Making some software and producing a good product would be another method, but they haven’t tried that yet.
There was never a value proposition.
The Amico from day 1 was ego-driven vanity-filled wish fulfillment for midget manchild Tommy Tallarico The name of the console itself is his family name and the preoccupation with Ferrari colours and styling. All of this was a grift and a con so he could play dress-up CEO.
The Amico has no unique or compelling software or hardware reason for its existence.
What started out as only a vanity project for Tommy got millions of dollars somehow and an echo chamber of loyal sycophants from Z-list YouTubers and the AtariAge thread that became his safe space. It also became a “fan fiction” console where the compulsive liar Tommy Tallarico could not say “no” to anything but always claimed “he knew people in discussions.”
Nothing they did went towards making a viable or good product. It was all waste to pay themselves while keeping the con going.
He’s a washed up music composer from videogames’s 16-bit era who is out of touch with the current videogame market and culture.
Who’s resume is that from? I’d be embarrassed to list such simple things like saving memory by using a lower color bit depth. I mean, any idiot could do that.
Well, that makes sense, padding or retaining pre-order numbers would be important. That said how many more numbers could this generate? I imagine it would be piddling.
A SWE from Intellivision, don’t want to dox and or publicly shame them.
These are who they managed to hire: https://www.tiktok.com/@kimdarella/video/6974559230493756677
From AmicoGames.com:
Let’s go though this thought process, via imagination.
Let’s say that you like Dell Computers, because you’ve never bought one of their consumer products; only buying their boring yet reliable business machines.
Opportunity strikes! Michael Dell, the last executor of the original company’s staff is [again, hypothetically] letting go of the mortal coil and the rights to the company name, which in this hypothetical situation, wouldn’t coast on momentum for 30 years or longer.
Being a smart entrepreneur instead of a rich boy who is coasting off old money, you offer generously to buy the name for a thrifty price, because nothing quite says respect like cheaply acquiring a beloved brand name from the dying breath of it’s last holder, obviously.
There’s just one small issue: You don’t know how to fabricate computers, nor do you have any of the skills do so.
What do you do?
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Announce publicly that you’ve bought the name and are seeking engineers who want to work on a project to honor the name. It’s a risky project, but you’re personally devoted to putting your own name on the stakes for this to happen.
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Hit up your old washed up pals, none of whom have seriously worked in the industry for a decade prior, and also lack the skills to make this happen.
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Inquire with an existing, well established maker if you could work out a contract to rebadge an existing product with the name, saving most of the R&D cost, and months of product testing as it already exists.
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Eschewing the entire hardware concept; spin into software and see if there’s room for an enclave product somewhere. Establish software, then divert into hardware.
This time last year, with the hot property of the Harlem Globetrotters, Tommy was compulsively lying that players were helping him design the game.
It’s really pathetic how much he lies. It’s pretty unreal, but at this point it seems to come naturally.
It would appear that he knows that we all know it, too. He’s a lot less obnoxious when he’s in hiding, with his big yap shut.
I think Elizabeth Holmes’ story is illustrative here. These narcissists all believe that their lies and subterfuge will both be vindicated and even cheered on once they’re successful. They look at Zuckerberg’s early Facebook days as the model and think that every great thinker has to cut some corners and break a few laws to achieve their vision.
A partial list of lies told by Tommy Tallarico at his Reddit AMA
It’s posts like that (BB&B???) that make me not give any benefit of doubt about them ever having thought this product would make it to market. wth, man?
Tommy just ran his mouth off for years hoping it would magically come into being.
From ExitTheDonut
Company board starts to take out large loans
CEO: “Yeah, guys! We’re doing some cool stuff!”
Hardware development halts, debt surpasses $1 million for the first time
CEO: “Yeah, guys! We’re doing some cool stuff!”
After a third delay, company accepts agreement to give $100 cut per console
CEO: “Yeah, guys! We’re doing some cool stuff!”
Its always in the back of my mind to get a gaming console while I am going down the aisles looking for bed sheets and a new toilet brush.
That chain does have weird infomercial adjacent toys and gadgets I see he might have been angling for similar kind of exposure. But usually requires a finished console and games.