PlayTV™ Live Chat Upgrade for PlayStation®3 (PS3™)

Get social on the sofa with the new live chat upgrade offering a fresh interactive experience on your TV screen

Open your own chat room for your favourite TV shows, enjoy live on screen text chat with friends – and never miss your favourite shows with Facebook© alerts

SYDNEY, 18 November 2010 – Courtesy of Sony Computer Entertainment Australia (SCE Aust.), PlayStation®3 (PS3™) owners are now able to enjoy the marriage of TV and social networking as their living room expands to encompass the world with PlayTV™ Live Chat available to buy as an upgrade from 18th November on PlayStation®Store. PlayTV™, is the peripheral that allows users to watch, pause and record Digital HD Freeview TV on PS3™, and now with the new PlayTV ‘Live Chat’ upgrade, users can share their passions and opinions in real time with friends whilst watching the big match or favourite soap drama. It’s time to get social on the sofa.

Here’s a quick preview of the new features available with the PlayTV Live Chat Upgrade:

Get chatting with Chat TV:

Chat live on screen in real-time with no interruption. First, choose a show you want to watch from the on screen guide, select chat TV, then join one of the existing chat rooms or set up your own room and invite your friends to join you.
Every live channel and program can have any number of its own chat rooms, each with up to 64 people at a time. If one chat room is full, simply join another or start your own.
You can decide who enters your chat room. Set your room to be available to your PlayStation®Network friends, everyone, or by invitation only to just chat with your closest friends.
Real-time scrolling means you can discuss plot twists, cliff-hangers and whether or not that last goal was actually offside: It’s perfect for big match commentary with some serious banter with your mates, or for predicting the next twist in your favourite soap.
Chatting is easy – you can use the onscreen keyboard, or connect a USB/Bluetooth keyboard to your PS3™

Get all your friends involved:

Recommend and share your favourite programs, films or soaps on TV to your PlayStation®Network and Facebook friends. Send recommendations to any of your PlayStation Network friends or send it to your Facebook wall to get all your friends involved in the discussion.
Invite PlayStation Network friends to watch with you by sending them a message with a link so they can go directly to the programme in PlayTV or if they are not in, automatically set a recording for the show.

Get Watching:

PlayTV Live Chat is easy to download. Make sure you have the latest PlayTV software patch on the 18th Nov, then simply purchase the new PlayTV Live Chat software upgrade from Playstation®Store and you’ll be able to use the new ‘Live Chat’ features straight away. Once installed, the new icons will appear on the home menu for instant access.
PlayTV is safe and secure. The Chat TV service is accessible only for those over the age of 16. Chat rooms are moderated and participants can be blocked from your feed while settings are also in place to protect user’s privacy.
PlayTV ‘Live Chat Upgrade’ is available in the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and Australia and New Zealand.

Buy PlayTV in-store for a recommended retail price of $149.95 and download PlayTV Live Chat upgrade for only $12.95 from PlayStation®Store. With even more storage space on the new 160GB and 320GB PlayStation®3, now is the time to catch, share and enjoy the best that TV has to offer – with PlayTV Live Chat.

RAGE comes to your iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch with the hit of the wastelands, Mutant Bash TV! This intense first-person shooter casts you in the starring role of a post-apocalyptic game show where you’ll be stalked by hungry mutants while you scour pulse-pounding levels for ammo and cash pick-ups. Make a deal with J.K Stiles, the show’s menacing host, and see if you have what it takes to survive this carnage-filled carnival of death!

The SD version of RAGE (iPhone 3G, 3GS, & 4, iPod touch 2-4 and iPad) is available for $1.19 on the Apple iTunes store at http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=400707675&mt=8.

The HD version of RAGE (iPhone 3GS & 4, iPod touch 4, and iPad) is available for $2.49 on the Apple iTunes store at http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=400707675&mt=8.

Co-developed with Belkin, the Razer Nostromo® Gaming Keypad Succeeds the Belkin n52te SpeedPad with Enhanced Features and Customizability – Available Now

Sydney, Aust. – Nov 19, 2010 – Razer, the world’s leading high-end precision gaming and lifestyle peripherals brand, today announced the Razer Nostromo gaming keypad, co-developed with Belkin and designed to give gamers the upper hand with cutting-edge ergonomics, tournament-grade controls, extreme customizability, and maximum comfort.

“A few years ago we had the privilege of working with Belkin to co-develop the highly successful Belkin n52te Speedpad.” said Robert “RazerGuy” Krakoff, President, Razer. “The Razer Nostromo is an update to this illustrious gaming keypad to meet today’s competitive gaming demands. Building on the Speedpad’s proven ergonomic design, the Razer Nostromo incorporates the latest gaming technologies that Razer has developed over the past few years, including a new chipset and software drivers that allow all levels of gamers to program sophisticated command strings to help decimate their opponents.”

The Razer Nostromo features a 16-button keypad layout and form factor that is optimally designed for greater intuitive access to critical gaming commands across all game genres. For marathon gaming sessions, a soft-touch rubberized wrist pad cradles the palm and significantly reduces hand fatigue and wrist strain.

The Razer Nostromo gives players amazing key activation accuracy with its 16 fully-programmable Hyperesponse™ gaming buttons and eight-way directional thumb pad, engineered for rapid key actuation and crisp response. The programmable directional thumb pad can be used either for movement or as modifier keys to access auxiliary commands. In addition, the Razer Nostromo boasts several enhancements over its predecessor including the ability to switch instantly between eight keymaps (up from three), and the flexibility of storing up to twenty gaming profiles from the previous limit of ten.

Gamers can now also take advantage of the new onboard chipset and software driver that puts aside all previous programming limitations, as the new Razer Nostromo enables gamers to effortlessly program sophisticated macros of unlimited length. This all-new configurator software for the Razer Nostromo comes with an improved user-friendly interface that belies its advanced macro programming capabilities, allowing gamers to conveniently customize all the buttons with any game command to open up a massive repertoire of commands and combinations right under their fingertips.

About the Razer Nostromo

The Razer Nostromo gaming keypad is designed to give gamers the upper hand with cutting edge ergonomics for intuitive game control and comfort. With an arsenal of tournament-grade controls including 16 fully programmable Hyperesponse keys, eight keymaps that can be switched between on-the-fly, twenty unique gaming profiles, and an eight-way directional thumb pad all integrated into one dedicated gaming keyboard, gamers will be prepared to take on any challenger.

The Razer Nostromo’s all-new configurator software is as easy to use as it is deadly, allowing gamers to conveniently customize all the buttons with any game command or key binding to open up a massive repertoire of killer combinations right under their fingertips.

Razer Nostromo

Price: AU$99.95

Availability:

Razerzone.com – Available Now

Worldwide – Available Now

Product Features:

Ergonomic form factor and tournament-grade layout
16 fully programmable Hyperesponse™ keys
Programmable 8-way directional thumb pad and scroll wheel
Instantaneous switching between 8 key maps
Unlimited macro lengths
Stores up to 20 different game profiles
Adjustable soft-touch wrist pad for exceptional comfort
Backlit keypad and scroll wheel for total control even in dark conditions
Enhanced Razer configurator software

It’s a good week for iPhone announcements! Today I bring you news about Scarlett and the Spark of Life, an adventure game coming to the app store in December. The first episode of a series, Scarlett is a traditional “point & tap” adventure from indie developer Launching Pad Games. It will be available for iPhone / iPod Touch for $2.99.

When a princess is kidnapped, standard procedure suggests that she should dutifully await rescue by a knight in shining armor. But Scarlett’s not that kind of princess! She’s going to start a fight, make a daring escape, and ride into the sunset on a mechanical horse of her own making. Hang on tight!

The app store has been inundated with ports of classic adventure games as of late, but Scarlett is one of the first adventures to be designed from the ground up for iPhone and iPod Touch, with an intuitive UI and frustration-free gameplay that lends itself to playing in bite-sized bits. Its colorful artwork and (somewhat warped) fairy tale setting are underscored by a wry humor reminiscent of the classic adventure games so many of us grew up with.

Launching Pad Games is a New Zealand-based indie studio whose previous projects have included browser-based puzzle games and the addictive Zoo Lasso for iPhone. Scarlett and the Spark of Life is their first adventure game. The screenshots here will give you an idea of the game’s tone — feel free to post them for your readers! http://files.launchingpadgames.com/press/scarlett/screenshots

Scarlett and the Spark of Life is currently in submission with Apple, and Launching Pad is putting together an advance review copy for press. If you’d like to receive the ad-hoc build for review purposes, please send me your UDID and the device you’ll be playing on (iPhone or iPod Touch) by this Friday, November 19. Reviews will be embargoed until the game’s launch; we’re aiming for early December and will send out an update when we know the date for sure!

Once the game launches we’ll also have app store vouchers for reviewers and possibly some extras to use for giveaways, so if that’s something that interests you, please let me know! The team is also available for Q&A to talk about the work that has gone into Scarlett and future plans.

M9 Laser Skirmish is offering even more people the chance to experience its heart-pumping adrenalin action, with 11 locations now open across Australia and New Zealand.

As the leading provider of laser skirmish arenas in the region, M9 Laser Skirmish provides customers the opportunity to engage in laser-style combat in themed arenas.

Upon arrival, players are fitted with advanced lasers and combat vests. Players must then manoeuvre through the shadowy world of the battleground avoiding enemy attack.

The newest M9 Laser Skirmish arena, co-located with AMF Bowling at  Watergardens Town Centre VIC, opened its doors in early October and has an exciting urban underworld theme. The arena caters for groups of up to 30 people at one time.  Other recently opened arenas include M9 Laser Skirmish at Robina Town Centre in QLD and Rooty Hill RSL in NSW.   

M9 Laser Skirmish is great for people of all ages, genders and abilities, and is also a popular option for kids or adult’s birthday parties, bucks nights, team building events or corporate functions.
For a full list of M9 Laser Skirmish locations and further information please visit the website at http://www.m9laserskirmish.com/ 

AMF Bowling has over 45 centres across Australia and New Zealand – so there is always a centre near you! For further information on your nearest AMF Bowling Centre, call 132 AMF (132 263) or go to http://www.amfbowling.com.au 

M9 Laser Skirmish is an action packed indoor laser adventure game. To find your local centre, visit http://www.m9laserskirmish.com/

(Nov 16, 2010) IObit, one of the biggest software vendors for free system utilities, today released Game Booster v2, an extraordinarily powerful free program that greatly improves computer performance for gamers.

Game Booster is designed as a “one-click-switch” to turn any PC into a “game machine” that provides a better and smoother gaming experience. It works by temporarily shutting down unnecessary background processes and services to concentrate the computer’s resources on the gaming application being played. Afterwards, users can easily switch the PC back to normal operation, restarting all the shut-down processes and services. According to a recent user survey, 80% of gaming enthusiasts say their gaming experience is “remarkably improved” by Game Booster.

IObit has added fresh features and significant improvements to Game Booster v2. One prominent difference is its redesigned interface. While Game Booster v1 has a simple and plain appearance, Game Booster v2 has a more vibrant look that, in user tests, greatly appeals to most gamers. Game Booster v2 has greatly enhanced the ability of scanning the computer’s resources and closing the services and applications not necessary for a particular game, allowing it to regain more PC resources from unnecessary processes and services. Game Booster v2 also makes use of IObit’s second generation defrag engine, which significantly decreases game load time.

Other important new features in Game Booster v2 include:

• Game Box: adds and manages your games in a small box and boosts the game automatically when launching
• Game Drivers: keeps every game’s specialized drivers up-to-date, including drivers for video cards and sound cards
• Game Essentials: simplifies and speeds downloading and updating of software used to enhance game experiences, including Ventrilo, TeamSpeak, Xfire, and Steam
• System Tweaks: works in the background to provide top PC performance
• Game Tools: fine-tunes mouse, keyboard, and specialized game controllers with ease, as well as check your computer’s actual processing speed.

“People now spend nearly 10% of their online time gaming,” stated Hugo Dong, CEO of IObit. “Because Game Booster v2 makes time spent on gaming more valuable and enjoyable, it’s well worth waiting for. Everyone who tries it will see how much of an improvement this tiny application makes to their gaming experience.”

More details of Game Booster v2 can be found at:

http://www.iobit.com/gamebooster.html

About IObit
Founded in 2004 by two creative and enthusiastic programmers, IObit is focusing on providing end-users with the most innovative and comprehensive system utilities and security software for best PC performance and security. Thanks to his flag-ship product Advanced SystemCare, IObit is now a well established and popular software company with millions of active users worldwide.

Highly anticipated tank MMO action game hits 500,000 active players worldwide, having 700,000 registrations

London, UK – November 16, 2010 – Wargaming.net today announced that the population of its highly anticipated free-to-play MMO action game World of Tanks reached 500,000 active players worldwide. The game was released 3 months ago in Russia and reached 350,000 active players (500,000 registrations). In the USA and Europe World of Tanks is still in Closed Beta Test having 150,000 active players (200,000 registrations).

The number of peak con-current users (PCCU) in Russia exceeded 43,000. In the West PCCU surpassed 10,000 players. On average each active gamer spends 3 hours and 20 minutes playing the game every day. 10 million battles have been fought since September.

“It’s just the beginning of a global legend,” said Victor Kislyi, CEO of Wargaming.net. “We see this game running for at least ten years in the West and Asia with tons of new content coming out every month.”

Join the beta at: http://game.worldoftanks.com/registration/cbt/

For more information on World of Tanks, visit http://www.worldoftanks.com/

About World of Tanks

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, and the Soviet Union, carefully detailed with historical accuracy.

A flexible system of authentic vehicle upgrade 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 iron empire and manifest the indisputable authority of the tank! Feel the TANK POWER!

About Wargaming.net

Wargaming.net is an award-winning strategy game specialist, incorporated in the UK. Its 170-strong development team is located in Minsk, Belarus. Since 1998, the company has shipped 13 titles, including acclaimed Massive Assault series, Order of War RTS published by Square Enix, and three add-ons for Blitzkrieg II. Wargaming.net’s Operation Bagration RTS was awarded the Best Strategy Game of 2008 at Russian Game Developers Conference (KRI). At KRI 2009 and 2010 Wargaming.net was named The Best Developer Company from ex-USSR. At KRI 2010 World of Tanks won “Best MMO” prize.

Find the Holy Grail, win half the kingdom and the princess’ hand in marriage. What could go wrong?

You’ll find out in December with Braveheart, an action-packed RPG from Gaijin Entertainment! You may already know Gaijin as the developer of the best-selling iPhone / iPod Touch game Modern Conflict. Braveheart is their first self-published title.

You play as the brave knight Richard, who has been sent by King Wilhelm to recover the elusive Holy Grail. As it turns out this is not an easy task, since numerous enemies and monsters stand in your way and the Grail itself is guarded by a massive dragon! Braveheart has a dynamic combat system with 10 different weapons, a variety of magical spells, and tons of bonuses and power-ups to help Richard fight his way to victory. Between heart-pounding action sequences, the story unfolds via comic book style cutscenes. Learn more about Braveheart on Gaijin’s website: http://gaijinent.com/en/games/braveheart/

End-users who would like to participate in the game’s beta test (through December 1) can apply here: http://gaijinent.com/en/games/braveheart/getbeta/

Braveheart will release in December with iPhone / iPod Touch and iPad (HD) versions (pricing is still being determined). In the meantime, please let your readers know about this upcoming title. Assets to accompany your news can be found at the links below.

Screenshots: http://www.gaijin.ru/upload/files/screens_pack/braveheart_screens.zip (zip archive)
Trailer: http://www.gaijin.ru/upload/files/download_video/braveheart_trailer.zip

All 13 Legendary Beatles Studio Albums & Special Digital Box Set

Sydney, Australia – 17 November, 2010 – Apple Corps, EMI and Apple® today announced that the Beatles, the most influential and beloved rock band in music history, are now available for the first time on the iTunes Store® (www.apple.com/au/itunes). Starting today, the group’s 13 legendary remastered studio albums with iTunes LPs, the two-volume “Past Masters” compilation and the classic “Red” and “Blue” collections are available for purchase and download on iTunes® worldwide as either albums or individual songs. Fans can also get a special digital “Beatles Box Set” featuring the “Live at the Washington Coliseum, 1964” concert film, a worldwide iTunes exclusive which captures the Beatles’ very first US concert.

“We’re really excited to bring the Beatles’ music to iTunes,” said Sir Paul McCartney. “It’s fantastic to see the songs we originally released on vinyl receive as much love in the digital world as they did the first time around.”

“I am particularly glad to no longer be asked when the Beatles are coming to iTunes,” said Ringo Starr. “At last, if you want it—you can get it now—The Beatles from Liverpool to now! Peace and Love, Ringo.”

“We love the Beatles and are honoured and thrilled to welcome them to iTunes,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “It has been a long and winding road to get here. Thanks to the Beatles and EMI, we are now realising a dream we’ve had since we launched iTunes ten years ago.”

“In the joyful spirit of Give Peace A Chance, I think it is so appropriate that we are doing this on John’s 70th birthday year,” said Yoko Ono Lennon.

“The Beatles on iTunes—Bravo!” said Olivia Harrison.

“The Beatles and iTunes have both been true innovators in their fields,” said EMI Group CEO Roger Faxon. “It’s a privilege for everybody at EMI to work with Steve Jobs and with Apple Corps’ Jeff Jones and their teams in marking a great milestone in the development of digital music.”

Each of the Beatles’ 13 legendary remastered studio albums, including “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” “Revolver,” “The Beatles [The White Album]” and “Abbey Road” include iTunes LPs, which create an immersive album experience with a beautiful design and expanded visual features including a unique mini-documentary about the creation of each album. The two-volume “Past Masters” compilation and the classic “Red” and “Blue” collections are also available.

Single albums are available for purchase and download for AUD$20.99 inc. GST each, double albums for AUD$35.99 inc. GST each and individual songs for AUD$2.19 inc. GST each.

The special digital “Beatles Box Set” (AUD$259 inc. GST) contains the 13 remastered studio albums with iTunes LPs and all mini-documentaries, “Past Masters,” and the “Live at the Washington Coliseum, 1964” concert film, a worldwide iTunes exclusive which captures the Beatles’ very first US concert in its entirety. In addition, Beatles fans can stream and view the “Live at the Washington Coliseum, 1964” concert film from iTunes for free for the remainder of this calendar year.

Apple Corps Ltd. was founded by The Beatles in 1968 to look after the group’s own affairs. The London-based company has administered the catalogue of The Beatles releases of the 1960s that have sold to date more than 600 million records, tapes and CDs. Since the 1990s, Apple has piloted new Beatles projects that have become benchmarks for pioneering accomplishment and which have included The Beatles Anthology projects, the 29-million selling album The Beatles 1, The Beatles LOVE show and CD and the 09/09/09 release of The Beatles Remastered catalogue and The Beatles Rock Band game. Further information on The Beatles’ projects can be found at www.thebeatles.com.

EMI Music is one of the world’s leading music companies, representing artists spanning all musical tastes and genres. Its record labels include Angel, Astralwerks, Blue Note, Capitol, Capitol Latin, Capitol Nashville, EMI Classics, EMI CMG, EMI Records, EMI Records Nashville, Manhattan, Parlophone and Virgin.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork, and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple is reinventing the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced its magical iPad which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

Eyedip adds more social sharing options, introduces new power-up, and enhances boost mechanics

New York, NY — November 16, 2010 — Eyedip announces Game Center integration for its high-flying balloon game, Flight Doodle, available for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Flight Doodle players can now view achievements and compare best scores on global leaderboards within the Game Center community. In addition to the new social sharing options, the latest update of Flight Doodle also features a brand new “bomb” power-up, revamped boost mechanics, and exciting new balance changes.

Flight Doodle is a tilt-controlled, hot-air balloon game that combines customizable air-crafts with playful graphics to create a cheerfully light-hearted gaming experience. Attempting to reach extreme heights, players collect tools and power-ups to amplify their agility, avoid varied enemies and blast obstacles.

The “bomb” power-up detonates all enemies in sight and the update presents players with exciting new challenges like faster difficulty progression and even an overheating balloon! In addition, the new user interface element monitors boost power and a dynamic slider controls game speed.

“Game Center integration broadens the social gaming network for our fans, and to make sure the competitive landscape stays interesting, we’ve made several balance changes to incorporate all of the fantastic feedback from our fans,” says Steven Fleisher, Co-Founder of Eyedip. “Power-ups drop more frequently so we scaled up the rate that the difficulty increases in order to coincide with the new increased fire power.”

“We make a concerted effort to continuously fine-tune the user experience,” says Jeremy Adelman, Co-Founder of Eyedip. “The new user interface, ‘bomb’ power-up, and difficulty adjustments will present players with more opportunities to make high-impact gameplay decisions. For us, providing players with interesting choices and new mechanics is what game design is all about.”