Amicos they could have made. 🤣 They actually had an opportunity to produce 3 Amicos for less than one of those office chairs. Those preorders literally went towards helping them sit on their butts and do nothing.

[Flojomojo]

Good points @MrBeefy  

 

The furniture deals likely pale in comparison to their building rent and payroll costs. 

 

I would blame the nostalgic preorder customers if we must cast blame. They went first and happily flushed their money down the Amico toilet. 

 

Low information investors were simply lied to, but they were going to throw their money down a Palm Beach investment sand hole no matter what, and it just happened to be this one. 

 

But preorders, Intellivision fans, and a certain bird-named AtariAge Moderator actively enabled this. They appear likely to do it again for the next shiny object that reminds them of childhood during the Reagan administration. 

 

Naturally, the main people to truly blame are the perps themselves, “Intellivision Entertainment,” but they only got as far as they did because not enough people laughed them off the stage.

 

All of the warning signs were clearly visible from the start, but some people chose not to see them. Now that it’s clear beyond a reasonable doubt Amico is finished, we are seeing deathbed conversions from the former shills. Some of them are pretending this never happened, and others are getting on the “hater” bandwagon now that this mocking video has 4.7 million views and climbing. 

 

And there are a few people, even on this thread, who like to pick around the edges of what people say, pointing out little inconsistencies while they miss the forest for the trees. 
 

What is it about this failfraud that inspires such long speeches?

[+5-11under]

Some of my thoughts and opinions on the whole project...

 

At the start, I had nothing against the Amico (I still don't, really), but it's not something that I was interested to purchase. I will also only pre-order something if I'm okay with losing that money.

 

I was, however, still paying a little bit of attention. Only a little bit. On the surface, they had some good things: a passionate CEO, a decent idea/product, and they followed through with some hardware and software prototypes. They also had a bit of a "hook" (something different compared to other products) in the controller featuring the dial and the screen - if used to it's advantage, it could provide for some gameplay that's not easily available elsewhere. They were getting some exposure, too, on some tech sites. On the flip side, there was still too much uncertainty, too many "wouldn't that be something?"s that made it seem like they lacked clear focus on what they wanted to accomplish, and who their target really was. The "fair play" (or whatever it was called) feature sounds great as an option for some games and for some people, but often you want to compete naturally, with the best player at that moment winning.

 

As time went by, there were still some new hardware and software showings, but there was increased nitpicking. Do investors really care where your business is located? Do you really need to respond to every point on a negative review? Do you really need to hammer the point that the market is x billion, when everyone knows that's only if the product was really for everyone?

 

There was also a huge office area that seemed to be mostly empty. Don't people start businesses like this in their garages (or similar) anymore? I'm sure they have them, and probably nice ones. Otherwise, rent a cheap and simple square building, and spray paint a sign.

 

As I said, I wasn't paying too much attention, so I didn't see the aggressive tactics by the CEO and by YouTubers. I'm still not paying too much attention. There's no way I'm going to see what most of the YouTubers are up to, no matter what opinion they have on the Amico.

 

I also wasn't paying too much attention to the hardware, which is obviously overly complicated for the required tasks. They obviously lacked a holistic approach to the engineering of the product - too many bells and whistles, and not enough focus on overall cost reduction (number of expensive LEDs, number of PCBs, RFID/security).

 

Covid, of course, didn't help matters. Prices for almost everything are up, and electronic component availability is greatly hindered.

 

I don't think the project was meant to be a scam. I could still be wrong. If it was a scam, they went through a lot of work to get to the end, and I don't think they wanted to fail - that's never a good look, if you care about looks, and I think they did. Did it end up being a scam? In my opinion it's a scam for anyone who has put money into it. Side note: I hate it when people say something like they "invested in a kickstarter". That's not an investment... that's more like a donation in the hopes that something comes of it. You could use other words to describe it, but I don't think investment is the right word.

 

However, it did fail, at least for now, and at least for the current hardware. If it ever gets off the launchpad, I think it's going to be very different in price and/or hardware. I have severe doubts that anyone still cares about getting a product out, though.

[SegaSnatcher]

47 minutes ago, 5-11under said:

a passionate CEO, a decent idea/product

I will have to respectfully disagree on these two points.   

I wouldn't call Tommy's behavior as "passionate" in a way that was actually positive.  He was mosly just b.s.'n people and making exaggerating claims to hype up INTV fans. It was just disingenuous behavior on his part and I smelled it a mile away.  He thought his name meant more than it really is and that by sheer will alone he could make the Amico successful.  

I also don't believe the Amico was a decent idea/product.  It felt like they were going backwards in the worst way possible.  Making all these arbitrarily restrictions and acting like it is a positive thing.  No online play, no physical face buttons or proper D-Pad on the controller, E10 rating limit, etc..   

The idea was poorly conceived and the person in charge of this project got in way over his head.   I will repeat what I said years ago that for whatever reason upset him. "Just because he found success creating music for video games, does not mean he has any idea how to release an actual console."   Time has shown who was correct. 

Edited January 12, 2023 by SegaSnatcher

[Bill Loguidice]

15 minutes ago, SegaSnatcher said:

I will have to respectfully disagree on these two points.   

I wouldn't call Tommy's behavior as "passionate" in a way that was actually positive.  He was mosly just b.s.'n people and making exaggerating claims to hype up INTV fans. It was just disingenuous behavior on his part and I smelled it a mile away.  He thought his name meant more than it really is and that by sheer will alone he could make the Amico successful.  

I also don't believe the Amico was a decent idea/product.  It felt like they were going backwards in the worst way possible.  Making all these arbitrarily restrictions and acting like it is a positive thing.  No online play, no physical face buttons or proper D-Pad on the controller, E10 rating limit, etc..   

The idea was poorly conceived and the person in charge of this project got in way over his head.   I will repeat what I said years ago that for whatever reason upset him. "Just because he found success creating music for video games, does not mean he has any idea how to release an actual console."   Time has shown who was correct. 

It may just be Tallarico's general personality. He's always seemed like a bombastic individual and I think, in general, that worked well for him in his career. With Amico, it seemed like he didn't do much to dampen that personality trait and in fact tried to add in an amateurish sprinkling of the Steve Jobs trope for good measure. I suppose all of that would have been fine if there was more getting done behind the scenes, but considering the disaster this all became, that's easy to add to the long list of missteps. 

[+5-11under]

47 minutes ago, SegaSnatcher said:

I will have to respectfully disagree on these two points.   

I wouldn't call Tommy's behavior as "passionate" in a way that was actually positive.  He was mosly just b.s.'n people and making exaggerating claims to hype up INTV fans. It was just disingenuous behavior on his part and I smelled it a mile away.  He thought his name meant more than it really is and that by sheer will alone he could make the Amico successful.  

I also don't believe the Amico was a decent idea/product.  It felt like they were going backwards in the worst way possible.  Making all these arbitrarily restrictions and acting like it is a positive thing.  No online play, no physical face buttons or proper D-Pad on the controller, E10 rating limit, etc..   

The idea was poorly conceived and the person in charge of this project got in way over his head.   I will repeat what I said years ago that for whatever reason upset him. "Just because he found success creating music for video games, does not mean he has any idea how to release an actual console."   Time has shown who was correct. 

It was just my opinion, from more of a distance. I had never heard of this guy before, and I wasn't paying too much attention to him early on. Yep, when I said "decent", maybe "interesting" would have described it better, for me, in that I thought some of the ideas, such as having a private screen on the controller - had some potential for some games... there were definitely other things later on that I thought were bad and/or lacked focus (including what you mentioned above).

[MrBeefy]

2 hours ago, Flojomojo said:

Good points @MrBeefy  

 

The furniture deals likely pale in comparison to their building rent and payroll costs. 

 

I would blame the nostalgic preorder customers if we must cast blame. They went first and happily flushed their money down the Amico toilet. 

 

Low information investors were simply lied to, but they were going to throw their money down a Palm Beach investment sand hole no matter what, and it just happened to be this one. 

 

But preorders, Intellivision fans, and a certain bird-named AtariAge Moderator actively enabled this. They appear likely to do it again for the next shiny object that reminds them of childhood during the Reagan administration. 

 

Naturally, the main people to truly blame are the perps themselves, “Intellivision Entertainment,” but they only got as far as they did because not enough people laughed them off the stage.

 

All of the warning signs were clearly visible from the start, but some people chose not to see them. Now that it’s clear beyond a reasonable doubt Amico is finished, we are seeing deathbed conversions from the former shills. Some of them are pretending this never happened, and others are getting on the “hater” bandwagon now that this mocking video has 4.7 million views and climbing. 

 

And there are a few people, even on this thread, who like to pick around the edges of what people say, pointing out little inconsistencies while they miss the forest for the trees. 
 

What is it about this failfraud that inspires such long speeches?

Now a lot of the shills are claiming to be used and throwing away their accountability and free will in using their own brains. I hear Slopes had been trying that card lately and it's a sad look for a guy who routinely does Kickscammer videos.

 

He should just admit he was a stary eyed teenage girl at a boy band concert. He wasn't used. He actively chose to let it happen and not check into it like he would have something else that didn't have someone he drooled over. There's a difference between wanting it to succeed and blatantly chosing to ne stupid. I can't wait for the, "I didn't look into it enough," or "I was naive" spin he will do in the video.

 

Nah it's more like he was tickled pink to have a music guy to splurg on his channel. What's the saying? Don't meet your heroes?

17 minutes ago, SegaSnatcher said:

I will have to respectfully disagree on these two points.   

I wouldn't call Tommy's behavior as "passionate" in a way that was actually positive.  He was mosly just b.s.'n people and making exaggerating claims to hype up INTV fans. It was just disingenuous behavior on his part and I smelled it a mile away.  He thought his name meant more than it really is and that by sheer will alone he could make the Amico successful.  

I also don't believe the Amico was a decent idea/product.  It felt like they were going backwards in the worst way possible.  Making all these arbitrarily restrictions and acting like it is a positive thing.  No online play, no physical face buttons or proper D-Pad on the controller, E10 rating limit, etc..   

The idea was poorly conceived and the person in charge of this project got in way over his head.   I will repeat what I said years ago that for whatever reason upset him. "Just because he found success creating music for video games, does not mean he has any idea how to release an actual console."   Time has shown who was correct. 

This 100%. It wasn't passion. If he was truly passionate about making it happened he wouldn't have sought out to actively make fights, attack people, or encourage his flying monkey's to attack people. 

 

If he was truly passionate he would have put time and energy into making the console. He didn't do that.

 

People need to get their head out of their butts and realize there is a difference between being passionate and confident and being an asshole douche. People today seem to think they are the same and they aren't.

 

"I'm going to ask you to please leave my thread. You can go make your own thread to discuss your concerns! Where I will then whine about!" 🤣

 

Where's @godslabrat been with his ruse counter. He was another one asked to PLEASE LEAVE!

[SegaSnatcher]

23 minutes ago, 5-11under said:

It was just my opinion, from more of a distance. I had never heard of this guy before, and I wasn't paying too much attention to him early on. Yep, when I said "decent", maybe "interesting" would have described it better, for me, in that I thought of the ideas, such as having a private screen on the controller - had some potential for some games... there were definitely other things later on that I thought were bad and/or lacked focus (including what you mentioned above).

The only main advantage the Amico originally offered was a much cheaper price than the competition, but that didn't last long.   

The main problem is basically all the experiences the Amico was going to offer you can already find on a Switch that over 100 million people already own. The Switch has everything from simple fun 2D indie games to huge open world RPGs like the new Zelda games and even Witcher 3.  So the logical question one has to ask is, why would one pay almost the same as the Switch for an objectively inferior experience?  I honestly can't think of one thing that the Amico has over the Switch that can be seen as a true advantage.  Being able to hook up phones as controllers?  

Edited January 12, 2023 by SegaSnatcher

[MrBeefy]

1 hour ago, SegaSnatcher said:

The only main advantage the Amico originally offered was a much cheaper price than the competition, but that didn't last long.   

The main problem is basically all the experiences the Amico was going to offer you can already find on a Switch that over 100 million people already own. The Switch has everything from simple fun 2D indie games to huge open world RPGs like the new Zelda games and even Witcher 3.  So the logical question one has to ask is, why would one pay almost the same as the Switch for an objectively inferior experience?  I honestly can't think of one thing that the Amico has over the Switch that can be seen as a true advantage.  Being able to hook up phones as controllers?  

I tried pointing out this issue with price, but was accused by a sockpuppet who was backed up by a mod as making up my wife's concerns.

 

I enjoy retro stuff or I wouldn't be on AA. However, it was never the retro that I was interested in. I wanted a cheap simple, "family's first" type of console. I don't have the time to play AAA games like I use to and I know there are some great indie games out there.

 

Jr Beefy and the Amico saga almost are around the same age. So I wanted something simple yet fun that I could enjoy with the wife and him.

 

Once the console hit $200 the value wasn't there anymore. They couldn't show me, or more importantly, my wife why we should want this. I didn't have a Switch when this started and around the time when he was teasing $220, my wife literally said she'd rather I put money towards a Switch. Amicos retro hardcore games were not simple nor appealing. She knew there were games like Animal Crossing, Clubhouse Games, and Carcassonne that she could enjoy.

 

And while I don't have as much time to play, I still had the option to play a bigger game like Mario Odyssey or Lego Star Wars that I would never see on Amico. They couldn't get Farkle to run smoothly, so why pay Switch prices for an inferior product that offers less in all areas?

 

And I'm going to throw it out there that anyone that bought into his it will cost like a $1000 or whatever to play multiplayer on Switch is a outright moron, stupid, and doesn't have a brain cell to put towards very simple thought.

 

[Recycled]

I didn't really even want an Amico.  I wasn't paying a attention and missed the atgames Intellivision flashback at market price and wanted to play the old stuff on a new console.  Somebody told me in a youtube chat that the old games would eventually be available.  Had no interest in remakes or family "couch co-op," etc.  Being a total retro gamer I preordered the woodgrain.  I got my money back a year ago.

 

[atarifan88]

2 hours ago, SegaSnatcher said:

I honestly can't think of one thing that the Amico has over the Switch that can be seen as a true advantage.  Being able to hook up phones as controllers?  

I know this is a stretch, but you can use your phones on the Switch when you play Jackbox games and other party games that use an internet site to play the game.

[MrBeefy]

1 minute ago, Recycled said:

I didn't really even want an Amico.  I wasn't paying a attention and missed the atgames Intellivision flashback at market price and wanted to play the old stuff on a new console.  Somebody told me in a youtube chat that the old games would eventually be available.  Had no interest in remakes or family "couch co-op," etc.  Being a total retro gamer I preordered the woodgrain.  I got my money back a year ago.

 

Yeah even the inclusion of the original games was something they couldn't decide on. Initially it was suppose to include all the original games (that they had rights to I assume). That later changed to later after release as to not "confuse" people. Yet the only ones they marketed to was retro enthusiasts. Who would have appreciated it.

 

The only reason people were confused about the system is because their actions didn't match what they were saying. Even in their statement of facts they admit their primary focus was retro.

They say target a broader demographic yet they didn't go for that. If my main goal is to sell it to Group A, why would my primary and initial focus be on selling it to Group B? Their primary target was retro 100%. They can make conflicting statements all they want, but it's their actions that count.

8 minutes ago, atarifan88 said:

I know this is a stretch, but you can use your phones on the Switch when you play Jackbox games and other party games that use an internet site to play the game.

Well the real issue is their controllers were busted and they had to rely on phones for so long. If you think about it that's why they had to redo the way Cornhole played. A set of joycons costs less than what an Amico controller was going to cost. So I don't think that is really an advantage. Maybe a perk if in a pinch. I know it isn't the popular opinion but I love the joycons and have yet to buy any pro controller.

 

Bomb Squad showed that even the controllers were not going to be good for any games that required unique use of it like card games and such. It couldn't register proper touches. They should.

 

Amico really didn't have any advantage. Using phone < using joycon.

 

[SteveTheColecoDude]

 

 

Edited January 12, 2023 by SteveTheColecoDude

[Tommy2D]

1 hour ago, SteveTheColecoDude said:

 

 

This is fantabulous. 

[roots.genoa]

6 hours ago, SegaSnatcher said:

I honestly can't think of one thing that the Amico has over the Switch that can be seen as a true advantage.

I can think of a few things, but they didn't work out anyway:

• A screen on each controller could have provided new gameplay ideas. The Wii U had a few great (mini) games (in Nintendo Land and Game & Wario in particular) that can't be made on the Switch (though ironically they re-released Pac-Man Vs for the Switch while it would have worked way easier, without the need of two systems, on the Wii U). But Intellivision Entertainment never used it well. Bomb Squad was probably the sole game they revealed that could have shown how to do it, but unfortunately the controller was not powerful enough (while being already too expensive) to deal with it.
• Bringing your games to a friend just with the controller is a HUGE thing imho (imagine if you could do that with an Amiibo on Switch, or a PlayStation/Xbox controller). But of course, it's worthless if you don't have any friends that own the system, and given the Amico has yet to be in a single home...
• The LEDs on the system could have also be used in interesting ways, but it clearly made the system too expensive for what it would have brought (and I'm pretty sure no game in development uses it well anyway).