Intellivision Amico Console announced - Hundreds of millions of sprites. Superior 2D than PS4 or PS5

[parallaxscroll]

It's all about 2D and it's 2 years from launch. Coming October 2020.



https://comicbook.com/gaming/2018/10...-date-details/

Back in May, Intellivision teased that it was working on a brand-new home console that it would soon bring to market. Fast-forward to today during the Portland Retro Gaming Expo, and it revealed said console, and has provided the first slew of details on it.

Dubbed the Intellivision Amico, the new system will notably be launching two years from now, on October 10, 2020.

Here's an early concept of what the system will look like:



A concrete price has yet to be nailed down for the system, but Intellivision has said it is aiming to come in anywhere from $149 to $179.

As you can see from the picture, the controllers actually fit into the console, and use wireless charging. Each controller will also have a 3 1/2 inch 3X2 touch screen to enable touch controls. Further, the system will be able to support up to eight controllers at one time, including mobile phones, which can act as stand-in controllers.

Meanwhile, the console has optional interactive lighting and comes packing "21st century 2D chip and architecture." What this will mean is that the system will focus strictly on 2D tech and games, and making 2D development easy, especially compared to 2D development on PS4 and Xbox One, which because they are 3D focused machines, can provide a lot of challenge in 2D development. This will also allow, according to Intellivision, better 2D work than can be achieved on the aforementioned consoles.

Speaking of games though, every single one will cost no more than $7.99 USD and no less than $2.99. Further, there will only be E-rated or E10-rated games permitted on the console, with absolutely no violent games allowed. This is being done because the console wants to pitch itself as a something "parents want to buy."

There will also be no ports allowed on the console, as quality will be more important than quantity. Additionally, there will be remade Atari and iMagic games that will be exclusive to the system. Any game that is remade will come with updated graphics, audio, added levels, and multiplayer.

The console will allow each game to create hundreds of millions of sprites, as well as have the occasional retail release, though the latter will come at a special and premium price. In other words, the system will mostly be a digital gaming platform.

The Amico will also come packing leaderboard support, as well as some type of Achievements system that will be completely unique to it.

Devs kits of the console are currently scheduled to release sometime next summer, and Intellivision will notably be paying developers to make games for the system, or in other words, provide a platform for game development with no financial risks.

And that's about all we know about the modern retro console. Intellivision has said an official press release with more details will arrive on Monday, so if you're interested in knowing more, be sure to check back then.

https://www.resetera.com/threads/int...-or-ps5.76069/

* Comes out 10.10.2020, aiming for a price around $149 to $179 USD.
* Controllers fit inside the console and use wireless charging.
* Console has, optional, interactive lighting. Think the DS4 light but on the console itself. This will make the console feel alive.
* Controllers have a 3 1/2 inch 3x2 touch screen on them.
* "21st century 2D chip and architecture". Focusing strictly on 2D tech and games, they don't want 2D development to be "hard" like on PS4 or Xbox due to them being 3D focused machines.
* Will do 2D work that the PS4, Xbox One or even the PS5 can't achieve because of that "2D first" development focus.
* Hundreds of millions of sprites on their dev hardware.
* Up to 8 Bluetooth controllers will work on the console. Can also use a free phone app as well to control the games.
* E or E10 games only. No violent games permitted on the console. A system "parents want to buy".
* "When did quantity take over for quality". No ports allowed on the console.
* Keeping the previously announced 7/10+ requirements.
* Remaking Atari and iMagic games. Will be exclusive to the Amico.
* All games $2.99 to $7.99. Download only for that price.
* There will be physical special edition prints (disc based) for a premium ($30) on a game-by-game basis.
* Leaderboards based on time (weekly, monthly, all time) and space (city, country, state). Trophies/Achievements are tied to this to be unique. Users might get printable emails or patches to commemorate the accomplishment.
* Remakes of classic games will have updated graphics, audio, added levels, local/online multiplayer and "more".
* The return of Perrin Kaplan!
* They will be paying developers to make games for the Amico. There will be 0 financial risk for developers as accepted pitches will be funded by Intellivision (costs will from future royalties).
* Dev kits next Summer.

LoL Wat ???? When I read this a few hours ago, I thought it was an April Fools joke in the wrong month.

Better 2D graphics than PS4....and PS5 (which hasn't been revealed yet) ?? Well, okay then.

[Aussie2B]

This reeks of vaporware. It'll probably either never be released or it'll be released and get next to no games and be nothing like what was initially advertised. The info really makes no sense. I mean, who wants to control games with an unholy hybrid of an Intellivision controller and a smartphone? It's like the worst of both worlds. If they refuse ports and games with a Teen or Mature rating (it's also so cute and out-of-touch that they think violence is the only reason games get those ratings), it's going to have practically no games, regardless of if they offer money upfront. And what parents of children 10 and under are going to want to buy this for their kids? Parents generally don't buy weird, obscure hardware for children. And if they're going for the "Hey, remember when you played Atari or Intellivision as a kid?" angle, they're far too late for that. The average parent of a young child is too young themselves to have ever played a pre-crash system. Today's parents of young kids grew up with the likes of the NES, SNES, and Genesis. They'd sooner buy a NES or SNES Classic for their kids than a piece of obscure hardware costing $150+ that plays remade Atari games.

Also, even if some developer is all in on this, and even if it's a dedicated 2D machine, that doesn't make high-end 2D development easy. There's a reason most indies look more like a NES or SNES game than, say, King of Fighters XII and XIII. Sprite artists with those kinds of abilities are a dying breed, and it also takes a lot of time and money to push the limits of what modern consoles can do 2D-wise. I don't think anybody who would develop for this would have the skills or resources to make something that is actually beyond what the modern consoles could do.

Lastly, if they're trying to appeal to retro game collectors, a system that's predominantly digital-only isn't the way to do it.

[Scotterpop]

Haha, seriously WTF?!? What, do they only intend to sell this thing in Christian book stores? That product description is truly baffling. I�ve certainly been having some fun at the expense of the Ataribox, but this... this is just too much to process at once. It�s just wrong on so many levels!

[Greg2600]

The controller I think is a bad idea.

[Gameguy]

I'm really hoping that while there will be limited edition games available on disc, that the console will only use some type of proprietary cartridges. The actual game code will be on the discs, but the console won't be able to read the discs. It's perfect for collectors.

[bb_hood]

Whoa, a new 'console' that not Sony, Nintendo or Microsoft AND its not some crowdfunded pipe-dream.. this might actually be really cool.

[buzz_n64]

The controller I think is a bad idea.

I agree. Those controllers are the worst choice. Everyone likes to ridicule the Atari 5200 for its controllers, but the Intellivision had worse controllers. Standard type controllers should be bundled with the console and these style controllers should be sold separately as an option for hardcore Intellivision gamers.

[gbpxl]

They're trying to bring old technology and outdated norms into the 21st century and I hate to sound like a band wagon jumper but it has Fail written all over it. Im not a fan of that style of controller. I feel there is a reason controllers don't look like that anymore. And yeah 2D that can outperform the PS5. Okay buddy

[WelcomeToTheNextLevel]

And if they're going for the "Hey, remember when you played Atari or Intellivision as a kid?" angle, they're far too late for that. The average parent of a young child is too young themselves to have ever played a pre-crash system. Today's parents of young kids grew up with the likes of the NES, SNES, and Genesis. They'd sooner buy a NES or SNES Classic for their kids than a piece of obscure hardware costing $150+ that plays remade Atari games.

Exactly. MY parents played Atari as kids. They were born in 1968 and 1970. I was born in 1992, so I'm 26 now. Most of the kids born to the generation that grew up on Atari and Intellivision were born in the 1990 to 2005 period. Their parents are fine with them playing T-rated, and for most of them, M-rated games. Many of them are buying the games on their own dime!

Besides, this thing reeks of failure. 2D prioritizing hardware? The current systems can do 2D well enough that any improvement would be imperceptible, AND they can do photorealistic 3D. There's also so many restrictions on games for this thing that it will never be able to amass any kind of library. I see this being released and being about as successful as the Hyperscan.

The right way to do this would be like the Atari Flashback consoles, or something like the Intellivision Lives! games.

[Gamevet]

I’ll see your bet on 15%, and raise for it to be 0%.

Why do fools back these goofy consoles? I didn’t even think that the Atari VCS would ever see the light of day, and though it is now out, this 2600 kid has no interest in paying $300 to play emulated games from my youth.

[JSoup]

Anyone who remembers the Ouya should have seen this coming a mile away, and that console actually released before dying quickly.

[WelcomeToTheNextLevel]

Stick a fork in it, it's done. If this thing ever comes out I will eat my hat.

[JSoup]

Trademark is gone.
https://twitter.com/nintendolife/sta...27613487550465

[Greg2600]

Trademark is gone.
https://twitter.com/nintendolife/sta...27613487550465

Misleading headline. It's not abandoned yet, as they still can respond in the next two months or something like that.

[YoshiM]

Anyone who remembers the Ouya should have seen this coming a mile away, and that console actually released before dying quickly.

The Ouya did have support but was a victim of mismanagement and changes in what was offered. One such change that didn’t sit well was the removal of necessary demos. It was the plan that folks could try before they buy, unlike other services at the time.

Thanks to a dedicated community, the cube still lives. Amico looks like its about to be stillborn. While it seemed like it got positive feedback from demos, I wonder if that feedback is not unlike relatives stating that they will “totally stay in touch” but never do. They like the Amico but will never buy it.

[Greg2600]

Ouya had no business plan either, which is why it flunked from day one. I bought an Ouya, as it was good for android-installed tools for multimedia. For games, it was lousy, and way, way out of date when it was released. Amico is a closed system, so in that sense, it won't be out of date for quite awhile. The pandemic certainly put a crimp on what they intended to build.

[JSoup]

Yeah, being fair the Ouya had some utility. It's still sought out for making into emulation boxes and/or media center.

[Nz17]

They should post all of the games which had been developed for the Intellivision Amico for sale to Steam, Google Play, modern consoles, etc. to recoup some losses and at least provide that much for those that financially backed the project. That would not be as good as the hardware plus the games promised, yet at least the games wouldn't go to waste that way.

[YoshiM]

They should post all of the games which had been developed for the Intellivision Amico for sale to Steam, Google Play, modern consoles, etc. to recoup some losses and at least provide that much for those that financially backed the project. That would not be as good as the hardware plus the games promised, yet at least the games wouldn't go to waste that way.

Or better yet-save a little face and make the controllers for computers. They are unique enough that maybe that would attract people to pick them up.

Or make the controllers available for the Atari VCS. Call it the Intellivision Expansion set ;-)