[[
File:Phantom-Console.jpg The Phantom at E3 2004 in Los Angeles | |
Type | Home video game console |
---|---|
Generation | If released, sixth or seventh generation (depending on release date) |
Release date | Canceled; release promised in November 2004, January, March and September 2005 |
The Phantom is a cancelled home video game console whose development was supposedly begun by Phantom Entertainment–then known as Infinium Labs–in 2003. The device was said to be capable of playing current and future PC games, giving the system a large initial game library and making it easier for developers to produce games for the system. The system was said to feature a direct-download content delivery service, instead of the discs and cartridges used by most game consoles at the time.
Press releases said in 2003 that the console would be released that year, and the digital rights management software would be provided by DiStream.[1][2] A prototype Phantom was first seen at the May 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), although it was rumored to be fake.[3] Robrady Design was hired to develop the first Phantom prototype, and Synopse ID was later retained to develop second- and third-generation prototypes.
Two units of the first-generation prototype were known to exist, one publicly destroyed by HardOCP at QuakeCon 2004 as a result of their legal battles with the company (see below),[4] the other was spotted by a computer repair shop in Venice, Florida in 2015 and reported by Ars Technica.[5] In October 2021, a first-generation prototype unit was listed for auction, presumably the same unit that was previously reported by Ars Technica due to its listed repair history.[6] A second-generation prototype unit shown at E3 2004 surfaced a year later after the discovery of the surviving 2003 prototype.[7]
Release[]
The Phantom had an online release on August 17, 2003, with basic hardware specifications and a price of "below $399".[8] Options included customized hardware and the PhantomNet (a gaming-content service), priced at $9.95 a month. A sale date for the first quarter of 2004 was set. It was missed; the company later claimed it would go on sale in November for the holiday season, although it had not developed online-delivery software, licensed games or found any retailers. The second deadline was missed, with Infinium sending thousands of faxes claiming that the system would be released in January 2005.
When that deadline passed, Infinium predicted the system's release for around March 2005. That date also passed, and Infinium Labs was absent from the 2005 E3.[9] Kevin Bachus (former Infinium CEO) hinted that the Phantom would be released around the same time as the Xbox 360 in fall 2005, but that date was also missed. By August 2006, the Phantom Console was removed from the products page of the Phantom Entertainment website.
Financial problems[]
The company was unable to raise its projected $30 million to complete the Phantom and announced it would downsize and focus on the Phantom Lapboard, a wireless keyboard for home use. On May 16, 2006, the Securities and Exchange Commission accused Phantom Entertainment founder and former CEO Timothy Roberts of running a "pump and dump" scheme in promoting the Phantom console in 2004.[10] The Phantom lost credibility in the gaming and business worlds because its release date was continually pushed back, and because of financial scandals involving Phantom Entertainment (which lost more than $62.7 million since its creation).[11]
- ↑ Infinium Labs (23 July 2003). "Phantom Game Console Unveiling to Be Online August 17th". Infinium Labs Press Release. Archived from the original on 5 March 2011. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
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: - ↑ Infinium Labs (3 November 2003). "DiStream Will Provide Server System and Management Platform for PhantomNet". Infinium Labs Press Release. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
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: - ↑ Kevin Parrish (16 December 2008). "Phantom Returns With Online Store". TomsHardware. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
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: - ↑ Shrout, Ryan (2004-08-16). "QUAKECON 2004 (page 3)". PC Perspective. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
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: - ↑ Oreland, Kyle (2015-07-07). "Ars reader: So a guy walks into my shop with an Infinium Phantom console…". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
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: - ↑ Knight, Shawn (2021-10-14). "Rare prototype Infinium Labs Phantom console goes up for auction". TechSpot. Retrieved 2022-03-28.
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: - ↑ Ehringer, John (2016-01-30). "A Close Look at the Never Released Infinium Labs Phantom Video Game Console". 5khz.com. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
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: - ↑ Infinium Labs (17 August 2003). "Phantom Unveiling". Infinium Labs. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
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: - ↑ Morris, Chris (2005-05-19). "Whither the Phantom? After a big splash in 2004, Infinium Labs' on-demand game service is nowhere to be found at E3". CNN/Money. https://money.cnn.com/2005/05/19/technology/personaltech/e3_phantom/.
- ↑ Morris, Chris (2006-05-16). "'Phantom' video game CEO charged with pump and dump scheme". CNN/Money. https://money.cnn.com/2006/05/16/technology/infinium/index.htm.
- ↑ Sinclair, Brendan (2006-02-21). "Infinium opens the books". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/news/6144631.html.