Infinium
Topic: Games
There's been a lot of controversy about Infinium's Phantom game console, starting with the article posted on HardOCP.com which cemented into the minds of gamers everywhere three very serious possibilities:
1- The phantom was vaporware (It's even called "phantom." Duh.)
2- Infinium's CEO was a crook and a liar.
3- Infinium Labs itself was a fictional company.

That's pretty much been my feelings. I haven't talked much about it, partly because I don't want to add to the free publicity Infinium gets from sheer controversy, and partly because I haven't taken it seriously. Also, I had my own credibility to think about.*

But now (well, a year and a half ago), Xbox technomage Kevin Bachus has joined Infinium, and is CEO, which lends credibility based on the fact he's actually been involved with the release of an actual product, and probably wants to maintain some kind of a reputation.

Furthermore, the Phantom console, which bears no resemblance now to its original appearance, has been demonstrated at an E3. They're talking about a ship date. They are offering specifics about service and pricing.

It is beginning to appear that they may actually have a product.

My take on this is that, perhaps, in the beginning, it was a scam of holy shit proportions. Tim Roberts has a less than savory business history, after all, and the information in the HardOCP article was not fiction. However, it's entirely possible that Roberts didn't want to go to jail. As a result, he may, just may, have begun to really try to develop a system, and a service. He needed help, he realized, and credibility. He called in a big gun. He called in Bachus. Bachus decided that, yes, it was a neat idea, and he'd start working on it, and now there's a future for The Phantom. Ironically, what may have been a huge scam at the expense of the entire gaming community, including the consumers, the financers, and the media, may turn into something great, even if only because Roberts doesn't like his cellmate telling him what nice eyes he has.

I hope it's not a lot of smoke and mirrors. I really do. To me, The Phantom as it is proposed is an excellent idea. It's a hybrid of the console and the PC. It has a keyboard, which I've always favored over a gamepad. It has a mouse. It plays PC games. It hooks up to a television. It downloads games. It's a small sized device, fitting easily on your entertainment system, with a keyboard on your lap and a mousing surface right underneath it. In short, it's a hardwired hardware system that can't be modified easily, and plays on your television.

It's not for me. I prefer the PC; why would I stop using my upgradeable desktop for a non-upgradeable system that does the same thing?

On the other hand, it's a great middle ground for a console gamer to take some steps toward PC gaming. I think console gamers will really appreciate this. Hells, it's even (reportedly) got ports for gamepads in case the user just has to have blisters on their thumbs. This could easily be the system that becomes the merge point for PC and console gamers. It has attractions for both gaming breeds, and seems to owe allegience to neither. True, the CEO is an Xbox developer. But that just means that he worked for Microsoft, who has been playing both fields since they released Xbox in the first place.

Will Phantom put the Unity back into Community? Only time will tell. I remain skeptical. Even if it is now a real system, there's still financing issues with which Infinium Labs is dealing. Between getting financial backing and payroll issue reporting discrepancies, they've got some rocky times ahead. Roberts has done a lot of damage to the company credibility, and it's harder to get backers when they think you're a crook. So even if the console is the best thing since Atari marketed the 2600, it may never see the light of day. That will only reinforce the belief that it's a scam, whether it is or not, and seriously damage the credibility of all involved with its development.

I find myself wanting this console to succeed. Not to get Roberts off the hook, or to protect the credibility of Bachus. But because it is a good idea, and it can work. The success of services such as iTunes shows that the market is ready to accept a pay-per-download service. The gaming community never has to leave their home to get the games onto the console. It's got the potential to be a great console system, and I really want it to be that, even if I never play it myself. And I probably wouldn't, because I have a computer. But thousands of others would. It could be the first system many new gamers try, allowing them to graduate to consoles, or PCs, or just simply play both.

This might be a weakness, though. Console gamers may shun it for its PC similarities, and PC gamers (like me) may shun it because they already have a system that does everything the Phantom reportedly does. Its unifying qualities may be its own downfall.

But if it makes it into just one living room, nobody goes to jail. Not for this, anyway. And, more importantly (although probably not more importantly for Roberts), it will have broken ground and done something unique in the gaming world. I hope it works out for them.

---

*You gotta start some time.

---