Gaming Infinium Labs' Phantom

[James]

[color=#707875]If you've been looking at our sticky E3 games thread, you'll know that there have already been a number of announcements about new games and hardware, even before the actual show begins.

In terms of hardware, there's quite a lot to look forward to. Right now the big ones are Sony's PSP, Nintendo's DS and Nokia's N-Gage QD. But there is also Infinium Labs' Phantom.

Before I begin talking about the machine in a little more depth, I want to point out that there's already been a thread on the subject in Play It. You can find it [url="http://www.otakuboards.com/showthread.php?t=20020&highlight=Phantom"]here[/url].

There are two reasons that I decided to create an "official" thread for this unit. The first reason is that when the original thread was made, there was so little information. And there was a lot of skepticism about the machine in general; that's no surprise, given the original claims about it as well as the fact that there no realistic details given. We didn't even had a proper shot of the hardware; just an awfully silly conceptual rendering. And it looked ugly. lol

But if you fast forward to the present, things have apparently changed.

For one, the Phantom project is now headed up by Kevin Bachus, who used to work in Microsoft's Xbox division. He recently gave an interview with IGN, where he was pretty clear about where Infinium is going with the Phantom and what we can expect. He also admitted that the original announcement had been poorly handled. But he assured everyone that things would be done more carefully now that he's in charge.

And from the most recent pre-E3 details, it seems as though Bachus may just have kicked things into shape.

But before I do anything else, I want to tell you exactly what the Phantom is and why it's different to what's out there currently.

First and foremost, the Phantom is [i]essentially [/i]a PC and console merged together. Whilst it uses PC components on the inside, players don't have to install games or anything like that. So it has the plug-and-play functionality of a game console.

Secondly, the Phantom won't really need its own library of games, like a console. At least, not in the traditional sense.

Instead, the Phantom can play any existing PC game. And while PC games will no doubt make up the bulk of its library, Infinium Labs has said that there are developers who are working on Phantom-specific games at the moment.

But these differences are the small ones -- there's much more to it than that.

You won't actually have to buy the Phantom. You'll get it for free. Instead of paying outright for the hardware, you will be need to join a two year contract with Infinum Labs, which will set you back around $29.95 per month. So, think of it like cable television; you don't pay for the hardware, you just pay for the ongoing service.

Once you've signed up, you can then play a list of included games on demand without paying any extra. I'm not sure how big this list will be, but these games will be included in the monthly cost.

How do you play games? Well, you don't go and buy them from the store. Instead, you use an online interface to stream the games on to your Phantom.

Bachus has said that the streaming can be done with any game (so the game doesn't have to be modified to accept streaming) and it will work in much the same way that one would stream a video file. So, you won't have to wait for ages to download the entire game and [i]then [/i]play it. Presumably you can play [i]as [/i]the game streams. This should make for a very seamless process, if it works out.

So, the Phantom will operate this feature via a broadband connection. You'll never actually see a physical game or anything like that -- everything is done through this online streaming mechanism.

And then, if you wish, you can actually purchase certain "triple A" games. This service goes above and beyond the regular service and because you aren't getting a packaged game, the cost of purchasing games drops by around $10 to $15.

In addition to this, you can rent games (games that aren't available in the standard package). Apparently they'll be offering PC games to rent for around $5 for three days. And they're now talking about a possible rent-to-own system as well, for the future.

As you can see based on this information, the Phantom is definitely offering something pretty different and untested in terms of video games. Although similar techniques have been used on various occasions, I don't think anyone has actually tried to offer a complete package like Infinium Labs is doing with Phantom.

For those who are interested, here are the specs:

[list]
[*]XP 2500+ CPU
[*]256MB RAM
[*]128MB GeForce FX 5700 Ultra
[*]40GB hard drive
[*]nForce 2 Ultra 400 motherboard
[*]Custom controller and game pad
[*]Keyboard and mouse
[*]Lapboard
[*]LAN enabled
[*]Supports HDTV and Dolby Surround
[/list]All of the above (including the keyboard, mouse, controller, pad and lapboard) are included in the package.

[img]http://gearmedia.ign.com/gear/image/article/512/512854/phantom-200405101007498.jpg[/img]

This is apparently how the machine looks when you have it on your lap. The keyboard is angled upward so that you can move the mouse around underneath it. I think that this is a really cool idea. The angle looks like it would also be relatively comfortable for FPS games (where you might be using W, S, D and A for movement).

[img]http://gearmedia.ign.com/gear/image/article/512/512854/phantom-200405101007795.jpg[/img]

This is the flat position, for when you aren't using the mouse.

[img]http://gearmedia.ign.com/gear/image/article/512/512854/phantom-200405101007529.jpg[/img]

[img]http://gearmedia.ign.com/gear/image/article/512/512854/phantom-200405101007670.jpg[/img]

I must say, I am impressed by the fact that this is now a tangible machine and that we have some details as to how it'll function and so on.

I'm also impressed by the fact that Infinium Labs are taking such a risk with this new technology. In principle, I think this is a great idea -- it responds to many of the current challenges within the industry, while attempting to carve out a new niche in the market. I can imagine console gamers buying this instead of a high end PC, if only for the sheer convenience. Even PC users may purchase it, so that they don't have to worry about the assorted problems with PC games (installation, the fact that you can only purchase games and not rent them [though you can rent them over here], varying tech specs, etc).

In addition to all of the above, the Phantom is LAN enabled. So you can connect to an online game with PC users, without having to really set up anything -- it's all there for you.

The Phantom will enter beta testing in June and July and will be available to the public in November.

Although I can't sit here and say that I'm sold on this new machine, I [i]am [/i]impressed by these new developments. I really wish Infinium Labs luck with the Phantom; it could be a big breath of fresh air in the industry, if it takes off.[/color]

[Brasil]

Obviously, we can't really judge the system quite yet, but from what I've seen, I'm certainly interested in what these Phantom people have up their sleeves. I'm definitely intrigued by their market strategy, the whole "bypassing the physical software and acting as a cable company" thing. It just seems really, really risky. If it works, more props to them, but unless they're extremely careful in what they do, it's going to be a most heinous crash n burn.

I do like the idea of streaming games. I really do. But, if they're looking to be competitive with the other consoles (which Phantom really is...a console), they would need to feature roughly the same game line-up, and some of those games are rather extensive (yes, extensive). Unless they're running on some major powerhouse equipment, they're going to run into trouble when gamers start essentially downloading the games.

The tech specs aren't all that impressive as it stands now, too. Normally, that wouldn't be a problem for consoles, but we're talking massive amounts of games being downloaded/streamed here, which is the total opposite of the "offline" consoles. Even Xbox and PS2 don't depend on the streaming like that, if at all.

So, basically, this looks to be [i]extremely[/i] risky and I'm leery of whether this will work.

[James]

[color=#707875]Remember though, Alex, that in terms of specs...the Phantom actually makes for a pretty beefy console. With a PC, you're always using a certain amount of the machine's power to operate Windows and various other background software. With Phantom, you're talking about the hardware being game-dedicated. I think that makes a noticeable difference.

Considering that Sony was talking about a similar type of system for PS3, I think it's fair to say that this is the angle that many game developers have been talking about in recent times, as a way of cutting down on various costs associated with publishing.

So, hopefully we will hear more about the Phantom during E3. I have no idea if they plan to have a playable version or what...but it would certainly be great to hear impressions about it.[/color]

[Guest ScirosDarkblade]

[quote name='James][color=#707875']Remember though, Alex, that in terms of specs...the Phantom actually makes for a pretty beefy console. With a PC, you're always using a certain amount of the machine's power to operate Windows and various other background software. With Phantom, you're talking about the hardware being game-dedicated. I think that makes a noticeable difference.[/quote]
That would certainly be true if the hardware came from someone like Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft. But based on what the Phantom's hardware [i]is[/i], I'm not sure it's optimized for gaming at all. Although it's still beefy enough to run all current games without any problem.

However, by the time the Phantom is released, it'll be well behind the times (not as far as PCs go, but certainly as far as consoles go, as the current generation will be running its final lap). And at a minimal cost ($30 for 24 months) of $720 bucks, it also makes very little sense to get it considering you can buy a PS2, X-box, Gamecube, DS, GBA sp, and three or so games all for the same amount.

Another thing which annoys me about Infinium Labs is their philosophy seems... damn near the opposite of Nintendo's. Nintendo is all about the games, I.L. is all about the "business" of games. So I don't expect anything special to be released for the Phantom, unless it's also for PC.

I am interested in hearing more about it, just because I'm curious. But there's no way in hell I'll ever purchase this thing.

[James]

[QUOTE=ScirosDarkblade]
I am interested in hearing more about it, just because I'm curious. But there's no way in hell I'll ever purchase this thing.[/QUOTE]
[color=#707875]I think that your comment here really underlines something important with this machine: it isn't being aimed at you or me.

The thing is, I think you'll find that Phantom is going to be targeted at non-gamers, or PC gamers who haven't considered buying a console. I know plenty of people (particularly older than myself) who are PC gamers, but who haven't touched a game console within the last two generations.

One thing we have to recognize is that the entire industry is in a transitional period. The market in Japan is one example -- and that trend could easily follow to western markets, within a few years. Nintendo is trying to stay ahead of the curve by producing the DS (which will no doubt attract gamers, but which will also be targeted at non-gamers in particular).

Infinium Labs is doing something similar, by creating something that isn't quite a console and not quite a PC -- a type of platform that is capable of responding to the needs of non-console gamers.[/color]

[Gavin]

[SIZE=1]Interesting, most interesting.

To be honest I'm with Alex on this one, there appears to be a lot of potential to this machine but I'd be a pretty wary about the whole set up of the system. The specs are pretty up-to-date but the whole method of paying for it and playing games just seems a little too far out for my tastes.

I've just worked out the over-all cost for the machine and it's dampened my interest in the Phantom by quite a bit, the price will be $718.80 so I'd be a little wary about spending that much on a machine that'll be out of date by the time I have it paid for. Interesting idea but I'd wait to see how it pans out.[/SIZE]