Sydney, Australia – September 9, 2008 – Electronic Arts Inc (NASDAQ:ERTS) and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today confirmed that the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince™ video game will be released globally Winter 2009, alongside the Warner Bros. Pictures’ film based on J.K. Rowling’s sixth Harry Potter book.

“We’re excited about the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince video game in development and its high level of authenticity and playability,” said Robert Nashak, Vice President EA Casual Studios. “We are creating an immersive game experience that Potter fans around the world will really enjoy playing as they fly and duel their way through the story of the film. The game will feature new Wii gestures and increased gameplay capabilities across all of the platforms.”

“The Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince game will be an excellent interactive extension of the film and all of the new action that comes with it,” said Martin Tremblay, President, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. “EA is creating the Harry Potter video games that fans will love, and this game will deliver new gameplay elements and the magic players are looking forward to.”

“We have enjoyed a wonderful partnership with EA in collaborating on the videogames for all of the Harry Potter films,” said Harry Potter film Producer David Heyman. “The visual look of the game for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is incredibly authentic to the film and will provide a truly compelling experience for everyone who plays.”

In the game of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, players will return to Hogwarts to help Harry survive a fraught sixth year. They will also have a chance to engage in exciting wizard duels, mix and brew magical ingredients in Potions class and take to the air to lead the Gryffindor Quidditch team to victory. Players may even get sidetracked by Ron’s romantic entanglements as they journey towards a dramatic climax and discover the identity of the Half-Blood Prince.

Developed by EA’s Bright Light Studio, the team behind the worldwide success of the Harry Potter library of games including the most recent game released in the summer of 2007, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is scheduled for release Winter 2009 for the Wii™, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, Nintendo DS™, Windows PC, Macintosh and mobile devices.

SYDNEY, Australia, Sept. 9, 2008 – Intel Corporation announced today it has begun shipping Intel® X18-M and X25-M Mainstream SATA Solid-State Drives (SSDs) based on multi-level cell (MLC) NAND flash technology for laptop and desktop computers. The new high-performing data storage devices give computer buyers a new level of system responsiveness in a lightweight, rugged, low-power package that can replace traditional hard disk drives.
       
Validated for Intel-based computers, the X18-M is a 1.8-inch drive and the X25-M a 2.5-inch drive, offering several advantages over hard drives including faster overall system response, boot and resume times. With no moving parts, SSDs run cooler and quieter and are a more reliable option than hard drives. In addition, SSDs remove input/output (I/O) performance bottlenecks associated with hard disk drives that help maximise the efficiency of Intel processors, such as the company’s Core™ family of products. For example, lab tests show that the Intel X18-M and X25M increase storage system performance nine times over traditional hard disk drive performance.

“Validated by our rigorous testing and OEM customer feedback, we believe that we have developed an SSD that delivers on the promises of SSD computing,” said Randy Wilhelm, Intel vice president and general manager of the NAND Products Group. “By combining our experience in flash memory design with our processor and computing expertise, we have added advances such as our parallel 10-channel architecture, proprietary controller, firmware and memory management algorithms that address write amplification and wear levelling issues to redefine SSD performance and reliability for computing platforms.” 

The Intel X18-M and X25-M Mainstream SATA SSDs are available in 80 gigabyte (GB) capacities, with 160GB versions sampling in the fourth quarter of this year. The 80GB drive achieves up to 250MB per second read speeds, up to 70MB per second write speeds and 85-microsecond read latency for fast performance. The 80GB version is priced at US$595 for quantities up to 1,000. These SSDs are available now and end-customer products containing the Intel® High-Performance SATA SSDs are expected to begin shipping in the next few weeks.

The company is also expected to introduce a line of single-level cell (SLC) SSDs for the server, storage and enterprise environments within the next 90 days. Called the Intel® X25-E Extreme SATA Solid-State Drive, these products are designed to maximise the Input/Output Operations Per Second (IOPS), which equates to higher performance and lower enterprise costs. Since SSDs lower energy consumption, maintenance, cooling and space costs, an SSD-based data centre will reduce overall infrastructure costs while increasing performance-per-square-foot by as much as 50x.

Intel [NASDAQ: INTC], the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom and blogs.intel.com.

Sydney, Australia – September 9, 2008 – In a monumental first for the gaming and music industries, Metallica’s highly anticipated ninth studio album Death Magnetic will be available in its entirety as downloadable content for Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero® III: Legends of Rock day and date with the album release this Friday, September 12.  Featured on the downloadable album will be two Guitar Hero® exclusive renditions of “Suicide & Redemption” with extended solos by James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett.  Gamers looking to shred, drum and wail away to the Death Magnetic downloadable album need only purchase the content once as it is forward compatible and will integrate seamlessly with Guitar Hero® World Tour when it launches this November.

In addition to the two exclusive versions of “Suicide & Redemption,” Guitar Hero fans will live out the surreal Metallica experience with: “That Was Just Your Life,” “The End of the Line,” “Broken, Beat & Scared,” “The Day That Never Comes,” “All Nightmare Long,” “Cyanide,” “The Unforgiven Ill,” “The Judas Kiss” and “My Apocalypse.”

“We’ve been working very closely with Metallica and we’re extremely excited to offer Death Magnetic not only in its entirety, but also with the exclusive recordings of ‘Suicide & Redemption’ as downloadable content to Guitar Hero fans,” said Tim Riley, Vice President of Music Affairs for Activision Blizzard.  “We’re proud to be setting a new precedent for our two industries, making an entire new album available in two different mediums simultaneously.”

Metallica’s Death Magnetic album will be available for Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock on September 12, 2008 for download on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft at a cost of 1440 Microsoft Points and in the PLAYSTATION®Store for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system at a cost of AUD27.95 and NZD33.90

Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock offers the ultimate rock experience with new wireless guitars, freshly added content and features including a multiplayer action-inspired battle mode, gruelling boss battles, a host of exclusive unlockable content and visually stunning rock venues. Expanded online multiplayer modes allow axe-shredders worldwide to compete head-to-head for true rock status as they riff through a star-studded soundtrack including master tracks by legendary artists such as Aerosmith, Guns ‘N’ Roses, The Rolling Stones, Beastie Boys, Rage Against the Machine and Pearl Jam, as well as original songs by guitar icons Slash and Tom Morello. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock is now available and is rated “PG” (Mild themes, Violence, Sexual references, Coarse language) by the Classification Board.

When the house lights go down this spring, a new generation of guitarists, drummers and fearless frontmen will come together and rock with Guitar Hero World Tour.  The latest instalment in the #1 best-selling video game franchise of 2007, Guitar Hero World Tour transforms music gaming by expanding Guitar Hero’s signature guitar gameplay into a cooperative band experience that combines the most advanced wireless controllers with new revolutionary online* and offline gameplay modes including Band Career and 8-player “Battle of the Bands,” which allows two full bands to compete head-to-head online for the first time ever.  The game features a slick newly redesigned guitar controller, drum kit controller and a microphone, as well as an innovative Music Studio music creator that lets players compose, record, edit and share their own rock ‘n’ roll anthems.  Music creators will also be able to share their recordings with their friends online through GHTunesSM where other gamers can download and play an endless supply of unique creations.

Guitar Hero World Tour is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.  The Wii™ version is being developed by Vicarious Visions.  The PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system version is being developed by Budcat. The game is rated PG (Mild themes, Violence, Sexual references, Coarse language) by the Classification Board.  For more information on Guitar Hero World Tour, please visit www.guitarhero.com.

Adobe AIR Application Installations Surpass 25 Million

Adobe Systems Incorporated reported that there have been more than 25 million installations of applications deployed on Adobe AIR in the first six months since its release. Numerous Fortune 500 companies, in addition to start-ups across a variety of industries, have deployed hundreds of AIR applications to engage with customers, partners, and employees in new and compelling ways.

You can see the full release here:

http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200809/090808AIRMomentum.html

Adobe releases Scene 7 Media Portal 3.0

Adobe Systems Incorporated enhanced its software as a service (SaaS) offering for eCommerce and multi-channel marketing companies by releasing the Scene7 Media Portal 3.0, a major update to its hosted media management solution previously known as Image Portal. The new Media Portal 3.0 is an add-on module for the recently released Scene7 4.0 hosted rich media platform used by companies worldwide to drive online business through the delivery of dynamic content for eCommerce, Web sites, email, print and devices. Media Portal features significant advancements, including new Administrator functions that streamline cross-channel marketing using high-impact imagery and other rich content.

You can see the full release here:

http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200809/090808Scene7MediaPortal.html

(FYI, US focused news) – DIRECTV Leverages Adobe Technology to Deliver Live NFL Action on the Web

DIRECTV and Adobe Systems Incorporated announced that DIRECTV is powering its next-generation NFL SUNDAY TICKET SUPERCAST service for SuperFan customers on the Web with Adobe Flash technology and Adobe AIR software. The service is available to SUPERCAST subscribers across a wide variety of browsers, desktops, and operating systems.

You can see the full release here:

http://www.adobe.com/aboutadobe/pressroom/pressreleases/200809/090808AdobeDIRECTV.html

Our favourite heroes are back for the highly anticipated – and highly addictive – second series of Heroes.

The four disc set of the Emmy nominated show includes every gripping Season 2 episode and also features exclusive bonus features that reveal untold stories that never aired and an alternate ending to the season finale where the fate of humanity takes an ominous turn.

The main plot story of Heroes: Season 2 revolves around ‘the Company’ and its research on the Shanti virus. This research is explored through the Company’s founders, as well as through the effects of various strains of the virus on The Haitian, Niki Sanders, Sylar, and others. The “heroes” ultimately need to come together in an attempt to stop the release of a deadly strain of the virus and avert a global pandemic.

Tim Kring and his team have once again surpassed themselves to follow in the legendary footsteps of Season 1 and create a gripping and utterly entertaining visual extravaganza. Heroes: Season 2 is a must-have for every Heroes fan and is available to own or rent from October 1st, 2008!

OVER TWO HOURS OF BONUS FEATURES!

• Deleted Scenes
• Heroes Season 2 ‘A New Beginning’
• Kensei Documentary
• The Drucker Files
• Season 3 sneak peak
• Genetics of a scene:
o Maya and Alejandro run from the police
o The Anatomy of the cherry blossom scene
o The Final Scene
• Alternate ending with making of and commentary

Cast: Hayden Panettiere
Adrian Pasdar
Milo Ventimigilia
Masi Oka
Ali Larter
Creator: Tim Kring

Price: DVD $59.95
Season 1&2 Box Set $99.95
Duration: 461 minutes
Classification: MA15+
Genre: Sci-Fi/ Serial Drama

AVAILABLE TO OWN ON DVD October 1st, 2008
www.nbc.com/heroes
NOW AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY:
Heroes Season 1
Heroes Season 2
Heroes Season 1 & 2 Box Set

BLU-RAY SEASON 2 FEATURES INCLUDE:

• Blu-ray exclusive U-Control – go beyond the movie and customise your own Hi-Def experience and enjoy interactive features, without stopping the movie

o Artwork Presentation – view the details of Isaac’s paintings and comics as you watch the episodes
o Hero Connections – follow your favourite heroes with the interactive Heroes Connections
o Picture in Picture – with just one click, access interactive cast and crew interviews and behind the scenes footage

Price: Blu-ray $99.95
Blu-ray Season 1&2 Box Set $179.95

9th September 2008 – Atari launches a flying kick with the news that NAMCO BANDAI Games’ Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 for PlayStation®2 is available at Australian retailers from September 12th.  Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 boasts the largest selection of playable ninja characters, brand new playing modes for more gameplay variety, and unprecedented freedom and immersion into the Naruto world with a 3D rendered Hidden Leaf Village.  For the first time in the series, players also have the option of choosing between English and Japanese voiceover to savour the original flavour of the anime series.

Brand new modes include ‘Ultimate Contest’ which is the primary component of Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 and revolves around the Hidden Leaf Village where the All-Out Ninja Tournament is being held between the rival Leaf and Sand ninja. The tournament must be won to save the village!  The player enters the Naruto world to explore the expansive 3D rendered Hidden Leaf Village and to engage in all out battle royale matches, interact with residents in the village and complete over 55 missions.  Relive major events and battles from the anime series through the Sasuke Retrieval Arc in another new mode called ‘Hero’s History’ to determine the fate of the two greatest ninja.  

Players will be spoilt for choice when choosing characters as Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 offers the biggest selection of playable characters with over 40 to choose from.  The battles also got bigger with Summoning Mode which allows players to summon gigantic creatures as allies to fight off enemies.  Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 also offers tons of combat variety either as close combat or using a variety of ranged weapons, and support characters can be called upon to help with super attacks and their own unique moves. 

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 will be for PS2. For more information visit www.atari.com.au.

Naruto: Ultimate Ninja 3 is distributed in Australia by Atari and will be available at retailers across Australia from September 12th.

For more information on Atari’s entire product line-up please visit www.atari.com.au and log onto the Atari Trade Site for all box shots, demos, trailers and online screenshots.

NINJA BLADE SCREENSHOTS

CLICK ON THE SCREEN SHOTS TO SEE SOME AMAZING NINJA BLADE GOODNESS

MELBOURNE – Tuesday 9 September, 2008 – The eGames Expo will return to the Melbourne Exhibition Centre November 14 to 16 with all the biggest names in the business and newest products on show, promising to be the best eGames yet!

Staged alongside the new Digital Lifestyle Show, eGames will again give visitors the chance to great really ‘hands on’ with literally anything and everything from the world of electronic games and a greater focus on digital lifestyle.

The Digital Lifestyle Show and eGames Expo will form part of the International Digital Entertainment Festival (iDEF).

“We are thrilled to announce that so many of the big names have already put their plans in place to be part of eGames again this year,” announced Peter Barlow, iDEF’s Festival Director.

“Some of the names gearing up to showcase and launch new products and services at the show include Ubisoft, Electronic Arts, Sony Computer Entertainment, Microsoft, Nintendo, Panasonic, AFA Interactive, Scorptec, Madman, Acer, Monash University, Box Hill TAFE, Qantm, Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE) and Swinburne. In short, it’s going to be a knockout event,” he added.

The Digital Lifestyle Show and eGames Expo will be literally ‘packed to the rafters’ with a wide range of devices ranging from high definition LCD and plasma screens and home entertainment systems to video games, consoles, personal computers and mobile devices.

“Our friends from Australian Gamer, Matt and Yug, will be back again to create game mania as hosts of the eGames main stage and will give visitors the chance to try their hand at some of the live competitions and festival fun,” Mr Barlow commented.

On stage presentations and ‘hands-on’ experiences with leading brands at the Digital Lifestyle Show will showcase the latest products and provide visitors with the opportunity to gain an insight into the digital products and services that are either already doing so, or are set to revolutionise our lives. With ‘digital’ recognised as the way of the future, the expo will provide people who want to find out about the latest, greatest and ‘soon to be seen’ digital products and services with the opportunity to see them first hand.

The eGames Expo will feature a series of video games play-offs, designed to give visitors the chance to get really ‘hands on’ with all the games on show. Eager games enthusiasts will also be able to enter in the chance to win some great prizes. Intel’s professional game players – Team Immunity – will be on hand to showcase the more serious side of game playing while giving visitors to the show the opportunity to play against some the best players in Australia.

A series of seminars and presentations will be held during both the Digital Lifestyle Show and eGames Expo, designed to provide students with the opportunity to gain an insight into the career choices that exist and the range of opportunities that the digital industry can provide.

“If you have an interest in games and digital entertainment – be it a passion or a casual pastime – then the Digital Lifestyle Show and eGames Expo will have all the information, hands on opportunities and fun you could possibly imagine. It’s going to be a ‘don’t miss’ event,” Mr Barlow concluded.

For all the latest in the world of digital entertainment, make sure you are in Melbourne during November to be part of the biggest interactive event in Australia. Check out www.idef.com.au for all the details.

AUSTRALIA – September 8, 2008 – Today, Ubisoft announced that Far Cry® 2 will be released on October 23rd in Australia on the 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows® PC. 

“Far Cry® 2 is an amazing journey that will take you to the darkest places of Africa where each player will choose how they play. This will provide gamers with an unprecedented experience in the FPS genre”.  John Parkes, EMEA Marketing Director. 

To celebrate the release of Far Cry® 2, Ubisoft is happy to unveil the Far Cry® 2 Collectors’ Edition that will include:

–          Exclusive wooden box

–          Original Far Cry® 2 Game

–          Limited edition Far Cry® 2 t-shirt

–          “The Art of Far Cry®  2” Art book

–          Collector map

–          Making-of DVD

Far Cry 2 Collectors’ Edition can be pre-ordered from all leading retailers. 

For more information, visit www.farcry2.com

Sydney, Australia – September 8, 2008 – Rock and roll legend Sting and progressive metal pioneers Tool are making their video game debuts, contributing more than just music, in Activision Publishing, Inc.’s (Nasdaq: ATVI) Guitar Hero® World Tour.
 
In what will be the largest collection of artists ever to appear in a Guitar Hero game, singer-songwriter, actor, author, activist and lead singer/bassist of The Police, Sting will add his voice and likeness as an in-game character.  Aspiring frontmen can take the stage as Sting throughout their vocal career or play alongside him as he performs one of The Police classics, “Demolition Man.”

Hugely popular alternative metal band Tool, known for their epic, intense musical arrangements and killer visual arts, will also soon be known for their contribution to the upcoming Guitar Hero World Tour.  Guitar Hero fans from all over the world will be able to rock out to “Parabola” and Grammy-award winning “Schism” from Tool’s critically-acclaimed 2001 album Lateralus in addition to “Vicarious” from their 2006 Grammy-award winning album 10,000 Days.   The game will also feature an all-new venue designed in collaboration with the band and highlighting the art style that has become a staple in their music videos, live shows and album artwork.

When the house lights go down this spring, a new generation of guitarists, drummers and fearless frontmen will come together and rock with Guitar Hero World Tour.  The latest instalment in the #1 best-selling video game franchise of 2007, Guitar Hero World Tour transforms music gaming by expanding Guitar Hero’s signature guitar gameplay into a cooperative band experience that combines the most advanced wireless controllers with new revolutionary online* and offline gameplay modes including Band Career and 8-player “Battle of the Bands,” which allows two full bands to compete head-to-head online for the first time ever.  The game features a slick newly redesigned guitar controller, drum kit controller and a microphone, as well as an innovative Music Studio music creator that lets players compose, record, edit and share their own rock ‘n’ roll anthems.  Music creators will also be able to share their recordings with their friends online through GHTunesSM where other gamers can download and play an endless supply of unique creations.

Guitar Hero World Tour is being developed by Neversoft Entertainment for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.  The Wii™ version is being developed by Vicarious Visions.  The PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system version is being developed by Budcat. The game is rated “PG” (Mild themes and Violence, Sexual references and mild coarse language) by the Classification Board.  For more information on Guitar Hero World Tour, please visit www.guitarhero.com.