Intellivision Announces the Amico: Their Own Retro Console

It's probably been a fairly long time since you've seen an Intellivision in modern news. But the retro home console is seeing a comeback with a new console: the Amico.

The original Intellivision console launched in the United States in 1979. It featured a 16 direction round disc under 15 button pad on the controller. The console was best known for the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons game. But that was a long time ago. The Intellivision company has risen again to present a modernized return to the classics.

The console will come pre-installed with "several" classic Intellivision games. Approximately 20 more games will be available for purchase on a bespoke online market, priced between $2.99 and $7.99, depending on the game.

The console itself, shown in white, will illuminate as you play. Connected through Bluetooth are the familiar, tablet-like controllers. Now wireless, the button screen has been replaced with a color touchscreen. The directional disc has also been upgraded to be omnidirectional. If even more folks want to join, users can connect to the console using their smartphone as a controller.

The console will offer 48 titles total at launch. Intellivision reassures interested consumers that every game will not contain any DLC or in-app purchases. Though to play them all, you'll have to purchase the additional games. They are as follows.

Intellivision titles:

Astrosmash
Shark! Shark!
Baseball
Night Stalker
Skiing
Math Fun
SNAFU
Utopia
Frog Bog
Boxing
Bowling
Triple Action
Tron Deadly Discs
Cloudy Mountain: Crown of Kings
Star Strike
Horse Racing
Auto Racing
B-17 Bomber

Atari titles:

Pong
Asteroids
Centipede
Tempest
Adventure
Missile Command
Yars Revenge
Breakout
Lunar Lander
Night Driver
Sky Diver
Warlords

Imagic titles

Microsurgeon
Atlantis
Demon Attack
Dracula

Additional titles

Miner 2049er
Super Burgertime
Bad Dudes
Caveman Ninja
Moon Patrol
R-Type
10 Yard Fight
Lode Runner
Spelunker
Kung-Fu Master
MotoRace USA
Tropical Angel
Archon
ToeJam & Earl

Most every game being made for the home consoles these days is created with only the hardcore gamer in mind. We see a world where everyone is interested in playing at home and with friends, but this isnt currently possible because the barrier to entry is nearly impossible for a non-gamer due to the complexity of the controllers, intricacy of gameplay, expense of the hardware and software and steep learning curve with an unbalanced fun factor for the beginner. Our goal was to create a console that both gamers and non-gamers are able to have fun with and play together. The Intellivision Amico is our answer to this gaping hole we see within the current video game industry.

Some won't agree with many of these claims. To call all of video games impossible for casual gaming is a bold and inaccurate statement. With the NES and SNES Mini performing exceptionally well on the market, many other retro consoles followed suit with their own modernizations. It's no mystery that this is another nostalgia driven cash grab. They're looking to appeal to those who have lost touch with the game's their kids are playing, while they long for the good ol' days.

The average age of a gamer today is 34 years old, and the market reflects that with a broad array of games for people of all ages. Intellivisions policy to only offer games rated E for Everyone and E10+ for Everyone 10 and up on its new system makes finding the right games easier for busy families, especially those with young gamers.

The Intellivision Amico will release on October 10, 2020 for somewhere between $149 and $179. You can find more information, and sign up for a mailing list, at Intellivisions official website.