Star fronts the nation’s largest-ever interactive Augmented Reality stunt to launch the Nokia Lumia 800 smartphone 

Sydney, Australia -Friday 16 March 2012.  Today, Nokia Australia invited people to test out their dancing skills against an interactive Augmented Reality (AR) version of music star Timomatic to launch the Nokia Lumia 800, the company’s first smartphone with Windows Phone. 

People in Sydney’s Martin Place saw themselves projected onto a giant, 12 square metre screen where they were challenged to a virtual dance-off with Timomatic. 

The stunt, part of a nationwide tour called ‘Lumia Live’, is the largest interactive AR project to hit Australia aimed at demonstrating key features of the new smartphone in a virtual, interactive way. 

Famed for his jaw dropping performances on ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ and ‘Australia’s Got Talent’, Timomatic broke into the Australian music scene late last year with his debut single ‘SET IT OFF’, which provides the soundtrack to the AR stunt. 

Speaking about his involvement in the campaign, Timomatic said, “I was pumped about working with Nokia on this project.  I loved the idea of combining cutting-edge technology like Augmented Reality with my passion for music and dance. 

“The footage was filmed in a studio and we experimented with a range of dance moves, both free-style and choreographed.  It’s pretty amazing to see it all come together like that on the big screen,” he said. 

The dance-off with Timomatic was just one of three Nokia Lumia 800 experiences that people could interact with.  Each experience demonstrated a key attribute of the phone and was represented by a ‘tile’, which is on the phone’s home screen. 

The Nokia Music tile provides access to more than 15 million tracks and comes with new music services such as Mix Radio, a free music streaming service and Gigfinder, which finds local music events in your area. The Nokia Drive tile turns your phone into a fully-featured sat nav with free voice guided turn-by-turn navigation, and the Marketplace tile provides access to thousands of popular apps. 

The Nokia Lumia 800 AR stunt takes these experiences one step further by not just augmenting what people see and hear but puts them at the centre of the action. 

To activate an experience people stepped onto a mat, powered by Xbox Kinect and touch sensors, and were surprised to see themselves projected onto a huge video screen. They then selected a tile with their feet triggering the on screen, fantasy experience where they could sing and dance alongside Timomatic, kick an Angry Birds’ character or pet a kangaroo trying to find his way back to Uluru. 

Nokia’s head of marketing, Jolaine Boyd, said, “Nokia Lumia is a completely new proposition from Nokia and getting people to experience and judge the phone for themselves is key. 

“What we love about this stunt is that it allows people to experience some of the great features of the phone in a new and exciting way. Judging by people’s reactions, they were amazed and impressed by what they experienced today,” she said.

AR works by pulling graphics out of a screen or computer display and integrates them into real-world scenarios. The technology blurs the line between what’s real and what’s computer-generated by enhancing what people see or hear. 

The Lumia Live AR tour locations

People who fancy trying the ‘Lumia Live’ AR experience for themselves can go along to:

• Brisbane: King George Square – Friday 23^rd March
• Melbourne: Federation Square – Saturday 31^st March 

Photographs from each event will be posted on Facebook at amazingeveryday.com.au where they can be downloaded and shared with friends. You can also follow the conversation online with #LumiaLive. 

The Nokia Lumia 800

The Nokia Lumia 800 is an elegant, intuitive and easy-to-use phone, giving people access to a wealth of experiences and features such as music, navigation, apps and one-touch access to your contacts and feeds from Facebook, Linked-in and Twitter through People Hub. 

The Nokia Lumia 800 home screen is a grid of live, animated tiles providing up-to-the-minute updates such as social networks status updates, news and weather feeds, email notifications and calendar alerts. Each tile can be tailored to deliver easy access to the applications most often used, for example: a music playlist, a gaming app, a Web page, or an e-mail folder. 

The Nokia Lumia 800 is available now through Optus, Telstra, Vodafone and all major retailers for a RRP AUD$699. Nokia’s new, entry-level smartphone – the Nokia Lumia 710 – is also available through Optus, Virgin and major retailers for a RRP AUD$379.

InnoGames launches new invitation feature in browser game 

Hamburg, March 30, 2012. InnoGames launched an element in the new browser game Lagoonia, that allows players to share the tropical paradise with friends.  When players introduce friends to the islands, they are rewarded with energy. More items are awarded to the player, such as important resources and pearls, as invitees advance in building their personal utopias. 

This invite feature can welcome friends to a nearby island in the game by email, a link or a shareable banner. Facebook integration for the invitation will be released shortly. 

Lagoonia was also released in Italian, adding to the current line-up of English, German, French, Polish, Dutch and Spanish. Last week, the title was launched in the Google Chrome Web Store.

The focus of Lagoonia is on the relationships between characters and players. One can plan and create many things that make the island livable and fun: from a warm fire and a cozy shelter, to useful fish nets, and later in the game lighthouses and waterslides. The game is free and no download is required – the only technical requirements are a browser and an internet connection.

With about 75 million registered players, InnoGames is one of the world’s leading developers and providers of online games. The Hamburg-based company has scored major successes with games such as Tribal Wars, The West and Grepolis.

The Long Awaited Update Introduces a Set of New Vehicles and Battle Arenas

30^th March, 2012 — Wargaming.net, the award-winning global videogame publisher and developer, is proud to announce the release of Update 7.2 for its free-to-play action MMO World of Tanks.

Along with two new maps, the Italian Province and the American Live Oaks, the latest update enriches the game with a long-awaited branch of U.S. tank destroyers with rotating turrets. It also brings 22 all-new crew skills and perks for virtual tankmen to master. Additionally, to ease the learning curve, the update provides World of Tanks newcomers with a new tutorial to smoothen their entry into the game.

Other significant changes include the replacement of top-tier American heavies T34 and T30 with M103 and T110E5, respectively, with the T34 becoming a tier-8 premium heavyweight and T30 to top the new line of tank destroyers.

“We introduced a French update into World of Tanks a few months ago, and now it’s North America’s turn,” said Victor Kislyi, CEO of Wargaming.net. “We’ve completely reconsidered the set of crew skills in Update 7.2, which will bring a more realistic experience to our players and keep them engaged.”

World of Tanks is the first and only team-based, massively multiplayer online action game dedicated to armored warfare. Throw yourself into the epic tank battles of World War II with other steel cowboys all over the world. Your arsenal includes more than 150 armored vehicles from America, Germany, the Soviet Union, and France, carefully detailed with historical accuracy.

A flexible system of authentic vehicle upgrades and development allows you to try any of the vehicles and weapons in the game. Whether you prefer to exhaust your foes with fast and maneuverable light tanks, make deep breaches in enemy lines with all-purpose medium tanks, use the force of giant tanks to eliminate opposing armored forces, or become a heavy sniper with long-range howitzers, each unit type has its own advantages and can be extremely effective when operated by a true tank ace.

But being a great tank commander alone isn’t enough to win! In World of Tanks, it’s all about teamwork. Victory is achieved by combining your combat skills with those of the other members of your team, each playing their own role on the battlefield. Just add your favorite strategy to build your own steel empire and manifest the indisputable authority of the tank power!

Join World of Tanks:

• http://worldoftanks.eu/registration/ (Europe)
• http://worldoftanks.com/registration/ (North America)

About Wargaming.net®

Wargaming.net® is an award-winning online game developer and publisher and one of the leaders in the free-to-play MMO market. Since 1998, the company has published more than 15 titles, including the highly acclaimed Massive Assault and Order of War series. Currently Wargaming.net are focused on establishing the MMO war trilogy that will include their flagship armored World of Tanks, the flight combat World of Warplanes (one of the most anticipated MMOs for 2012), and the naval World of Battleships scheduled for release in 2013.

Official web site: www.wargaming.net

Gaijin Entertainment, developer and publisher of War Thunder, is pleased to announce the start of the closed beta test for their upcoming combat MMO game.

The multi-staged beta test will allow tens of thousands of players to become better acquainted with the War Thunder universe, giving fans of the project a chance to contribute to the game’s development. Closed beta test servers will be open 24 hours a day, meaning that players who have been invited can join the game at any time. To start, participants will have access to more than 100 aircraft models and several different locations, with new content added continuously throughout the test period.

As a sign of gratitude for their interest in Gaijin’s previous flight simulation game, the studio has invited all owners of Gaijin’s Wings of Prey to participate in the closed beta test. Invitees also include all of War Thunder’s alpha testers, as well as a group of fans who have supported Gaijin throughout War Thunder’s development.

The company has just released a new official video, “War Thunder – Beta Launch Trailer”, which demonstrates the global scale of War Thunder’s in-game battles and a variety of gameplay options. ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUfJFFzEi6o )

A new section of the game’s official has opened today as well. This “Features” section offers a colorful and comprehensive presentation of War Thunder’s key features. (http://warthunder.com/en/game/features)

Finally, Gaijin has shared their plans to include Royal Air Force combat aircraft in War Thunder: World of Planes. Therefore, the official website’s “Release Tree” section now features a corresponding table with the British aircraft models that will be included in the game by the time it’s released.

About Gaijin Entertainment
Gaijin Entertainment specializes in the development of games for the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. The company also conducts technology-related research, allowing it to remain responsive to and on the cutting edge of the rapidly changing IT market. The company’s projects have received numerous media and game industry awards, including KRI awards for “Best Game for Consoles” (“Birds of Steel” for the PS3 and Xbox 360), “Best Technologies” (Dagor EngineTM), “Best Sound” and more. Learn more at www.gaijinent.com

Majestic Dragons Add Fire to World of Warplanes

30^th March, 2012 — Wargaming.net, the award-winning online game developer and publisher, is proud to announce the next faction to join the current set of nations in the highly-anticipated flight combat action MMO World of Warplanes: dragons! The all-new line of majestic creatures will set the sky on fire when the game enters its beta stage later this year.

The initial tech tree will include 12 dragons and will eventually expand to more than 60 creatures. Each mystical animal will have its own peculiarities and strategic employment. Players can upgrade several key characteristics including fire intensity level, color, number of claws, horns, wingspan and skin thickness.

The addition of these fire-breathing beasts will add more diversity to the gameplay since a dragons’ behavior requires a different approach in terms of controls and tactics.

“Adding dragons into World of Warplanes has been one of the most challenging aspects of game development so far,” said Wargaming.net CEO Victor Kislyi. “Dragons are so different from planes; they are much more edgy and self-willed, but if you put in just a little more effort, they will serve you well. I’m happy we’ve finally announced them!”

About World of Warplanes

World of Warplanes is a flight combat MMO action game set in the “Golden Age” of military aviation. The game continues the armored warfare theme marked in the highly-acclaimed World of Tanks, throwing players into a never-ending tussle for air dominance.

Based purely on aircraft setting, World of Warplanes will allow players to build full-scale careers as virtual pilots. The game offers planes from several key eras, staring from the 1930s biplanes, and up to the Korean War jet fighters that led the way for modern air forces.

World of Warplanes will feature a wide range of warbirds, each of them unique in their effectiveness and behavior. Virtual pilots can choose from three main warplane classes: single-engine light fighters capable of engaging enemies in close dogfights, heavy fighters with deadly straight attacks, and ground-attack planes, a fearsome threat for ground targets.

Every plane will feature multiple variations of weapons and ammo types, engines, and other crucial modules. Various combinations will allow players to pick optimal configurations for the most effective behavior in combat.

Find out more about World of Warplanes at:

• http://www.worldofwarplanes.com/

About Wargaming.net®

Wargaming.net® is an award-winning online game developer and publisher and one of the leaders in the free-to-play MMO market. Since 1998, the company has published more than 15 titles, including the highly acclaimed Massive Assault and Order of War series. Currently Wargaming.net is focused on establishing an MMO war trilogy that will include their flagship armored World of Tanks, the flight combat World of Warplanes (one of the most anticipated MMOs for 2012), and the naval World of Battleships scheduled for release in 2013.

Official web site: www.wargaming.net

Take high performance driving to the limit as over 65 vehicles become your tools to take-on the streets and waterways of Hong Kong. Participate in illegal street races where money, girls and status are the high-stakes rewards, taking on your challengers with expert driving and precision-placed ramming, sending any and all rivals into a well-timed spin. Let no criminal escape your relentless pursuit with high-speed action hijacks, leaping from vehicle to vehicle, or intense high-speed gun battles direct from the driver’s seat. In Sleeping Dogs, the streets are yours to take… how you get there is up to you.

Developed by United Front Games in collaboration with Square Enix London Studios, Sleeping Dogs is a gritty and visceral open-world cop drama set in the vibrant city of Hong Kong. Taking the role of undercover cop Wei Shen, players are tasked with taking down one of the world’s most fearsome criminal organisations from the inside. Offering players an island packed with action, every street corner, market stall, harbour dock or city skyscraper can become an opportunity for intense shoot-outs, adrenaline-fuelled street races and intense, brutal martial arts combat. Featuring one of the most intuitive and imaginative combat systems, Sleeping Dogs empowers players to perform an extensive set of martial arts moves, singlehandedly taking on numerous opponents. Players perform bone-crunching kicks and combos, vicious counters and a cinematic set of environmental takedowns making use of countless real-world items from circular saws to phone booths, incinerators to refrigerator doors.

Sleeping Dogs will be available in the second half of 2012 for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows PCs. For more information about the game, visit http://www.sleepingdogs.net and join our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SleepingDogsGame for regular updates.

Tomorrow marks the first day of school holidays and the 50-day mark until world-famous inventors Wallace and Gromit move into Scienceworks, and to celebrate, tickets for the Australian-first exhibition will be available for purchase. 

Tickets will be available from Saturday 31 March, and can be purchased online from the Scienceworks website http://museumvictoria.com.au/scienceworks/, or alternatively by calling the bookings office on 13 11 02. 

Melbourne’s home of interactive science will be the first venue outside of the UK to host the exhibition Wallace & Gromit’s World of Invention, which showcases how innovation and inventiveness are a part of everyday life. 

Visitors will be able to try their hand at a series of interactive exhibits modelled on some of the most quirky inventions built by much-loved TV character Wallace – a resourceful and creative inventor helped by his clever companion, Gromit the dog. 

Some of these more colourful inventions include the Blend-o-matic, a device which allows visitors to concoct their own smoothie flavour, and the Tellyscope II, a device that changes TV channels using step-by-step mechanics. 

Wallace & Gromit’s World of Invention also introduces new inventions such as the Karaoke Disco Shower, where visitors can test their vocal cords with a full musical accompaniment. 

“Scienceworks is a place that celebrates science and innovation, so we’re very excited to have the chance to showcase the work of one of the world’s most unusual and famous fictional inventors,” said Dr Patrick Greene, CEO Museum Victoria. 

The Australian tour of Wallace & Gromit’s World of Invention is generously supported by IP Australia, the federal government agency that administers Australia’s patents, trade marks, registered designs and plant breeders’ rights. Much of the exhibition content explores the importance of protecting ideas and inventions. 

“IP Australia’s support has been invaluable in bringing this exhibition to Australia and in helping our team at Scienceworks, and our partners at the Powerhouse, to give it an Australian flavour,” said Dr Greene. 

Tickets are $19 for adults, $7.50 for concession and $6.00 for children.

SYDNEY, 30 March 2012 – Sony Computer Entertainment Australia continues to grow the breadth of its on-demand services in Australia with the addition of SBS ON DEMAND streamed catch-up TV service, optimised for viewing via PlayStation®3 (PS3™) available today.

SBS ON DEMAND will provide PS3 users free[1] access to Australia’s favourite SBS food programs, sport, documentaries, films and subtitled international programming.

Michael Ephraim, Managing Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Australia said: “Announcing our SBS partnership, Australia’s premier broadcaster of original multicultural programming is exciting and signals our continued commitment to the expansion of the PlayStation 3 entertainment on demand offer. Our entertainment armory is broad, deep, immersive and compelling – with quality content across TV, games, music and movies.”

He continued, “We are dedicated to providing our PlayStation customers more content and choice in the way they choose to access and consume it. We know from other TV on demand roll-outs on PS3 in Australia there is great appetite for the trial, uptake and customer appreciation of the convenience of new online entertainment delivery methods. Further, the opportunity for content providers to access a footprint of 1.5 million PS3 consoles in Australia, on the highest selling console of 2011, is also an incredibly compelling one.”

SBS Managing Director Michael Ebeid said: “SBS’s partnership with Sony Computer Entertainment Australia builds on our commitment to expanding the reach of our content across a range of platforms.”

“We want to ensure Australians can access our original content wherever they are. The popularity of the PS3 will mean that more Australians in more homes across the country will be able to access our innovative ON DEMAND service on their TV sets.”

To find out more visit: www.au.playstation.com or www.youtube.com/PlayStationAustralia

To find out more about SBS ON DEMAND visit: http://www.sbs.com.au/ondemand/ 

Find PlayStation Australia on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/PlayStationAU

Follow PlayStation AU on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/#!/PlayStationAU