5 BAD Arguments Against the Intellivision Amico

Nothing.... Every person that knocks it never played it. Everyone who has played it has nothing but good things to say.

I'd really like to hear what the PS, XBox, or Nintendo Switch's "Killer App" is.

One potential good argument against in that it is unknown whether or not it will emulate the old Intellivision games -- offering them in a classic mode (as well as an updated mode).

As for bad arguments, how about -- it's been delayed so it must not be any good. (Ignoring a global pandemic and a worldwide chip shortage.)> That argument also is used as "evidence" for the top two bad theories put forth herein, for which there is one prominent voice out pushing those couple of those items for whatever reason. (If it were not for that source, they would have very little traction.)

What a great video! If you don't like it, don't get it - it really is rather simple... no need to spew so much bile, because we're all gamers at the end of the day...

I like your Amico videos, and you've actually played it now, so that gives you credit. I can't understand how some people are still trying to say its fake or a scam, even when progress is being shown and has now been in peoples hands.

Such a great video Brett! Appreciate you always giving your honest thoughts and opinions.

p.s. Celebrity Net Worth is way off. I'll just leave it at that. ;)

Very well said. You express yourself very well ! I agree 👍

I would like to ask if Mr. Weiss is one of the investors of the Amico? Do you have a stake in the product to succeed? If you do then that should be stated when producing these videos. If you aren't and just a fan then continue firing away but much like the other comment below I'm really sick of hearing about a console that was to release 6.5 months ago, is now releasing in about 5.5 months (hopefully) and it seems only those positive to the product have been invited to test and review. I would love to see those less favorable to the product to get a hands on experience where their minds could be changed. If I continually state I like something it really won't sway a public that doesn't seem to be clamoring for this product if I'm allowed to test but those less supportive are never allowed access. I hope the Amico succeeds but IMO, the way this devise has been promoted and rolled out is below average at best. I hope the team at Amico can step their games up and allow truly non partisan reviewers access to get a fair assessment of where the console is at. If I knew it was a good product I would pre-order but having 20 Weiss videos supporting the console doesn't move the meter one millimeter. Needs to be in the hands of those without bias. Thanks

I looked at the website and I'm pleased with the price points of the games that are coming for it.
Pretty cool that it'll work multiplayer with more than two people.
The graphics actually look pretty good according to what I see on the website.
As far as arguments go, I think that something that could possibly be either a good or bad argument (depending on the fine details of the tech behind it) is the wireless charging and battery powered controllers. I've had bad luck with wireless controllers for years. The wireless chargeable controllers that had a wireless charging cradle for the Wii, for example, were terrible. They seemed cool at first, but the batteries didn't last very long. Wasn't long before they wouldn't charge anymore. I was glad that you had the option of using such batteries, or of using regular alkaline batteries. I still use those controllers, but I use alkaline batteries in them now. I had the same problem with wireless controllers for the Xbox 360 as well. So, unless vast improvements have been made in wireless charging batteries for controllers, the fact that this system uses them gives me pause.

I am curious how well the cell phones work as a remote. I don't like playing games on my phone because the controls don't feel right on my

Well put Brett. I think people just need to give it time. Liked your sonic reference. I feel we are seeing something similar with sony and microsoft with their latest consoles lacking a killer app. Sure they are coming but they launched with nothing. It's hard for me to be objective when I've played it. And understand how it works. The disc itself is rather remarkable tech. Leads one to think of they came up with that brilliant design what else do they have in store for us. I firmly believe they are holding back other things from us. And when they launch we will start to see the full picture over the course of the 1st year following the launch. I'm actually excited to play cornhole with my family.

I wish this would come out already. I want to play it and make my own conclusions.

Having just listened to the latest podcast from the “holier than thou 2” I’ve become increasingly concerned about the exact motives for their anti-amico stance. This obviously goes far beyond just wanting to be proven right with their audience. Their constant sniping, purely based on unproven and frankly uneducated ‘facts’ have become almost laughable. I’ve no idea if the Amico will succeed or indeed if I will eventually decide to purchase one for myself but what I do KNOW is that the project is headed by people with the passion and industry pedigree to give it the best chance possible. Good luck to everyone involved.

Great points man 🥂

Yeah I can totally see that people might own an Amico and never know much or anything of the original console/brand. I don't see how that could harm the system.

The whole family friendly couch co op is coming off as more of a gimmick more then anything. Just tacking on co op doesn’t mean it’s good.

You're delusional

Good video! From what I have seen of the Amico system so far. It looks nice! Wish you were able to have it now. But I can wait till October! Hope Intellivsion will have more videos to show off the Amico and what it can do. At least, it looks like the real thing, not like that Coleco Chameleon system that never came out and was a hoax!

#6 Amico only has games I can play on my cell phone.

Wrong. Why?

1. Cell phone games were not designed for a TV. (For example, many fonts would look ridiculously overblown on a screen many times larger.)
2. Cell phone games can be multiplayer, but not in nearly the same way as on Amico. Very, very different experience on the Amico.
3. Cell phone games use the actual game screen to be a controller too. Amico has the big screen, and a separate controller, and another screen for extra features.
4. Amico has no micro transactions, or any of that nonsense.
5. Amico games are curated, and from professional and quality indie developers, not from any ol' Joe who is experimenting with Unity.
6. Amico games are the real deal, like real Atari licenses, reimagininigs of the real deal, not some cheap clone.

I can go on and make a wall of text out of this, but you guys get the idea.

I love the idea of the Amico and I will be buying one when it is released. People have their own reasons for not liking the Amico, it is not for everyone. You have some good points in this video.
A good argument for not liking the Amico: "The games being released are not the kind of games that are of interest to me."
Bad Argument: The Amico is a kiddie console with cell phone quality games and is an overpriced retro console and is like that Coleco Chameleon that turned out to be a scam." That bad argument is one of the worst arguments that I have heard people say.

I am considering this system, but two major issues I have heard that you did not address are: The lagging and that the games are not original, as they have been described as Flash games that can be played for free, making the price way out of line. Also, regarding the lagging, I know it has been said that there is no lag, but there are some who have shown the lagging by breaking the videos down in frames. Can you speak to this?

Great video with very valid points!

This is going to be my adult party game night system. And I think this will get people into (or back into) gaming. It's not intimidating like a PS or Xbox.

One bad argument I have heard over and over again is that there is no market for the Amico - despite Intellivision’s market research to the contrary, AND the fact that those who make this argument admit they have no market research of their own and have not done any research in general.

Good points. I had pre-ordered but asked for a refund a while back and received it with no problems. The reason being was that it was being pushed and I didn’t think like that they would be holding my $100 for a year and I was also disappointed that you couldn’t download original Intellivision games at launch. My understanding is the original games would come later. With that said it doesn’t mean I’m not interested. I hope the console is a huge hit! I just want it to finally release before I sink my money into it. I don’t understand the people who constantly bash it. Criticisms are fine but it benefits everyone if it is successful even if you have no interest. A successful product means more companies will want to invest in retro style and co-op games in the future. Great channel and keep up the good work!

I love video games, I have tried to play some of the newer triple A titles. I do like the big new games however I don't finish a lot of them. I have a wife and 2 kids I work long 12 hour shifts, so I want some simple pick up and play games. I am looking forward to the Amico it fits my lifestyle. Some of the guys criticizing it don't really know what it is like to have responsibility, so they say that there is no market for the Amico, they are so wrong.

Brett, do you think the Amico should look towards other franchises like Bug! from the Sega Saturn? Really fun game and the developer, real-time associates were ex Mattel intellivision employees. That would be a cool story to go with a cool game.

Killer app is Cornhole Brett book it.

Brett I don't believe Tommy is only worth 3 million. That's just his collection of Spider man stuff, pop culture stuff and video games.

Some people are just jealous of other people's happiness.

I think the worst argument is “well the Switch already does this”. There’s no reason we can’t have multiple family consoles available like we have multiple teen-adult aimed consoles or multiple PCs. The market will vote if they want to keep it around or not.

It costs ALOT of money to launch and sustain a console these days. Even back in the 80s and 90s, but these days it is very expensive.
I am sure Tommy is fine financially but I think the criticism around the financial viability of the platform has to do with the funding behind it to get it going and keep it on the market. I keep hearing 'investors' come up whenever Amico is mentioned, so I am assuming Tommy is getting private funding to launch this platform. Once he gets the console out, he'll also need to market it and support it with new games.

this is pertinent with respect to finding a killer app. Wii had Nintendo's vast resources. The size of Wii Sports' success was certainly unexpected but Nintendo of America's Reggie saw enough of it to wanted it packed in with the platform. Besides, if Wii Sports failed to light up the audience, the Wii still launched with a Zelda title. Same with Sega in 1989. They didn't have a killer app right away but they could wait 2 years to find their Sonic the Hedgehog. Since they ported lots of their arcade games and was the only 16-bit machine in town while Nintendo took 2 years to launch theirs.

One final point. Switch does come with two controllers, each joycon works as a full NES controller in a lot of the casual games and have plenty of off-line party games. Mario Party 10 is actually criticized by some for not having a full online mode, with the main meat of the game requiring couch play only. As I said before, I'm not really sure what market Amico is targeting. The people who have a memory of the Intellivision brand aren't the same people Tommy wants to target with fun couch co-op play. Those people have long been lost to mobile gaming and don't know what an Intellivision is. Even the argument about people retreating into their own space reminds me a lot of Nintendo's sales pitch with the Wii U.

If it doesn’t go online how do u get new games for it?

The Amico will be the Quibi of consoles.

I think if it hadn't been for the Intellivision IP it wouldn't have grabbed my attention, i wouldn't have completely understood the inspiration of the console, if I ever would have stopped to listen. But given all that, I've become sold on it too. My only concern is if it will have enough software year one to keep the individuals interested. We know there's a little something there for everyone, but will it produce enough for each individual and their tastes. I don't see how Amico can fail as long as there's plenty there for the individual... but it's got to happen right away. A guy can't have 5 to 10 casual type games he likes and then have to wait 2yrs more or less before getting more unique games . I really think this is the make or break that no one seems to be talking about. Year one needs more, and quality too.

Amico is too connected to Tommy. What other console developer is all over you tube getting in squabbles with every gaming you tube creator. I seem to recall Tommy stating that every game is going to be an Amico exclusive yet I downloaded and completed Evil Kineval on my phone 12 months ago for free. Just because a rocket stage is added does not make it an Amico exclusive. Stagements like these erode trust in the product. You guys have to admit that Tommy is a kind of love him or hate him guy. Forget Intellivision working against Amico, Tommys personality is more of a hindrance. Anyway I wish the Amico success and may pick one up if the price drops a little as I have a switch that fills the casual gaming niche and a pc for higher end games and dont see a reason to pre order at this stage. Out of all the games I like the look of Astro Smash for 20 mins of fun and may play it down the track. I do hope that the Amico does well as more consoles brings innovation...

Just about EVERY argument against Amico is bad. They whine about the controllers, the IP and Tommy. They say the games all look like mobile games, (they don't.) They claim, nobody will want this when there's Xbox and PS5, even though it's been made CLEAR from the beginning that this console was never intended to compete with those, and that "no kid will ask his parents for this," even though the kids in the demo video all seemed to LOVE it, and they dismiss those of us who support it as being nothing more than Tommy/Intellivision fanboys, rather than understanding that if there is a lot of love for it from ANY demographic, then taht means that IT HAS A MARKET. lightbulb

Most of the critics are wholly ignorant of the system. They dismiss it based on what they THINK it is, or based on THEIR gaming preferences, rather than what the market will bear.

In the real world, true critics of a thing actually have gotten their hands on that thing and personally reviewed it, and give UNBIASED reviews, not because they hate Tommy, or they hate the fans of the system, or they just absolutely HATE controllers that they've never so much as touched before. I've never seen so much hate for something that hasn't even been released to the general public, and where the critics know so LITTLE about it.

One of the more idiotic questions they frequently ask in their rants against it is, "Who asked for this?" As if possible future customers went to some unknown entity and asked for the PS1 or the Xbox, or the Switch, or mobile phones, high speed internet, or HDTV BEFORE they existed.

How can you possibly know so much about a system that you're building a following off of trashing when:

You've never seen it before.
You've never played it.
You don't understand its purpose and rather than seeking to, you've simply stopped at your own conclusions based on your own opinions.
You've never had a conversation with its creator.
You've never had a conversation with its creative team, system designers, or game developers.
You've never tried to balance your opinion with asking those who like it why they do.
You've simply made videos trashing it, end of story.

You'd think the common sense approach would be, "Let's wait and see." These people are going to look REAL stupid if this thing takes off, and I hope folks are downloading their videos just in case they try to delete them then. I hope they get drowned in reminders then.

The intended market of this is never going to find out about the Amico.
Even if they do you sit it next to a Switch, that can play any kind of game under the sun, and also comes with two controllers,
What does the Amico do? Play Pong for the same price?
I understand simple multiplayer games are few and far between but the Amico is such a bad way to go about this problem. It's incredibly overpriced too.

It's just way too expensive. The Amico is making the affordability of it's library one of it's big selling points but they're seriously asking for three HUNDRED bucks up front when I can buy a Switch for the same price. Heck I could buy a Switch Lite and several games for it for that price. Now, if Amico's price was 99.99 I think that would be a much easier sell and an aggressive challenge to it's competition. The Intellivision brand isn't worthless, but at the same time I don't think it's the kind of brand that can move a system on name alone especially for a three hundred dollar markup that's basically asking me to TRUST that quality games will come.

It almost sounds like they're fifteen years too late trying to capture the lightning in a bottle that was the Wii in trying to be a "bring the family together again" system. It's a noble goal, but times have changed since then. Despite this, my issue is just that price. Slash that thing down and I'd be willing to give it a chance

Biggest argument against the amico: There's literally no reason to purchase it, and especially not for $300. Every game I've seen for it seems horribly generic. The idea appears to be to draw people/family/whoever together and play together, but I can assure you that the non-gamers in my life aren't gonna touch this thing with a 10 foot pole. it looks like a product for more obscure/retro enthusiasts, but then it doesn't really do anything for that audience either. Pretty much the most appealing thing about the amico is earthworm jim 4, which.... ain't worth $300 and almost certainly would sell better on another platform (probably switch). I imagine the only people who will buy this are older people who remember intellivision. In terms of people playing it and enjoying it, sure. I imagine when you let people try it for free they'll enjoy their few minutes with it. But for a $300 investment? How much are these games gonna be? Typical retail is either $30 for budget games, or $60 for bigger titles. But I wouldn't pay even $5 for some of those games. The console itself seems fine. It looks nice, the controller seems solid. But a console lives and dies by the games, and I just don't see any games there that could justify a $300 console. I spent $200 on my switch and it's got far better games and stuff even my non-gamer friends and family want to play.

I'd thought about investing, just might do it

No 1 by a country mile and you don't even mention it, it cost too much money.

I believe the Amico is going to revive family couch co-op.

Best argument against the amico.....its too expensive. Buy a switch and have access to guaranteed "killer apps" no waiting a year or two for a potential killer ap that may or may not come. The games available look like flash games. This is just my opinion though. If i see games that i want to play then i will buy it. I have yet to see anything worth playing.

I tell the haters that this device isn't for them and that means that they shouldn't call it bad. The people against this console love modern gaming and modern graphics and online gaming. Tommy flat out told those kinds of people "This isn't for you" and they took offense. Look, I'm not going to call Series X or Ps5 "bad consoles" cause plenty of people are into them and both Sony and Microsoft seem to be doing well with fan communication. I'm still not interested in them or modern gaming anymore. For a number of years now, I've played retro and got far more enjoyment out of it. I've been wanting a modern console that catered to retro and that's what the Amico does and that is why I'm buying it for $250 on release day and supporting the company and Tommy

Do you ever come back and go "Wow. Did I really make this video?"