Phantom Console Is Going Up for Auction

Conman

Conman

Gawd
Joined
Jun 8, 2004
Messages
592
https://gizmodo.com/a-rare-prototype-of-the-failed-phantom-console-is-going-1847862283

At Quakecon 2004, a prototype of the Phantom console was destroyed on stage by Kyle Bennett whose website, HardOCP, had been sued by Infinium Labs after it ran a story that was critical of the company, which eventually lost well over $60 million after all was said and done. It was one of just two units known to exist that feature the Phantom console’s original design. The other unit surfaced at a computer repair shop in Florida in 2015, as reported by Ars Technica.
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131378_PhantomSmash.jpg
 
I had boughten their lapboard after the console flopped as it was the only thing they had to sell. The keyboard portion was actually pretty nice but the wireless mouse absolutely sucked. The last guy running the company refunded me.
 
Tim Roberts, the CEO, and his brother a board member were investigated by the IRS and the SEC after our expose'. His brother committed suicide during the investigation. Tim Roberts is now in prison for another pump and dump scheme. Those guys were as crooked as they come IMO.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/p...company-sentenced-80-months-prison-investment

"They also failed to disclose key facts to investors, including that Roberts had entered into a prior settlement agreement with the Securities and Exchange Commission that required him to pay a fine and banned him from selling unregistered securities."
 
Speaking of auctioning, did you auction that processor it had, or toss the whole lump?
 
FrgMstr said:
People from the crowd came up and took the remains as souvenirs.
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Dude that thing looks heavy the way you swing it around (the console). I never really paid attention to how large it was proportionally to things on the stage. Would you estimate it’s similar in size to the PS5 cause that console looks gargantuan? Was it heavy?

I’d buy the one for auction but all my $10k desks and GTRs are taking up my garage and my parents garage respectively.
 
Krazy925 said:
Dude that thing looks heavy the way you swing it around (the console). I never really paid attention to how large it was proportionally to things on the stage. Would you estimate it’s similar in size to the PS5 cause that console looks gargantuan? Was it heavy?

I’d buy the one for auction but all my $10k desks and GTRs are taking up my garage and my parents garage respectively.
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He says in the video that it weighed 21 pounds.
 
Armenius said:
He says in the video that it weighed 21 pounds.
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That’s what I get for not having the sound on lol.

PS5 is half that and ridiculously heavy for a console.

OG Xbox was 8.5 lbs.

I need to look up the dimensions of the phantom now.
 
Krazy925 said:
That’s what I get for not having the sound on lol.

PS5 is half that and ridiculously heavy for a console.

OG Xbox was 8.5 lbs.

I need to look up the dimensions of the phantom now.
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I'm sorry, it's the hammer that is 21 pounds. I don't know what the Phantom weighed. That's what I get for reading your post too fast.
 
Krazy925 said:
Dude that thing looks heavy the way you swing it around (the console). I never really paid attention to how large it was proportionally to things on the stage. Would you estimate it’s similar in size to the PS5 cause that console looks gargantuan? Was it heavy?

I’d buy the one for auction but all my $10k desks and GTRs are taking up my garage and my parents garage respectively.
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Armenius said:
He says in the video that it weighed 21 pounds.
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Armenius said:
I'm sorry, it's the hammer that is 21 pounds. I don't know what the Phantom weighed. That's what I get for reading your post too fast.
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Phantom was pretty damn big. Hammer was hollowed out and filled with lead shot.
 
That moment when the game bugs out and the engine spawns NPCs that all look the same but with different clothes
also, the adorable flip phone :ROFLMAO:
 
Armenius said:
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lol at this reply to a comment:

@Kinjamaimai The Phantom was a revolutionary concept, well ahead of its time, that has finally arrived in the form of modern game consoles -- especially the Steam Machine and Alienware Alpha! The components of the original Xbox and PlayStation 3 were likewise manufactured by Intel and nVidia, respectively. Both Microsoft's and Sony's consoles spent the last decade competing as "sleek living room PCs," emphasizing everything from streaming movies and music in addition to downloadable games, not unlike the Phantom console. So what was the problem back in 2004? The concept proposed by Tim Roberts (CEO, Infinium Labs), though obviously lacking credible leadership, in truth changed the course of the gaming industry while also falling victim to the ignorance of consumers. Many people then (and even some now) were vehemently against downloadable games and services; and elitist PC gamers refused to acknowledge that consoles are computers too. Ten years later, what exactly is a game console? Today, gamers are lining-up to buy Steam Machines powered by modular (replaceable) PC components and a Linux-based SteamOS! The Xbox and PlayStation both have native web browsers and modular HDDs. So who's smashing these products on stage now? Anyone who would ridicule these products today as being"just a PC" would rightly be dismissed as being technologically ignorant. Game consoles are no longer "electronic toys" and everything is now a PC -- your phone, television, vehicle... even thermostats, toasters and refrigerators are now online! Infinium Labs planned to offer an on-demand video game service. That sounds exactly like Valve’s Steam, EA’s Origin, Xbox’s Games on Demand, PlayStation Now, Google Play, or any of the growing on-demand, cloud-based services consumers are overwhelmed with today! Who’s laughing at that? The OUYA, Chromebox, and Fire TV are themselves little more than "a stick of ram" that offer streaming media and games anywhere a TV and WiFi connection can be found. They, too, have dedicated gamepads. Who's smashing those? So, while PC elitists and console fanboys might have been too nearsighted at the time, the game and tech industries (and myself) looked at the Phantom and saw the future. Looking at any current game console, who couldn't say it isn't "just a computer posing as a console?" Well, political extremists burn books and condemn what they don't understand. It appears elitist PC gamers and console fanboys don't fall very far from that tree, either!​
Show less​
 
FrgMstr said:
Tim Roberts, the CEO, and his brother a board member were investigated by the IRS and the SEC after our expose'. His brother committed suicide during the investigation. Tim Roberts is now in prison for another pump and dump scheme. Those guys were as crooked as they come IMO.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdfl/p...company-sentenced-80-months-prison-investment

"They also failed to disclose key facts to investors, including that Roberts had entered into a prior settlement agreement with the Securities and Exchange Commission that required him to pay a fine and banned him from selling unregistered securities."
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From your link:

According to court documents, in 2010, Roberts and his codefendant, Terrance Taylor, founded Savtira Corporation, Inc., a technology company headquartered in Ybor City. Savtira purported to offer a centralized, cloud-based shopping cart platform for online and traditional retailers. While marketing Savtira stock to investors, Roberts and Taylor made false claims and promises. In particular, they claimed that the company was profitable and owned patents, that they had entered into executed agreements with nationally recognized technology firms, and that Savtira was valued between $450 million and $540 million. Roberts and Taylor then misused and misappropriated investor funds for personal expenses and made cash withdrawals without the investors’ consent.
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Isn't that just about step by step what they did with the Phantom?

And I remember the preemptive lawsuit you filed against them that basically told them to either STFU and stop rattling their sword or draw it and get to it.

They STFU, iirc.
 
Oh goody, another rare video game item that Heritage can “allegedly” use to artificially pump up the retro game market. Watch this thing go for unrealistic amounts of money and then pop up a couple years later in another Heritage auction. Bet this thing gets “allegedly” bought by a Heritage employee, or maybe the CEO himself. Maybe their so-called video game rating company will magically decide to start rating consoles now too.
 
topcat989 said:
lol at this reply to a comment:

@Kinjamaimai The Phantom was a revolutionary concept, well ahead of its time, that has finally arrived in the form of modern game consoles -- especially the Steam Machine and Alienware Alpha! The components of the original Xbox and PlayStation 3 were likewise manufactured by Intel and nVidia, respectively. Both Microsoft's and Sony's consoles spent the last decade competing as "sleek living room PCs," emphasizing everything from streaming movies and music in addition to downloadable games, not unlike the Phantom console. So what was the problem back in 2004? The concept proposed by Tim Roberts (CEO, Infinium Labs), though obviously lacking credible leadership, in truth changed the course of the gaming industry while also falling victim to the ignorance of consumers. Many people then (and even some now) were vehemently against downloadable games and services; and elitist PC gamers refused to acknowledge that consoles are computers too. Ten years later, what exactly is a game console? Today, gamers are lining-up to buy Steam Machines powered by modular (replaceable) PC components and a Linux-based SteamOS! The Xbox and PlayStation both have native web browsers and modular HDDs. So who's smashing these products on stage now? Anyone who would ridicule these products today as being"just a PC" would rightly be dismissed as being technologically ignorant. Game consoles are no longer "electronic toys" and everything is now a PC -- your phone, television, vehicle... even thermostats, toasters and refrigerators are now online! Infinium Labs planned to offer an on-demand video game service. That sounds exactly like Valve’s Steam, EA’s Origin, Xbox’s Games on Demand, PlayStation Now, Google Play, or any of the growing on-demand, cloud-based services consumers are overwhelmed with today! Who’s laughing at that? The OUYA, Chromebox, and Fire TV are themselves little more than "a stick of ram" that offer streaming media and games anywhere a TV and WiFi connection can be found. They, too, have dedicated gamepads. Who's smashing those? So, while PC elitists and console fanboys might have been too nearsighted at the time, the game and tech industries (and myself) looked at the Phantom and saw the future. Looking at any current game console, who couldn't say it isn't "just a computer posing as a console?" Well, political extremists burn books and condemn what they don't understand. It appears elitist PC gamers and console fanboys don't fall very far from that tree, either!​
Show less​
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Revolutionary?

The NES had a modem proposed. Gamecube did have a modem. Xbox (original) had Xbox Live, which sells games online. I know for sure back then it sold DLC for games, I can't recall when games went for sale. A transition from selling games online to streaming games isn't a step I would call "revolutionary". Recent attempts by Google have shown that the Gamer's experience is actually worse.. hardly going to be a revolution over Stadia.

Point: the idea wasn't 'new' or even 'revolutionary', which is all besides the point anyway. The point is they had no brains/staff to make it happen or even attempt to make it happen, they never intended to make it happen, and were misleading investors to steal their money. When [H] pointed that out, they threw a tantrum, threated lawsuits, then caved, were found guilty of Fraud. Years later they did it again with a different business scam.


(feel free to post the above to the youtube comments in response to that copied comment :) )
 
FrgMstr did you attempt to boot the Phantom? I'd be curious to read about what they were trying to build off of in 2004. Also, is all the [H]ardOCP content gone now? It'd be fun to go back and read. If so, hopefully it's in the wayback machine.

edit: I should still have a hunk of the front faceplate with my lanyard in a box somewhere. That was a good quakecon.
 
Frobozz said:
FrgMstr did you attempt to boot the Phantom? I'd be curious to read about what they were trying to build off of in 2004. Also, is all the [H]ardOCP content gone now? It'd be fun to go back and read. If so, hopefully it's in the wayback machine.

edit: I should still have a hunk of the front faceplate with my lanyard in a box somewhere. That was a good quakecon.
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I actually do not recall if it worked or not. All the [H] content is offline.
 
GoodBoy said:
The NES had a modem proposed. Gamecube did have a modem. Xbox (original) had Xbox Live, which sells games online. I know for sure back then it sold DLC for games, I can't recall when games went for sale. A transition from selling games online to streaming games isn't a step I would call "revolutionary". Recent attempts by Google have shown that the Gamer's experience is actually worse.. hardly going to be a revolution over Stadia.
Click to expand...

The Sega Genesis and SNES had modems, the Genesis actually had two different modems. Sega had their Seganet modem where you could pay a monthly fee to dial in to their service and download games to play from a list that cycled I think weekly. The other modem was the X-Band, which allowed online multiplayer play on several games, even across consoles in a few cases.

The Saturn and Dreamcast also had modems for online capability, and later the PS2 did as well.

So it wasn't a revolutionary idea, it had existed over a decade prior to the Phantom, it just wasn't popular. Console online play didn't really take off until the OG Xbox and the PS2.
 
GiGaBiTe said:
The Sega Genesis and SNES had modems, the Genesis actually had two different modems. Sega had their Seganet modem where you could pay a monthly fee to dial in to their service and download games to play from a list that cycled I think weekly. The other modem was the X-Band, which allowed online multiplayer play on several games, even across consoles in a few cases.

The Saturn and Dreamcast also had modems for online capability, and later the PS2 did as well.

So it wasn't a revolutionary idea, it had existed over a decade prior to the Phantom, it just wasn't popular. Console online play didn't really take off until the OG Xbox and the PS2.
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Yeah Phantom really wasn't a revolutionary idea. Everyone knew downloadable games would eventually become the norm as internet speeds improved, and like you said they already had it on the Sega Genesis with Sega Channel in 1994.

The Dreamcast was the first console to come standard with a modem which released in 1999. That is when console online gaming started to become a real thing. Then Xbox shipped with ethernet and after Xbox Live launched and Sony started selling a PS2 "online adapter" you had to buy separately and it was basically mainstream at that point.

The Dreamcast 56k modem was actually detachable and you could replace it with an ethernet adapter, and the console itself had expansion slots at the bottom for future addons. They actually had a "zip drive" addon they developed and planned to launch in 2000 but ended up cancelling it. It likely would have been used to launch another Sega Channel type service that allowed you to buy and download games.
 
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