The Phantom: Place your bets.

[Mesozoic]

The date of the Phantom Console "e-Commerce Launch" (read:  they'll take your money now, thanks) is still set for March 31, 2004.  The Phantom FAQ is still a 404 error, the product specifications page is still a .gif slideshow of commonly available brand name hardware, and the title list page still asks you to "Please check back to this site at a later date "  I guess maybe you should check again on the 31st just before you give them your money to see what games you'll actually get to play.

Place your bets.   My money is on Infinium pushing back the e-commerce release date sometime between now and the 31st...I'll throw out June 30th as the new date.   Theres really nothing to stop them from taking money even without a product, but so far Infinium Lab's efforts appears to be more aimed at getting the investors' money rather than that of the "customer" base.   Investors are a handful of potential lawsuits; taking money from customers and then not delivering would be a Federal crime and a potential class action lawsuit.

EDIT:  30 days in June...tho June 31st is really just as likely...

[Sloth]

I can't wait to see what they are going to show off at E3. Or the heckling they get. I still remember the Q&A they held several months ago, when they said The Phantom will eliminate the need for shelf space. Then 3 questions later someone asked "How will players know what games are out?" and the guy responded with something like "They'll be featured on the front page of the network" to which the follow up question was "Isn't that just like shelf space?" and the guy goes "Yeah well there isn't really a way to eliminate the idea of shelf space."

To which I thought Hah, these guys got nothing.

[WayAbvPar]

Can I get odds on 'train wreck of epic proportions'?

[Morfiend]

Can I get odds on 'train wreck of epic proportions'?

Not even Vegas would give you odds on that.

[HaemishM]

I'll give you even odds that their E3 booth will have a babe in it.

[Alrindel]

50 quatloos says they blame their inevitable doom on their Internet detractors.

[AOFanboi]

50 quatloos says they blame their inevitable doom on their Internet detractors.

Plz insert "A COMPANY IS AT STEAK!" where appropriate.

[Mesozoic]

Before you ask:  I follow this stuff out of morbid curiousity.

Well today is the big day of the e-Commerce launch.  Infinium has decided to celebrate by making no changes to the Phantom website whatsoever.  

There is no announcement about the "e-commerce launch," not even notice of a delay.  The Phantom Pre-order link is unchanged and still doesn't work.  There is no information about hardware specs or planned titles.  A link on the page invites you to join the Phantom forum community, but you have to be a member to view the forum, and the forum is no longer accepting new users.

[Alluvian]

It would be fun to be able to view their forums right now.  I wonder how many morons expected it to show up magically today?

[Mesozoic]

My bad.  There is an animated .gif slideshow of planned titles on the main page now.  Squinting and watching it over and over, I have discerned the following release titles.

Lemonade Tycoon
Chessmate
Learn to Read
ABC of Dr. Seuss
Green Eggs and Ham
I-Spy
some Clifford game.

I wonder if Green Eggs and Ham has a campaign mode.  I hope Learn to Read is multiplayer.

[schild]

Yea, I posted that list on wt.o. I think that I-Spy is infiniums nth generation mmo.

[Toast]

Perhaps the e-commerce launch is meant to describe the opening of their Cafexpress line of t-shirts, mousepads, mugs, and even a thong featuring the phantom logo.

This one is going to be fun to watch. With that portfolio of titles, this thing can't fail. Anyone up for creating a F13.net Lemonade Tycoon gaming group?

[Alluvian]

I'll take you all on in a deathmatch game of "Learn to Read".  Would be a good challenge for some of us.

[schild]

I was hoping I'd wake up today and Infinium would announce it was all an elaborate April 1st joke. Imagine my surprise when it wasn't and that rotating .gif is still there. Ugh.

[Mesozoic]

More:

The most recent bit of news about Phantom indicates that they would be at the January CES.  According to this listing of exhibitors, however, there was no Infinium Labs at the show.  Nor was there anything under "Phantom."

Anyone here who was at the show who can confirm or deny their presence?  This is getting too easy.

EDIT:  I see that it was in fact there.  At least, something looking like a Phantom was there.  It was not turned on or demonstrated in any way.

[Mesozoic]

tehehehee.  

Both the infinium labs website and the phantom website have been changed to -->this.<--

It pronounces that we will all become converts, although it gives no indication why.  Maybe missing multiple release dates without explanation is some new, uncharted path into the fanboi psyche. Unsurprisingly, they've given themselves three weeks to prepare an explanation.

[HaemishM]

Maybe missing multiple release dates without explanation is some new, uncharted path into the fanboi psyche.

Well, it almost worked for Shadowbane and Daikatana.

[daveNYC]

Unsurprisingly, they've given themselves three weeks to prepare an explanation.

It will probably take them that long to read Flash for Dummies.

[Anonymous]

Well, at least I won't be their bitch.  That's something

[AOFanboi]

Well, at least I won't be their bitch.  That's something

I don't get their business model: Why would anyone buy a fugly box for parlor game subscriptions when they can get that for their PCs today?