Intellivision Amico

The Intellivision Amico is an upcoming video game console produced by Intellivision Entertainment. The system was first revealed in October 2018 and pre-orders began in April 2019. Initially set to launch on October 10, 2020, the console was delayed to April 15, 2021.[4][5][6] The system will launch with 35 games, including six pack-in titles.[7]

Intellivision Amico

Intellivision Amico in Glacier White
Developer	Intellivision Entertainment
Manufacturer	Ark Electronics
Type	Home video game console
Release date	April 3, 2021 (Founders Edition) April 15, 2021
Introductory price	US$249 (Graphite Black & Glacier White) US$279 (Woodgrain) US$299 (Galaxy Purple)
Media	Digital downloads
Operating system	Custom Android/Linux operating system
System on a chip	Unknown 8-core 1.8 GHz[1] Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC[2]
Memory	2 GB RAM[1]
Storage	32 GB flash memory, 1x microSD[1][2]
Display	HDMI (1080p)[1]
Controller input	Intellivision Amico controller,[1] Android/iOS device, Bluetooth controller[3]
Connectivity	Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, RFID, wireless contact charging, 1x USB-C[1][2]
Power	12V DC barrel plug[2]
Online services	Amico Game Shop
Dimensions	11 × 9.5 × 2.5 in (279.40 × 241.30 × 63.50 mm)[1]
Website	www.intellivisionamico.com

Concept

The Intellivision Amico will mostly feature 2D and 2.5D games. 3D games will be allowed, as long as they are easy to play and easy to learn. Intellivision Entertainment is providing studios with resources they need to develop games to put in their curated library of games. All games must have features exclusive to the console, and must be rated E or E10+ by the ESRB, or PEGI 3 or PEGI 7 by PEGI. Intellivision Entertainment plan to release a mixture of new games, motion control games, cards and other tabletop games, educational games, and updated classic video games for the Amico. New versions of many Intellivision games with improved graphics and sound have been announced including some from Imagic. New versions of several classic Atari games as well as other reimagined arcade classics such as Moon Patrol and BurgerTime are expected around launch. Downloadable games, available via the Amico Game Shop, will cost US$9.99 or less at launch, with more expensive games for less than US$40 releasing later.[8] Physical editions with RFID download keys will be available at retail for approximately US$20 to US$30.[8][9][10][11] The Amico's goal is to return to family gaming and "couch co-op" among people in the same location which the company feels has been lost in modern gaming and web-based multiplayer. Because of this, all games will be both single-player and simultaneous local multiplayer, up to eight players. The console will not have online multiplayer at launch.[12]

History

Development

In May 2018, Tommy Tallarico announced his plans to launch a new Intellivision console and formed a new company, Intellivision Entertainment, serving as president.[13][14] Intellivision Productions was renamed Blue Sky Rangers Inc. and their video game intellectual property was transferred to the new Intellivision Entertainment.[15][16]

At the Portland Retro Gaming Expo in October 2018 the new Intellivision console was unveiled, including its name and launch date of October 10, 2020. Developer kits were expected to go out in Summer 2019.[12] In May 2019, Intellivision Entertainment revealed its first major console exclusive title, announcing that it had assembled ten members of the original Earthworm Jim team to create a fourth installment in the franchise in honor of its 25th anniversary.[17][18] The following month, the company debuted the functioning Amico hardware behind closed doors at E3 2019, allowing industry insiders to play in-development games on one of the functional console variants, and try out the compatible phone controller mobile app.[19]

At Gamescom in Cologne, Germany in August 2019 Tommy Tallarico debuted a trailer that contained in-game footage running on the Amico hardware to the public for the first time.[20] In October 2019, Tommy Tallarico attended Insomnia Dubai, a gaming convention held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to announce they set up an office in Dubai to launch the Amico in the MENA region on the same day as North America and Europe.[21]

In January 2020, Intellivision Entertainment made 2,600 special Founder's Edition vintage wood-grain bundles available for pre-order. The number 2,600 was a jab at long-time competitor Atari and its 2600 console. The allotted amount sold out in five hours. The company opened another round of VIP pre-orders in late March of that year. Within a few days, over 10,000 additional units were pre-ordered with several days remaining in the sale. At that time, Tommy Tallarico stated that Intellivision had also received purchase orders for 100,000 units from major retailers but further orders were put on hold because of manufacturing uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[22]

The mixed crowdfunding/investment company for video games Fig announced its acquisition by Republic, a larger crowdfunding/investment company in April 2020, allowing Fig to open itself to larger campaigns. On that announcement, it opened a campaign for Amico pre-orders, as well as for those that wanted to invest in the console.[23]

On May 14, 2020, it was announced former Microsoft executive and Xbox co-founder J Allard had joined Intellivision Entertainment to serve as the company's global managing director, assisting the company in launching the Amico.[24]

On August 5, 2020, during a YouTube video special event it was revealed that due to specific quality criteria that could not be fulfilled in time for October 10, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and after consulting with retail partners, distributors, manufacturers and "other trusted allies", the release of the Amico would be delayed from October 10, 2020 to a new target release date of April 15, 2021, or April 3, 2021 (a pun on a rocket launch countdown, presented as "4, 3, 2, 1, launch!") for the Founders Edition consoles, unless the situation caused by the pandemic changes.[25]

Production

On September 16, 2020, it was announced that Chinese manufacturer Ark Electronics was awarded the contract to produce the Intellivision Amico due to their experience, expertise and long-standing reputation as a leader of innovation in the manufacturing industry.[26]

Hardware

Console

The console features Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, RFID, HDMI out, a microSD card slot, a charging cradle for two Amico controllers on the top, passive cooling, and one USB-C port on the back for accessories and expansions.[1][27][2] The body also features a built-in LED ambient lighting system with 40 independently controlled LEDs[2] that can change pattern and color in response to gameplay, known as Interactive Guidance Lighting.[1][28] This feature is intended to make playing games on the console "fun and memorable" while also helping guide players in an interactive way.[6] The console will launch with five available colors: Glacier White, Graphite Black, Vintage Woodgrain, Galaxy Purple and GTO Red.[29]

Controller

Intellivision Amico controller

Animated render of the Intellivision Amico controller
Developer	Intellivision Entertainment
Type	Video game controller
Release date	April 3, 2021 (Founders Edition) April 15, 2021
Introductory price	Approx. US$60 TBC
CPU	Unknown CPU[1]
Memory	Unknown memory[1]
Storage	Unknown storage[1]
Display	3.2 in (81.28 mm) 4:3 TFT LCD capacitive touchscreen,[30] full-color, 320 × 240 QVGA[1][31] @ 125 ppi
Sound	Speaker, microphone, haptic force feedback[1]
Input	Touchscreen[1] Gyroscope[1] Accelerometer[1] 64-way pressure-sensitive directional disc[1] 2 x 2 shoulder buttons (two each for left and right hand orientation), home button[1]
Connectivity	Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, RFID[1]
Power	Wireless contact charging, USB-C[1]
Dimensions	6 × 2.75 × 1 in (152.40 × 69.85 × 25.40 mm)[1]

The Intellivision Amico comes bundled with two controllers, designed to be ambidextrous for right or left handed preference. The controllers can charge when they are placed into their cradle on top of the console, or charge using a wired USB-C connection. The battery charges in 2 hours, and provides 4–6 hours of continuous gameplay on a full charge.[2] They feature Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, RFID, speakers, a microphone, an accelerometer, haptic force feedback, and a gyroscope. They also feature a 3.2 in (81.28 mm) full-color touch screen, a home button and a 64-way pressure-sensitive directional disc. Four oversized buttons are placed as two shoulder buttons each for right handed or left handed orientation.[1][32][33] Each shoulder button features an LED light, and the disc is surrounded by a ring of eight LEDs.[34] These LEDs, in addition to the LEDs on the console, have brightness settings, or can be turned off.[2] The controllers come with wrist straps[1] to prevent them from flying away during game action if not held securely. Up to six additional players can connect, with players able to use additionally purchased controllers (in limited cases, including Bluetooth controllers)[3] or a free controller smartphone app in place of an Amico controller when needed.[35]

Games

Tommy Tallarico, president of Intellivision Entertainment, has said the games available for the Amico will be about 20% updated and re-imagined versions of classic video games, 20% original new games, 20% sports and recreation, 20% board/dice/card/word/puzzle games, and 20% educational. All games will be both single player and multiplayer, with some games allowing up to eight players simultaneously, or utilizing motion controls (via the accelerometer and gyroscope), or the LEDs,[2] or having the option to use the Karma Gaming Engine, a feature intended to provide players of all skill levels with a fair level of competition against each other by dynamically adjusting the difficulty for players based on how well they are playing the game, or, due to most games using the touchscreen,[36] for 5% of games, supporting Bluetooth controllers.[3] Six games will come included with the Amico, and about forty games are expected to be available at launch. Five of the six included games have been announced as Skiing, Astrosmash, Shark! Shark!, Cornhole, and Farkle.[10][19][37][38][39][40]

The following games have been announced to be released for the Intellivision Amico:
* unofficial name, subject to change

Title (85)	Genre	Developer	Release date
10 Yard Fight	Sports		2021/22
ACL Cornhole	Sports		April 3, 2021
Archon	Strategy	React Games	2021
Asteroids	Shooter, arcade		2021 Q2
Astrosmash	Fixed shooter	Rogue Rocket Games	April 3, 2021
B-17 Bomber	Action		December 2021
Back Talk Party*	Party		April 3, 2021
Bad Dudes	Beat 'em up
Battle Tanks	Action	Lost Mesa Entertainment	April 2021
Beauty and the Beast	Platform		2021/22
Biplanes*	Action	WastedStudios	April 2021
Blank Slate	Tabletop game		April 2021
Bocce	Sports
Bomb Squad	Action, puzzle	International Headquarters	2021
Bowling*	Sports		2021 Q2
Boxing	Sports
Brain Duel	Puzzle		April 2021
Breakout	Arcade	Choice Provisions	April 2021
Burgertime	Arcade		2021 Q2
Burnin' Rubber	Arcade
Caveman Ninja	Platform
Care Bears*	Educational	PlayDate Digital	April 2021
Cloudy Mountain*	Action adventure	Other Ocean	April 2021
Cosmic Ark	Shooter
Darts	Sports		2021
Demon Attack	Fixed shooter		2022
Dolphin Quest	Action-adventure	Playchemy	2021
Dracula	Action
Dragon Fire	Action		2022
Dynablaster	Action	BBG Entertainment	April 2021
Earthworm Jim 4	Platform	Intellivision Entertainment	2021/22
Emoji Charades	Party	GameCake	April 2021
Evel Knievel*	Action	Barnstorm Games	April 2021
Farkle	Tabletop game		April 3, 2021
Finnigan Fox	Platform	Bonus Level Entertainment	April 2021
Flying Circus*	Action		2021
Flying Tigers	Scrolling shooter		2021
Football*	Sports		September 2021
Frog Bog	Action		2021 Q2
Frogger	Arcade
Golf	Sports		2021 Q3
Hockey*	Sports		October 2021
Horse Racing	Racing
Hot Wheels SideSwipers	Action		April 2021
Ice Trek	Action		2022
Incan Gold / Diamont*	Tabletop game		2021
Kung-Fu Master	Beat 'em up
Liar's Dice	Tabletop game	The Bitmap Brothers	April 2021
Lock 'N' Chase	Arcade, maze chase
Lode Runner	Platform, puzzle	Tozai Games	2021 Q2
Mahjong	Tabletop game
Microsurgeon	Shooter		2021 Q2
Miner 2049er	Platform		2021/22
Missile Command	Arcade	Stainless Games	April 2021
MLB Baseball	Sports		April 2021
Moon Patrol: The Milky Way Chronicles	Arcade	WastedStudios	April 2021
MotoRace USA	Racing
Night Stalker	Shooter	Other Ocean	April 2021
Nitro Derby	Racing	Chicken Waffle	April 2021
Pinball	Arcade		2021
Pong	Action	Way Digital Studios	April 2021
Pool & Billiards*	Sports	Pool Legends IVS	April 2021
R-Type	Scrolling shooter		2021/22
Rigid Force Redux Enhanced	Shooter (horizontal scrolling)	com8com1, Headup	April 2021
Running Man*	Endless runner		2021/22
Safecracker	Action, puzzle		2021
Sesame Street Math Fun	Educational		April 2021
Shark! Shark!	Action	Neobird, Bonus Level Entertainment	April 3, 2021
Shuffleboard	Sports
Skiing	Sports	Aesir Interactive	April 3, 2021
Snafoo	Action	Thera Bytes	April 2021
Space Strike	Action		2021
Spades*	Card	Concrete Software	April 2021
Spelunker	Platform		2021/22
Soccer*	Sports		2021 Q3
Sub Hunt	Action
Telestrations	Party		2021
Tempest	Shooter, arcade		2021/22
Texas Hold'em*	Card
ToeJam & Earl	Action		2021/22
Tron Deadly Discs*	Action	Other Ocean
Tropical Angel	Action
Utopia	Real-time strategy, city building		2021
Warlords	Action	Stainless Games	2021
White Water	Action

[32][37][41][42][43][44][45][46][25][47]

Operating system

The Intellivision Amico utilizes a custom Android/Linux operating system developed in-house. In an interview with GamesBeat, Tommy Tallarico described the operating system as "very solid", but "very flexible", stating Linux is the "flexible" part and Android is the "solid" part.[38]

References

1. "Amico Tech Specs — Intellivision Entertainment". Intellivision Entertainment. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
2. "Meet Amico - Hardware Design". Intellivision Entertainment. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
3. "Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A". Retrieved 25 October 2020.
4. "October 2018 Press Release" (PDF). Intellivision Entertainment. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
5. "Intellivision Reveals 5 Colors for the New Amico Console". Geek Tyrant. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
6. "Intellivision Entertainment". Intellivision Entertainment. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
7. "Countdown to the Intellivision Amico - Tommy Breaks the Rules in this Interview". OEB Pete. February 1, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
8. "An Interview with Tommy Tallarico of Intellivision - Part 5". Intellivision Entertainment. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
9. Pelone, Anthony. "First Look at Intellivision Amico". heypoorplayer.com. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
10. "FAQ — Intellivision Entertainment". Intellivision Entertainment. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
11. Borge, Michael. "Intellivision revealed their new Amico console - Daily Gaming Report". Daily Gaming Report. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
12. Fischer, Tyler (October 20, 2018). "Intellivision Amico Console Officially Announced, Release Date Revealed". Comicbook.com. Retrieved October 21, 2018.
13. "May 2018 Press Release" (PDF). Intellivision Entertainment. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
14. Takahashi, Dean (May 29, 2018). "Intellivision lives: Tommy Tallarico will relaunch 1980s console". VentureBeat. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
15. "September 2019 Press Release" (PDF). Intellivision Entertainment. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
16. Roney, Steve. "Intellivision Productions, Blue Sky Rangers and Intellivision Entertainment". atariage. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
17. "May 2019 Press Release" (PDF). Intellivision Entertainment. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
18. Hall, Charlie. "Earthworm Jim game in development for the new Intellivision console". Polygon. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
19. Franzese, Tomas. "The Intellivision Amico is Real and its Goals Are Commendable". Dual Shockers. Retrieved 22 August 2019.
20. "Intellivision Entertainment Launches New Trailer for Their Upcoming Amico Video Game Console". Retro Game Network. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
21. Hamad, Marwa (October 17, 2019). "Insomnia Dubai: Supercars and gaming announcements on day one". Gulf News. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
22. Takahashi, Dean. "Intellivision takes more than 10,000 VIP edition preorders for Amico console in a few days". Venture Beat. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
23. Batchelor, James (April 17, 2020). "Republic acquires Fig". GamesIndustry.biz. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
24. Hall, Charlie (August 3, 2020). "Ex-Xbox exec J Allard joins Intellivision to help launch new Amico console". Polygon. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
25. "Intellivision Amico Special Event (August 5, 2020)". August 5, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
26. "Ark Electronics Awarded Intellivision Entertainment Amico Gaming System Manufacturing Contract". PR Newswire. Retrieved 22 September 2020.
27. Hall, Charlie. "Intellivision plans comeback with a new console called Amico in 2020". Polygon. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
28. Santa Maria, Alex. "It's Game On For Intellivision's Forthcoming Amico Console". mandatory.com. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
29. "Intellivision Entertainment website". Retrieved January 8, 2021.
30. Adams, Robert N. (9 December 2019). "Intellivision Amico Controller Detailed, First Pack-In Game Revealed". TechRaptor. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
31. Takahashi, Dean (January 12, 2020). "Tommy Tallarico is making a lot of noise about Intellivision | VentureBeat". VentureBeat. Retrieved January 12, 2020.
32. Battikh, Rany. "Intellivision Amico Gamescom 2019 Trailer". retrorgb.com. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
33. Diaz, Jesus. "What the Hell Is the New Intellivision Console?". tomsguide.com. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
34. "Meet Amico - LED Disc Ring (test 2.18) - YouTube". Intellivision Entertainment. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
35. Owens, Skip. "Geek Links: Intellivision Amico Announcement". geekdad.com. Retrieved 26 August 2019.
36. "Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A". Retrieved 25 October 2020.
37. Adams, Robert. "Intellivision Amico Controller Detailed, First Pack-In Game Revealed | TechRaptor". TechRaptor. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
38. Takahashi, Dean (June 21, 2019). "Intellivision Entertainment prepares for its rebirth on 10-10-20". VentureBeat. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
39. "Intellivision Amico Pack-in announcement". Intellivision Entertainment. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
40. "Intellivision bringing 22 games to E3". Brutal Gamer. 2019-06-04. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
41. "VIP Pre-Order Announcement Gameplay Trailer". Intellivision Entertainment.
42. McIlrath, Mary. "Tech Takes Its Foot Off the Kid Gas Pedal: Consumer Electronics Show 2020 Recap". C+R Research. Retrieved 2020-01-17.
43. https://www.intellivisionamico.com/press-releases/press-release-october-22nd-2018
44. "Meet Amico - Dice Rolling! - YouTube". Intellivision Entertainment. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
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46. Tallarico, Tommy. "Atariage Forum website post, Retrieved 24 March 2020". Atariage Forum.
47. "Press Release - August 5th 2020". Intellivision Amico. Intellivision Entertainment.

External links

• Official website