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{{Short description|Company}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Phantom Entertainment
| logo = [[Image:Phantom-Entertainment-logo.jpg|316px|Phantom Entertainment logo]]
| type = Manufacturing
| location_city = [[Ridgewood, NJ]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Register |via=[[Twitter]] |language=en |url-access=limited |url=https://twitter.com/phantomlives |access-date=December 7, 2020}}</ref>
| key_people = John Landino (CEO)
| num_employees = 3 (as of July 2007)<ref>{{cite web | url = https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/news/2007/06/true-infinium-stories-the-73-million-phantom.ars | title = True Infinium stories: the $73 million (and counting) Phantom disaster | first = Nate | last = Anderson | date = June 3, 2007 | access-
| revenue =
| industry = [[Video game console|Internet TV, media-center and video-game consoles and peripherals]]
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}}
'''Phantom Entertainment, Inc.''' (known as '''Infinium Labs, Inc.''' until 2006)
=={{anchor|Company history}}History==
Infinium Labs was founded by Tim Roberts in 2002 as a private company. In January 2003 it issued a press release saying that it would soon release a "revolutionary new gaming platform" with an on-demand video-game service, delivering games through an [[online]] subscription. The press release had no specific information, but included a computer-generated [[prototype]] design. Due to the use of [[buzzwords]] and the lack of details, the product was derided nearly from the beginning<ref name="HomeLAN">{{cite web|url=http://www.homelanfed.com/index.php?id=11482 |title=Phantom Interview |author=John Callaham |date=
Roberts left the company in summer 2005 (with millions of shares of stock) before any products had been delivered. He later rejoined as chairman of the board, but in a July 2007 press release he again resigned from the company.<ref name="PR2007">{{cite web |url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/timothy-m-roberts-resigns-as-chairman-and-director-of-phantom-entertainment-inc-52714642.html |title=Timothy M. Roberts Resigns as Chairman and Director of Phantom Entertainment, Inc |author=Infinium Labs |date=
In September 2006 the company (which had changed its name from Infinium Labs)<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.engadget.com/2006/07/19/infinium-changes-name-to-phantom-entertainment/ | title = Infinium changes name to Phantom Entertainment | first = Darren | last = Murph | date = July 19, 2006 | access-
=={{anchor|The Phantom console}}The Phantom==
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The Phantom is a cancelled home video
Press releases said in 2003 that the console would be released that year, and the [[digital rights management]] software would be provided by DiStream.<ref name="PR2003Unveil">{{cite web |url=http://www.beststuff.com/fromthewire/phantom-game-console-unveiling-to-be-online-august-17th.html |title=Phantom Game Console Unveiling to Be Online August 17th |author=Infinium Labs |date=
Two units of the first-generation prototype were known to exist, one publicly destroyed by HardOCP at [[QuakeCon]] 2004 as a result of their legal battles with the company (see below),<ref>{{cite web |last1=Shrout |first1=Ryan |title=QUAKECON 2004 (page 3) |url=https://pcper.com/2004/08/quakecon-2004/3/ |website=PC Perspective |access-date=January 5, 2021 |date=August 16, 2004 |archive-date=October 14, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211014141706/https://pcper.com/2004/08/quakecon-2004/3/ |url-status=live }}</ref> the other was spotted by a computer repair shop in [[Venice, Florida]] in 2015 and reported by ''[[Ars Technica]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Orland |first1=Kyle |title=Ars reader: So a guy walks into my shop with an Infinium Phantom console… |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/07/ars-reader-so-a-guy-walks-into-my-shop-with-an-infinium-phantom-console/ |website=Ars Technica |access-date=August 25, 2024 |date=July 7, 2015 |archive-date=December 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201225205828/https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/07/ars-reader-so-a-guy-walks-into-my-shop-with-an-infinium-phantom-console/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In October 2021, a first-generation prototype unit was listed for auction, presumably the same unit that was previously reported by Ars Technica due to its listed repair history.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Knight |first1=Shawn |title=Rare prototype Infinium Labs Phantom console goes up for auction |url=https://www.techspot.com/news/91753-rare-prototype-infinium-labs-phantom-console-goes-up.html |website=TechSpot |access-date=March 28, 2022 |date=October 14, 2021 |archive-date=June 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630223812/https://www.techspot.com/news/91753-rare-prototype-infinium-labs-phantom-console-goes-up.html |url-status=live }}</ref> A second-generation prototype unit shown at E3 2004 surfaced a year later after the discovery of the surviving 2003 prototype.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ehringer |first1=John |title=A Close Look at the Never Released Infinium Labs Phantom Video Game Console |url=http://www.5khz.com/2016/01/30/a-close-look-at-the-infinium-labs-phantom/ |website=5khz.com |access-date=January 5, 2021 |date=January 30, 2016 |archive-date=January 7, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107073514/http://www.5khz.com/2016/01/30/a-close-look-at-the-infinium-labs-phantom/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
==={{anchor|Development|Release date}}Release===▼
The Phantom had an online release on August 17, 2003 with basic hardware specifications and a price of "below $399".<ref name="2003Unveiling">{{cite web |url=http://www.ladydragon.com/phantom.html |title=Phantom Unveiling |author=Infinium Labs |date=17 August 2003 |work=Infinium Labs |accessdate=5 February 2012}}</ref> Options included customized hardware and the PhantomNet (a gaming-content service), priced at $9.95 a month. A sale date for the first quarter of 2004 was set. It was missed; the company later claimed it would go on sale in November for the holiday season, although it had not developed online-delivery software, licensed games or found any retailers. The second deadline was missed, with Infinium sending thousands of faxes claiming that the system would be released in January 2005.▼
▲==={{anchor|Development|Release date}}Release===
When that deadline passed, Infinium predicted the system's release for around March 2005. That date also passed, and Infinium Labs was absent from the 2005 E3.<ref>{{cite news|first=Chris|last=Morris|url=http://money.cnn.com/2005/05/19/technology/personaltech/e3_phantom/|title=Whither the Phantom? After a big splash in 2004, Infinium Labs' on-demand game service is nowhere to be found at E3|publisher=[[CNN|CNN/Money]]|date=2005-05-19|accessdate=2006-05-17}}</ref> Kevin Bachus (former Infinium CEO) hinted that the Phantom would be released around the same time as the [[Xbox 360]] in fall 2005, but that date was also missed. By August 2006, the Phantom Console was removed from the products page of the Phantom Entertainment website.▼
▲The Phantom had an online release on August 17, 2003, with basic hardware specifications and a price of "below $399".<ref name="2003Unveiling">{{cite web |url=http://www.ladydragon.com/phantom.html |title=Phantom Unveiling |author=Infinium Labs |date=
▲When that deadline passed, Infinium predicted the system's release for around March 2005. That date also passed, and Infinium Labs was absent from the 2005 E3.<ref>{{cite news|first=Chris|last=Morris|url=
===Financial problems===
The company was unable to raise its projected $30 million to complete the Phantom and announced it would downsize and focus on the Phantom Lapboard, a [[wireless keyboard]] for home use. On May 16, 2006, the [[Securities and Exchange Commission]] accused Phantom Entertainment founder and former CEO Timothy Roberts of running a "[[pump and dump]]" scheme in promoting the Phantom console in 2004.<ref>{{cite news|first=Chris|last=Morris|url=
==Lapboard==
[[Image:Lapboard Samples - Black 011.JPG|thumb|right|250px|alt=Black wireless keyboard with thumb drive and wireless mouse|Lapboard (black version)]]
The Phantom Lapboard is a [[wireless]] [[Computer keyboard|keyboard]] made by the company. It was released on June 23, 2008, two years after its originally planned release date. Designed as a component of the Phantom game console, it is sold for use with [[Internet TV]] and [[Personal computer|PC]] [[video games]] since the console has been cancelled.<ref name="gamespot1">
===Announcement===
On January 3, 2006, Infinium Labs announced that the lapboard component of the console (a keyboard and mouse designed to be held on the lap, for example, seated on a couch in front of a television) was due to be released to online retailers by the second quarter of 2006.<ref>{{cite news|first=Brendan|last=Sinclair|url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6141718.html
===Reception===
[[Image:Lapboard Samples - White 002.JPG|thumb|right|250px|alt=White wireless keyboard, with thumb drive and wireless mouse|White Lapboard]]
In April 2008 ''[[Maximum PC]]'' published a preview of the lapboard, describing it as "extremely promising" although the supplied mouse "experienced signal dropouts at a distance of about 24 inches from the sensor". The author was able to use other wireless mice successfully. The preview states that the peripheral will be available in "June for $130 in limited quantities".<ref>{{cite
On July 20, 2009, a sample lapboard received a favorable review from the ''Hardware Heaven'' website.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hardwareheaven.com/reviews/812/pg1/phantom-lapboard-keyboard-mouse-intro-keyboard.html|title=Phantom Lapboard (Keyboard & Mouse)|author=Zardon|date=
==Legal controversies==
===HardOCP lawsuit===
In September 2003 HardOCP, a computer-hardware news website, published an investigative report by writer Steve Lynch critical of Infinium Labs and its founder.<ref>{{cite news | title = Behind the Infinium Phantom Console | url = http://www.hardocp.com/article/2003/09/17/behind_infinium_phantom_console | first = Steve | last = Lynch | work = HardOCP | date = September 17, 2003 | access-
In September 2004, the judge required Infinium Labs to produce a number of financial records, including Roberts's personal income-tax returns, by the end of that month. Because the company failed to produce the required documents, HardOCP won a court order compelling them to do so. The judge ruled that sanctions would be awarded to KB Networks and Kyle Bennett in an amount to be determined by the court (later reported as $50,000).<ref name="INFINIUM-LABS-INC-May-2005-10QSB">{{cite web |url=http://edgar.secdatabase.com/403/114420405016780/filing-main.htm |title=INFINIUM LABS INC, Form 10QSB, Filing Date May 23, 2005 |publisher=secdatabase.com |
===Other controversies===
In October 2005, it was reported that the [[U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission]] (SEC) had notified Tim Roberts that charges were pending against him for violating federal securities laws.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.gamespot.com/news/6136934.html | title = Phantom maker in hot water with SEC | first = Brendan | last = Sinclair | publisher = [[GameSpot]] | date = October 31, 2005 | access-
When Roberts was CEO of Infinium, the company failed to report a substantial amount of interest and penalties on unpaid payroll taxes.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://uk.gamespot.com/news/6136934.html | title = Phantom maker in hot water with SEC | first = Brendan | last = Sinclair | publisher = Gamespot | date = November 1, 2005
In January 2006, Infinium Labs reached an agreement to borrow up to $5,000,000 from Golden Gate Investors to finance the manufacturing of the Phantom Lapboard, scheduled for release later that year. This would have been the largest amount of money Infinium Labs had ever borrowed at one time. The loan would have been repaid over three years, with an option of repayment with shares of common stock.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3147455 | title = Infinium Bags $5 Million
In February, ''[[GameSpot]]'' reported that Phantom Entertainment was suspending the Phantom Game Service to develop the Lapboard. An SEC filing showed three-year losses in excess of $62.7 million, over half of which was marketing for the company and unreleased products. Over $24 million was spent on salaries and consultants, and $2.5 million on development. Infinium claimed it still intended to release the Lapboard if its financial situation improved,<ref>{{cite news | url = http://www.gamespot.com/news/6144631.html | title = Infinium opens the books | first = Brendan | last = Sinclair | publisher = GameSpot | date = February 21, 2006 | access-
==See also==
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* [[ApeXtreme]]
* [[Coleco Chameleon]]
* ''[[Piposh|Piposh Hollywood]]'', a video game that Phantom Entertainment was set to publish.
==References==
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* [http://phantom.net/ Phantom Entertainment Official Website]
* [http://pheiblog.wordpress.com/ Official Phantom Entertainment Blog]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110812022817/http://www.gamebump.com/go/gh_editorial_phantom_rewound Phantom: Rewound] – Editorial feature with a history of The Phantom.
* [http://www.marketwatch.com/mw2/tvradio/player.asp?media=0&band=1&remPref=1&siteid=mktw&guid={A73F50D0-5FAF-4FB7-83E8-B9D054522A5F} Video Interview of Kevin Bachus by Marketwatch] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061354/http://www.marketwatch.com/mw2/tvradio/player.asp?media=0&band=1&remPref=1&siteid=mktw&guid=%7BA73F50D0-5FAF-4FB7-83E8-B9D054522A5F%7D |date=March 4, 2016 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071218204012/http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/phantom-lapboard/ Gizmodo.com - Lapboard]
{{Sixth generation game consoles}}
{{Seventh generation game consoles}}
[[Category:Computer keyboard companies]]
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[[Category:Seventh-generation video game consoles]]
[[Category:Sixth-generation video game consoles]]
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[[Category:Video game hardware]]
[[Category:Video game controversies]]
[[Category:Defunct computer companies of the United States]]
[[Category:Defunct computer hardware companies]]
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