Meltdown prediction: Intellivision Amico doesn’t seem long for this world

Enlarge / A look at a very weird year for a retro-minded game console that may or may not exist by the end of 2022. (credit: Intellivision | Aurich Lawson)

Most of Ars’ end-of-2021 gaming coverage focused on the best stuff made during a bizarre year of delays and chip shortages. But there’s one other matter to wrap up before moving wholesale into 2022: my prediction for the biggest gaming product to not last past the end of this new year. Somehow, that prediction doesn’t involve NFTs.

When I first stumbled upon the Intellivision Amico in 2018, I was intrigued. This home-console concept looked like a unique entry into the resurgent “retro console” sector; it had an unusual touchscreen controller and designs on resurrecting Mattel’s classic Intellivision brand. Comparatively, companies like Nintendo had stopped manufacturing retro-friendly throwback consoles, leaving a gap in the market for a brand like Intellivision to potentially capitalize on.

Between recognizable licenses and a few decent games in its original sizzle reels, I wondered if this modest system might have a shot. (I was optimistic about many more things in 2018, of course.)