Phantom is unveiled at CES - sort of

Infinium Labs' proposed console, the Phantom, has made a showing at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas as announced by the company earlier this week, but only in the form of a box which was not switched on.

The Florida-based start-up showed off a Phantom console on the Windows Embedded Device showcase stand at the event, but although the system sported a full array of connectors on the backplate, it was not powered up or demonstrated in any way.

In terms of physical design, the box is almost exactly the same as the previously seen concept art and renders, and its size belies the standard PC components from which it is built.

However, the fact that Infinium Labs did not properly demonstrate the console working is likely to add fuel to speculation that the entire project is some form of elaborate hoax or scam - even though this seems increasingly unlikely.

The presence of the Phantom on the Windows Embedded Device stand, if nothing else, proves that if Infinium Labs is a hoax, it is a hoax which has taken in Microsoft along with several other key companies in the industry.

Hoax or not, however, such a lacklustre and content free unveiling for the machine on its first public outing is unlikely to boost confidence in the device, which promises a "new way to deliver content" for the games industry, ever actually making it to the market.