Sydney – November 23, 2011– 2K Games announced today that Spec Ops®: The Line™, the modern military shooter that combines thrilling combat with a thought-provoking narrative, will be released during Autumn 2012. A brand new trailer depicting Captain Walker’s journey through Dubai can be viewed at . 

“With all of its grandeur and opulence, Dubai provides the perfect backdrop to play out Spec Ops: The Line’s deep and complex narrative. This bold endeavor harnesses 2K’s pedigree of creating fascinating stories, settings and worlds to create an aggressive narrative and environment that you won’t find in other games on the market,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “Wartime narratives evoke emotion like few things else in our culture. Players will fight through this hostile environment in Spec Ops: The Line, creating a raw and unique video game experience.” 

In Spec Ops: The Line players will assume the role of Captain Walker, a U.S. Delta Force soldier on a harrowing rescue mission to save the damned 33rd squad of the U.S. Infantry. Set against the backdrop of a sandstorm-ravaged Dubai, Spec Ops: The Line is 2K’s first foray into the modern military genre, combining its trademark narrative depth with compelling action to move players beyond the simple conflicts of good-versus-bad. 

Spec Ops: The Line is rated MA 15+ by the OFLC. For more information please visit www.specopstheline.com.

Sydney, Australia – November 23, 2011 – Kingston, the independent world leader in memory products, today announced the Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 3.0. The DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 is designed for enthusiasts and gamers, and features the fastest speeds and largest capacities that Kingston has to offer in a USB Flash drive.

Its high-speed eight-channel architecture provides USB 3.0 data transfer rates of up to 225MB/s read and 135MB/s write. Users can save time associated with opening, editing and copying large files and applications between devices. The fast write speeds also allow users to work on large files or applications directly from the USB 3.0 drive without performance lag.

“Enthusiasts have long known HyperX as the memory of choice for overclockers and power users who need the most performance from system memory,” said Nathan Su, Flash memory Sales Director, APAC Region, Kingston. “The new DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 USB Flash drive continues this tradition. With the fastest speeds and largest capacity, this storage device is the perfect solution for users who require high performance and carry a lot of data.”

The DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 is available in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB capacities. The 256GB capacity can store approximately 10 Blu-ray Discs (25GB each), 54 DVDs (4.7GB each), 48,640 MP3s (4MB each) or 13,473,684 Microsoft Word files pages with various formatting and basic graphics.

With a durable and sleek design, the Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 is a terrific portable storage solution for gamers, enthusiasts, early adopters and high-end consumers who require the best performance and highest capacities to carry their digital library. Faster speeds and higher capacities enable users to quickly store their digital files and keep it with them at all times, in HyperX style.

DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 features a metal and rubberized casing with a reinforced key ring hole for daily use. It allows users to keep it with them at all times, as it can be easily attached to a key ring or lanyard.

A video of the device can be found at http://youtu.be/BjsMQRzBfl8.

DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 is backed by a five-year warranty, free technical support and legendary Kingston reliability. For more information, please visit www.kingston.com/anz.

Kingston DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 Features and Specifications:
• Capacities*: 64GB, 128GB, 256GB
• Speed**:
o USB 3.0: Up to 225MB/s read and 135MB/s write
o USB 2.0: Up to 30 MB/s read/write
• 8-Channel Architecture
• Backwards Compatible: With USB 2.0 and USB 1.1 ports
• Solid/rugged design: Durable metal and rubberized casing provides increased protection
• ReadyBoost Support
• Dimensions: 2.952″ x 0.916″ x 0.626″ (74.99mm x 23.29mm x 15.9mm)
• Operating Temperature: 32°F to 140°F (0°C to 60°C)
• Storage Temperature: -4°F to 185°F (-20°C to 85°C)
• Simple: Just plug into any USB port
• Practical: Durable casing with a solid lanyard loop
• Warranty: 5 years

Fae Yule comes to Telara for six weeks of Fae gone wild, corgi companions, and plenty of mead

Freshly freed from Greenscale’s clutches, the Fae of Telara are ready to party this holiday season … and it’s going to get crazy. Starting today, Rift™ kicks off a six week, three phase world event known as “Fae Yule,” an epic in-game celebration that features fancy holiday hats, new quests, a grumpy mead-guzzling satyr, and other festive items.

But it’s not all candy canes and cocoa. Crucia, the Dragon of Air, seeks to ruin the festivities by enslaving the Fae anew, and it’s up to Ascended to crush her plans and save Fae Yule. Throughout the event, players can earn Unique Snowflakes, which can be redeemed for yule-inspired gear, a jolly corgi companion, and a lavish vaiyuu mount.

This weekend, Trion kicks off the celebration with three days of subscriber bonuses, including increased experience, PvP Favor and Prestige, Plaques of Achievement, and Planarite.

Bethesda are pleased to announce that they have just released a RAGE® demo on Xbox LIVE. The PlayStation Network demo will be available on December 6th.

The Ghost Clan, a cult of murderous fanatics, has infiltrated the waterworks beneath the town of Wellspring with plans to poison the water supply. You are the only one with the weapons, talent and courage to stop them. While in Wellspring, you can also meet the townsfolk, try your hand in games of skill and chance, peruse the wares of the local vendors or hit the Speedway for some racing.

For more information on RAGE visit www.RAGE.com.

Iconic Platforming Fun Coming to Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation^® Network this Autumn 

SYDNEY — November 23, 2011 — Ubisoft® announced that in celebration of the return of Rayman in his all-new adventure, Rayman® Origins, the fan favourite Rayman® 3 Hoodlum Havoc™ is returning with an all-new high-definition makeover for Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation® Network this autumn. 

Rayman 3 Hoodlum Havoc released on the original Xbox®, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and Windows PC in 2003 and was the third title in the million-selling platforming series by visionary game designer and creator of Beyond Good & Evil® – Michel Ancel. 

In Rayman 3 Hoodlum Havoc HD, fans and newcomers alike can now enjoy this piece of video game history with stunning new HD graphics. Rayman 3 Hoodlum Havoc HD provides 15–20 hours of gameplay and a wealth of extra content to unlock, including nine fun stand-alone mini-games, achievements and worldwide online leaderboards. In addition, the game has been updated to run at 60 frames per second and offers improved audio quality!

Military shooter Unit 13, MotorStorm®RC, and incredible new AR technology join final launch line-up unveiled at European preview event 

LONDON, 22 November 2011 – Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) revealed overnight further launch details for the hotly-anticipated PlayStation®Vita (PS Vita), due for release in Europe, Middle East, Africa from 22 February 2012, with Australia and New Zealand confirmed for launch on 23 February 2012.

At a preview event held in London, SVP, Worldwide Studios Europe Michael Denny, highlighted the message that PlayStation Vita is a state-of-the-art portable device, with games at its heart, by announcing the full range of PS Vita launch titles, including two new 1^st Party titles, Unit 13 and MotorStorm® RC, as well as unveiling a range of augmented reality experiences for PS Vita. Commenting on the announced software line up, Denny called it “one of the best launch line ups of any games console, ever launched.”

SCEE PS Vita titles confirmed as available at launch:

• Uncharted^TM: Golden Abyss
• WipEout® 2048
• Reality Fighters
• Little Deviants
• ModNation Racers^TM: Road Trip
• Everybody’s Golf®
• Escape Plan
• Top Darts
• Hustle Kings
• Unit 13 – NEW!
• MotorStorm® RC – NEW!

The already impressive list will be reinforced by a compelling array of 3^rd party offerings which will launch alongside the console in February.

Unit 13 – An Authentic Shooter Built to Play in the Field
First revealed was Unit 13, a third-person military shooter that will offer gamers a true, dual-analogue experience.

Designed from the ground up for PS Vita by Zipper Interactive, Unit 13 focuses on contemporary mission scenarios with an authentic ‘ripped from the headlines’ feel.

Players will be tasked with demanding missions in the most hostile regions of the world – to stop terrorists, dictators, gunrunners, warlords and drug traffickers from destabilising the Horn of Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and South Asia.

Players will choose from six different classes – Infiltrator, Sniper, Soldier, Technician, Point Man, and Support – based on their role and your own playing style.

Designed specifically for PS Vita, Unit 13 focuses on portable play, with bite-sized gameplay and a non-linear mission structure that will allow players to jump in at any time, without having to keep up with a story or previous events.

MotorStorm RC – Addictive and Social RC Action
SCEE also revealed a brand new PS Vita launch title from Evolution Studios, MotorStorm RC.

A unique blend of old-school and contemporary racing gameplay, MotorStorm RC is an addictive racer, with social interaction at the fore.  Players will be able to build an impressive garage of vehicles, with 24 vehicles initially available to unlock in the game, with DLC and expansion packs allowing gamers to access new tracks, vehicles, and more, planned after launch.

Augmented Reality Brings Your Games to Life
PlayStation has led the way in augmented reality gaming since the launch of the EyeToy® USB camera for PlayStation®2 in 2003. On the current console generation, EyePet burst onto PlayStation 3, introducing a new family audience to this magical technology.

These experiences were not confined to home consoles as PlayStation brought augmented reality gaming to PSP® ⁽PlayStation®Portable), both with EyePet^TM, and the innovative Invizimals^TM franchise.

At the PS Vita preview event, Michael Denny revealed the next phase in augmented reality for PlayStation. Six augmented reality cards will be available at launch with free games to download from PlayStation®Store. These will allow gamers to enjoy a selection of games that make full use of the impressive AR capabilities of PS Vita.

PlayStation also revealed that PS Vita will be the first games console to utilise WAAR (Wide Area Augmented Reality) technology. In contrast to familiar single-card AR, WAAR uses up to six cards and allows for a much larger gameplay area than gamers have previously experienced.

PS Vita will also support markerless AR, that can do away with cards altogether.

The addition of this captivating technology means that gamers will have so much to play, and share, with PS Vita right out of the box.

Cross-play means players can compete via challenges and leaderboards on PlayStation 3, or with PS Vita, as well as continue their experience from one to the other.

3G & Wi-Fi: Connecting PS Vita to a Social Revolution
This is a device packed with powerful social features that connect users to the internet, their social essentials and other gamers.  As well as the Facebook, Skype, foursquare and twitter applications already revealed, Denny also revealed the addition of Flickr to the line-up.

PS Vita will be available in two SKUs at launch; the Wi-Fi only model and a 3G/Wi-Fi model for the ultimate ‘always-on’ internet experience. Vodafone will be the preferred 3G partner throughout selected countries in the SCEE region (including Australia and New Zealand).

PS Vita boasts a number of social applications that will allow gamers to be constantly connected to their PlayStation life, as well as those of friends and fellow gamers.

• Party enables gamers to enjoy voice chat or text chat with their friends, not only while they play online, but also when playing different games or using different applications such as the internet browser
• Live Area^TM is an interactive portal that enables you to connect to your contacts, and the content. Players can check the latest news; receive instant gaming updates from your friends, and then comment back on what friends have said.
• near is a feature that enables you to find out what your friends in the same area are playing right now and share and discover gifts which can be used in game. Simply by sharing your game information, you can meet your friends and new players, regardless of what games they are playing

Cross-Play is the ability to play head to head in real time across platforms. PS Vita can connect wirelessly to PS3 allowing PS3 quality graphics to be seen on the PS Vita’s beautiful five-inch OLED Screen

To find out more about PlayStation Vita visit: http://au.playstation.com/psvita/

View all the latest PlayStation Vita trailers here:  http://www.youtube.com/psvitaau
Find PlayStation Australia on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/PlayStationAU

“This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good earth – I bid you stand!”

– Aragorn,The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King 

Today, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment unveils the launch trailer for the videogame release of The Lord of the Rings: War in the North. Developed by Snowblind Studios, this action RPG introduces a new adventure to Middle-earth’s canon, with a new story deeply entrenched in the hallmarks of The Lord of the Rings: strength, courage and fellowship. 

In the video, a glimpse is caught of the ring bearer’s quest taking place in parallel, before switching to this vital campaign brewing in the North.

Ranger –  Elf –  Dwarf. Alongside one another, in this 3 player co-op, a new Fellowship of three comes together to stand against Agaundaur, lieutenant of Sauron. 

Strength – Courage – Fellowship. The three heroes of War in the North each display these three traits, while bolstering the Fellowship with their own unique skills. 

Take a look at the battle to be unleashed today- the final hope in the battle for Middle-earth.

SYDNEY – November 23, 2011– Ubisoft announced that Assassin’s Creed Rearmed, the recently released mobile, multiplayer experience for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, has been downloaded over one million times in less than four weeks from the App Store.

Gamers will now embrace the opportunity to take their Assassin’s Creed experience on the go to coincide with the launch of the highly anticipated “Assassin’s Creed Revelations” on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. 

Inspired by the critically-acclaimed multiplayer game-play in Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood, Assassin’s Creed Rearmed was developed from the ground up for the iOS platform, taking full advantage of the unique control system, and letting players compete with friends in a real-time online multiplayer mode or hone their skills offline in the single player mode. 

Assassin’s Creed Rearmed is available globally from the App Store on iPad, iPhone and iPad touch. The game is driven by an in-game economy, where players can expand their multiplayer experience by acquiring additional items, characters, abilities and more.

AVG (AU/NZ) sees this technical prowess exposing Tweens to pressures and risks they are not capable of protecting themselves against.

MELBOURNE and AMSTERDAM, 22 November 2011 — A global survey, including responses from 800 parents of 10-13 year olds in Australia and New Zealand, has revealed the disconnect between the technological abilities of the tween age group and the intellectual maturity necessary to make the right decisions in the many complex situations they face online.

To develop a better understanding of how our technology-centric society impacts the lives of today’s youth, AVG Technologies, a leading provider of Internet and mobile security, has commissioned Digital Diaries, a series of studies that examines the technology habits of different age groups.

Digital Maturity, the fourth instalment of research from the series, examines how the average 10 to 13 year old is using the Internet. While tweens aren’t managing stock portfolios or paying the mortgage online, their online activity closely mirrors that of an adult. Ten to 13 year olds are spending large amounts of time on social networks, connected mobile devices or engaged in online gaming.

The result: tweens are open to being led into complex social situations that require adult reasoning – long before they are ready.

Michael McKinnon, Security Advisor at AVG (AU/NZ) Pty Ltd, the distributor of the award-winning AVG Internet and mobile security software in Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific, said: “Children are online at such an early age that many have developed the technical maturity of adults by their tween years. However, they have not developed the equivalent intellectual or emotional maturity necessary to make the right decisions in the many complex situations they face online.

“It is important that parents understand the role technology plays in their children’s lives to help their kids be as smart and safe as possible whenever they are connected,” he advised.

Who Knows Best?

The Digital Maturity survey shows that globally only 8 percent of parents believe their 10 to 13 year old is better informed about the Internet than they are. Locally, this figure rises to 10 percent in New Zealand and 17 percent in Australia.

Fathers are much more likely to consider themselves Internet experts than Mums, with only 2 percent crediting their children with knowing more. In Australia, a quarter (23 percent) of mothers admit that their children know more about the Internet than they do.

Watching Over Them

According to global responses, just over half of all tweens have their own PC and a significant proportion of those use their PCs in their bedrooms – 36 percent in Australia and 44 percent in New Zealand which is in the middle of the range between 81 percent in Germany and 11 percent in the Czech Republic. This indicates there is often no consistent, real-time parental supervision in place.

Parents seem to be in the dark about what their kids are up to online. Only half (54 percent) of Australian and 6 in 10 (61 percent) New Zealand parents have gone into their kids’ computers to monitor their activities. This compares with the US where 72 percent have done so.

And less than half (43 percent Australian and 48 percent New Zealand) of the parents have logged onto the social media profile of their 10-13 year old child. In both countries, Mums are more likely to check up on their kids than Dads.

While the survey suggests that a majority of parents surveyed (92 percent) feel they are savvier about the Internet than their children, there is room for much concern about their kids’ online activities.

All Things Social

A staggering 58 percent of parents admit their 10 to 13 year olds have access to mainstream social networks, directly contravening the established minimum age restriction to join Facebook at 13 years.

For ten year olds in Australia and New Zealand the figures are 32 and 37 percent respectively but by the time they are 13, more than three-quarters are registered on the major social media sites via a PC and almost half (48 percent in Australia and 47 percent in New Zealand) via their mobile phones.

According to their parents, 1 in 5 (19 percent) Australian 13 year olds is spending more than an average of an hour a day on social networks.

Just Playing Around

Having a games console is now the norm for this age group: 28 percent of Australian and 21 percent of New Zealand tweens are even spending an average of more than an hour a day on them.

McKinnon said: “Adults often take for granted the decades of daily, hourly, minute-by-minute training we call upon every time we engage with other people. And not even we can navigate social situations without having to reconcile a host of complex issues, from simple etiquette to gross invasions of privacy, sexual inappropriateness and social bias.

“The Digital Maturity survey provides encouragement to parents to help tweens develop the skills to use online networks with confidence. Importantly, parents and tweens also need to speak up if they detect an issue.”

McKinnon believes the dangerous gap between the age of digital maturity and the age children achieve adult levels of emotional and intellectual maturity is essentially a perfect storm for tweens: “The phenomenon creates a situation where teens are determining the rules of engagement and the result is an environment that is often devoid of basic social courtesies and ethics.

“Mutual respect for openness and privacy within a family is a fine line to be negotiated, be it in the real or cyber world. We know that to protect children throughout their lives, parents have to engage, set boundaries and help kids navigate both their physical and online societies,” he said.

Other key findings of 10 to 13 year olds’ online experiences are:

• Cyber bullying is the highest, at 9 percent, in Australia and the US, which is above the all countries’ average of one in 20 tweens having been victims.

• Two-thirds of parents say they know their kids’ passwords. In the US, this peaks at 78 percent.

• Tweens in Italy (90 percent), Czech Republic (86 percent) and UK (83 percent) are the most prolific users of SMS, while France (61 percent) and Australia (62 percent) used the service the least.

• Tweens in the UK (36 percent) are more likely to own a Smartphone than their US (28 percent) and French (16 percent) counterparts.

• Italian (76 percent) and Spanish (72 percent) tweens are most likely to have their own personal computer, while New Zealanders (40 percent) and Canadians (53 percent) are the least likely to.