Interesting bit of investigative reporting by HardOCP on the Phantom console guy (mostly building on already established suspicions, but plenty of new stuff):
Hey, this practically qualifies as actual gaming journalism!
Edit: Before I read this, there was a little voice in the back of my head that said, yeah, it’s sorta-kinda-maybe-a-tiny-wee-bit possible that the Phantom console will somehow see the light of day in a form nowhere near the announced specs, but now it’s clear that it’s going to turn out to be vaporware on the level of the Glaze 3D.
So this guy apparently just forms companies and looks to swindle VC out of investors? I can’t believe he’s that successful. Surely investors do some research.
Wow, that article is fabulous. Maybe it could have been written with a little more style, wit and nastiness, but hey, that angle is pretty overplayed anyway. Man, what I wouldn’t give to have more stuff like that written. Reminds of the also-excellent article the New York Times posted close to two years ago about Microsoft’s efforts to woo Japanese developers to the Xbox, you know, the infamous “chocolate cake” article.
In any case, I can’t decide whether my favorite part was finding out one company was run by his mother or how the guy seemed angry when they called him on the phone.
-Kitsune clapping vigorously
What choclate cake thing?
Hooray for HardOCP. Its amazing what boots on the ground can do for you.
What choclate cake thing?
http://instruction.bus.wisc.edu/eblair/mhr300/Files/X-box.doc
Sounds like a good meeting :) I’d never heard that story before…
Yes Yes Yes! I feel like a rabid poodle yipping/twisting myself into a frenzy. This is precisely what this industry needs more of… facts, facts, investigative reporting, facts, indepth looks. I almost cried while reading that article.
Here’s to hoping this isn’t some anomaly.
Okay, that’s seriously frightening. If I ever have to sell my graphics design skills by acting like a baby bird and recieving chocolate cake from the maw of some slobbering dude, shoot me. Two in the chest and one in the head.
And then blast off and nuke the site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.
Hmm, it looks like one of Infinium’s execs turned up on Survivor.
I’d have though the hint was already there in the name of the console :) .
Heh. You obviously weren’t in the SF Bay Area during the dot-com days. :)
Heh. You obviously weren’t in the SF Bay Area during the dot-com days. :)[/quote]
Well yeah, but I’d assume that bit of madness was the exception instead of the rule when it comes to VC groups.