Intellivision Amico!

[nosweargamer]

Looks like they found a real winner with Start Engine for their crowd funding.

https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/burbank/profile/crowdfunding/startengine-crowdfunding-inc-1216-651625

Edited February 8, 2022 by nosweargamer

[Justin]

7 hours ago, RickR said:

This is the problem with the pre-design-stage hype.  They got boxed into a corner.  I imagine they wish they'd gone with traditional controllers right about now. 

 

I remember in the '90s we used to talk a lot about "Atari Vaporware" - stuff like the Atari 2700 Remote Control VCS, the Atari Cosmos, the Atari Keyboards for the 2600 and the 7800, the Atari 2000 kid's console, the Atari Mindlink Controller, the Atari 2600 Voice Commander, the 7800 High Score Cartridge, all of the unreleased software that never saw the light of day - all of this was announced and touted by Atari before it was ready to go.

It was a huge mistake. All this focus on hardware and unreleased games while Nintendo developed a 6502 system that was essentially a 2600/5200 that could address more memory with some ColecoVision characteristics. Yet Atari was busy announcing products before they were ready. They all did it.

If there was one thing I would hope Intellivision would learn from this era, it's to "build it first, then they will come." Have a clear vision, stay focused, get the job done and then begin promoting to the public.

 

 

7 hours ago, RickR said:

What's so interesting is that with Sony and Microsoft systems being so costly and scarce, and the Switch going for over $300, the low-end market is wide open for something simple and elegant to get some attention and sales.  Their $150 price point would have been perfect.  A shame. 

 

@RickR is right on here. This is the correct mindset.

Intellivision should set their price point and build within that target. If you're going to delay by 3 years at least come in under budget. I can't tell you what a huge opportunity there is right now to fill the $99 niche that sits between the Mini Flashback consoles and Playstation / Xbox. That niche used to be filled pretty well by Game Boy / GBA / 3DS, but with that line effectively abandoned in favor of merging Nintendo's two product lines (portable + home console) into the Switch, there's a big opportunity.

The only ones I see coming close to the target right now at that price is Evercade. Imagine if Evercade got into Costco or Sam's Club with a nice bundle that included a couple games?

Intellivision has that same opportunity, and for that matter so does Atari if they can bring the price down a bit. I want to see everybody succeed and stay in the game, each with a robust, satisfied fandom.

 

 

1 hour ago, nosweargamer said:

FYI, they just dropped a new "Family" Trailer that is also an "Investor" Trailer in disguise, as it links their new, fourth crowdfunding campaign. 

 

@nosweargamer Your coverage of this has been the best. I like that you can review this from an objective viewpoint. You sum it up and break this craziness down into bitesized morsels that I think everybody can understand. We all want to see Intellivision succeed, but we also see things for what they are.

[Justin]

22 minutes ago, nosweargamer said:

Looks like they found a real winner with Start Engine for their crowd funding.

https://www.bbb.org/us/ca/burbank/profile/crowdfunding/startengine-crowdfunding-inc-1216-651625

 

YIKES!

They also keep relying on "crowdfunding". Don't do this! Crowdfunding is nice for smaller projects. If you have a project with a guy out there calling himself "CEO" of something, you shouldn't have to rely on crowdfunding. Seek out private capital from accredited investors. (My rule of thumb: if somebody can't lose $100K in your project, brush it off and walk away unscathed like John McClane walking out of an explosion, they shouldn't be investing in your project.) Easier said than done - but I feel I can say this as someone who has had to do this with a project substantially larger than the Amico is. If you want something bad enough you need to be willing to bust-yo-ass and work for it. Suck it up and get that Sequoia Capital money. Do not use nostalgia and fuzzy memories as a wedge to get micro investments from regular "mom and pop" people investing $1,000 here and there. Disappointing to see this. I wish everybody at Intellivision the best and want to see this succeed. It's a nice idea, let's get this done and not allow people to be financially hurt over something they loved from their childhood.

[nosweargamer]

According to the Offering Details from their StartEngine crowdfunding campaign, Intellivision currently only has enough operating cash for a month or two.

[RickR]

Take out the papers and the trash
If you ain't got no spending cash....

[nosweargamer]

When Intellivision Entertainment formed after Keith Robinson's passing, they also took ownership of Intellivision's assests and trademarks. If IE ever goes bankrupt, it could mean completely new ownership of Intellivision's game library. At one point, I thought the original stuff was kept separate, but I was wrong. (From their StartEngine Offering Details)

[nosweargamer]

According to Intellivision's StartEngine Offering Details, the price of the Amico appears to be in flux and could be as high as $349. We've come a long way from the original price range.

[RickR]

Yikes! 

Not to get stuck on price or anything.  Perhaps it will be worth it.  Who knows?  As usual, wait and see is my attitude

[nosweargamer]

It's official. According to Intellivision's Offering Details from their StartEngine campaign, the price range of games has gone up.

[nosweargamer]

Even though their FAQ still shows a Q1 target release date, Intellivision's StartEngine Offering Details shows they hope to launch by July, and the phrasing seems to indicate manufacturing has yet to begin.

[nosweargamer]

According to Intellivision's StartEngine Offering Details, the hardware is 100% complete, but the system's firmware and OS, although close at 95%, is not yet finished. 

[RickR]

3 minutes ago, nosweargamer said:

According to Intellivision's StartEngine Offering Details, the hardware is 100% complete, but the system's firmware and OS, although close at 95%, is not yet finished. 

If true, this is good news.  I'm sure they wish they were at 100% for both and maybe this is why they changed gears on CEO. 

[Justin]

Want to see something wild? This is our Instagram post from October 6, 2015. It was a "regram" from @IntellivisionLives, which was the Official Intellivision Instagram account during the time that Intellivision was primarily owned and run by the late Keith Robinson, with whom I was aquatinted. Intellivision had attended the Twin Galaxies Entertainment Festival that year and hosted an Astrosmash contest which we were amplifying to help get the word out for our friends at Intellivision.

Here is what my caption read:

"The winner of the #Astrosmash shoot off at the #twingalaxiesentertainmentfestival: music legend Tommy Tallarico who scored 13,229 points in five minutes of play, winning an Intellivision Flashback! ☺️"

So Intellivision held an Astrosmash contest - which Tommy Tallarico won! They gave him an Intellivision Flashback for free, he beat out other contestants playing, posed for pictures, and @RickR @btbfilms76 and I all gave the post a like. Unreal that somebody with his means, and connections to Intellivision, would take the free Intellivision prize when an actual fan could've played and won.

 

 

[Justin]

Added context for the Instagram post above: I was acquainted with Keith and really respected that he was still out there captaining that ship. Atari I/O likes to amplify things like that - nice people, good projects, fun sincere things that go beyond just Atari.

I was vaguely aware of Tommy Tallarico at the time. I knew he produced music for the video game industry and had done the music for Earthworm Jim. I was unaware of the Steven Tyler stuff. I just thought he was a cool fan who had attended the event!

[RickR]

Oh man, that is wild.  If only we knew at the time what was going to happen. 

 

[nosweargamer]

I enjoyed listening to TT when he appeared on the Intellivisionaires podcast before the passing. For awhile, I thought company was in good hands, since he was a big fan of the system and an industry veteran, but now I believe he got in over his head. It's one thing to compose music and make games for established systems. It's another thing to launch a completely new system.

[nosweargamer]

I love how the NES and Genesis are called too complicated in this picture from their StartEngine page.

[RickR]

Amateurs:

[CrossBow]

1 hour ago, nosweargamer said:

I love how the NES and Genesis are called too complicated in this picture from their StartEngine page.

Honestly, nothing in that complicated pile is complicated. You put in a game and turn on the system and start playing for the most part. Sure the Xbox had updates etc. but it was part of the start of online stuff back then. And while those controllers in the later gen consoles shown might have quite a few buttons, how does it compare with the original Intellivision controller or with how many possible buttons could be created on that touchscreen that the Amico is using on the controllers?

Pretty sure it will still be quicker to power on and be up and gaming even on that Xbox in that complicated systems picture than it will with the Amico or any of the current modern systems today.

 

[Justin]

1 hour ago, nosweargamer said:

I love how the NES and Genesis are called too complicated in this picture from their StartEngine page.

 

I realize they're trying to do a creative modernization of the Intellivision keypad, but I think they could've had a home run with 2 buttons and a D-Pad. That's all you need 🙂 

[Sabertooth]

18 hours ago, nosweargamer said:

I love how the NES and Genesis are called too complicated in this picture from their StartEngine page.

I saw this too! I'm still trying to wrap my head around that NES pad. Much less intuitive than the original Intellivision controller...

[Sabertooth]

An interesting summation of the required SEC disclosures from Intellivision Entertainment for the 3rd round fundraising:

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2022-02-09-intellivision-entertainment-hasnt-generated-revenue-since-launch

Full SEC document here:

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1909726/000166516022000236/offeringmemoformc.pdf

[Justin]

22 hours ago, nosweargamer said:

I love how the NES and Genesis are called too complicated in this picture from their StartEngine page.

It's honestly shocking that they would create and publish this image. They're not just pitting themselves against the current generation from Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, now they're using this image to pit themselves against some of the greatest, most beloved classic video game systems of all time. The NES, SNES, and PlayStation Dual Shock are controllers that set the standard of their generation. Calling the NES "2 Buttons and a D-Pad" controller "complicated" is such an insane thing to say that it makes me wonder what they're smoking over there.

If anything the Amico controller is its Achilles Heel. It doubles down on the ergonomics of the original controller, and it makes their offering more expensive.

Also interesting to note that in that pile of "complicated" video game controllers they opted not to include the Sega Dreamcast controller with its unique VMU screen.

[nosweargamer]

I look at the recent crowdfunding effort in my latest video on it.

 

Edited February 9, 2022 by nosweargamer

[Marco1019]

I read a somewhat clickbait headline announcing Tallarico was stepping down, but he just stepped down as CEO.

 

Ars Technica had a more detailed article on their site: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/02/debt-stricken-intellivision-asks-for-more-funds-to-last-past-july/