As if there weren't more than enough gaming consoles in the market, a Florida-based company named Infinium Labs has announced that they plan on launching their own console, currently titled the Phantom, into the market. The following is the press release on the subject.

Longboat Key, Florida - January 20, 2003 - A Tampa Bay area technology company, Infinium Labs Corporation, will develop and market a new game console that will outperform the XBOX, Sony Playstation II, and GameCube.

The company plans to market a high performance gaming console and delivery system to provide consumers with options and capabilities that are not available in today's marketplace. The console will appeal to the hard-core gamer and the high end consumer electronic purchaser. This next generation game console provides a robust, fault tolerant delivery system that supports games on demand, game rentals, game demos, seamless upgrades and patch management. The game console is an "ALWAYS ON BROADBAND DEVICE." It is easy enough for children to use independently yet so advanced it exceeds the needs of hard-core gamers.

Infinium Labs was formed by veteran entrepreneurs who have a successful track record in building large scale companies and advanced architectures for supporting massive eCommerce and enterprise applications. Combining skills from Telco, Data Communications, Digital Rights Management, Software Development and Security, the management team brings together a unique array of skills to develop the most robust next generation gaming console and delivery network on the market.

The Infinium Labs game console features a high tech design and offers ease of use for the variety of game players worldwide. The on-demand delivery system will appeal to hard-core gamers as well as casual users. The unique design architecture allows for delivery of a large number of games and the ability to participate in online massive multiplayer gaming. Key features include:

• Fastest console on the market
• Broadest selection of preloaded games
• Cross Platform capabilities
• State of the art design and architecture
• Advanced accessories and wireless capabilities
• Online connectivity for multi player gaming
• Seamless upgrades and patch management
• A multi tiered subscription service that meets the needs of casual, moderate and hard-core game players
• Demo games before purchasing or subscribing
• Games on demand
• Game Rentals

The advanced system provides game developers and publishers a secure and efficient software distribution system. Infinium Labs intends for game developers and publishers to reap greater profits using this new game delivery system.

Infinium Labs has engineered its prototypes and expects to unveil the new gaming console in March of 2003. The company intends to launch the game console to the U.S. consumer market by November 2003.

Infinium Labs has chosen Florida as its corporate headquarters. Florida has emerged as a leader in support of technology companies with its eFlorida initiative. Offices will also open soon in Silicon Valley and St. Louis, Missouri.

About Infinium Labs Infinium Labs Corporation was formed in October 2002 as a global entertainment/gaming company. Infinium Labs' mission is to market a gaming console and delivery system that will be the performance leader in the game playing entertainment industry. The company will market a robust game console that will appeal to a wide audience with its ease of use, quality assurance and robust delivery system. For more information, contact Steve Chilton at 877-485-5962 or visit www.infiniumlabs.com.

Considering I've never even heard of Infinium Labs before, I don't know what to expect from them. Until they announce more information or titles that the console may feature, I can't really comment on whether this console will even have a chance in a market that already has three big guns jockeying for every dollar they can get. If you want to check out more information on the Phantom, go to their website at http://www.infiniumlabs.com/.

- - Kinderfeld