Web Hosting Talk : Other Forums : Web Hosting Lounge : Phantom = Vaporware

[Shannara]

Reference Link: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/phantom.htm

Ive already tried to contact this company. Emailed, Phone'd, actual written snail-mail. This "company" refuse to respond. BTW: They were contacted concerning what it'll take to get on their Developer program.

Since a company like this, a "start-up", treat possible developers like trash, what makes us think they wont treat their customers like trash as well?

They have a long way to go, if they are even expecting to get any developers to port or develop games for their "console", let alone any customers to buy the console if they keep this up.

[Porky]

sounds like a scam. I dont know. It has no cd rom drive and it would suck if your harddrive crashed and all the games get deleted

[pro]

The thing is a PC bottled up to look like a console and set so that the broadband connection is its only method of data transfer. Even if we assume that your request was submitted in a professional manner and backed up with some sort of big league game development experience credentials, that does not change the fact that it's a PC. If you want to make games for this platform, make PC games. Something tells me that their broadband delivery/upgrading/multiplayer service is about tapping into the existing mix of software already available for the PC rather than a capital-intensive initiative where money is tossed about in order to develop new games just for the Phantom. Rather than having a development kit like Sony has (or at least had for the original Playstation,) I suspect they will have a team that helps producers of games that are already commercially successful adapt their software to the Phantom service. Then again, it could all be vaporware as well. However, the fact that they didn't acknowledge a request for a developers' kit does not prove that it is a scam . . . it merely proves that they don't care to offer special support to people intent on developing PC games.

Regards,
pro

[akashik]

The buzz that was around for this thing ages ago seemed to lead no-where. At the time no major software developer was looking seriously at it. The company seems to have pushed ahead regardless with their system.

Personally I think they'll make a box no-one buys, and no-one develops for.

[Shannara]

Initial contact is usually good for any company, especially when they have "contact points", ie numbers mailing address, email address, for seperate situations. Developers, customers, advertising, content providing, etc.. When they refuse to respond to their so called contact points. Then they really are not contact points more like sink holes that are good for nothing.

I know it's just a pc, with an encrypted HD almost like the XBox. The thing is, and I'll have to find the article. But you can develop client/server games to run on their network just for phantom users... that is where I was interested in.

So i would definately call them vapor ware until they get their little act together.

[hostpath.com]

Originally posted by akashik
Personally I think they'll make a box no-one buys, and no-one develops for.

Buying may be the toughest nut to crack, getting developers on board is a much simpler task. The great thing about the Phantom business model is that existing games ported to the system can be distributed without the traditional costs of producing the platform games on real media, with packaging and distribution costs. It's easy for a game maker to say: "Let's compile a version of this new shooter for Phantom, and if we sell or rent any at all it's a bonus".

One interesting aspect of their concept is that, just like garage bands and other performers who publish their own music via MP3.com and earn revenues through paid downloads, small-time game developers who don't attract the attention of the big-time software publishers will be able to sell their games through the Phantom network at virtually no cost, sharing revenue with Infinium Labs.

It's quite interesting...I'd never heard of Phantom until the discussion broke out over whether they're a scam or not, but now I've been so intrigued I've read a ton of stuff about the concept. They truly do have a workable business model, but # of units shipped is going to be the biggest hurdle they've got to overcome.

[Shannara]

Yep, I am definately interested in such a console. And I do hope they do well as soon as they can. The link provided above from the previous poster, they had someone create an online presence for them I can do that (pay for presence), and i run a 12 person company. I just hope that when they do have enough to pull it off, they will actually respond to developers and customers/clients alike.