New Intellivision console coming?

[ckblackm]

Stories about the new release:

https://venturebeat.com/2018/05/29/intellivsion-lives-tommy-tallarico-will-relaunch-1980s-console/

https://www.twingalaxies.com/feed_details.php/1652/




Official website: https://www.intellivisionentertainment.com/

 

[levi]

Well that's a disappointing launch. Roll on October!

 

[WizardStan]

My curiosity is piqued.

 

[vcoleiro1]

I got an email from them today. They will be announcing the specs, pricing, release date and showing renders of the console at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo

See the Press Release link (top right) on their web page: https://www.intellivisionentertainment.com/

 

[levi]

Beware of the autoplaying music though. Also, there's no real information there, just what you've helpfully isolated from it.

 

[vcoleiro1]

They made the official Intellivision Amico console announcement today. A bit of a bust
$150-$180, not launching until Oct 2020. Will only play not violent E10 games. Only 2D games. Games priced under $8 that you can download.
It's a watered down Ouya for young kids that like 2D games

https://liliputing.com/2018/10/he-n...le-game-console-on-the-way-for-under-180.html

 

[WizardStan]

My curiosity is un-piqued.

 

[levi]

That price for one of these classic consoles that always seems to sell for about $100 seems very odd. Each controller still having a screen is interesting, but I guess it'll only really be used to show the overlays the original machine used for each game.

 

[ClockworkCoder]

I think it looks interesting:

 

[kuru]

controller is part of the sensory husk of a smartphone. Or a VMU with bigger, color pixels, touch and a gyro (nah, get out)

I also wonder how well that disk does a dpad's job

Buttons are probably awkward to reach.

Design, here, does not follow function.

 

[levi]

I can't see a massive problem with the disc; the prototype designs have little bobbles there so you can feel where the NSEW directions are, and as a 16-way control (the usual NSEW, plus the eight two letter directions, NE, NW and so on, plus the twelve three letter directions, NNE, NNW and so on).

It seems from the trailer they're not exactly going for the same market as previous classic consoles. For one thing, they haven't announced any built-in games yet, only pricing for downloadable ones, and also they're talking about the games not being the originals but reimagined versions.

I think the buttons on the controller should be easy to reach. You'll end up holding it like a touchscreen phone, so your thumb can press the buttons on the same side of the device as the hand your holding it in (right side if in right hand etc.) and your fingers can press the other. I expect people to use their other hand to press the d-pad. So it's rather different to the original where I at least always used the thumb of my holding hand to press the d-pad and the other hand for the buttons up top.

But yeah, for me it really depends on how they muck up the games they're reimagining here.

 

[kuru]

They replaced the numpad with a screen, I get it.

Meh, I need to put my grubby mitts on one of those controllers. It's the wildest of speculations without the actual haptic thing

 

[Jumpman]

Yeah, I'm not totally put off on this, but I'm still a long way from ever buying one. I did like what they showed in regards to the controllers, games and what it would be about overall. That Atari POS has taken funds from customers, and this device that isn't due for years, gave me a much better impression of what it can and will be.

Of course those things can change, but this looks like those involved have a clear vision and goal in mind. I wish them well, as Intellivision doesn't have the brand recognition Atari has, so you can see out the gate, their not looking to burn bridges or cash in on name alone. All Atari did was play to the current retro craze, and try to cash in on the brand, which seems to have worked. All anyone has to do is look at the garbage that is the NeoGeo Mini to see how terrible something can be, when little to no plan is thought of before hand. They have some of the best 2D games ever made, and it shows like crap on HD, and they make what's a somewhat portable device, with no way to use it as such(no internal battery). Any and everything that could have been cool, with a little effort, was not included, and they are charging a premium for the device and the controllers.

This Amico looks like they want to give past fans, as well as new ones a legit reason to want this, and for that reason, I'm cool with what was shown so far. I doubt I'll ever get something like this, as it's just not anything I really need or want, but for it's intended market, this has some "hope" in my opinion. I'm not running towards it, but more importantly, I'm not running away, which I have done for most new offerings, from past greats and that's half the battle IMO. So I'm still interested in what this may be once launched and more importantly, those involved seem to have a firm grasp on what it is they are doing(or at least trying to do), and that speaks volumes.

Chris

 

[JDTAY]

Just found out about Amico while reading YouTube comments on Evercade. I think it's great that new console makers are looking into what potential customers might actually want instead of just focusing on specs. The Amico may just save gaming from itself with its family friendly approach. I know married dudes who aren't even allowed by their wives to have video games, because they're supposedly a bad influence on the children. Nintendo's made some strides to change those attitudes, but not nearly as much as what Amico is promising.

To recap what they're promising:
Early childhood, everyone, and E10+ rated games only.
2D games only.
$3 to $8 per game.
No DLC or in-app purchases.
Easy to learn gameplay.
Balanced multiplayer gameplay.
Modern remakes of classic games.
All games screened for quality.
All games exclusive.

Not quite sure how they'll enforce that last one, but it has me interested.

 

[levi]

Balanced multiplayer gameplay.
Modern remakes of classic games.
All games screened for quality.
All games exclusive.

Not quite sure how they'll enforce that last one, but it has me interested.

Modern remakes? Not sure about that without at the very least video evidence of what they've done to my favourite older games.

That's probably how they'll enforce exclusivity. Make remakes of stuff they've already got their hands on, and nobody else is especially interested in using their own developers or rented talent. Not keen myself especially if they focus on multiplayer gaming though.

 

[JDTAY]

One thing I'm still worried about is that Amico won't find its way to its intended audience. Right now mostly only core gamers know about it, and of course they're not happy with it. They're never even happy with core consoles, because the specs can never be good enough. Hopefully Intellivision is able to make a good marketing push next year before its release. They already had Forbes and Variety covering Amico; that's a start.
[doublepost=1556538117,1556536462][/doublepost]I mean, reading comments across the internet, I don't think core gamers are aware of how games are perceived. Most people I know would sooner press a button to delete their own souls than use a dedicated gaming machine. I feel like this is something that could get through to them.

 

[levi]

Yeah, talking about specs are largely irrelevant when it comes to mass market desire. Two recent examples I can think of both from Nintendo were the explosion in sales of Nintendo DS handhelds due largely to Brain Training, and later NSMB kept that rolling a little longer in the mainstream mind, and then there was the Wii largely due to Wii Tennis in the Wii Sports pack that took offices by storm when the first owners took theirs in and everyone lost their minds for an afternoon. In both cases, form factor was key, with the DS only being slightly larger than an old phone, and the Wii being small enough to tuck towards the back of your hifi cabinet with just access to the disc drive (if you actually owned a disc that wasn't wii sports) with only the sensor bar really visible.

 

[JDTAY]

I've watched half of the Amico dude's interview with ReviewTechUSA so far, and I like not only that he's going for the Wii audience, but also how he pointed out that the Wii, even at 100 million units sold, was a wasted opportunity, because the only game people bought for it was Wii Sports. He says he wants lots of titles that casual in order to keep people engaged.

I do share your worry that this system won't be good for playing by myself. I've stayed away from board games for the same reason. But hey, if this thing gets half as popular as board games are right now, it'll be a hit.

 

[JDTAY]

Interview with Amico dude uploaded a day ago in which he confirms Amico will be playable at E3.

 

[JDTAY]

Interesting news from Nintendo Life: Most of the team behind Earthworm Jim 1 and 2 have reassembled to make Earthworm Jim 3, and it will be an Amico exclusive.

There seems to be a problem already though where commenters don't seem to be willing to accept the involvement of Earthworm Jim creator Doug TenNapel himself, due to his non-liberal politics. I kinda feel for the dude though, since I'm also outside the political mainstream currently, as a voluntaryist. But um, I really shouldn't get into that, lest I go craaazy again.