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History of video games/Platforms/Phantom

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  • A rare photo of a prototype Phantom console at E3 2004.
    A rare photo of a prototype Phantom console at E3 2004.

History[edit | edit source]

Phantom Entertainment was later based in Ridgewood, New Jersey.[1]

Infinium Labs was originally based in Florida.[2]

When the system was revealed at the Windows Embedded Device booth at CES in January 2004, the demonstration unit was never powered on, leading to skepticism about the console.[3][2][4]

Later in January 2004 Kevin Bachus, a key developer of the original Xbox, was brought in to Infinium Labs.[3]

The Phantom was shown at E3 2004.[5]

The Phantom was supposed to be launched on March 31st of 2004, but this launch was missed.[6]

The Phantom was again shown at a Microsoft booth at CES 2005.[7]

The SEC investigated a possible pump and dump scheme connected to the console in 2006.[8] By 2007 the company developing Phantom had three employees and significant amounts of debt.[9]

The enduring legacy of the Phantom is as a symbol of game console vaporware - a product that was promoted but never materialized. While the Phantom was not the first console to suffer this fate, nor the last, its high profile promotions made it among the most notable.

Technology[edit | edit source]

There's really no barrier to entry for publishers.
—Kevin Bachus, President of Infinium, E3 2004 statement[5]

The Phantom was to be a digital only console, streaming games online, a novel concept at the time.[6][10] In 2004 only 39% of American households had broadband internet service at home, which likely would cause issues had the console launched.[11] In 2004 some press speculated about streaming movies on the service,[12] and while unsubstantiated, this was notable as that streaming movies had yet to be widely adopted by consumers or proven in the field at the time.

The Phantom was supposed to have a processor clocked at 3.0 gigahertz and 256 megabytes of RAM.[13]

At CES 2004 the Phantom was said to run a version of Embedded Windows.[2]

2015 prototype[edit | edit source]

In 2015 ArsTechnica reported on a possible prototype system, said to contain the following components.[10]

  • Socket A processor.[10]
  • NVIDIA FX 5700 AGP Graphics card.[10]
  • 10/100 megabit ethernet.[10]
  • Cable modem.[10]

Gallery[edit | edit source]

  • Black Lapboard
    Black Lapboard
  • White Lapboard
    White Lapboard
  • An NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 graphics card, similar to the one said to be used in a Phantom prototype.
    An NVIDIA GeForce FX 5700 graphics card, similar to the one said to be used in a Phantom prototype.

External Resources[edit | edit source]

Wikipedia has related information at Phantom Entertainment

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Phantom Entertainment

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ "https://twitter.com/phantomlives". Twitter. Retrieved 7 December 2020. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  2. ↑ a b c "Phantom is unveiled at CES - sort of" (in en). GamesIndustry.biz. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/phantom-is-unveiled-at-ces-sort-of. 
  3. ↑ a b International, GamesIndustry (26 January 2004). "Kevin Bachus joins Infinium Labs" (in en). Eurogamer. https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/news260104bachusphantom. 
  4. ↑ "Phantom unveiling at CES". GameSpot. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/phantom-unveiling-at-ces/1100-6086120/. 
  5. ↑ a b Becker, David. "Game handhelds to take spotlight at E3" (in en). ZDNet. https://www.zdnet.com/article/game-handhelds-to-take-spotlight-at-e3/. 
  6. ↑ a b "Phantom - Ultimate Console Database". ultimateconsoledatabase.com. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  7. ↑ "Infinium Labs to Demonstrate the Phantom Gaming Service at CES in the Micorsoft Booth". PRWeb. https://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/12/prweb192207.htm. 
  8. ↑ Kuchera, Ben (16 May 2006). "The swan song of the Phantom? Infinium Labs ex-CEO charged by the SEC". Ars Technica. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  9. ↑ Anderson, Nate (4 June 2007). "True Infinium stories: the $73 million (and counting) Phantom disaster". Ars Technica. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  10. ↑ a b c d e f Orland, Kyle (7 July 2015). "Ars reader: So a guy walks into my shop with an Infinium Phantom console..." Ars Technica. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  11. ↑ "Broadband Adoption at Home Grows Strongly in Winter Months of 2003 & 2004". Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech. 18 April 2004. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2004/04/18/broadband-adoption-at-home-grows-strongly-in-winter-months-of-2003-2004/. 
  12. ↑ Becker, David. "Playing the convergence game" (in en). ZDNet. https://www.zdnet.com/article/playing-the-convergence-game/. 
  13. ↑ "HardOCP - Behind the Infinium Phantom Console". web.archive.org. 6 December 2003. Retrieved 12 November 2020.


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