HomeForumsWhat's newResources 
 
 
Too Good To Be True
mtxblau - Jan 21, 2003

 < Prev  1  2  3  4  Next> 

  Tony Skyrunner Feb 20, 2003

  
	
	

		
		

			Originally posted by MTXBlau@Feb 20, 2003 @ 02:49 AM



That's outrageous. What kind of retarded monkeys do they have running the show? Someone should be smacked upside the head.



Might I ask where this news is from? You didn't cite any sources.



(Edit - is there a spell checker or something? Strange error...)


Meristation.... It's a reliable source I didn't include the link because it's in Spanish.

This is the exact link....

 Curtis Feb 20, 2003
A mangled altavista translation follows:


  
	
	

		
		

			



The CEO and president of Infinium Labs, Tim Roberts, have revealed interesting details on the mysterious Phantom console in an interview granted recently to the Herald-Tribune newspaper. This platform, which the next month in GDC will be presented/displayed officially (Game Developers Conference) that will be celebrated in California, will cost between 600 and 700 dollars, a price that almost triples the one of the competition (PS2, Xbox or GameCube lase). 



But it is that the Phantom presents/displays remarkable differences with other consoles of the market. The apparatus comes prepared to connect itself directly to Internet, with no need of no peripheral one, although it is necessary to consider that only accepts broadband. Not even it will incorporate unit CD-ROM, but that the user will unload games and diverse applications in his generous hard disk through the network of networks, although the console will come with a selection of settled titles. 



The Phantom will come from series with keyboard, mouse and wireless control of control, reason why also it will try to compete in the market of the games of PC In spite of his high price, the president of the company has affirmed that "if we obtained a 5% of quota of market, made a console of high range, maintain our expenses low and we did not throw 56 million dollars every trimester in publicity", will be successful in this competitive market only aiming at the reduced sector of the maniacos of the videojuegos or "hardcore gamers." 



Logically, the main objective of Infinium is to obtain an attractive catalogue of titles. "That is what is going to attract the users. He is Santo Grial of the people who dedicate themselves to the videojuegos." At the moment, the company affirms that more than 500 developers they have expressed his interest by the console. With respect to the piracy, Roberts affirms that they have thought at great length about it: the games and programs will be unloaded through a private network that, according to affirms, will avoid the illegal copy proliferation in the network of networks. And, to be safer, the company has contracted the services of hacker Andrew "Bunnie" Huang, expert in desproteger systems that were considered inaccessible, to turn to the console a resistant apparatus to any attempt of hackers .


5% of the market? With an overpriced pay-per-play PC? MS and Nintendo barely manage that in some markets with conventional consoles...

 Gallstaff Feb 20, 2003
Ok right now (because i lost count) where here BELIEVES that this thing is going to be a reality? Seriously, post back.

 Nadius Feb 20, 2003

  
	
	

		
		

			maniacos of the videojuegos


Hehe, that's awesome, i never thought of that...

Can "El Maniaco de los Videojuegos" be my special title?

 IceDigger Feb 20, 2003
I think its too long Nadius.

 googlefest1 Feb 21, 2003
HA HA HA they have a short article about this thing in the latest game informer with a "no coment by sony" and a "we do not plan to suport this conole" by electronic arts

and finaly asking is this a hoax

 M3d10n Feb 21, 2003
Actually, I don't think it'll run PC games. That's too risky, since newer games wouldn't run properly. Also, the console would need to use a standard windows version to properly run PC games, and games would require to be installed. That would not be too user friendly.

I'll tell you what I think this is:

It's a PC setup, much like the X-box, running modified/proprietary OS. It's OS is packed with emulators for various consoles, thus why they boast it has 30K+ games aready avaliable, and the rumored suspicious contacts with emulator authors.

It'll run emulated games from older consoles. If it would run PC games, I tell ya, the number of avaliable titles would be FAR superior than 33K, since there are so many PC games being released on a daily basis (even if 99% are small sucky games).

The system prolly works like this: you access their game library, and it gives you 3 options: play demo, rent and buy. The demo being free, the rental being cheap, but it'll delete/lock the game after a few days, and the buy option allows you to download that game freely whenever you want, and as many times you need. They prolly are getting in contact to game developers making deals for selling their old games online.

But do not expect to play Mario, Zelda or Metroid. I doubt Nintendo would allow anyone other than themselves distribute their games, no matter how much they pay.

As for the emulated consoles, since the system processor might be around 1GHz, I believe it'll offer support to most already well-emulated consoles, up to the PSX (games would be downloaded and emulated as ISOs). But I'm not sure if they are developing the emulators themselves or buying them from emu authors (that would be the DOOM for the emulation world, since many emus would then belong to Infinitum and be discontinued for the public). Tough they might do both and pay for the emu authors in order to use their already existing code in their own emulators.

Since the emulated games won't look as good as the games on other consoles, I expect the Phantom to also support true Phantom-based games. How good, graphically, those will be? Nobody will know until they post up some specs, like the video card they are using.

It *is* an interesting idea to have a system designed towards emulation, finally allowing people to play emulated games in a legal way, and the online distribution is a good idea since it allows games to be distributed by a very low fee, some even free. But the price... holy motherfucking! Also the fact it'll require broadband (at least for emulating CD-based systems, like PSX and running it's own games) limits the audience it can reach.

Seriously, it would work FAR better if, instead of being a game console you buy, it were a internet service you subscribed to, that did the exact same thing, but using your own computer (that would be much harder to protect from hacking, of course), like Cyberlink, that currently offers emulated Genesis and Saturn games for either renting or buying.

 Tony Skyrunner Feb 21, 2003
What a long post! Here we have a man who uses his imagination, are you a fortune teller or something like that? (If so, you may need this...).

I can see your point... that makes sense, it could be used as an emulator. The problem is, since you are supposed to download the games from Infinium's network, they must provide you with the roms as there's no way to load them from a CD, and that would be illegal

Although it could be an interesting pseudo-console (a different approach to videogaming systems, if you want), it'll probably be a fake, a hoax or simply vaporware. Have you ever seen those poor Bonsai Kittens?

 M3d10n Feb 21, 2003
Maybe you skimmed through my post and missed the part where I say they might provide the roms in a legal way.

Just because the motherfucking ROMs are in a CD doesn't make them automatically legal. And just by the fact they are being transferred through the NET doesn't make them automatically illegal. What are you smoking?

Cyberlink offers both Geneis and Saturn games for download. It *IS* legal *AND* licensed by Sega.

The Infinitum people only need to sign distribution agreements with the developers, and pay them if someone downloads their game, obivously. Like any distributor does. But Infinitun would not have any costs with cart/CD manufacturing, package printing and shipping. Just bandwidth.

IF the Phantom ever comes out, of course. It might as well crash and burn as quickly as the Philips CDI.

 Tony Skyrunner Feb 22, 2003

  
	
	

		
		

			Originally posted by M3d10n@Feb 22, 2003 @ 05:36 AM



Maybe you skimmed through my post and missed the part where I say they might provide the roms in a legal way.



Just because the motherfucking ROMs are in a CD doesn't make them automatically legal. And just by the fact they are being transferred through the NET doesn't make them automatically illegal. What are you smoking?



Cyberlink offers both Geneis and Saturn games for download. It *IS* legal *AND* licensed by Sega.



The Infinitum people only need to sign distribution agreements with the developers, and pay them if someone downloads their game, obivously. Like any distributor does. But Infinitun would not have any costs with cart/CD manufacturing, package printing and shipping. Just bandwidth.



IF the Phantom ever comes out, of course. It might as well crash and burn as quickly as the Philips CDI.


Sorry, I didn't make myself quite clear I didn't say that having the roms in a CD makes them legal! You can download Sega games... from Sega.com and other sources -that's completely legal, obviously As you pointed out, Infinium would need to sign distribution agreements with developers, but many of them wouldn't be happy about that -Nintendo, maybe Sony because their PSOne is still being sold... Moreover, they would have to create their own emulators or pay royalties to emu creators (if they port them to the Phantom) and so on, and why would you need an expensive console that emulates other systems when you have one beautiful PC or the real thing?

Also, the games will have to be very good to compensate for the high price, time will tell -although I have my doubts-, that is, if it's not a hoax... the name says it all: Phantom

 Nadius Feb 23, 2003
If this isn't a hoax, and if for some reason, is advertised on infomercials, i'm probably gonna be stupid enough to get it. I used to watch those CDI infomercials every morning wishing I had the money to order it.

 crystalmethod Feb 23, 2003

  
	
	

		
		

			Infinium Labs



5380 Gulf of Mexico



Suite 409



Longboat Key, FL 34228


Maybe I'm just an idiot, but is it just me or does this adress seem a little odd?

 vbt Feb 23, 2003
We will be fixed soon, their first event will be on the D.I.C.E. Summit (start on the february 27th )

http://64.49.205.17/dice/...

 Tony Skyrunner Apr 30, 2003
New website...


  
	
	

		
		

			It will support PC games, interactive content, ported console games...


 antime Jul 10, 2003
The Phantom is revealed...:

A locked-down PC running Windows XP and some heavy DRM. Games can be downloaded only through Infinium's servers. Subscription based, aimed at families with smaller children.

Not a hope in hell of succeeding.

 racketboy Jul 10, 2003

  
	
	

		
		

			Originally posted by antime@Jul 10, 2003 @ 05:21 PM



 The Phantom is revealed...:



A locked-down PC running Windows XP and some heavy DRM. Games can be downloaded only through Infinium's servers. Subscription based, aimed at families with smaller children.



Not a hope in hell of succeeding.


It will be a long time before I pay a subscription to download games.

I like to buy games -- and like to get them cheaper used -- can't do that with subscription downloads.

Anyways the thing is even bigger than an XBox!

 M3d10n Jul 10, 2003
This retailing scheme takes the value off the games IMO. It's like an eternal rental system, but even physical game rental is better than this.

And with loads of PC games spawning several CDs, it will suck a lot to have to wait hours for the game to download before you can play it, if your broadband isn't broad enough.

And I bet the subscription will only grant you access to really old games, and indie/super small games, like those that come with cheesy CD-ROM mags.

It's a good idea for promoting micro and indie game developers, but this whole system could be recreated easily (and FAR cheaper) by a software you install in your PC to manage game licenses or something, managed by a central website that promotes the developers.

 Quadriflax Jul 10, 2003
They have a cool website, but that's about it. This thing is going to tank, and fast. Who the hell is going to buy a closed box PC? And who's going to let these guys allow people to d/l their games? And even if they do, how in shit are they going to recover their costs let alone turn a profit? I sure hope for their sake this is some elaborate scam. If it's a real genuine idea they're going to be sorely dissapointed.

but I could be wrong..

 racketboy Jul 10, 2003
well they claim that the packaging and retailing costs would be cut therefore maximizing profits. However they don't say anything about lowering the costs for consumers. Why would I pay the same about of money to download a game as to buy a regular copy

 Quadriflax Jul 10, 2003
You know what's wrong with this? It's just too damn complicated. Look at all the "partnerships" they're depending on. Hardware, software, providers, etc. This is absurd. Partnering two companies is messy enough, try getting 50+ of them to all agree to how this is going to work. Oh yeah, everything will turn out juuuust fine

 < Prev  1  2  3  4  Next>