Phantom Entertainment returns, aims to infiltrate hotel rooms

Those terribly saddened by the recent drought of Phantom Entertainment news now have something to celebrate, as the current king of vaporware has seemingly inked an utterly worthless marketing agreement with ProGames Network to "place the Lapboard and Phantom Game Service content in [select] hotels." Reportedly, the two have agreed to place Phantom's not-yet-available wares into hotels found in North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australasia (fancy, huh?), but to no one's surprise, neither firm mentions a target launch date.

[Daigan @ Aug 22nd 2007 6:02PM]

Despite that this company will never make anything, the lapboard would actually suit hotels, especially if they could use it for web surfing...

[hickhamt @ Aug 22nd 2007 7:05PM]

god.. i hope they use that anti-microbial plastic.. yuck!! pay per view porn will ruin that thing!!

[ScOObyDoo @ Aug 22nd 2007 6:03PM]

Yet they still manage to get their name on Engadget every time they release useless PR like this...

If everyone just ignored them, they may just go away, like they should have 2 years ago.

[Jon @ Aug 22nd 2007 6:04PM]

Wow, I'll be able to play Duke Nuke'em Forever at the local Holiday Inn!

[Longswd @ Aug 23rd 2007 11:29AM]

...and it will be powered by the Steorn's Orbo free-energy device! I'm so there!

[Todd @ Aug 22nd 2007 6:18PM]

FYI - Once installed in all the hotels, the Phantom "lapboard" uses Steorn's "Infinite Energy" to power not only itself, but the entire hotel while simultaneously cleaning the air of impurities! Now how much would you pay!?!?!?

[kuzu-b @ Aug 22nd 2007 7:51PM]

Awesome Steorn reference.

[Keith @ Aug 22nd 2007 8:22PM]

Orboooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

[bl0nde @ Aug 22nd 2007 6:19PM]

Question: What do the employees at Phantom actually *do* all day? Like, when they get home to their families are they all "At work today we inked a deal to bring a product we've never shown any intent of manufacturing into hotels worldwide that we're totally not gonna honour! So yeah, pretty busy, how was your day honey?"

[Spiff @ Aug 22nd 2007 6:34PM]

I've often wondered this... what they heck do they do all day? Just try and sign deals? Try and dupe investors? I wonder how much they write off every year that we end up paying...

[Homeboy @ Aug 22nd 2007 6:20PM]

Will the whole Phantom Entertainment company blend?

[ryan @ Aug 22nd 2007 11:04PM]

To blend, I believe, you have to have a real, physical object, which is something that these guys are obviously devoid of.

[bl0nde @ Aug 23rd 2007 3:39AM]

And even to liquidate, they'll need some real assets...

[parakratos @ Aug 22nd 2007 6:21PM]

Oh god.Again???

[Frankenstein Black @ Aug 22nd 2007 6:37PM]

Phantom, LOS...

[Frankenstein Black @ Aug 22nd 2007 6:40PM]

Didn't Tommy from the Martin show work for Phantom? Oh, I forgot, HE AINT GOT NO JOB MAAAN!

[timatl @ Aug 22nd 2007 6:42PM]

why are they posting anything related to phantom entertainment. they can't even release a keyboard as mouse.

[Stan Winstone @ Aug 22nd 2007 6:59PM]

Placed into hotels as what, a conversation piece? "What games does that console play? None.... wanna make out?"

[djs @ Aug 22nd 2007 7:14PM]

Uh... Stock went down 0.0001 (17%) to 0.0006!

http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=PHEI.PK

[dj-kenpo @ Aug 22nd 2007 7:27PM]

why won't the owners of this company get 'accidentally' hit by a car already. go swindle someone else asshole, and while you're at it, get hit in the face with a 2 by 4.

[Johnny Appleseed @ Aug 22nd 2007 11:39PM]

Come on engadget. Stop reporting on Vapor ware. It's a waste of everyone's time. I mean, anyone can dream up a concept, and sometimes it's cool to report on these concepts, but with a company with a known track record of vapor ware--this should be ignored. Now there, I just wates my time commenting on this article.

[jay @ Aug 22nd 2007 11:43PM]

and their name is PHANTOM! its like one great, big, expensive joke.

[Einhanderkiller @ Aug 23rd 2007 2:37AM]

And then, when this hunk of junk is finally released in 2030, turning it on will play Rick Astley's Never Gonna Give You Up on your TV.
Most expensive Rick Roll ever.

[Donald @ Aug 23rd 2007 7:49AM]

I thought of Phantom as more of a Chocolate Rain company, myself.

[Rev. Matt oxley @ Aug 23rd 2007 8:15AM]

When i first saw the Phantom system, years ago, i though i would LOVE IT...

too bad i never got to touch one, see one a second time, or actually have any hope of buying one...

it may have been pretty awesome

[Hank Cazorp @ Aug 23rd 2007 8:36AM]

Stop this.

[captain underpants and the bringdown gang @ Aug 23rd 2007 9:28AM]

Yes but will it blend and play doom?

The Phantom Game Console, The Duke Nuke em forever of game consoles

[captain underpants and the bringdown gang @ Aug 23rd 2007 9:29AM]

incase you folks didn't figure that out, that is going to be their marketing tag line.

[JS @ Aug 23rd 2007 10:16AM]

I think the whole company is a front for laundering drug money, or some other illicit form of income. A software company (or Phantom Game System Manufacturer) would be perfect for this, you have an excuse to have some high paid employees that don't actually produce anything.

[James @ Sep 9th 2007 9:21PM]

Isn't their model essentially GameTap with bundled hardware? Hey, I need to go patent something real quick...


Seriously, I sometimes think they've just been stalling until the rest of the industry "catches up" (e.g. implements) their idea. Back when they first announced, a DRM-ed walled-garden online content library was actually a pretty new, innovative idea. Now, we have XBLA (and I guess PSN), so the Phantom, even if it came to be, won't have any market left.