Intellivision Amico has a unique approach to physical media and digital property

Intellivision Amico is a pretty cool new system heading to the market, a game console focused on “family friendly” content (age ratings below 10) that brings to mind a combination of Wii and Wii U in concept. That being said, it has also had some issues; There have been discussions online, controversies over some of those involved in the project, and multiple hardware delays. We addressed quite a few of those issues in a summer interview that you can read about here.

Currently, the system does not have a fixed release date after multiple delays, but does have limited collector’s edition sets. for sale; yes, it is quite strange to sell game bundles before the hardware is on the market. Limited to 50,000 units, there are eight combo games, split between an all-in-one package at $ 149.99 USD or two volumes of four games each at $ 79.99. Although the games have a maximum of $ 20 each one way, the lack of flexibility with the packages shows that these are only aimed at enthusiasts and collectors.

What is quite intriguing is the detail of how the physical media will work on the system. It has been common knowledge for some time that Amico will support RFID (Radio Frequency Identification), a technology commonly used to track and monitor merchandise. Game cards (designed to look like the original Intellivision media) do not function as physical media such as a disk or cartridge; instead you scan it on your system, there is a download and then it is linked to your system.

In what is a very current approach, scanning the card also turns it into an NFT (non-fungible token) on your system, and its digital copy is managed on the blockchain. Like cryptocurrencies and those NFT sales you’ve no doubt been reading about, so you supposedly ‘own’ that digital copy and can transfer it. So theoretically the game card can be used in multiple systems, and the card changes ownership to the system being used. The benefit cited is that it is easier to move your download through this card than the digital purchases we normally make on the eShop, PSN, or Xbox Store.

It is very 2021. However, it does make us think of some interesting topics about downloading games and the limitations they have. Some games can be downloaded just out of necessity, but of course when we’re done we can’t loan them or give them to friends or family the way we can with a cartridge. Our downloads in stores like eShop are also licenses, in which we are basically lease games, so it is always a sticking point. Amico’s solution is an intriguing take on the idea of ​​owning a ‘download’ of a game, even if we’re likely a long way from seeing this kind of approach at a general level from Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft.

We should also mention that there are various criticisms and concerns surrounding NFTs and blockchain technologies, from their environmental impacts to a general lack of oversight and regulations. Any product that fully embraces that technology will also face similar questions.

Still, if the Amico is anything, it’s a little unique, despite its bumpy route to market.