Phantom is for real...

http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/05/10/news_6096249.html

Its basically still a PC but at much much lower price . I'll get two of them. One for spare PC parts and the other for regular console use.

THe console looks stylish. I just hope that they deliver on the games.

 

Ill be buying one just for the pc of it.... But shipping to the uk! OUCH!

Paulo

 

It does look a lot nicer than the last heep. but why is there only one UBS port at the front? Don't tell me that multi player games need to have the pads sticking out of the back of the system.

Yakumo

 

Wireless pads...

 

Ahh, I see. But doesn't that mean loads of batteries?

Yakumo

 

What OS does this use? Some custom jobbie?

Bet the Xbox/Gamecube Linux teams can't wait. :smt024

 

Yeah! lol its gonna be a sweet PC for next to nothing! And look at that case?! Its pretty! Its reallly really pretty! and the keyboard is cool as well... Pretty !!!!

 

IIRC, the console was to use a customized WinXP kernel, but that could have changed in the time that was announced, which I believe was around E3 last year.

 

I can belive that. Two reasons... ONE they would have to buy lots and pay M$ lots to develop it... Two M$ know this aint gonna go anywhere major and aint gonna effect its Xbox... so yeah i think it could be true even if its made to try and compeat against the xbox.

 

Embedded XP

It is Embedded XP. Same thing that the XBox runs.

Now before you all get into some flaming fit that its "different", I recommend you look at Microsoft's Platform builder.[/quote]

 

MindChild is right it runs embedded windows xp although i thought the x-box was running and embedded version of windows 2000.

But it means that you can't use the phantom for anything else but what they want you to use, unless someone hacks the console like they did the x-box.

In that case it would be the ideal multimedia home theater pc. for just $199.

 

Yakumo. It will have multiplayer games but it will be online multiplayer games. Since it's a basic USB port you can also split it up to have more people per console.

 

Doesn't look much like a game system to me. The massive change of looks worries me slightly. Anyhoo, stuff like this is always interesting.

Tony

 

I dont think so (at least not from a hardware point of view). This heap of a-console-but-actually-a-PC-on-the-sly things is getting redundant, imho.
Speaking of which, what happened to that ApeXtreme thingie?

 

Woo hoo, invasion of the weird hat avatars!!

I guess what's bugging me about the Phantom currently is the fact that is only has ONE USB port on the front. I though Sony only giving us 2 ports and forcing us to buy a Multitap for the PS2 was ridiculous, but this takes the cake.

And yeah, you guys were right, the Phantom is definately running WinXP Embedded: http://www.infiniumlabs.com/products/features.php This is how they get away with having such an XBox-like console, as they are just using the stock licensed XP Embedded OS. But as someone said, doubt Microsoft is really very worried at this point.

And just to quell those persistant rumors that XBox is running XP Embedded, in this transcript of a MSDN chat (http://msdn.microsoft.com/chats/embedded/embedded_061202.asp about halfway down) the MS folks state several times that the XBox is running its own OS, not XP Embedded. And XBox Addict, one of the premier XBox fansites, has the real deal that has been in place since day 1: http://www.xboxaddict.com/faqs/specs.php scroll down to "The Reliability" - a scaled down, custom Windows 2000 kernel. Hope that helps clear up any confusion.

Still, I'm wondering how long it will be until someone in the press refers to this monstrosity as "XBox Jr." :smt043

 

Hey AP...the ApeXtreme comes out on June 15th. I wanna play my computer games on my bigscreen and I think it kinda sweet so I'll grab one so you guys can flame me..... :smt019 :smt040

 

wow!

ill bought one only for the hardware and uprage my pc.... but they (infinum labs) certainly think about that....so i don't think it will be possible....


but like everything....it will be hacked....

so stay tune! :smt043




oops! i see Paulo comming with is axe :axe: .... good bye!

:smt040

 

The thing with MS being worried about licensing an OS really isn't nothing to them even if Phantom does better than the XBOX. Its Anti-Trust laws that force MS to support such competitions.

 

Man i dont even get that crap.... whats with it!? Its like they might as well make M$ pay for other companies development of competition...

 

I think this will be cool, until some PC game company comes out w/ a game that looks like shit oneverything except a $600 Graphics Card (Half-Life 2, Quake IV, something along these lines).

That's what I'd be worried about.