jaybird3rd Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 I'm going to have to disagree with you on this point. Hardcore gaming barely existed back then. Some parents bought the Intellivision as something to do -with- their kids or even more for themselves. Heck, my grandfather bought his Intellivision to play games with his neighbor. The fact us grandkids played it during visits was secondary. I would add to that by recalling that the Intellivision was branded as "Intelligent Television" and marketed to more upscale audiences who would have known who George Plimpton was, such as the readers of Playboy. That might seem to be the exact opposite of their current "family-friendly" approach, but I see them as similar in that they are attempting to reach beyond the mainstream gaming market. When the Intellivision was new, that meant emphasizing more "sophisticated" traditional games—sports games, card games, Horse Racing, etc.—over "simplistic" arcade-style games. Now, at least according to what we've heard so far, they're emphasizing more family-friendly fare (in contrast to mainstream consoles) and quality over quantity (in contrast to the numerous cheap Android-based alternatives which offer plenty of mostly-crap games). It's not surprising that the idea would have been sold differently in 1979 than today—different times, different strategies. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MantaNZ Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 (edited) More details including concept art. I'm guessing the writer isn't a native English speaker as there are some incredibly odd sentences in here but still... https://comicbook.com/gaming/2018/10/21/intellivision-amico-console-announced-release-date-details/ EDIT: I checked this thread before I posted and there was no info on the Amico I swear! I'm really not internetting very well tonight... Edited October 21, 2018 by MantaNZ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MantaNZ Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 Oh, I forgot to add: it looks like a bedpan. Still, if they can pull off this "quality only" thing I'm all in. I do have to argue though... saying that 3D focussed consoles make development of 2D games tough is utter rat shit. As a game developer myself I can honestly say that 3D has made 2D development simpler than ever. Create a quad, whack a texture on it and bam, you have a sprite. Now doing it the other way around... that's tough... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 More details including concept art. I'm guessing the writer isn't a native English speaker as there are some incredibly odd sentences in here but still... https://comicbook.com/gaming/2018/10/21/intellivision-amico-console-announced-release-date-details/ EDIT: I checked this thread before I posted and there was no info on the Amico I swear! I'm really not internetting very well tonight... Eek! It does look like a bedpan or a foot massager, indeed! That's not really all that appealing, wow. I think I would have gone with something more angular and ridged, based on contemporary aesthetics of the 1970s and 1980s "futurism" -- sort of like what Atari VCS (Ataribox) did. Jeez, what a way of making the device look dorky. -dZ. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariLeaf Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 I'm interested. I'll give it a chance, the family friendly thing doesn't bother me. Everything from that era would be considered family friendly now (except maybe the porn games of course) so if they're going for a mostly updated look and feel for the games I'm all for it. It mentions remade Atari and Imagic games which intrigues me. Mostly digital but some physical releases which I wasn't expecting, thought it would be download only so that's an interesting and welcome bit of news. Sounds like the games will be cheap and the console itself isn't overly expensive. I just hope those Intellivision style controllers are more comfortable to hold and use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_me Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 (edited) I don't think we learned much from yesterday we didn't already know. The Intellivision Amico will release on October 10, 2020 at a price between $149 and $179. They showed sketches of the console and controllers. Controllers can be used vertically, sideways, upside-down. Up to eight controllers are supported, and smartphones can also be used as controllers. They confirmed licensing Imagic titles, and some non-intellivision titles. They introduced some non-intellivision programmers and producers e.g. Scott Tsumura, Jason Enos. An official announcement will come tomorrow. They filled a fairly large room. There's some photographs here. https://www.dualshockers.com/intellevision-amico-revealed-prge/?ampcf=1 Edited October 21, 2018 by mr_me 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+MattelAquarius Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 Thanks for the links, MantaNZ and mr_me. At this point, I have enough information to know that I will certainly be buying 1, if they hopefully deliver. Yes, the appearance looks odd, but hopefully with the right colors and detailing used, it will be okay. I want to PLAY those games. As for family friendly, I don't mind a bit of cartoon style mischief, but I draw the line at games depicting the total destruction of a planet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z2An-pI5FQ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 Thanks for the links, MantaNZ and mr_me. At this point, I have enough information to know that I will certainly be buying 1, if they hopefully deliver. Yes, the appearance looks odd, but hopefully with the right colors and detailing used, it will be okay. I want to PLAY those games. As for family friendly, I don't mind a bit of cartoon style mischief, but I draw the line at games depicting the total destruction of a planet. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Z2An-pI5FQ Har! Har! You know, I always liked Star Strike, but winning it always felt to me much less satisfactory than losing. When you lose, you get that great planet-destroying effect; but when you win, all you get is a short jingle and blinking stars. Not even a "Congratulations! You save the planet!!!" Nada. A few times, I just left it there waiting for something to happen; or tried again thinking that perhaps I needed to get a higher score to see the "real ending." I guess I was spoiled by the cheer and fireworks at the end of Bomb Squad, which always felt like the right way to end a game of high stakes -- and what higher stakes are there than the possible annihilation of the entire human race? Still ... Star Wars Death Star trench, so ... -dZ. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catsfolly Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 Eek! It does look like a bedpan or a foot massager, indeed! That's not really all that appealing, wow. I think I would have gone with something more angular and ridged, based on contemporary aesthetics of the 1970s and 1980s "futurism" -- sort of like what Atari VCS (Ataribox) did. Jeez, what a way of making the device look dorky. -dZ. It's basically a small box with two controllers on top, I think if they made it more angular, it would look like an Intellivision 2. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catsfolly Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 Whenever Blue Sky Rangers played the original Intellivision Football game, and had to select their plays and options on the TV screen while hoping the other player was too busy to notice what moves they selected, the players would always say - "What we really need is a screen on the controller that shows information that only the player can see." Looks like this is finally going to happen. (The dreamcast had memory cards in the controller with displays in them, but the resolution was really low. There was a Pac-man game for the Gamecube where the players used Gameboys as the controllers, and they saw a different view of things on the gameboy screens than on the TV screen.) I'm interested in seeing what can be done with this little screen... Catsfolly 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atarifan88 Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 (edited) I noticed something in those write ups about the games they are going to re-do. One mention of a game called Moon Control? I think they mean Moon Patrol! Edited October 21, 2018 by atarifan88 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMBerzerk Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 I don't like the bedpan look, they should have gone retro with it. Deep brown and black furniture are in again .. why make this look so space age. But as far as everything else.. I'm in. Sounds good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_me Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 (edited) I noticed something in those write ups about the games they are going to re-do. One mention of a game called Moon Control? I think they mean Moon Patrol! Shows how much these writers know about video games. In addition to Mattel Electronics (e.g. Tron Deadly Discs) and Imagic titles they showed slides indicating remaking games from the following companies with the following titles shown. Irem: Moon Patrol, Motorace-USA, Tropical Angel, R-Type, Kung-Fu Master, 10 Yard Fight, Spelunker (Micrographic Image), Lode Runner (Broderbund) Data East: Bad Dudes, Caveman Ninja, Sly Spy, Express Raider, Burgertime Atari: Tempest, Lunar Lander, Asteroids, Adventure, Breakout, Night Driver, Missile Command, Centipede, Pong, Yar's Revenge. If the disc can be used as a spinner to play Tempest, that would be something. As far as console design goes, I prefer a black box. Edited October 21, 2018 by mr_me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IMBerzerk Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 Wow.. if that is what they are suggesting, this console might be a hit. Everyone I show my MAME and Retropie units to always ask me how they can get one. By the sounds of it, maybr they finally can, or at least something close to it. Let's face it, unless you're good with electronics and software emulation, you're out in the cold when it comes to the old stuff across multiple system titles. We'll see. But I do think we should have a poll and maybe send them some design suggestions before they commit to something that looks like a Vicks Vaporizor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev Posted October 21, 2018 Author Share Posted October 21, 2018 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+DZ-Jay Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 It's basically a small box with two controllers on top, I think if they made it more angular, it would look like an Intellivision 2. intellivision2.jpg It need not be. There's more than one way to skin a ... er cat. CB78C79A-03F9-4F32-B4AA-624964682F0E.jpeg Hmm ... That looks even more ... weird to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_me Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 (edited) The controller has a speaker and a microphone. So, no more joking, it could now be used as a telephone. Edited October 21, 2018 by mr_me 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rev Posted October 21, 2018 Author Share Posted October 21, 2018 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Lathe26 Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 The controller has a speaker and a microphone. So, no more joking, it could now be used as a telephone. LOL! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Loguidice Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 All the other stuff I'm more or less onboard with, but I'm highly skeptical of what tends to be the most important part of any system here, the controllers. If those aren't done well, then it can ruin the whole experience. I'm not sure Intellivision controllers are the best controllers to take inspiration from, even for something of a spiritual successor. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Lathe26 Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 I wonder how long it will take to adapt the new controllers for jzintv (Windows, Raspberry Pi, Android, etc)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
00010000 Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 Reveal came outta nowhere for me; while there's some stuff in there that's kinda B.S (the whole "a better 2D machine than even PS5 etc." thing is hogwash b/c systems nowadays have enough brute power and memory to access pixels directly through framebuffers when older systems had such slower CPUs and way less memory they needed to do stuff like vector quantization to compress graphics data to free up as much RAM as possible for sprites....and a lot of those machines still had a problem with sprite limits. 2D hasn't really been a problem hardware-wise since like the Dreamcast, it's even less a hardware problem in 2018 and comes down now to producing the assets for good 2D), there's quite a bit I liked in the presentation, too. Being able to pair 8 controllers to it on Bluetooth has a lot of local multiplayer possibility; the last system that really made a hard push for local multiplayer was the N64 and that was decades ago. Them wanting to fund game development for the platform is promising, though the promise to pay on royalties only works if the install base is there, but we all know some developers hold out anyway until the install base increases significantly. The focus on 2D games is nice to hear, though again nowadays, that has very little to do with hardware being an issue so much as it does time to produce assets, so maybe they should focus more on funding that as a marketing bullet point. That said, other aspects just make no sense. I get the "7/10" rule is supposed to be some measure of quality control, but outright mentioning it these days is just kind of cheesy. Hell, it was cheesy back when Nintendo did it with the Seal of Quality, and it's even cheesier to make it such a big thing now. Platform holders can enforce quality control as a behind-the-scenes measure, plus generally speaking, the licensing fees to develop and publish on consoles to begin with were already a sort of natural measure of quality control. Also, the whole "E or E10 only" age gating, well I'm not really sure how well that will work out. I know they want to position this as a family-friendly platform and ecosystem, but they can accomplish that through marketing alone. I mean, look at Nintendo: they still have a family-friendly image but got with the program a long time ago and stopped enforcing censorship on their platform when their competitors were more relaxed on that front. Even though you can play COD, Wolfenstein etc. on a Switch, you'll never see them in official advertising b/c it's always going to be the Mario, Zelda, Pokemon games there. The marketing alone paints the perception of the vibe you want the product to give, whether or not the actual content is wholly consistent with that image. Besides, putting some parental controls on-board wouldn't be hard to do, they could even try being a pioneer in this area if they wanted to be meaningful. Overall, I'm mostly optimistic with the system's prospects. It's already much better off than the Atari VCS, but now it's in a sort of weird middleground where it's not a joke, but due to that, is now in contention to be seriously compared to a PS4, XBO, or Swich. The price is slightly a factor there; even though XBOs and PS4s haven't perma-dropped to $199.99, they have been made available around those prices on short-term sales. By 2020 there's a strong possibility Switch Pro (or whatever they call it) will be available and the current Switch gets a price reduction to be more entry-level, which would mean a $199.99 price tag, not that far off from the Amico, and possibly quite more powerful too while having portability as an added selling point. Then there's the launch date; this thing will get decimated by PS5 and Scarlet if it releases during that time frame. If by chance either or both of those come out in 2019, it'll STILL get decimated thanks to PS5/Scarlett bundles with some big AAA releases. And if a Switch Pro were to come out around then, that'd also be a death knell. In fact probably the best time for them to launch Amico would probably be middle-to-late Spring, because other than the summer months that's when it's usually pretty quiet in terms of new big releases. More than anything though, they need some killer apps; yeah, I know that concept isn't as important these days as it was in the past, but the Amico doesn't have the brand name of a Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo. It doesn't have their mindshare or proven track record of long-term supported systems + ecosystems, and it doesn't have their marketing budgets. Those systems, whether Intellivision wants to admit it or not, are competing for the Amico's audience through proxy; they don't have to directly advertise to them, it's just that those players naturally go towards those consoles because that's where their friends and families are at or going towards. So the Amico really needs to have a strong hook right out of the gate and the most surefire way for a system in its position to do that, is with a nice lineup of killer apps and targeting their demographic very well on a budget that's only a fraction of what the big boys have. We'll see how it plays out, but they definitely have my attention and encouragement thus far. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youxia Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 What a bizarre thing overall. It starts really great with the "2D only" premise, but the subsequent hoops for the devs to jump through - 7/10, E10+<, 2.99-7.99 are ridiculous. I mean, he says all content will be exclusive, so he wants people to develop for him on those strict, rather suffocating conditions (if I'm reading this right, which may or may not be the case since it's all a bit of a info mish mash). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjchamp3 Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 Ugliest laziest POS junk, grease ll Bowling Bag of the 60s looking, foot masseger, bathroom after morning dump scale, prego tester going, embarrassing design and the Panel was a joke!!!!!!!!!!!! I would not buy it nor take it for free I am so sorry that Kieth Robinson and others have to look down or ABOVE to see this junk!!!!!!! Anyone could have done better 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjchamp3 Posted October 21, 2018 Share Posted October 21, 2018 It also looks like an airplane toilet 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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