Infinium Labs lets the dogs see the rabbit
Phantom console to be unveiled at E3 - new images unveiled
The Phantom is finally set to make an appearance after a seemingly endless debate over the likelihood of its existence. Infinium Labs has been consistently shady over any details, and so speculation about the integrity of the product was unavoidable. Now that it's been confirmed for an E3 appearance, the first solid details about this spectral gadget have been revealed.
The Phantom Gaming Service consists of four main parts: the gaming service itself, the receiver hardware, the distribution network, and the library of games. Infinium proposes to provide all the prerequisite hardware free-of-charge, on the basis that the player subscribes to the Gaming Service for at least 2 years (at a cost of $30 per month). Having paid up for this, the customer will be given access to all the 'top new games and old standards' available to download from the games library. However, the lack of any confirmed examples is slightly ominous.
Spec-wise, we're looking at a fairly decent PC setup by today's standards, with an nForce 2 motherboard and Athlon XP 2500+ powering the machine, coupled with a GeForce FX 5700 Ultra taking care of the visuals. With some decent RAM this gear is unlikely to have any problems running PC games of today but the fact still remains that, come the machine's launch later in the year, the technology will still be classed as 'last generation'.
The unprecedented concept is highly intriguing, but at the moment seems like an empty promise. We're assured of a 40 GB hard drive, gamepads, and even a lapboard (a gaming specific keyboard), but without any AAA software, these gizmos are of little interest.
The Phantom Gaming Service is slated to go live on Thursday 18 November - we'll keep you up-to-date with all the Phantom sightings as E3 unfurls.
The Phantom Gaming Service consists of four main parts: the gaming service itself, the receiver hardware, the distribution network, and the library of games. Infinium proposes to provide all the prerequisite hardware free-of-charge, on the basis that the player subscribes to the Gaming Service for at least 2 years (at a cost of $30 per month). Having paid up for this, the customer will be given access to all the 'top new games and old standards' available to download from the games library. However, the lack of any confirmed examples is slightly ominous.
Spec-wise, we're looking at a fairly decent PC setup by today's standards, with an nForce 2 motherboard and Athlon XP 2500+ powering the machine, coupled with a GeForce FX 5700 Ultra taking care of the visuals. With some decent RAM this gear is unlikely to have any problems running PC games of today but the fact still remains that, come the machine's launch later in the year, the technology will still be classed as 'last generation'.
The unprecedented concept is highly intriguing, but at the moment seems like an empty promise. We're assured of a 40 GB hard drive, gamepads, and even a lapboard (a gaming specific keyboard), but without any AAA software, these gizmos are of little interest.
The Phantom Gaming Service is slated to go live on Thursday 18 November - we'll keep you up-to-date with all the Phantom sightings as E3 unfurls.
Companies:
Infinium Labs
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Comments
burgerman1969 10 May 2004 15:09
1/3
Having to committ to $30 a month for a minimum of 24 months is a hell of a thing to ask for when you dont know what games will be available.
Mecha Ghandi 10 May 2004 15:57
2/3
You will be able to buy a hardware-only pack with no commitments, but that's gonna set you back $200... which is still quite alot for a system with no games.
Obviously you'll need to subscribe at some point to access whatever games there are... IL say that they'll refund the $200 over the course of subscription. Still sounds unnecessarily expensive (and complex) as a way to introduce the machine to the public.
Obviously you'll need to subscribe at some point to access whatever games there are... IL say that they'll refund the $200 over the course of subscription. Still sounds unnecessarily expensive (and complex) as a way to introduce the machine to the public.
Funky 11 May 2004 10:58
3/3
It looks like a radiator.