The Phantom: A Console Worthy of its Name

Remember the Phantom gaming console?  Not many do.  The Phantom was an unreleased console that was way ahead of its time, likely dying in development due to how ambitious its concept was.  The Phantom was announced back in 2003, with the claim that it could play PC games, and would offer players new games through a digital distribution service. 

Despite making an appearance at E3 in 2004, not too much is known about this doomed console.  After being demoed at E3, the Phantom lived up to its ghostly namesake, disappearing from the public eye only to reappear through rumored release dates.  After experiencing delay after delay, the plug was finally pulled on its development, ending the hopes and dreams of all five people who actually cared if it would be released.

Despite never really seeing the light of day, bits and pieces of the Phantom's proposed gaming experience live on in other forms.  Take OnLive for example, the gaming service that streams video games directly to your PC, from dedicated servers where the games are actually installed.  Also there is Valve's "Steam Box" console which is currently in development.  This console currently aims to run all its games through the Steam application, meaning that said games will be obtained through Valve's digital distribution service.

So, were any of you guys faithful followers of the Phantom and its troubled development cycle?  Or did you write it off immediately, knowing that such an ambitious console wouldn't see the light of day.