Phantom Lapboard coming to PCs

While the Phantom Game Service has yet to materialize, the company behind it is planning to let gamers get their hands on a key part of the hardware later this year.

Infinium Labs has announced that the Phantom Lapboard, the custom-made wireless keyboard-and-mouse combo the company designed for its long-in-development service, will be released for PC gamers in the second quarter of 2006.

The entire keyboard is angled up slightly to create a second platform underneath the keyboard that functions as a mousing surface. The keyboard also swivels 360 degrees for optimal positioning for left- or right-handed gamers. Infinium Labs claims the lapboard will work within a 30-foot radius of the PC.

This doesn't mean that Infinium Labs is giving up on the Phantom Game Service. According to Infinium Labs CEO Greg Koler, the release of the Phantom Lapboard for PCs is "the perfect stepping stone and bridges the subsequent launch of the full service further down the line."

Pricing for the Phantom Lapboard has not yet been finalized, though the company has said it will sell the unit through online retailers. In addition to a traditional advertising campaign, Infinium Labs is planning to use viral marketing to promote the peripheral.