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BigDownload pours one out for failed PC online gaming services
If you're climbing the walls with anticipation for Reardon Labs' streaming game service, OnLive, there's something you should read to ground your expectations. Our compadres at BigDownload have compiled a list containing some of the failed PC online gaming services that have appeared throughout the history of the internet. Among the failed services featured: Infinium Labs' $73 million disaster, the Phantom (which now exists only as a lonely lapboard) and Sega's lukewarm Heat.Net. The feature isn't speaking against the idea of OnLive but it does pinpoint where some of the industry skepticism is coming from.
Phantom gaming console disappears for good
In a shocking turn of events development that will surprise absolutely no one, the company formerly known as Infinium Labs has apparently removed all references to the all-too-aptly named Phantom PC video game console from its website, leading us to believe that the product that never was is finally dead in the water. Recently renamed Phantom Entertainment (probably to shed the constant vaporware references that plagued its former moniker), the company is now focused on marketing its wireless gaming Lapboard and so-called Phantom Game Service, which is the "first end-to-end on-demand game service delivering games to your living room" (guess they never heard of GameTap) -- that is, if you happen to have an XP-powered PC situated in that particular room. As is fitting for such a shady operation, the service itself is not actually live yet; they're busy modifying the software that was originally intended for the proprietary console to run on standard Windows machines. So in conclusion, the slippery company with grandiose aspirations that we've devoted numerous (mocking) posts to for over two years has exactly one source of revenue: a keyboard / mouse set with a pretty snazzy design.[Via Joystiq]
EVO: Phase One promises to touch down in October
Having been burned oh so many times by the notorious Phantom from Infinium Labs -- perhaps the most infamous piece of vaporware this side of Duke Nukem Forever -- we're more than a little skeptical of any company that comes out of nowhere to offer a "media entertainment console" targeted at gamers. And we're even more skeptical when that company -- in this case, Alabama-based Envizions Inc. -- claims to have been showing off their console at a major trade show that we attended -- in this case, E3 -- but somehow managed to keep it under our radar. We're still going to give the so-called EVO: Phase One the benefit of the doubt, though, as Envizions has just announced October 20th as a solid North American release date for what seems to be little more than a souped-up media center PC out of the box -- although the unit comes with one wireless controller, it will only "have console-like features upon future upgrade applications and hardware assistance." Not a good sign. For $680 you're supposedly getting a machine with an unspecified processor and RAM configuration (also a bad sign) along with a 500MHz Sapphire Radeon X1600 Pro graphics card sporting 128MB of 800MHz DDR3 RAM, a liquid cooling system, and oddly enough, a built-in fingerprint scanner (to protect all of your valuable saved game-states, perhaps?). Again, we'll wait until October to pass final judgment here, but lets just say that we're not going to be the ones throwing down $25 to place a pre-order. Keep reading to check out some of the company's over-the-top marketing, direct from CEO Derrick Samuels' MySpace page...[Via IGN]
Infinium's name is now Phantom Entertainment
Infinium, the company that didn't bring us the Phantom game console, has changed its name to Phantom Entertainment. Now, I'm not an expert on brand recognition, but renaming your company so it's even more closely associated with a product that has topped vaporware charts and was founded by a person that has been accused of pumping stock doesn't strike me as a good move. Talking of the pump 'n' dump accusation that has been levied against former Infinium CEO Tim Roberts; xantar over at The Gaming Hobo spotted an amusing little snippet regarding the Securities and Exchange Commission's investigation into Roberts. Apparently the fax that provided evidence that Infinium was pumping stock was sent to the commission's California office, making the SEC one of the one million recipients. A tip to any budding fraudsters out there: if you're gonna try and run up stocks so you can sell them at artificially inflated prices, don't notify the authority responsible for cracking down on such illegal activities.
Infinium blows through $63mln, Phantom still vaporware
Gamespot reports that a prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission revealed that Infinium Labs, makers of vaporware-of-the-year runner-up Phantom Game Console, have blown through nearly $63 million dollars, with only $3.5 million going to development costs. Half has been spent on advertising (advertising what?) and the other significant expense was... consultants. Why are we not surprised?In order to recoup their losses, the company reiterated their intention to (further) delay their Phantom Game Service and concentrate on selling the lapboard peripheral. They are also having trouble paying their $25K/month Seattle rent, so if any readers in the Seattle area have an extra bedroom, or a converted garage, give 'em a call. See also:CEO of Infinium Labs jumps ship, rows off into the sunsetPhantom in 2006? Infinium Labs insists they're relevant[Thanks, jc]
Phantom in 2006? Infinium Labs insists they're relevant
Infinium Labs is one game company that just doesn't know when to quit. Most of the game community saw former Xbox alum Kevin Bachus' departure as a shot across Infinium Labs' bow; apparently, they don't agree. They have replaced Bachus as CEO with interim CEO Greg Koler who stated, "I know all of us in management are committed to achieving that goal in launching the Phantom Game Service to market this 2006."At this stage in the game, nobody's doubting their commitment. It's their ability that appears to be holding them back.
Phantom materializes... in lapboard form only
Like the final scene of a B-horror movie, the Phantom has enough energy left for one last surprise! Infinium Labs is finally releasing the Phantom! Well... at least part of it. Remember that goofy keyboard/mouspad wireless combo that despite how ridiculous it looks, still seemed like a not altogether terrible idea? Well, somebody at Infinium saw an avenue for raising some much needed loot so they said, "Phantom: you wait here. Lapboard: come with me."There is one problem: it's intended as a PC peripheral. Someone ought to tell them PC's already have keyboards and mice -- wireless ones even -- while consoles still labor under the tyrannical control of the gamepad. Nevertheless, they consider the lapboard "the perfect stepping-stone" to "[bridge] the subsequent launch of the full service." Who wants to bet we never see this thing? Or the full service?[Thanks, bandersnatch; Via GameInsider]
CEO of Infinium Labs jumps ship, rows off into the sunset
When was the last time we heard any news regarding the Phantom? More importantly, when was the last time we heard any good news regarding the Phantom? Now those fun-loving toaster manufacturers over at Infinium Labs are in the headlines again, thanks to the resignation of their Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Bachus. Bachus, who'd only begun presiding over Infinium in August, allegedly resigned to "pursue other opportunities." Rumors that he rowed away in the only lifeboat, shouting obscenities about the captain going down with the ship have since been denied. In his stead, Infinium's former European director Greg Koler will serve as temporary CEO, CFO, and president. Despite this setback, Infinium remains dutifully dedicated to releasing the Phantom distribution service, "soon," a stance they have maintained since the late Mesozoic. So what's the deal, Infinium? Electronic distribution is supposed to be the wave of the future, and you had the chance to get in on the ground floor. Back in 65,000,000 B.C. this whole "streaming online content" thing sounded brilliant, but nowadays, with services such as Steam, GameTap, Xbox Live, and Nintendo's upcoming Revolution allowing us virtual access to a plethora of amazing games over broadband, the Phantom's looking more and more evanescent by the day. [Via Slashdot]
Joysnap caption contest: The Phantom grill machine
Live demonstration of Phantom Intelligence: CEO: "The partner to the Phantom griller; It's lean, it's mean, introducing the finger fat reducing typing machine".
Phantom game console taking shape?
Infinium Labs have been granted a trademark for their end-to-end online gaming service, the Phantom. The console will hook up to your broadband internet connection to allow online distribution of games. Now that they've been granted a trademark they can begin to market the console without fear of having their products ripped off by a thirteen year old millionaire entrepreneur sitting at his computer. In the past the company has been plagued by criticism from ex-employees and members of the community. The company has also failed to release the console despite announcing it would do so twice in the past. Add to this a lawsuit accusing the CEO of committing fraud and you have a very turbulent aura surrounding a supposedly revolutionary console which hopes to bring online distribution to the mainstream. Compare this to the relatively pristinely hyped marketing campaigns of Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo and the Phantom doesn't look all that appealing. Is this trademark too little too late for the Phantom? [Thanks, bandersnatch]
That Phantom will prevail - interview with Kevin Bachus
Twistedmonkey.net recently sat down with Infinium Lab's frontman Kevin Bachus for a little Q&A. The topic? What else, The Phantom. Maybe you noticed, maybe you didn't, but the machine that's modeling itself after the satellite TV/radio business was mysteriously scarce at this year's E3. But apparently these guys are at the "goal line" in terms of launch schedule. Use the link below for the full scoop.
Infinium Labs strapped for cash, triples shares, gets some coffee
Infinium Labs shareholders must have been genetically engineered at birth to be the most patient people on the face of the Earth. Like X-Men investors. ...X-vestors. This time they've authorized Infinium Labs to triple their available stock, from 200,000 shares to 600,000 shares. What's the deal? Well, to be blunt, Infinium Labs needs some major dough. Majorly. They also want to avoid being voted Vaporware of the Year two years in a row, so they've vowed to launch their aptly-named Phantom console within the time frame of Q2 2005. The conundrum: they estimate that it will cost around $11.5 million to launch the Phantom Game Service, and, as of last year, they had around $20,000 in the bank. That's right, they could pay for two semesters of college tuition. You may be asking, "how will they ever overcome this dilemma?!" as you grip the seat of your chair in a cold sweat. Reading Joystiq does that to people. How will they overcome it, you ask? By selling themselves off, of course! Look at it this way: at $0.25 per share, it would only take $75,000.25 to own the entire company! So if you've ever wanted to own your own company, then buy! buy! buy! and maybe the Phantom console won't come bundled with a copy of Duke Nukem Forever after all. UPDATE: Apparently, Infinium's stock will be tripling to 600 million shares, rather than just 600 thousand. The only real difference this makes is that it means you're gonna to need to raise approximately $74,925,000 more to claim a majority stake in the company. My bad. Though I'm sure you could get the money easily by pawning off all those rare SNES carts you keep locked up in the safe, next to your birth certificate (and possibly your death certificate, if you're someone who likes to plan ahead). Thanks to one of the guys from ChatterBox Video Game Radio for catching this. Normally I'd attempt to validate it, but I'd say their name sounds official enough. We can't even spell "joystick" right, for crying out loud. [thanks, Aaron]
Phantom may not be vaporware for much longer
You just know the investors are chomping at the bit on this one. The ever-arriving Phantom game console, a lovely looking piece of vaporware up to now, has been derided by everyone from press to gamers. But we're reserving judgment. If the hardware comes out in Q2, as promised, we'll assume all the hard work that's gone into making the thing tick will show off some sweet new features. We certainly like the control system. Will we like the games? We've heard that's an important part of the equation. As much fun as it is to blast the thing for some out there, we look forward to checking it out at long last.
Infinium Labs says it needs $11.5 million to launch the Phantom
Infinium Labs, which has yet to conclusively prove that they're ever going to really ship their PC-based Phantom video game console that they've been working on for a few years now (they already missed their November 18th launch date), has admitted in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that the source of the problem is that they need to find another $11.5 million in funding to get things rolling. Right now they're hoping to launch the Phantom Game Service and Phantom Game Receiver in Q2 of next year, but without a cash infusion this might prove especially troublesome, since at the time of the filing they only had $20,991 in the bank. And no, we didn't leave some zeroes off the end there.
Phantom finds a backbone
The ever-dramatic story of the Phantom console continues. The Phantom is a PC-compatible system that is designed to allow users to stream games to their home. Ease-of-use is the device's mantra. The Phantom has been in development for quite some time, and has built an army of fans - and enemies. The latest news is that Limelight Networks has partnered with the Phantom's daddy, Infinium Labs. The deal will ensure a solid backbone for the Phantom's content distribution system. If nothing else, the partnership is a sign that the thing is still alive and kicking - but how much it really matters is yet to be seen. If the Xbox2 does half the things we've heard it will, then the Phantom will be redundant, at best. Still it's nice to see good ideas in development. It would be even nicer to see nice ideas in practice.
Phantom is making like a phantom
In the ultimate example of phantom-ware the Phantom game console will not be released in November, as planned. According to Whereisphantom.com, the console that promises games on demand, has hit some more bumps and will not see the retailers' shelves until 2005. That means it will miss the holiday season - but not many people buy games around the holidays anyway. Whereisphantom.com is notorious for blasting Infinum Labs, the owners of the Phantom patent - so the article is worth a read just to soak in the bad vibes.
