Infinium is hurting my head...

[cthellis42]

...what is with this thing? Now sporting totally new design, removing the customization options they were talking about, making the hardware free after signing onto their service (which is still empty on details)...? ARGH!

gamesindustry.biz weighing in on it.

 

[Gerry]

I before E, except after C.

Don't trust anyone who can't spell 'receiver' properly on their corporate website.

 

[cthellis42]

Deceiver?

 

[Phil]

perhaps another publicity-stunt just to get more investors in. Lots of design and nothing behind it...

 

[Gerry]

One assumes they're trying to mimic the success of satellite broadcasters like Sky TV (over here in the UK). The hardware is 'installed' for free, but you sign up for a minimum 1-year contract at £x a month. You then have to hope you have the software to keep people from cancelling their contract once the 12 months is up.

It's risky, because you have high initials costs in setting up the system and supplying the hardware. I wonder how many subscribers they'd need to break even?

It also begs the question of what happens in, say, 2-3 years time when the hardware isn't up to playing the latest games? Will they upgrade everybody's system for no charge?

 

[Dave Baumann]

perhaps another publicity-stunt just to get more investors in. Lots of design and nothing behind it...

Please don't post these things on my forum - I may end up being liable for them!

 

[Evil_Cloud]

I still have no faith in them... They DID announce a 'line-up' with old 3DO games and the like.

 

[Joe DeFuria]

Wow...I'm a bit disappointed at the lots of bashing going on towards the Phantom.

They're simply trying to go after a new business model....one that I actually expect will eventually be "the" model in fact. I give them kudos for the effort, but it just may be ahead of its time.

 

[Phil]

Please don't post these things on my forum - I may end up being liable for them!

Aye sir!

 

[Guden Oden]

I didn't follow the link, I just read the thread, but if the hardware is indeed 'free' after signing up for the service, I might be tempted to hop on the bandwagon if said hardware is good enough. I have phat 8Mbit downstream ADSL, so I could DL a game at a fairly nippy pace provided the server feeding me is up to scratch.

I'm open-minded. Ok, so the company might be a bunch of thugs and maybe they'll go belly-up within a year, but I would still get to keep the hardware that hackers would quickly know how to turn into a full-blown windoze computer! And if they DON'T go belly-up, I'd get a decently high-spec PC to play games on, a PC that will whup the one I'm currently typing on in virtually every respect.

Provided the subscription isn't too bloody expensive and games are fairly priced, it might actually be a win-win scenario. Like I said, I'm open-minded (and my PC is becoming geriatric, hahaha! )

 

[cthellis42]

Wow...I'm a bit disappointed at the lots of bashing going on towards the Phantom.

They're simply trying to go after a new business model....one that I actually expect will eventually be "the" model in fact. I give them kudos for the effort, but it just may be ahead of its time.

Yes, but they're trying a model that's been tried before (and failed), have extreme confusion about the design of their machine, and really never any real details about their online service which is what it's SUPPOSED to be about. Then there are the accusations and lawsuits going on otherwise, and the behind-the-scenes silliness.

For me, this just all comes at a wacky time, because not too many months ago they were going one route, and now they're changing THAT and going a different, tried, and unpopular route, and... it's STILL not visable to any real degree. Despite being "launched" soon. Depite wanting to have "launched" the same way last year.

It certainly has much to prove, and since it's a small operation with too much vagueness and confusion... it has a lot MORE to prove.

 

[Joe DeFuria]

Yes, but they're trying a model that's been tried before (and failed),

By whom?

...have extreme confusion about the design of their machine, and really never any real details about their online service which is what it's SUPPOSED to be about.

Can you at least wait for E3?

Then there are the accusations and lawsuits going on otherwise, and the behind-the-scenes silliness.

Which has nothing to do with the console itself.

It certainly has much to prove, and since it's a small operation with too much vagueness and confusion... it has a lot MORE to prove.

Of course it does. Doesn't mean it deserves to be discredited before they get the chance...

 

[Guden Oden]

Joe, Ct,

This business model has been put to very effective (and successful) use by mobile phone manufacturers. There are numerous offers at all times going over here where the user "buys" a high-spec phone for a either a nominal fee (like $0.1) or no fee at all, while at the same time signs up for a 12-24 month subscription.

There's no reason it couldn't work for a games console company as well, as long as it is executed correctly.

 

[Joe DeFuria]

Guden,

I agree. The devil is in the details. The exact pricing model, the reliability of the service, the availability (availability of broadband) of the service, etc, cost of hardware, quality of games, etc.

As I said, I believe this model will be end up being the preferred model at some point in the future, or at least a highly competitive one to the traditional "own a plastic disc" model.

Whether or not Infinium succeeds or fails with it is another question entirely. The odds are against them (as it usually is with early adopters / pioneers, as they have little experience to draw and learn from). I mean arguably, X-Box live finally got on-line console gaming prety much "right"....but they were not the first to try it, and probably applied lessons learned from other failed attempts like Dreamcast.

 

[Guden Oden]

The games should automatically be there if the phantom is a normal PC and the service is actually starting to roll. There wouldn't be much of a reason for a games manufacturer not to offer their games; they wouldn't really have to invest anything past a phantom logo during startup and a few minor details, they wouldn't have to have discs pressed and manuals printed.

As for quality of service; Phantom would only really have to provide content servers, they could copy xb live and let users run game servers either on their own consoles or indeed why not like any online PC game; using a dedicated server executable for the game in question that runs under either windows or linux. These are created for every game anyway these days and the phantom could actually use the exact same exe as these generally do not even need a CD in the drive to run.

 

[marconelly!]

I'm against this electronic distribution model, if it is to be used exclusively. Physically owning the game disc prety much secures you to be able to play it for the rest of your life, regardless if a company goes caput or decides to switch to some other distribution model. Not that it will matter all that much with Phantom, as I doubt it will have many (if any) exclusive games.

 

[cthellis42]

By whom?

Some PC startups (and Phantom is basically a PC) and ISP attempts. Make the hardware free, and you can get people to run advertisements continually on their desktop! You can sign them up for huge service agreements!

So far, the only ones to do it well are cell phone companies. (Who tend to be backed up by enormous-to-start corporations already in telecommunications, by decades-established brands, and nowhere near the hardware outlay--for a device that is now a necessity in modern life, rather than a form of entertainment.)

Can you at least wait for E3?

...because we never comment on things before they're launched? This IS part of their E3 revelations, and since it's conflicting what they've said not too long ago... And heck, their track record with electronics conventions isn't too good either, eh?

Which has nothing to do with the console itself.

...and everything to do with the measure and ability of the company itself, which certainly DOES have to do with the product it proposes to launch and support.

Of course it does. Doesn't mean it deserves to be discredited before they get the chance...

It's had a few chances so far--doesn't mean we won't comment on each step of the way. Have we not done so with every other console the moment new details are out, whether with drooling or eye-rolling? How about games? Individual chipware? Crikey, this is what we DO!

 

[Eronarn]

AMD® Athlon™ XP 2500+ central processing unit (CPU)
I can see why they'd have that, it costs only $80 or so OEM and could likely be found cheaper in bulk.
NVIDIA® GeForce™ FX 5700 Ultra graphics processing unit (GPU)
Hahahahaha. Wow. Will that even fit inside with a dustbuster on it? And have they done anything about the utter sucktasticness of it?
NVIDIA® nForce™2 Ultra 400 platform processor
Eh, nothing special here, either.
256 MB RAM
Very cheap depending on type.
40 GB local content cache
Very cheap, once again.
Microsoft® Windows® XP Embedded Operating System
No idea on cost per unit, likely not that much.

It seems to just be a low-end PC with a game service that likely charges per game in addition to subscription fees. Woo, how innovative.

As a subscriber you will receive an initial library of free games, supplemented each month with new choices as a part of your basic subscription fee. Additional titles are available for immediate demo, rent or purchase. Premium content packages will also be made available.

Okay, so we get Solitaire and Pinball, and each month we get a choice between a different version of The Sims or a Half Life mod. And we have to pay extra for games we want if they aren't given to us as normal choices. I'll stick with a PC, thank you very much.

No wonder they didn't want to release information on it- if it's fake, it's a fake. If it's real, it's laughable. 8)

 

[wco81]

How do the specs compare to the Apex?

 

[AlphaWolf]

How do the specs compare to the Apex?

I believe its quite a bit higher specs than the apex. Last I heard apex was an XP2000+ and a gfmx card.