Intellivision Amico facts for kids

The Intellivision Amico is a new video game console. It is made by a company called Intellivision Entertainment. This console was planned to launch in North America, the United Kingdom, the rest of Europe, and the MENA region. Its original release date was October 10, 2020, and it was expected to cost about US$249. When it launched, six games were planned to be included with the console. About 40 more games would be available to buy.

What is the Intellivision Amico?

Most games for the Intellivision Amico will be in a 2D or 2.5D style. This means they look flat or almost flat. Some games will be 3D games. The company wants these 3D games to be easy to learn and play. Intellivision Entertainment helps game studios create games for the console. They provide whatever the studios need.

All games will have special features that only work on the Amico console. Every game will be rated E (Everyone) or E10+ (Everyone 10+) by the ESRB. Or they will be rated PEGI 3 or PEGI 7 by PEGI. These ratings mean the games are suitable for families and younger players.

Many classic Intellivision games will get updated versions. These new versions will have better graphics and sound. Some classic games from other companies, like Tron: Deadly Discs, will also be available. Updated versions of old Atari games, and games from Imagic, are also being made. This includes arcade classics like Moon Patrol and BurgerTime.

You can get games by downloading them or on physical media. Downloadable games will cost US$9.99 or less. Special collector's editions will be available on RFID cards for about US$30. The Intellivision Amico aims to bring back co-op and family gaming. The company believes that modern online multiplayer games have moved away from playing together in the same room.

How the Intellivision Amico Was Made

Early Ideas and Development

In May 2018, Tommy Tallarico announced his plan to create a new Intellivision console. He started a new company called Intellivision Entertainment and became its president. The original Intellivision Productions changed its name to Blue Sky Rangers Inc. Intellivision Entertainment then took over the video game rights.

The Intellivision Amico was officially shown to the public in October 2018. This happened at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo. They announced its name and the planned release date of October 10, 2020. Developer kits, which help game makers create games, were expected to be sent out in Summer 2019.

In May 2019, Intellivision Entertainment announced its first big exclusive game. It was a third official Earthworm Jim game. They brought back ten people who worked on the original Earthworm Jim team. This was done for Earthworm Jim's 25th anniversary.

In June 2019, the Intellivision Amico was secretly shown at E3 2019. Important people in the video game industry could play games still being made. They also tried out the official mobile app. This app lets mobile phones act as controllers for the console.

At Gamescom in Cologne, Germany, in August 2019, Tommy Tallarico showed a trailer. It had the first public footage of games running on the Intellivision Amico. In October 2019, Tommy Tallarico visited Insomnia Dubai. This is a gaming event in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He announced that an office was set up in Dubai. This was to help launch the Intellivision Amico in the MENA region on October 10, 2020. This was the same day as its release in North America and Europe.

Console Hardware

The Intellivision Amico console has many ways to connect. It includes Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for wireless connections. It also has RFID technology. For video, it has an HDMI output. There is an SD card slot for extra storage. It also has three USB ports. Two of these USB ports can be used for charging devices. The third USB port allows you to add more storage to the console.

The console has a special LED lighting system. This system is called Interactive Guidance Lighting. It is built into the console's body. It can change its pattern and color based on what is happening in the game. This feature is meant to make playing games "fun and memorable." It also helps guide players in an interactive way.

The Controller

The Intellivision Amico comes with two controllers. You can charge them wirelessly by placing them in a special cradle on top of the console. You can also charge them with a wired USB-C connection. Or, you can charge them both ways at the same time.

The controllers have Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and RFID for connections. They also have speakers and a microphone. Inside, they have an Accelerometer and a Gyroscope. These let the controller sense motion. The controllers also have force feedback, which makes them vibrate during gameplay.

Each controller has a 3.2 in (81.28 mm) full-color touch screen. There are four large shoulder buttons and a home button. It also features a 64-way pressure-sensitive directional disc. This disc has a ring of LEDs around it. The controllers come with wrist straps. These straps help make sure the controllers do not fly out of your hand during active games. You can connect up to six more controllers to the Intellivision Amico. Also, you can use a smartphone as a controller by running a free smartphone app.

Games for the Amico

Tommy Tallarico, the president of Intellivision Entertainment, has talked about the types of games available. He said about 20% will be updated versions of classic video games. Another 20% will be brand new original games. About 20% will be sports and recreation games. There will also be 20% board games, dice games, card games, word games, and puzzle games. Finally, 20% will be educational games.

All games will support both single-player and multiplayer modes. Some games will let up to eight players play at the same time. Players can use Amico controllers or their mobile phones. Some games will use motion controls. These controls use the accelerometer and gyroscope inside the controller.

Some games will have a feature called the Karma Gaming Engine. This feature is designed to make games fair for all players. It changes the difficulty of the game based on how well each player is doing. Five games were planned to come included with the Intellivision Amico. About forty more games were expected to be available when it launched. Five of the six included games announced are Skiing, Astrosmash, Shark! Shark!, Cornhole, and Farkle.

These games have been announced to come out for the Intellivision Amico:

• The name is not official, and might change.

Operating System

The Intellivision Amico uses its own special operating system. An operating system is the main software that runs the computer or console. This one is based on Android and Linux. Tommy Tallarico, the president, said the operating system is "very solid" but also "very flexible." He explained that Linux makes it flexible, and Android makes it solid.

Images for kids

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  Intellivision Amico controller.