More on the Phantom console...

[bystander]

Phantom console. Apologies if this has already been posted.

Really, the only thing that differentiates this 'game console' from a standard, Windows-running PC is that it has no way to get data on or off of it except through a dedicated connection to Infinium Labs' own servers via your broadband ISP, plus the fact that if you try to open it up or modify it or grab data from the hard drive, bad things will happen, starting with violation of the terms under which you will lease or purchase the Phantom.

Now imagine Roberts the family man and Roberts the expert on secure Internet information delivery occupying one single body, postulate a growing number of U.S. households with broadband Internet connections, with broadband ISPs hungry to deliver more services so they can grab more customers, especially services for which they can charge a premium over and above their basic monthly access fees -- services like downloadable games -- and suddenly you are looking at a potentially huge business opportunity.

So basically its a PC where you pay a monthly subscription and pay for any games you want on top of that. :? . It also appears to run some variant of Windows XP.

All game keys are held on Infinium Labs' servers, so even if the kind of people who do Xbox mods do their thing on a Phantom, they won't be able to play games for free, unless they're some of the many "play before you buy" trials Roberts plans to offer or some of the games that might be included with the $9.95 per month (or whatever; this is still being worked out) extra fee you pay your broadband ISP for access to Infinium Labs' game library, which Roberts confidently predicts will be one of the largest in the world, not only becausethe Phantom will play any game that will run on Windows XP , but because Infinium plans to offer developers help in porting games originally written for dedicated consoles to the Phantom (really Windows XP) platform.

I guess the gamer is not the main target market for the Phantom:

And the customers Roberts is pursuing aren't teen-boy gamers with (he says) average incomes under $25,000 per year, but prosperous families that take in $50,000 or more and will happily pay $400 for a dedicated game machine (with some of that cost likely buried in the monthly subscription fee the same way cellular phone companies subsidize handset purchases)if only to keep game-playing kiddies away from mom and dad's computers -- and allow parents to give each kid his or her own login that only allows age-appropriate games.

Thoughts everyone?

 

[diarrhea_splatter]

should've posted this on the official Phantom thread, lol

 

[Deepak]

I heard from secret sources that DARPA is designing it!!

 

[Deepak]

the Phantom will play any game that will run on Windows XP

Or may be Billy the KID has a stake....

 

[McFly]

The sinking of this company will be great to watch.

Fredi

 

[Deepak]

Link

New details of Infinium's Phantom emerge

Rob Fahey 15:28 11/07/2003
Not vapourware, but not really a console either....

More information about the rather publicity-shy Phantom console has been unveiled, revealing that the system is indeed a Windows PC designed to download PC games securely over a broadband connection.

A lengthy article on tech news site Newsforge goes into considerable detail about the system and its business model, which focuses entirely on delivering existing content over secure channels rather than promoting development of exclusive content for the system.

At least $25 million of venture capital has been put behind the project and its creators, Infinium Labs, and the end result appears to be essentially a Windows XP PC with no CD or floppy drive, running an assortment of proprietary software to provide encryption for data on the hard drive and secure downloading of content across broadband networks.
According to the article, no final specification or price point for the system has yet been set - but a $400 price point is currently being mooted, and the suggestion is that the PC in the Phantom box will be in the 2ghz performance range, more than enough to handle most modern PC games capably.
The Phantom business model sees Infinium maintaining a library of games which are available secure over broadband to those who have bought or are renting the console, and to this end the company claims to have attracted interest from over 500 game publishers - although no details of any individual publishers who are involved in the scheme have yet been announced.

Core to this model is the security systems employed by the console; if Infinium can indeed offer PC games over a completely secure channel, that's an attractive proposition to publishers who are currently resigned to very high rates of piracy of their PC titles.

However, whether Phantom can gain a foothold in the marketplace remains to be seen. The system will clearly still suffer from major problems that afflict the PC with regard to compatibility and stability, something which those used to console games may not accept. Wisely, Infinium doesn't seem to be targeting the platform at the console heartland occupied by the Xbox and the PS2, but is instead seemingly aiming at an older and more family-oriented demographic; however, those within that demographic are quite likely to want a fully-functional PC, rather than a cut-down PC that can only play games.

Phantom is certainly an interesting project, and the enthusiasm of Infinium founder Tim Roberts is very clear from his comments in the Newsforge piece. However, the console manufacturers are unlikely to be greatly troubled by this venture, and we maintain our viewpoint that the ultimate victor here is Microsoft, who far from seeing Infinium as a competitor, will be receiving a license fee for Windows XP from every Phantom device sold.

 

[keegdsb]

Hmm... BSOD on a console?

 

[zurich]

Do they charge extra for the patches ?

 

[maskrider]

Popup : "Oops ! Sorry dude. Just checked with our updates server and you need to install WinXP SP3.1 + pre-SP4 Hotfix Q78018375 + ... + Aggregated security fix Q680384 for IE9.67 and a new updated DirectX 12.5sp8 compliant driver from our IHV, all these will be done automatically and if you are lucky, you will not see this similar message again, or else you will need to call our technical support center at 1-800-DUMBBOX"