Phantom Releases, Retracts Game List, Debut Rated

Thanks to GameSpot for its story noting that Infinium Labs has released, then quickly retracted a list of game for its Phantom PC-based 'console' shortly following its CES debut. The story notes: "The list featured over 500 titles from 60-plus companies", and the page's new notice, which replaces the old list (Google cache), "urged visitors to return to the site to see a list of games 'pending developer/publisher approval,' which indicates some of the companies on the list [which include Atari and Take Two] may have asked Infinium to remove it." 1UP has also debuted a preview of the Phantom, taken from impressions of a working unit at CES, in which the console is described as "promising and grounded in reality" (though a second editor is " not yet convinced.")

Comments

YAOC

[smoondog]

Marketing for this has been a little misdirected. After reading the article, it sounds like this is going to be a Pay-Per-View (Game?) on demand game console. Unlike every game console of the past, this is more like a cable box or a TIVO. First of all, thier market is going to be successful if they can make online games fly. Also, there is a real question of costs. $300-500 bucks for the hardware, $10/month for the service, $45/month for broadband, plus the cost of games? Good luck. If they give away the hardware and only charge a monthly fee (with a contract) then it might see more support, IMO. Also, what if it can't connect? Does it break? Can I download games and then take it to my cabin in the himalayas? What if the company goes bankrupt? Does it break then? My NES still works, as does my atari 2600. Honestly, this sounds worse than WebTV because with WebTV at least you got the internet.

Prediction: This gets most of its money through hotels and related outfits. Also will look much like the movie (with adult stuff) menus from said hotels.

-Sean