Intellivision Amico’s trademark changed to ‘abandoned’

[MrBeefy]

3 hours ago, MrTrust said:

 

In order for a touchscreen to be a practically useable input device, you have to be looking at it.  This a non-incidental problem if the actual game is taking place elsewhere.  There's nothing you can do blind on a touchscreen that isn't done better with a physical control.  With a small screen, you also have the problem that you need to block half of it with your hand in order to use the screen for input.  I guess over time, ML can be used to fudge people's inputs on virtual D-pads or something so they feel more natural, but I don't see anyone actually desiring such a thing for gaming because, really, how much can you actually do with it?

 

Secret information?  All well and good, but a lot of the time that's going to be used in board/card/party games, in which case syncing your phone is going to be good enough.  You don't need the physical dial and buttons for Farkle (you don't need a game console for it either, for that matter, but anyway).  We've been secretly picking plays in Madden games for 30 years without need for a private screen.  Asymmetrical controls are neat a la Bomb Squad, but again, we return to the original problem of having to look two places at once.  If the game is primarily taking place on everyone's individual screens, why not just use our phones?  

 

The tech does exist to display two different images to two different people on the same screen, so maybe that will become standard someday, in which case, there could possibly be a proliferation of different game ideas using secret info, but I'm not convinced.

 

Not all tech gets widely adopted.  The masses have pretty firmly rejected 3D television.  Nobody wants Google Glass.  I'm not so very sure VR will expand beyond its current niche even as it becomes more affordable.  So, I don't know that I'd bet the farm on this becoming coming into its own.  There are real hurdles there.

 

 

What is the Nintendo Switch but a low-end handheld PC with a proprietary app store?  It's the thing you have to buy in order to play Mario and Zelda and Pokémon.  Most of the hype surrounding the innovation of things like the DS, Wii, and Switch is marketing BS.  Nintendo didn't sell a million bajillion DSes, they sold a million bajillion Pokémons and Marios, and the DS came along for the ride.  They're a games company; they make and sell games.

 

Anyone trying to do what IE and a million other have tried need to be a games company first and foremost.  The hardware exists as a closed system to sell the games.  People will buy whatever piece of gear they have to in order to play the games they want to play.

 

I understand they can't have Mario or Minecraft or any to dollar license, but they could have built a core stable of solid remade retro games, peppered in a maker-style game for the kids here, a match-three for mom there, a family game or two, and had something that would be worth buying so long as the games were quality and not a bunch of generic cheap trash like Hearts and Cornhole.

People seem to also forget that the multiple screens with "secret information" type play was actually done before the WiiU. Gamecube featured it with Zelda Four Swords and Pac-Man VS. Those are the examples of how to effectively use a screen for local multiplayer. Their controller could simply no do it. It was a glorified gif/jpeg display which couldn't even handle the file size of many of the memes I post!

 

They should have started pumping out software and gauge the reception. At the price point Amico did not have the games or licenses and the Running Man is a pisspoor mascot with less personality that Tommy's dog's used piss pads on his floor.

 

This console was always a crap android box. The selling point was cheap and affordable. Once it lost those two points it cut itself off at the knees.

 

There is literally no reason to buy it unless you have to collect anything with Intv on it. I couldn't believe people did see that when I was harping about the $220 price tag. But that was during the time a mod was saying my wife's comments were made up while siding with a sock puppet account.

 

But hey, they sure have a fancy Intellivision wall plug in to brag about.

 

 

[MrBeefy]

1 hour ago, Bill Loguidice said:

Really. It's true it saved some tooling, but there was also a very good reason behind it as well. Of course, it still confused people who were  expecting one button and didn't give it a little thought, but I'm glad we were able to make it that way.

I like the layout. But I also was okay with the first Gen Genesis one too.

[Cebus Capucinis]

32 minutes ago, MrBeefy said:

People seem to also forget that the multiple screens with "secret information" type play was actually done before the WiiU. Gamecube featured it with Zelda Four Swords and Pac-Man VS.

Next johannes thread incoming!!!! What a great idea paw,,,,,hohoho hahaha very droll 👎🙁

[mr_me]

On 5/15/2023 at 4:52 PM, Bill Loguidice said:

Regardless of what was planned or not, I think a touchscreen on a controller like that could definitely work. Beyond the duplication of overlay functionality, you could have additional functionality activated in other games beyond twitch stuff, which is better with buttons anyway. The sky is the limit on what you might want to display on that screen, from secret information in a competitive two player game to letter tiles in a game of Scrabble to plays in a sports to scoring and other updates to keep the main display as clutter free as possible. Even something like always-on button mapping/guide would be incredibly useful for those of us who struggle to remember what every button might do in a particular game. Again, I'm not saying that the Amico team had an optimal vision for what to do with the display, I'm saying that the idea of a private/dedicated touch screen on a controller WILL be a solid idea when its implemented by a competent company. 

 

We've of course had variations of this idea in the past, from the Dreamcast VMU to the Nintendo DS series, with similarly varying degrees of "proper"/profound usage. 

Their vision was to create the platform for these types of multiplayer games.  They would have depended on third party game developers to create them, but it's hard to attract game development for a platform that has zero install base.  The developers and games would have to come over time. It is a bit of a chicken and egg situation.  Back Talk Party is an example of that type of game that just happened to be looking for a system. Having the display on the default controller and shipping every system with two of them, would have been key to encourage development of these games.  Developers tend to develop for the default controllers to maximise potential sales.

Edited May 17, 2023 by mr_me

[Flojomojo]

Did we ever see Amico's version of Back Talk Party? I know it's been on android phones in the past, but would the Amico version have been different? Or just the same stuff with extra chrome, like Evel Knievel?

[Flojomojo]

On 5/15/2023 at 7:03 PM, Bill Loguidice said:

I advocated for the six on the handheld to replicate every function of the controller and switches on the original console.

 

I'd say, within reason, more buttons is better, but what can always improve is  the number of buttons actually needed to play a game. Just because all those buttons are there doesn't mean you have to use them for every game. Sometimes one, two, or three gets the job done perfectly well.

What I really liked about the Atari handheld was the SD card slot, which should be mandatory on items like this. The upcoming Atari 50-themed devices seem locked to the packed-in games, which is a drag, especially since some of them really need paddle controls. Being able to throw my romz on the card really made the Flashback special.

 

I appreciate what you were going for with the extra buttons, even as it was a bit too easy to accidentally mess up a game by hitting the wrong one. Then again, it just ran Atari games, which are quick-play experiences anyway, so, I figured it out soon enough. 

[MrBeefy]

7 hours ago, Cebus Capucinis said:

Next johannes thread incoming!!!! What a great idea paw,,,,,hohoho hahaha very droll 👎🙁

[mr_me]

25 minutes ago, Flojomojo said:

Did we ever see Amico's version of Back Talk Party? I know it's been on android phones in the past, but would the Amico version have been different? Or just the same stuff with extra chrome, like Evel Knievel?

Completely unrelated game, different developer.  

 

Emoji Charades is on mobile.  It does require two displays and better suited for the big screen.

[Bill Loguidice]

30 minutes ago, Flojomojo said:

What I really liked about the Atari handheld was the SD card slot, which should be mandatory on items like this. The upcoming Atari 50-themed devices seem locked to the packed-in games, which is a drag, especially since some of them really need paddle controls. Being able to throw my romz on the card really made the Flashback special.

 

I appreciate what you were going for with the extra buttons, even as it was a bit too easy to accidentally mess up a game by hitting the wrong one. Then again, it just ran Atari games, which are quick-play experiences anyway, so, I figured it out soon enough. 

I fought hard for years for including a spinner, even if it was just like a volume dial. Unfortunately, it never was implemented and I don't see it being prioritized unless another company thinks they can get a good return. I don't see that happening, however, so it will probably be up to some independent company to retrofit one of the generic handhelds (e.g., Abernic) with additional controls like a tiny trackball and spinner. Unlikely, of course.

 

I've found the Switch's touchscreen to be a decent replacement for a paddle/spinner with the Atari 50 collection, but really, nothing beats the real thing, just like a mouse will never replace either a paddle/spinner or trackball for me. 

[MrBeefy]

31 minutes ago, Flojomojo said:

Did we ever see Amico's version of Back Talk Party? I know it's been on android phones in the past, but would the Amico version have been different? Or just the same stuff with extra chrome, like Evel Knievel?

We saw it very briefly. Appears to be a Jackbox knockoff. Nothing overly special but probably fun.

[Bill Loguidice]

To go back to some of the comments about not needing a touchscreen on a controller because people have and can use phones, this is true, but it's still not an all-in-one, self-contained solution, nor something you can truly count on 100% of the time. I play the Jackbox games on console with my family who use whatever smartphones and tablets we have handy, so I certainly see the appeal in limited use cases like that. I just think that having a small touchscreen on the controller would be sufficient for most traditional gaming uses. Of course, we're talking another generation or two out, where the right cost/weight/battery ratio could be achieved, where the screen is essentially super cheap and has minimal effect on battery life. Likely something around the same footprint and placement as the DualSense touchpad button (1:1 replacement, but perhaps a bit larger). Of course, with that, the screen would be too small to display much of importance and wouldn't have much usable touch surface, but I wouldn't rule it out completely. At the same time, the buttons could also be mini OLED displays to light up with icons/images to indicate functions. Again, nothing short-term, but certainly something we can envision for the future and something I'm certain we'll see in one form or another at some point.

 

That's all also just a long-winded way of saying it's a shame that the Amico couldn't really take that small step to showing some of the potential having an embedded screen on every controller beyond the tentative steps from past systems. I get that some of their use cases lacked imagination and they clearly couldn't overcome certain technical issues, but it still was something I personally wanted to see from at least an academic/curiosity/technophile standpoint.

[Flojomojo]

3 hours ago, Bill Loguidice said:

I fought hard for years for including a spinner, even if it was just like a volume dial. Unfortunately, it never was implemented and I don't see it being prioritized unless another company thinks they can get a good return. I don't see that happening, however, so it will probably be up to some independent company to retrofit one of the generic handhelds (e.g., Abernic) with additional controls like a tiny trackball and spinner. Unlikely, of course.

 

I've found the Switch's touchscreen to be a decent replacement for a paddle/spinner with the Atari 50 collection, but really, nothing beats the real thing, just like a mouse will never replace either a paddle/spinner or trackball for me. 

Wait a minute ... Atari 50 supports touch for paddle games, just like the Flashback collection? That's cool, that changes everything. And I agree it would be nice to see mainstream spinner controls. I don't think there's even a nice USB spinner for desktop, which would be fun. But now I'm going to play some Atari 50 in portable mode, which I haven't done very much. 

 

2 hours ago, Bill Loguidice said:

To go back to some of the comments about not needing a touchscreen on a controller because people have and can use phones, this is true, but it's still not an all-in-one, self-contained solution, nor something you can truly count on 100% of the time. I play the Jackbox games on console with my family who use whatever smartphones and tablets we have handy, so I certainly see the appeal in limited use cases like that. I just think that having a small touchscreen on the controller would be sufficient for most traditional gaming uses...

I feel that if it were easy/profitable and wouldn't split the market, they would have done it by now. There were "companion apps" in the early days of the iPad and Playstation 4 but they've been abandoned and no longer work. I liked the idea of having my pirate treasure map in my lap on a second screen for Assassin's Creed Black Flag but I guess there weren't enough of me. 

 

Going back to Amico, the fact that they can't seem to muster a simple press release is a pretty big clue into their current abilities. Like with Atari VCS, I'd love to be proven wrong. 

[SteveTheColecoDude]

 

[Bill Loguidice]

1 hour ago, Flojomojo said:

Wait a minute ... Atari 50 supports touch for paddle games, just like the Flashback collection? That's cool, that changes everything. And I agree it would be nice to see mainstream spinner controls. I don't think there's even a nice USB spinner for desktop, which would be fun. But now I'm going to play some Atari 50 in portable mode, which I haven't done very much. 

 

I have this, which includes a trackball and spinner, and works well on PC:



Not too cheap though if you don't get it on sale or have some type of discount: https://www.microcenter.com/product/639630/atari-single-player-usb-fightstick-plug-and-play

[Bill Loguidice]

1 hour ago, Flojomojo said:

Going back to Amico, the fact that they can't seem to muster a simple press release is a pretty big clue into their current abilities. Like with Atari VCS, I'd love to be proven wrong. 

It's mind boggling that not only can't they be bothered to issue any official public updates for like a year+, but that sycophantic superfans seem to think that people like us asking for an update is too negative and is somehow distracting and disheartening the Amico team from working on the product. The fact that they can't take a few minutes to post any social update in all this time lends a lot of weight to the idea that progress has long since stagnated, there being no money left, and they're just trying to run out some type of legal/contractual/whatever clock.

[+GoldLeader]

 

Now,

 

They don't have time for your silly updates or refunds...Nawww, man,  they just realized they got a game console to be putting out!   So they better hop to it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jerseystyle]

6 hours ago, Bill Loguidice said:

It's mind boggling that not only can't they be bothered to issue any official public updates for like a year+, but that sycophantic superfans seem to think that people like us asking for an update is too negative and is somehow distracting and disheartening the Amico team from working on the product. The fact that they can't take a few minutes to post any social update in all this time lends a lot of weight to the idea that progress has long since stagnated, there being no money left, and they're just trying to run out some type of legal/contractual/whatever clock.

Imagine the success they could’ve had if their parents wouldn’t have kept dying. 

[jerseystyle]

6 hours ago, Bill Loguidice said:

I have this, which includes a trackball and spinner, and works well on PC:



Not too cheap though if you don't get it on sale or have some type of discount: https://www.microcenter.com/product/639630/atari-single-player-usb-fightstick-plug-and-play

Oh man that looks pretty sweet. I don’t have anything to play it on but  almost pulled the trigger anyway.

[MrBeefy]

So have we progressed from Amicolytes to Amicophants?

 

I heard from someone that Astroids is coming preloaded on the console for free! So glad they have those FCC certs!

Man the old thread has some dandy items in it. 🤣

[jerseystyle]

4 minutes ago, MrBeefy said:

So have we progressed from Amicolytes to Amicophants?

 

I heard from someone that Astroids is coming preloaded on the console for free! So glad they have those FCC certs!

Man the old thread has some dandy items in it. 🤣

I also wanna talk about the odd obsession with this Back Talk Party game… folks acted like this was gonna be done huge system seller (oooh, secret game, just wait till you see Back Talk Party, etc). Like, in what universe would anyone give a damn?

[MrBeefy]

56 minutes ago, jerseystyle said:

I also wanna talk about the odd obsession with this Back Talk Party game… folks acted like this was gonna be done huge system seller (oooh, secret game, just wait till you see Back Talk Party, etc). Like, in what universe would anyone give a damn?

Because people had this weird obsession with the controller and how it was going to be better, Yada Yada Yada. You will even see idiots saying aiming with the touch screen in Cloudy is somehow better than an analog stick that has been used for like decades now.

 

These same people do not get excited for similar type games out there for cheaper on consoles like the Switch. 

 

Truth is the launch lineup is the worst possible thing, especially the pack ins. The pack ins do jack to sell you on why the console is worth picking up.

 

Farkle - Clubhouse Games

Cornhole - junky controls - also see Clubhouse Games, or Switch Sports

Astroblast - see Atari Recharged or a bunch of non-descript shooters out there.

Skiing - looks nice but why justify the price for those weird controllers?

Shark Shark - once again does nothing to push what the controller can do, also see other Shark games

Backtalk Party - see jackbox - $350 worth it for ONE jackbox like game?

 

Ten years ago it was done better. 

This is the one game the wife misses on the Switch. WiiU was a flop, but this is what Amico pack ins should have strived to be. They weren't because the company was short sighted, not creative, and cut corners while focusing on unnecessary crap (i.e. why investor pulled out). Guess the investor had a 100% guaranteed refund.

 

When is eventually?

But to go back to BackTalk. Assuming it isn't a steaming pile of crap and does showcase the controller. All games included should have done the same.

Edited May 18, 2023 by MrBeefy

[MrBeefy]

For some fun Amico talk, a random John Alvarado appearance in the chat! 🤣

 

 

[MattPilz]

35 minutes ago, MrBeefy said:

For some fun Amico talk, a random John Alvarado appearance in the chat! 🤣

 

It's really the perfect example of how stupid Google/YouTube was to remove the ability to view actual channels from chat participants. A lot of streamers would use that to detect and block impersonators and scam attempts, now anyone can be anyone else without detection!

 

Maybe fun here, but also some pretty aggravating implications that people warned Google about this change 2.5 years ago but they still don't care.

[mr_me]

3 hours ago, jerseystyle said:

I also wanna talk about the odd obsession with this Back Talk Party game… folks acted like this was gonna be done huge system seller (oooh, secret game, just wait till you see Back Talk Party, etc). Like, in what universe would anyone give a damn?

It's not so much that it was going to be their killer app, it's just that it's likely a game they would have used to sell the system to their target audience of casuals.  We don't know much about the game, we know it's a party game, exclusive to the system,  and the developer has commented that other systems weren't a good fit for it.

 

The packins each represent a different type of game.  One party game, one motion control, one table/board game, one sports, one arcade retro style shooter, and one family game.  And not every game should integrate the controller display into gameplay.  You typically don't want to be looking at the controller in an action/arcade style game.

[MrBeefy]

1 hour ago, MattPilz said:

It's really the perfect example of how stupid Google/YouTube was to remove the ability to view actual channels from chat participants. A lot of streamers would use that to detect and block impersonators and scam attempts, now anyone can be anyone else without detection!

 

Maybe fun here, but also some pretty aggravating implications that people warned Google about this change 2.5 years ago but they still don't care.

I remember there being two Hans, one of which telling LeoDS to go to the German offices. 

 

That one was definitely not the real Hans.

 

NEW RELEASE DATE! 🤣