Engadget reports that all traces of the Phantom Game Console have been erased from the Infinium Labs website, breaking the hearts of the two people who actually believed the thing was genuine hardware.

Oh, Phantom. How many hours of derisive giggling have you selflessly given us (hey check out my awesome split infinitive)? And now you're gone. Dead and gone forever, leaving us with a far less entertaining business model to lambast.

Recently renamed Phantom Entertainment (probably to shed the constant vaporware references that plagued its former moniker), the company is now focused on marketing its wireless gaming Lapboard and so-called Phantom Game Service, which is the "first end-to-end on-demand game service delivering games to your living room" (guess they never heard of GameTap) — that is, if you happen to have an XP-powered PC situated in that particular room.

See? Just not as hilarious. I weep for the good old days, when driving by a LAN party and shouting "PHANTOM" out the window would result in Red Bull-geysering hilarity. Thanks, Nathaniel. Eliza Gauger

more here [Engadget]

In an attempt to confuse and bilk further investors by disassociating themselves from ex-CEO Tim Roberts' recent indictment for pump and dumping, Infinium Labs is changing the name of the company to the all-too-appropriate Phantom Entertainment.

Folks, you can't make a quote like this up. From their SEC filing:

The Board of Directors believes that the name change would be in the best interests of the Company because the new name better reflects the long-term growth strategy of the Company.

An excellent way to put it. The long-term growth strategy of the company is well reflected in a word primarily defined as an intangible imaginary entity. FLORIAN ECKHARDT

Infinium Announces Name Change, Stock Increase Plans [Gamasutra]

One of the things we never expected to see from Infinium Labs is shady business practices.

Ha ha ha! No, just kidding — if the Phantom console was ever released, we pretty much expected to see a 486 processor shoved into an XBox shell and a swaztika logo slapped on top of the giant neon X. So we aren't surprised at all that the SEC is investigating Infinium Labs ex-CEO Timothy Roberts for misleading investors to artificially raise Infinium's stock prices, then immediately selling his own shares at an inflated price before they got wise.

According to Gamespot, Roberts personally sent out thousands of faxes to investors, guaranteeing a January 2005 launch amongst a gaggle of other bald-faced lies. The faxes informed investors that Infinium's stock values could rise as much as 3,000%. Investors greedily swooped up more Infinium stock. Roberts then immediately sold 1.3 million shares of his own shares, netting a cool $422,500.

With the SEC involved, Roberts now equals screwed. Even if the console is never released, no one can say that gamers haven't had thousands of hours worth of fun with the Phantom Console, can they? - Florian Eckhardt

Ex-Infinium CEO Accused of Stock Scandal [Next Generation]

GameSpot reports on the recently-opened books over at Infinium Labs "makers" of the Phantom and sooner, if finances straighten out the Phantom Lapboard. In an attempt to right the ship that is Infinium, the company is temporarily redirecting its efforts away from the Phantom Game Service and toward the Phantom Lapboard. The battle plan indicates that if Infinium is able to produce the lapboard it would likely be sold online first and then possibly moved into conventional retail outlets depending on its success. It gets worse, though. Infinium is having problems making its rent in Seattle and is trying to reach an agreement to exit the property. There are so many makeable jokes, but they all feel cruel.

Infinium Opens the Books [GameSpot]

Clickable Culture reports that according to new Infinium CEO Greg Koler, the Phantom, Infinium's gaming machine is planned for launch in 2006. So we have three next-gen machines to look forward to this year. The Revolution, PlayStation 3 AND the Phantom.

One of these is not like the others. And I don't mean in a controlled-by-a-remote-control kind of way.

Infinium Labs Phantom Console in 2006 [Clickable Culture]

Gamasutra reports that my favorite piece of vaporware not named Duke Nuke 'Em Forever, maker Infinium Labs is having some financial issues and that instead of launching the Phantom "game console" (pun unintended, I didn't name the console - they did) in Q2 2006 gamers can use Infinium's Lapboard! The Lapboard, which Infinium admits it might not have the finances to launch, is a wireless keyboard and mouse set-up for gaming. Gamers will be able to use the lapboard to play within a 30 foot radius of their PC. That fact leads me to wonder, do people play their PC games far from the monitor? Is there a better way to experience PC gaming and the Phantom Lapboard is going to open my eyes to it?

Phantom Announces Lapboard, Reveals Financial Problems [Gamasutra]

Infinium Labs, the company behind the next-generation of console vaporware, the Phantom, made a change at the leadership position, according to Games Industry. Greg Koler has taken over as both CEO and CFO for Kevin Bachus after Bachus left Infinium. As far as how this affects the Phantom's release? Eh, no one knows. The race is on to see which hits store shelves first Duke Nuke 'Em Forever or the Phantom.

Kevin Bachus Leaves Infinium, Koler Named CEO [Games Industry]