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Phantom Game Console Presentation
superultra writes "Glaximus has posted an impressions piece on Penny-Arcade of one of Infinium Lab's first press conferences. Most notable is that which Gabe, of Penny-Arcade fame, also replicates on Penny-Arcade's front page: 'One of the last questions asked was rather direct and perhaps aimed a bit low. "So, I have all my consoles at home, and I have a very powerful PC that plays lots of games and can be upgraded simply by installing new hardware myself. Why would I want to buy a Phantom?" Rob's answer? "Well then you aren't really part of the Phantom's core user base." That got some chuckles from the crowd, sure. But it was Rob's next statement that had the real impact. "See, you people say you have enough consoles, and a powerful PC, but whenever a new console comes out, you people always buy it."' Other details are scarce, except that the release date is now April 2004, and that the Phantom will use highly advanced DMCA techniques such as Epoxy Encapsulation and Case Intrusion Detection. Doing so will, no doubt, provide the Missing Link in Digital Rights Managment."
So, no games or companies mentioned, no indication of what the launch titles would be, or if there was even any Phantom-exclusive original content planned. When asked directly just who Infinium had in their corner, Rob's reply was interesting: "I can tell you I can't tell you. I can tell you I'd like to tell you. I can tell you who we don't have. Do we have EA? No."
c'mon, why don't they just say it. we all know the launch title is Duke Nukem: Forever, why must they beat around the bush?
Mike
I think this comic , also from Penny Arcade, sums up the Phantom more neatly even than that press release.
I forgot who, but someone actually went to the address they had listed for their headquarters. It turned out to be completely abandoned, not even any furniture or anything. When that person called and asked about it, he was hung up on. That, combined with the fact that most of the screenshots look like they're coming from his GARAGE (there were some tires sitting in the corner) and the fact that there's never any real concrete evidence of this thing actually existing make this thing winner of the Vaporware of the Year award.
-- Dr. Eldarion --
The Phantom is to Video Games as the Segway Scooter is to Personal Transportation.
Can't beat free publicity.
"See, you people say you have enough consoles, and a powerful PC, but whenever a new console comes out, you people always buy it."
We didn't buy the 3D0, TurboGrafx-16, or Jaguar, did we?
The coolest voice ever.
The idea is not bad, but you need to obey the first rule of business:
Know your Market.
A broadband fed video game console is not exactly new, ya know. (Sega's SegaNet for the Genesis, JagNet for the Atari Jaguar, etc) Neither is DRM technology. (Those of you that cracked Commodore games can now raise your hand, thank you all)
The video game market is really filled with thrill junkies. Looking for their latest fix. Weither that is Donkey Kong Country or Final Fantasy X-II, in the end, "It's the games, stupid."
If they can't name a single game, they're grasping at straws. A joke in an ATX case.
Karma Whoring for Fun and Profit.
here is the hard "truth", or something close enough too it.
In the future, I would want to not be isolated from my friends in the Space Station.
1)hype console
2) Depend upon the utterance "You people buy every console there is."
3) Profit!
Yes folks! They have revealed the elusive and often obfuscated STEP 2!
Hallelujia! No longer do I have to steal underpants to build a business!
In the future, I would want to not be isolated from my friends in the Space Station.
That wouldn't happen to be April 1, 2004, would it?
If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
The general purpose computer will eventually price crush the game box.
it may price crush them (it's close to that now) but it is nowhere closer to having three things:
1. appliance-style instant-on "plug and play" -- instead you have to load the OS then install the game, then load the game, and so many things can go wrong there.
2. unified controller architecture (man the buzzwords) so that game developers don't have to worry about which version of Microsoft Sidewinder you're going to use, or maybe you'll just use the keyboard and a trackball or what have you.
3. "franchise" games like Nintendo's Mario, oh so popular with the young 'uns.
Now, what the PC does have, is mods. I think that's the big weakness of Xbox live and all that, there's no ability for the community to "embrace and extend" as it were. Kinda ironic, but not surprising. The PC is an open architecture computer, the game consoles are closed-architecture appliances.
... and be ready, tentatively, for a Q1 2004 release-- about April or so.
If I remember correctly, April would be in Q2.