Razer™ Anansi MMO Gaming Keyboard to Feature Seven Ergonomic Modifier Thumb Keys Available Starting December 2010

Carlsbad, Calif. – October 26, 2010 – Razer, the world’s leading high-end precision gaming and lifestyle peripherals brand, today announced a new entry for its MMO Gaming product line, a keyboard that lets you Get Imba – the Razer Anansi. Sharing the same successful design philosophy as the world’s best-selling MMO Gaming Mouse, the Razer™ Naga, this keyboard gives gamers an unprecedented slew of MMO functions and features such as dedicated thumb modifier keys and cutting-edge macro capabilities.

“The Razer Anansi gaming keyboard is the new weapon of choice for MMO gamers,” said Robert “RazerGuy” Krakoff, president, Razer USA. “Let’s face it, the regular keyboard that came with your PC was designed and built for typing, not for MMO gaming. With its revolutionary seven thumb modifier keys, every key combination that you had before is now multiplied by seven times. The Razer Anansi allows you to use every spell, ability or custom macro in your arsenal — both instantly and in complete comfort.”

Designed and engineered especially for MMO gameplay, the Razer Anansi gives MMO gamers the power to instantly use up to seven times more commands and abilities over the current 12 ability keys normally accessible on a standard keyboard. The Razer Anansi also features over 100 fully programmable keys, on-the-fly macro recording, five additional gaming keys and the ability to customize the key backlighting from over 16 million colors.

The Razer Anansi is also designed to be used seamlessly with the 12-button mouse keypad on the Razer Naga and Razer Naga Epic MMO gaming mice, giving gamers a supreme level of battle control and ergonomic comfort when playing their favorite MMO game.

About the Razer Anansi MMO Gaming Keyboard

The Razer Anansi was designed and engineered especially for the MMO gamer with the ability to execute seven times more commands instantly compared to a standard keyboard. Its seven thumb modifier keys located below the space bar allow gamers to actuate every possible combination of modifier keys (shift, ctrl, alt) in total accuracy and comfort using a single key stroke. With over 100 programmable keys and five additional gaming keys, the Razer Anansi allows both casual and hardcore MMO gamers alike to further expand their repertoire of boss-killing abilities and macros, providing total control with convenient and instantaneous command executions.

Razer Anansi

Price: US $99.99

Availability:

Razerzone – December 2010

Worldwide – December 2010

Product Features

• Seven thumb modifier keys that allow the use up to seven times more abilities
• Over 100 programmable Hyperesponse™ keys with on-the-fly macro recording
• 20 gaming profiles with one-button profile switching
• Five additional gaming keys
• 16 million color backlight illumination
• Optimized key matrix for minimized ghosting
• Gaming mode option for deactivation of the Windows key
• Easy access media keys

Razer Anansi High Resolution Images

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About the Razer Group:

Razer™ is the world’s leading brand of high-end precision gaming products and lifestyle peripherals designed “For Gamers. By Gamers™”. Headquartered in Carlsbad, Calif., Razer’s award-winning line up of products includes desktop speakers, headsets, keyboards, mice, software, and gaming surfaces. Since 1998, Razer has collaborated with leading professional gamers to develop, manufacture and market cutting-edge gaming peripherals using proprietary technologies that give gamers the competitive edge. Razer products offer the best in precision, sensitivity, usability and distinctive product design and have a reputation for being leaders in gaming peripheral technology.

For more information, please visit www.razerzone.com.

Kingston Technology Brings Performance, Endurance and Productivity to Ultra-Portable 1.8” Devices
Kingston SSDNow V+180 for road warriors

Sydney, Australia – October 27, 2010 — Kingston Digital, Inc., the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the release of the Kingston SSDNow V+180 range, bringing the performance, endurance and productivity of solid state drives (SSD) to the 1.8” form factor. Part of the second generation Kingston SSDNow V+ range, the Kingston SSDNow V+180 is designed for today’s ultra-mobile devices, and with road warriors in mind.

“Kingston Technology has listened to its customers, delivering the SSDNow V+180 Series,” explains Nathan Su, Flash Memory Sales Director, APAC Region, Kingston. “Enterprises, SMBs and consumers can upgrade their ultra-thin notebooks, netbooks, and even tablet PC’s with a 1.8” form factor to enjoy supercharged performance, enhanced endurance and boosted productivity.”

Independent IT analyst IDC estimates that the number of mobile workers will hit 1 billion by 2011, driven by technology advances such as high speed networking, and the desire for greater work/life balance. Today’s road warriors demand the highest performance and durability in the smallest and most mobile configuration. Kingston’s SSDNow V+180 Series brings speed and endurance to the ultra-portable 1.8” form factor:
• Kingston’s SSDNow can out-perform hard disk drives (HDD) by up to five times, enabling boot times up to 60 percent faster and allowing users to load, switch and run multiple applications at the same time more effectively.
• SSD’s hugely enhanced endurance brings confidence, particularly when users are on the road and away from IT support. The Kingston SSDNow V+ Series is up to eight times more shock-resistant than hard disk drives and because they have no moving parts, they are less prone to mechanical failures.
• Less power-hungry than HDDs, SSDs also enhance battery life, meaning users work faster for longer.

The Kingston SSDNow V+180 is available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB capacities, and is the latest addition to the Kingston SSDNow V+ Series family. It is backed by a three-year warranty, free tech support and legendary Kingston reliability. For more information, please visit www.kingston.com/anz.

Kingston SSDNow V+ 180 Features and Specifications:
• Sequential speed*: 230MB/sec. (read), 180MB/sec. (write)
• Innovative: 1.8″ form factor; uses MLC NAND Flash memory components
• Silent: runs silent and cool with no moving parts
• Shock resistant: no moving mechanical parts means the SSD handles rougher conditions
• Cache — 128MB onboard cache
• PCMARK Vantage Score†
64GB — 35,073
128GB — 34,995
256GB — 34,881
• Supports S.M.A.R.T.: Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology
• Guaranteed: three-year Kingston warranty, free tech support
• Interface: Micro SATA (mSATA) 1.5 Gb/s & 3.0 Gb/s
• Capacity1: 64GB, 128GB, 256GB
• Storage temperatures: -40° C to 85° C
• Operating temperatures: 0° C to 70° C
• Dimensions: 54mm x 78.5mm x 5mm
• Weight: 48 grams (+/- 2 grams)
• Vibration operating: 2.7G
• Vibration non-operating: 20G
• Operating shock: 1500G
• Power specs: Active: 2.9W (TYP); Idle: 47mW (TYP)
• Life expectancy: 1,000,000 hours MTBF

* Based on internal testing. Performance may vary based on system settings.
1 Some of the listed capacity is used for formatting and other functions and thus is not available for data storage. For more information, please consult Kingston’s Flash Memory Guide at Kingston.com/Flash_Memory_Guide.
† Test system: Intel® DG45ID Desktop Motherboard. Intel Core 2 Quad Q9550 CPU at 2.83 GHz. System Memory 4GB, On-Board SATA 3Gbps with AHCI-Enabled Windows XP SP3.

Kingston SSDNow V+ 180 Series

Pricing and Availability
Manufacturer: Kingston Digital
Product Name: SSDNow V+ 180 Series
AU RRP:
SVP180 S2/64G $249
SVP180 S2/128G $445
SVP180 S2/64G $1065

NZ RRP:
SVP180 S2/64G $325
SVP180 S2/128G $589
SVP180 S2/64G $1395

Website: www.kingston.com/anz
Australian Distributors: Avnet Australia Pty Ltd, Ingram Micro, Simms International Pty Ltd., Synnex Australia PTY Ltd.
New Zealand Distributors: Ingram Micro NZ, Synnex NZ, Simms NZ
Warranty: Kingston Flash memory is backed by a five-year warranty and free technical support.
Availability: Now

To discuss this product on Kingston Blog, please go to www.kingston-blog.com. To try the game Challenge Your Memory, please go to
www.kingston-blog.com/challenge_your_memory/en/. To get the freshest information on Kingston, please go to http://twitter.com/KingstonFEPR.

To find out if your Kingston product is genuine, Kingston also provides an online verification site: www.kingston.com/anz/verify. To try the game Search for Genuine Kingston, please go to anti-counterfeit.kingston-blog.com. For the interesting animation: The Adventures of Rex, please visit: www.theadventuresofrex.com.

About Kingston Digital, Inc.
Kingston Digital, Inc. (KDI) is the Flash memory affiliate of Kingston Technology Company, Inc., the worlds largest independent manufacturer of memory products. Established in 2008, KDI is headquartered in Fountain Valley, California, USA. For more information, please visit www.kingston.com/anz.

Sydney, 27th October, 2010: Turtle Beach, a leader in premium gaming headsets and audio entertainment accessories, announces the availability of its products in Australia through QVS, a leading interactive entertainment specialist across Australia and New Zealand. The agreement positions QVS as the exclusive distributor of the full line of Turtle Beach audio products to the retail channel in the region. Turtle Beach headsets and accessories will hit retail November, 2010.

Turtle Beach, with headquarters in Elmsford, New York, is a division of Voyetra Turtle Beach, a pioneer in the synthesizer, software and network audio device marketplace for more than 3 decades. The firm’s region debut will consist of five premium headsets for Xbox360, PS3 and PC use, with many more to come in the future. Designed for the avid video game enthusiast, Turtle Beach’s revolutionary line of headsets are “Engineered for Gaming(TM)” and give gamers the ultimate in-game audio and communication experience.

“The Australian market is very important to Turtle Beach” – says Fred Romano, Executive Vice President of Turtle Beach “Therefore, we sought the strongest distribution partner we could find; one whose experience covers a wide spectrum of software and accessories and has years of success in the field. With QVS, we have found such a partner and we’re confident that both companies will benefit greatly from the partnership.”

“As we grow our international business, we are thrilled to work with QVS to introduce Turtle Beach to Australian gaming enthusiasts,” added Carmine Bonanno, President and CEO of Turtle Beach. “Turtle Beach headsets and accessories will fit perfectly with QVS’s overall objective of providing customers with products that enhance and enable highly satisfying entertainment experiences.”

QVS is a privately owned independent software and accessories distributor that has operated in Australia for more than ten years; providing quality, innovative interactive software titles and video game accessories. QVS offers a unique blend of international brands across all mainstream demographics, including: creativity and lifestyle, office, productivity, education, games and gaming accessories.

“We’re very happy to be working with such an innovative partner in Turtle Beach and are absolutely certain that the partnership will be a mutually successful one which we envisage will run well into the distant future“, says Paul Elliot – Managing Director, QV Software.

WWW.TURTLEBEACHHEADSETS.COM.AU  

World’s Most Popular Life Simulator Franchise* Ships This Week on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo DS with All-New Platform-Specific Features

26 October 2010 Australia – May you smile down on your Sims and bless them with good karma or frown upon them and explore your dark side. The EA Play Label of Electronic Arts Inc. announced today that The Sims™ 3 on PlayStation® 3, Xbox 360® and Nintendo DS™ ships to retail stores worldwide this week, landing on shelves around Australia this Thursday.

With all-new features tailored for each platform including “Karma Powers”, achievement-based gameplay, a seamlessly integrated creation exchange on each of the HD platforms, and the first full life simulation on the Nintendo DS, players now have the opportunity to play with life like never before.

“The Sims fans have been anxiously awaiting the next generation release of console and handheld games for the series, and we’ve been working hard to give them the most robust The Sims experience to date,” said Ben Bell, Executive Producer at EA. “From Karma Powers on all the platforms and the integrated exchange on the HD consoles to the most impressive Create a Sim and customisation capabilities on Nintendo DS, fans will be able to experience everything they’ve come to love on the PC now on their consoles.”

More choices, more control, more powers and more fun than ever before in a console game for The Sims franchise! The Sims 3 combines the freedom of open world life simulation where players can create Sims – the unique characters found in The Sims games – with distinct personalities and fulfill their desires…or not.

On the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms, players can now control their Sims lives with the guided gameplay of an all-new achievement system and then share those achievements with the world through their Facebook and Twitter accounts.

As they complete challenges and collect dozens of achievements they will earn Karma points – all the while deciding the destinies of their Sims. Karma points can be used to unlock and unleash all-new Karma Powers to the grand benefit or wicked detriment of their Sims making it easier than ever to play with life. Players can help their Sim “get lucky,” where everything will go their way for a specific amount of time or hit the giant jackpot to rain money down on their Sims. If players want to take the darker road, they can be deviant and curse their Sims with an “epic fail” and cause a total shut down of all their Sims motives. But players should use these powers wisely—they may have unexpected results and karma may come back to bite.

The game will also be connected to the worldwide community through a seamlessly integrated creation exchange on each of the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360** systems. Players can design, build and share creations, or download content from other players around the world – and for the first time ever on the HD platforms – without ever leaving the game.

The Sims 3 for Nintendo DS provides players with the most fulfilling and robust experience to date. Players can use their stylus to build their Sims a home and use tools to draw walls and floors, and customise virtually everything from décor objects, textures and more. Using the stylus, players will also be able to sculpt Sims’ facial features, choose hairstyles and clothing, and dictate personalities in the most complete Create a Sim yet for a handheld game. In “Story Mode,” players will control multiple Sims within a family and enjoy their Sims special moments. For the first time ever on the Nintendo DS, players can enjoy a complete life simulation with a living, breathing town full of Sims as they guide their Sims through completing challenges to unlock additional items, new buildings and landmarks, and more.

Developed by The Sims Studio, The Sims 3 for the Xbox 360, Wii™ and PlayStation 3 is rated M and the Nintendo DS is rated G. The Sims 3 is available nationwide from 28 October 2010. For more information about The Sims 3 on console, please go to http://au.thesims3.com. The Sims 3 is also available for PC, Mac, iPhone®, iPod touch® and mobile devices. To download artwork, please visit www.info.ea.com

LevitateTM is the ultimate mounting solution for desktop monitors

Sydney, Australia, 26 October 2010 — Atdec has announced the unveiling of Levitate, a radically innovative mounting solution for flat-screen displays that allows even large sized desktop monitors to be tilted, positioned and re-positioned in seconds, without cumbersome user actions. The new Levitate mount is a dramatic step forward in both functionality and aesthetic design, combining unsurpassed convenience and versatility with a breathtaking appearance that enhances virtually any workplace environment. Levitate will launch at the bi-annual ORGATEC trade exhibition this week in Cologne, Germany (Stand A033, Hall 6).

Jerome Green, CEO of Atdec, said, “We set out to make a statement with Levitate, and we’re thrilled with what we accomplished. We took risks never contemplated before in ergonomic work tool design and the result is a feat of engineering. No other mount offers Levitate’s ease of use and versatility, even with larger, heavier computer monitor displays, and from a design standpoint the remarkable visual appeal speaks for itself. Simply put, there’s nothing else like it on the market today.”

Atdec’s Levitate ergonomic monitor arm is an exciting departure from the drab designs of conventional articulating/spring assisted monitor mounts, and sports a futuristic look that sets any work environment apart from the crowd. Generous and clever cable management hides unsightly wires internally, and the polished aluminum/stainless steel-finished cosmetics will appear in multiple colour variations for different decors and architectural spaces. Levitate is perfect for graphic design stations, touch screens, collaborative workspaces, or any other application where a monitor needs to be easily and quickly positioned for comfort of use, or shared and re-positioned for multiple users, while keeping the workspace neat and attractive.

The beauty of Levitate is only surpassed by its truly radical functionality. The inbuilt Levitate’s Dynamic Lift Assistance (DLA) consists of adjustable springs in both the upper and lower arms, designed to allow the arms to be raised and lowered and rotated 360°, independently. This allows users to position monitors with unparalleled ease in an infinite range of positions, and to accommodate almost any workstation environment no matter how tight or restricted.

Levitate comes standard with both a bolt through and desk clamp mounting option. The bolt through mounting option will support up to 13kg and the desk clamp option will support monitors up to 9kg. For those customers who prefer a desk clamp option and need to mount heavier than 9kg displays, a heavyweight desk clamp accessory will be available to support displays up to 13kg.

An optional 180-degree rotation limit protects walls and partitions from unwanted contact, and stainless steel stabiliser bars provide strength while adding to Levitate’s signature appearance. Thanks to a quick-release mechanism and a unique top-loading desk clamp, installation is exceptionally quick and can be done without having to get underneath the desk.

The unique features don’t end there. To assist in large projects of multiple installations, Levitate has a visual gauge that can be set according to the screen weight, allowing installers to standardise the spring adjustments and ensure a uniform and quick process.

The Levitate mount is also exceptionally “green” in materials and packaging, and represents an environmentally friendly choice in which all parts are recyclable and it can be easily disassembled into individual material components. No hazardous or VOC emitting materials are used and raw metal finishes are maximised.

Atdec’s Levitate will be available February 2011 at an RRP of AU$369. The additional desk clamp heavyweight accessory will be available at an RRP of AU$79. For additional information on Levitate please go to http://www.levitatemonitorarm.com

About Atdec
Atdec is a leader in the visual display mounting industry committed to bringing to market best-of-breed visual mounting display products that offer the highest levels of innovation, ease of installation and quality. Unique features and product flexibility make Atdec’s products ideal for a broad range of applications in various markets including: commercial space, POS, home entertainment, office, education, digital signage, healthcare, and the audio and visual marketplace. All Atdec products are Designed for Disassembly (DFD) which means they are made to be taken apart easily for recycling at the end of life. Atdec offers a free return policy at the end of product life.

THQ and Random House sign publishing deal to expand the world of Homefront

AGOURA HILLS, Calif., Oct 26th , 2010 — THQ Inc. (NASDAQ:THQI) and the Random House Publishing Group today announced that a novel set in the Homefront universe and co-written by John Milius (Red Dawn and Oscar Award-winning Apocalypse Now) and New York Times bestselling author Raymond Benson (author of two Metal Gear Solid books and multiple James Bond novels) will be published by Random House’s Del Rey imprint, and arrive in early 2011 to coincide with the release of the first Homefront game.

“We’re delighted to confirm the first element of what will become a vast transmedia strategy for Homefront,” said Danny Bilson, Executive Vice President – Core Games, THQ. “John Milius has already worked with us extensively on the Homefront game, and we’re thrilled to have him and Raymond on board as we develop our near-future world into other types of media. Random House is a great partner to help us reach an even broader audience.”

“Homefront represents a fascinating vision of the near-future,” added John Milius. “After completing my work on the game, it became clear that there were many more stories to tell, and this book will offer a chilling look at this near-future world.”

Homefront the videogame is a thrilling first person shooter set for release on the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC in March 2011. It tells the story of a stricken America, fallen to savage military occupation in the year 2027.

For more information on Homefront, visit the official site at DefendYourHomefront.com follow us at facebook.com/homefrontgame or twitter.com/homefrontgame.

About Homefront

The year is 2027. Her infrastructure shattered and military in disarray, America has fallen to a savage occupation by the nuclear armed Greater Korean Republic.

Abandoned by her former allies, the United States is a bleak landscape of walled towns and abandoned suburbs. This is a police state where high school stadiums have become detention centers, and shopping malls shelter armored attack vehicles.

Join the Resistance, stand united and fight for freedom against an overwhelming military force In Homefront’s gripping, cinematic single player campaign, and experience epic, ground breaking multiplayer action all set in a terrifyingly plausible near-future world.

About THQ

THQ Inc. is a leading worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. The company develops its products for all popular game systems, personal computers and wireless devices. Headquartered in Los Angeles County, California, THQ sells product through its global network of offices located throughout North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. More information about THQ and its products may be found at http://www.thq.com. THQ, Homefront and the THQ logo are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc.

About the Random House Publishing Group

The flagship imprint of Random House, Inc., the Random House Publishing Group had its origins in 1925 when Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer, two New Yorkers in their mid-twenties, acquired a line of classics and contemporary American works called The Modern Library from publisher Horace Liveright. The company assumed the name Random House two years later, in 1927, when Cerf and Klopfer decided to publish a few books on the side, “at random.” Their artist friend Rockwell Kent drew his now celebrated logo of a random house, which made its debut in February l927. Among the first titles of the new imprint were limited editions illustrated by Kent of Voltaire’s Candide and Melville’s Moby Dick.

Del Rey Books (http://www.delreybooks.com) was founded in 1977 as an imprint of Ballantine Books, a division of the Random House Publishing Group, under the guidance of the renowned Judy-Lynn del Rey and her husband, Lester del Rey. Del Rey publishes the best of modern fantasy, science fiction, and alternate history.

About John Milius

After winning a National Student Film Festival award while attending USC, John Milius began his studio career working for Roger Corman writing Devil’s Eight followed by Evel Knievel. John Milius wrote the screenplay of Apocalypse Now. His other credits include Dirty Harry, Magnum Force, Big Wednesday, Conan The Barbarian, Red Dawn, Clear And Present Danger, The Hunt For Red October, The Wind And The Lion, Farewell To The King, Jerimiah Johnson, Judge Roy Bean, Geronimo and Flight Of The Intruder.

Milius later wrote the teleplay, Rough Riders, through which he was instrumental in causing President Theodore Roosevelt to be posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his action on San Juan Hill.

John Milius created and produced the TV series Rome for HBO.

Currently John Milius will be directing in 2011 a feature film from an original script on the life of Genghis Khan.

He is producing a cable TV series with Canal Plus, “Pharaohs”, set during the New Kingdom, the first twelve episodes to begin production in Egypt and Syria in 2011.

In the American Film Institute’s “100 Years of Film, 100 Movie Quotes”, John Milius had two quotes cited; one from Apocalypse Now, the other from Dirty Harry. In the Writer’s Guild of America’s “101 Greatest Screenplays”, John Milius’ Apocalypse Now is honored as well.

About Raymond Benson

Among his 22 published books, Raymond Benson wrote six original James Bond novels, three film novelizations, and three short stories—all published worldwide. Three 007 titles each are collected in the recent anthologies Choice of Weapons and The Union Trilogy.

As “David Michaels” Raymond wrote the first two NY Times best-selling books in the Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell series. Raymond is also the author of two Metal Gear Solid novelizations and the upcoming pulp adventure Hunt Through Napoleon’s Web. His series of “rock ‘n’ roll thrillers” include Dark Side of the Morgue and A Hard Day’s Death.

Microsoft, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox LIVE, the Xbox logos, and the Xbox LIVE logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of the Microsoft Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

“PlayStation” is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.

All other trademarks, logos and copyrights are the property of their respective owners.

The statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts may be “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the business of THQ Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as “THQ”), including, but not limited to, expectations and projections related to the Homefront video game, and are based upon management’s current beliefs and certain assumptions made by management. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, business, competitive, economic, legal, political and technological factors affecting our industry, operations, markets, products or pricing. Readers should carefully review the risk factors and the information that could materially affect THQ’s financial results, described in other documents that THQ files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal period ended March 31, 2010, and particularly the discussion of risk factors set forth therein. Unless otherwise required by law, THQ disclaims any obligation to update its view on any such risks or uncertainties or to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.

Feel the Rush of Besting Your Friends with Criterion’s Groundbreaking ‘Autolog’ Social Network

Australia, Oct 26, 2010 — Criterion Games, a studio of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:ERTS) today announced a demo for Need for Speed(TM) Hot Pursuit. This demo will give gamers early access to this holiday’s hottest action racing title. Starting October 27 for a limited time*, players can experience the intensity of friendly competition, using Need for Speed’s revolutionary social network, Autolog. This new in-game technology makes personalized recommendations to gamers based on what their friends have been playing. Autolog is a brilliantly simple feature that challenges each player to set the best race time amongst their friends. Play alone and reign supreme against the game’s AI or invite just one friend to join, and unlock a second track in the demo. Playing with friends or frenemies, players kick off an addictive competitive loop where the compulsion to be the best and earn bragging rights is irresistible.

Need for Speed Hot Pursuit ships on November 18, 2010 in Australia and is already earning accolades from critics worldwide for pioneering a new innovation within the racing category. “Need for Speed Hot Pursuit could redefine online racing forever,” stated GamesRadar in their summer preview of the game. In Europe, Eurogamer noted that, “Friends, data and photos continuously stream into view, all offering new gameplay opportunities and challenges.”

“Need for Speed Hot Pursuit is blowing the roof off social competition and bringing excitement back to the racing genre,” says Matt Webster, Producer at Criterion Games. “We’re putting players and their friends at the heart of the gameplay experience by automatically tracking and comparing each person’s performances. This demo will give gamers a snapshot of Need for Speed Autolog and how we’re amping up the energy of intense pursuits, competitive racing and online connected play – nothing is more powerful than beating your friends.”

In the Need for Speed Hot Pursuit demo, players will be able to chase as a cop in the Dark Horse Hot Pursuit event, speeding through the coastal highway and mountainous ridges of Seacrest County. At the heart of the demo is a social network called Autolog that tracks cop and racer performances while playing solo and uses those statistics to generate fierce competition between friends. Once players add a friend to their Need for Speed friends list, the second event will unlock called Roadster’s Reborn, where gamers can compete as racers to set the best times. When they download and play the demo they will also earn 500 bounty award points in the full game for both Cop and Racer careers**. Accruing bounty will allow players to unlock events and exotic cars and progress through their careers in the full game.

The Need for Speed Hot Pursuit demo will be available for download October 27 on Xbox LIVE(TM) Marketplace in Australia and October 28 for the PlayStation(R)Network in Australia. The retail game will be available on November 18 in Australia on the Xbox 360(R) videogame and entertainment system, PlayStation(R)3 computer entertainment system and PC. The Limited Edition can be pre-ordered now on all platforms to gain exclusive content at no extra cost, with participating retailers worldwide (while supplies last). Need for Speed Hot Pursuit will also be available on the Wii(TM) and is being developed by Exient.***

For more of the latest news and information on Need for Speed Hot Pursuit, please visit http://www.needforspeed.com or become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/needforspeed and follow us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/needforspeed.

$35,000 returned to partners since start of AVG Direct Renewal Guarantee program in March.

Melbourne, 26 October 2010 –AVG (AU/NZ), the Australian, New Zealand and South Pacific distributor of the award-winning AVG anti-virus and internet security products, has already returned over A$35,000 to more than 10% of AVG Resellers through its Direct Renewal Guarantee (DRG) program in the first six months of operation.

Announced in March 2010, the DRG initiative rewards AVG (AU/NZ)’s resellers when their customers renew, increase or upgrade their licence, directly via the AVG (AU/NZ) web site – www.avg.com.au. The DRG overcomes resellers’ concerns about losing revenue when customers respond to renewal communications and renew directly with AVG (AU/NZ).

Michael Dowling, Corporate Sales Director for AVG (AU/NZ), said: “The AVG Direct Renewal Guarantee is resonating with resellers. In just a few months it’s had a really positive impact on our relationship with all our active resellers, building their trust and, very importantly, showing them we’re listening.

“In our recent reseller roundtable event we were delighted at the strong endorsement our resellers gave it. They think it’s fantastic that we responded so resoundingly to their concerns about sustainable levels of income and profitability from our reseller program.”

Queensland reseller LowCost IT from the Gold Coast received one of the largest quarterly commissions, and in receiving his $1,540 cheque from AVG, Jodi Brown, General Manager, said: “Dealing with AVG is always a pleasure, and since the DRG program has been in place it has taken all the worry out of the renewal process. The website is awesome, the tracking and customer database is so user friendly. I deal with a lot of vendors and distributors on a day to day basis, and AVG (AU/NZ) is certainly one of the easiest to do business with. Keep up the great work.”

With the AVG Direct Renewal Guarantee program providing a very attractive incentive, and having recently added extra resources to help grow and support its network, AVG (AU/NZ) is well on track to sign its 4,000th reseller in early 2011.

While costly to AVG (AU/NZ) in the short term, the DRG program is proving to be a powerful tool in enhancing reseller engagement. “Reseller loyalty and engagement is a fundamental foundation of our reseller program, so we are always looking for ways to add value,” Dowling said.ays looking ofr ways to add value to our resellers and our reseller program

About AVG (AU/NZ) Pty Ltd — www.avg.com.au

Based in Melbourne, AVG (AU/NZ) Pty Ltd distributes the AVG range of Anti-Virus and Internet Security products in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. AVG software solutions provide complete real-time protection against the malware, viruses, spam, spyware, adware, worms, Trojans, phishing and exploits used by cyber-criminals, hackers, scammers and identity thieves. AVG protects everything important and personal inside computers — documents, account details and passwords, music, photos and more — all while allowing users to work, bank, shop and play games online in safety.

AVG provides outstanding technical solutions and exceptional value for consumers, small to medium business and enterprise clients. AVG delivers always-on, always up-to-date protection across desktop, and notebook PCs, plus file and e-mail servers in the home and at work in SMBs, corporations, government agencies and educational institutions.

October 25^th, 2010 – Barry Steakfries is back in action, with the first trailer showing the upcoming universal edition of Age of Zombies! The hugely popular shooter from the creators of Fruit Ninja and Monster Dash is now coming to the App store, with brand new graphics, controls and extra update content!

Age of Zombies features the hero Barry Steakfries as he travels through time, blasting faces, heads and zombie junk. There is no shortage of dudes to kill, including ninjas, mummies, cavemen and even the legendary Zombie T-Rex!

The new trailer shows off all the juicy action for both iPhone and iPad. Age of Zombies will be released worldwide on October 28^th, 2010 as a universal app. For all the latest news and info, visit the official Halfbrick blog at www.halfbrick.com!

Youtube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQ3RV07v1Rk

Direct download: www.halfbrick.com/assets/AgeofZombiesUniversal.mp4

About Halfbrick

Halfbrick is a professional game development studio based in Brisbane, Australia. Founded in 2001, it has developed popular titles for the Game Boy Advance, PSP, PlayStation 2 and Nintendo DS, with expansion into XBLA, PS3 and iPhone development. For further information, please visit www.halfbrick.com and follow on Twitter, Youtube and Facebook!