Intellivision’s Wii-like Amico console delayed for the third time

Those who pre-ordered the long-delayed Intellivision Amico console have been told via email that they will have to wait a little longer to get their hands on the machine.

The system, which features Wii-style motion controls and a unique Wii U-like controller, was supposed to launch in October 2020, but the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic caused this date to be postponed until April 2020. 2021. Then it was changed to October. 2021 before this third delay.

Here is the statement that was sent to those who pre-ordered the console (thanks, VGC):

The Intellivision team has been working tirelessly to bring Amico, our family-focused entertainment system, to anxious homes around the world.

We have grown into a strong and stable company of over 60 passionate team members spanning three continents, representing some of the best talent in the industry. We are all very excited to share Amico with you.

We originally planned to launch Amico in Fall 2020, but we had to adapt amid the global pandemic that disrupted our production.

Despite our best efforts, and now facing unprecedented new international component supply and logistics challenges that are beyond our control, we want to apologize that we are forced to push back our desired release date once again.

Despite these supply hurdles that hamper our ability to fulfill all orders, we are focused and determined to deliver pre-ordered units by the end of the year. This will also allow us more time to optimize our operating system for future game development.

We want to make sure that those who have anticipated Amico for so long have the opportunity to enjoy it as soon as possible. Of course, we will keep all of our clients and stakeholders informed and updated on our continued progress.

Intellivision adds that those who have booked will receive a “very special thank you gift by email next week” as an apology.

Speaking exclusively to Nintendo Life last month, Intellivision’s Tommy Tallarico admitted that component shortages were hampering the Amico’s production, but he stood his ground on the October release date:

The final hardware is complete and we have passed almost all compliance testing worldwide (50+ tests) and for the most part we are ready to go into production. But there are more than 700 different parts that make up an Amico and more than 100 of them are electronic components. Unfortunately, because we have touchscreens in our controllers, as a small business we find it extremely difficult to secure 4 of those 100+ parts. We started insuring components last November. We have spent millions to achieve this and stay ahead of the curve. But a lot of things have changed so fast and all of these things come from China. This is how Playstations, Xboxes, and Switches are made. No exceptions, but that’s the reality of electronics right now.

At the end of July, Intellivision even posted a video showing “50,000 physical products” being packed at the factory, ready for the proposed launch in October.

A family-centric revival of the Intellivision brand that was popular in the early ’80s, Amico has recently come under fire following the release of documents from Amico’s developer portal, as well as the fact that its games seem rather boring in comparison. with titles that run on consoles like the Switch (Amico’s price puts it in competition with Nintendo’s hybrid system). However, Tallarico has put together a pretty solid team at Intellivision, including former Nintendo executives, and he’s convinced there’s a place for another Wii-style home console on the market, even with the Switch selling nearly 90 million units.

Were you one of the people who preordered the Amico? What do you think of this latest delay? Let us know with a comment below.