The Liars and Cheats Pack for Red Dead Redemption is now available for download to your PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, via PlayStation Network ($AUD15.95) and Xbox LIVE (800 Microsoft Points) respectively.  This pack massively expands the Red Dead Redemption Free Roam multiplayer experience with a huge array of new highly-requested content, including:

Stronghold Competitive Multiplayer Mode
Our take on the popular “Attack & Defend” multiplayer gameplay variation, which supports up to 16 players on any one of four maps [Blackwater, Escalera, Fort Mercer & Thieves Landing] and features some of the most exciting and strategic gameplay of any of Red Dead Redemption’s diverse Competitive Multiplayer modes.

Multiplayer Poker and Liar’s Dice Games
One of the most fan-requested features comes to Red Dead Redemption multiplayer. Anywhere from 2-6 players can compete in a variety on different locations, and all players begin with a $200 daily gambling allowance.  Once you run out, you will have to wait until the next day before your funds are replenished.

Multiplayer Horse Races
Races support up to 8 players in a cup-style tournament that consists of anywhere from 3 to 5 races, where mounted combat adds to the exhilarating thrills of head-to-head racing.

The Explosive Rifle
The Explosive Rifle does exactly what’s advertised – It obliterates any enemy in its path in one powerful shot, with the force of its blast even knocking down nearby enemies in the process. This devastatingly destructive weapon is available to use in both single player and multiplayer, and comes with its own set of challenges.

7 New Gang Hideouts
Posse up and take on the new Hideouts together to level up quickly.

4 New Hunting Grounds
New Hunting Grounds are now visible on the map for all to see, with some of the most action-packed wildlife hunting yet.

Posse Scoring and Leaderboards
Compare stats with other posses and compete to see who are the kings of the Free Roam frontier.

All this, plus new Achievements and Trophies to collect as well as 15 new multiplayer characters taken directly from the Red Dead Redemption single player story.  To commemorate the launch of the Liars and Cheats Pack, we are also proud to announce that we will be having another Double XP Weekend, starting this coming Friday (September 24th) at 1PM Eastern, and lasting until 11:59PM Eastern on Sunday (September 26th).

TO DOWNLOAD ON PLAYSTATION NETWORK
Once you’ve registered for a PlayStation Network account you can then scroll to the PlayStation Network icon on your XMB and select PlayStation Store. The Red Dead Redemption Liars and Cheats Pack is available from the Add-On section.

TO DOWNLOAD ON XBOX LIVE
Simply go to Xbox LIVE Marketplace with your connected Xbox 360 console and select the Red Dead Redemption Liars and Cheats Pack from the Game Add-ons section of Marketplace. Alternatively, you can download the DLC from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace website and have it ready and waiting for you the next time you go online with your Xbox 360 (requires Xbox LIVE Gold Membership for online play).

TWO MILLION IS TWICE AS JUICY AS ONE MILLION

September 23rd, 2010 – Approximately 3 months ago, we made the announcement that Fruit Ninja had surpassed one million copies sold on iPhone. One million sold is an extraordinary achievement for any game on any platform, but everyone at Halfbrick is simply ecstatic to do it again with the same game in the same amount of time.

Fruit Ninja surpassed one million in 74 days, and reaching the second million from that point only took an additional 78 days. It’s on a roll, and Halfbrick has the entire world to thank for their incredible support of the simplest and most satisfying iPhone game on the App store.

Since release, we have also created a brand new website and blog to keep Halfbrick fans in the loop about all our major releases. Simple head to www.halfbrick.com and sign up to the RSS feed for regular updates!

To celebrate the two million, we did some digging. Some Holmes-like research. Here’s some pretty astonishing statistics to munch on while you slice up your next game!

Total Fruit Sliced, Worldwide – 24,342,983,809. That’s 24 BILLION. Extrapolating from that data, we can conclude that over 10 million tonnes of fruit have been sliced around the world. Let’s hope that it all fell into a giant juicing machine to create sweet, nutritious drinks for kids around the world as they go about their studies. Knowledge = Ninja Power, kids!

Average Classic Mode High Score – 196.60 – We hear daily reports of players unable to crack 200, but for the trained Fruit Ninja elite, it’s not uncommon to regularly achieve scores of twice that amount.

Average Zen Mode High Score – 194.68 – There is a physical limit to the achievable score in Zen Mode due to the timer, but 194 for an average is impressively high. A seasoned player may only score 220 – 230 on a regular basis, so 194 on average makes the Halfbrick team incredibly proud of its ninja apprentices!

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!

Comic Jumper, the second Xbox LIVE Arcade title in Game Feast, presented by Microsoft Game Studios, will be available October 6^th. We’ve created an in-depth community toolkit to outline this unique XBLA title, including game details, screenshots, trailers, and more! All assets are available in the download links below. Review codes to follow in the next week.  

About Comic Jumper

Threatened with becoming just another failed superhero, Captain Smiley is rescued by the fine folks at Twisted Pixel who provide him with a base of operations and Comic Jumping technology al­lowing him—and his back-talking “chestkick” named Star—to leap into other comic books and save misguided plotlines, so that they may earn enough cash to catapult their superhero careers back into the limelight. From the creators of the award-winning titles Splosion Man and The Maw, Comic Jumper is the team’s most ambitious game yet. Freebies: Free, all new unlockable Splosion Man single-player and mul­tiplayer levels included in Comic Jumper!

Logitech Wireless Illuminated Keyboard K800 Features Smart Backlighting 

Australia — Sept. 21, 2010 —Logitech (SWX: LOGN) (NASDAQ: LOGI) today introduced the rechargeable Logitech® Wireless Illuminated Keyboard K800, delivering bright, precise illumination — day or night. It’s perfect for those using their computer late at night trying to finish off that last minute email or overdue assignment or for professionals working in mixed and dim lighting conditions like radiologists.

The newest Logitech keyboard features ambient light and motion sensors, ensuring that you have the right amount of backlight when you need it, while conserving battery life when you don’t. This new addition will broaden the scope of the Logitech keyboard family even further, providing greater flexibility and enabling users to get exactly what they want from their keyboard.

“The Wireless Illuminated Keyboard K800 is perfect for someone who values both form and function,” said Denis Pavillard, vice president of product marketing for Logitech’s keyboards and desktops. “The Wireless Illuminated K800 keyboard includes features that make it a standout  — smart backlighting, Logitech® Unifying technology, our PerfectStroke™ key system and Logitech Incurve keys™ — and presents it all in a very stylish and sleek package that’s sure to please.”

The Wireless Illuminated K800 backlighting automatically adjusts based on the amount of light in the room using ambient light sensors. Motion sensors detect your hands as they approach to turn the backlighting on and to turn it back off when your hands move away. As a result, you’ll enjoy bright, precise illumination and more battery life — up to 10 days of battery life without recharging. (Actual battery life will vary with use, settings and environmental conditions.)

The Wireless Illuminated K800 is always ready when you need it thanks to the micro-USB cable that lets you recharge while you type. Due to the fast, flexible recharging, you’ll never need to replace the batteries. Instead, you can simply plug in the universal micro-USB cable to recharge the onboard batteries. 

Because a good keyboard needs to deliver a good typing experience, the Logitech Wireless Illuminated keyboard includes the PerfectStroke™ key system and Logitech Incurve keys™. The PerfectStroke key system helps make every stroke comfortable, fluid and whisper-quiet.  And the concave design and softly rounded edges of the durable Logitech Incurve keys position your fingers properly and invite your fingertips to glide from key to key, hour after hour. Additionally, the letters and characters on the keys are very durable and won’t wear off.       

The Wireless Illuminated Keyboard K800 is also the latest in a line of Logitech® Unifying-compatible mice and keyboards that feature the tiny, leave-in receiver — so small you can leave it in your laptop. Unifying-compatible keyboards feature Logitech® Advanced 2.4 GHz wireless connectivity, virtually eliminating delays and dropouts.

Pricing and Availability

The Logitech Wireless Illuminated Keyboard K800 is expected to be available in early October for a suggested retail price for RRP $179.95. Retailers will include logitechshop.com.au (including pre-orders), Officeworks, Dick Smith, Harvey Norman, JB Hi Fi or via distributors Ingram Micro, Scholastic Australia, Altech Computers  & Fluidtek IT.

For information on the full Logitech keyboard range please visit:

With Multiplayer Horse Racing, the Liars and Cheats Pack <http://www.rockstargames.com/reddeadredemption/dlc/liars>  brings one of the most fan-requested DLC updates to the world of Red Dead Redemption Multiplayer <http://www.rockstargames.com/reddeadredemption/features/multiplayer> .  Races support up to 8 players, and each multiplayer contest is a cup-style tournament that consists of anywhere from 3 to 5 races, where players earn points based on their position of finish.

In addition to the exhilarating thrills of head-to-head racing on horseback, the new Multiplayer Horse Racing mode brings something else to the track – mounted combat.  After a designated brief period of calm at the start of each race, players can draw their guns and take aim at opponents.

 
In each race, you are given a fixed amount of guns and ammunition and there is no auto-targeting, but players can acquire more by running over weapons that have been dropped by opponents that have been killed.  If killed during a race you simply re-spawn with a small time penalty.
 
To check out these new screens in high definition, along with more information on additional new content included in the Liars and Cheats Pack, visit the Liars and Cheats page at the Red Dead Redemption website <http://www.rockstargames.com/reddeadredemption/dlc/liars> .

The Liars and Cheats Pack for Red Dead Redemption is coming September 21st for download on PlayStation Network ($15.95) and Xbox LIVE (800 Microsoft Points).

http://www.rockstargames.com/newswire/article/8811/new_screens_and_details_on_multiplayer_horse_racing_in_the_red_dead_redemption_liars_and_cheats_pack.article

New Gardening Game to Blossom on Nintendo 3DS

Australia & New Zealand, Sep 21, 2010 — The EA Play Label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) announced My Garden for the Nintendo 3DS(TM), a new title in development that will allow players to create custom gardens in a variety of unique and beautiful environments. Optimized for the coming 3-D platform, My Garden will offer graphics that bring flowers to life in a vibrant and realistic manner. Digital gardeners will get to choose from hundreds of flower and plant varieties as well as unique items to design, cultivate and enhance landscapes.

“With My Garden, our aim was simple: to make something beautiful that comes to life on the Nintendo 3DS like no other platform,” said Rod Humble, Executive Vice President of the EA Play Label. “We hope to offer a game that’s so immersive that it truly brings the delight of owning a garden to life through a visually stunning 3D experience.”

With the help of a cute sidekick named Tanuki, players will test their green thumbs on a variety of missions that inspire them to create beautiful outdoor spaces in six unique environments such as an arid desert, the banks of a cascading brook, and a lush rainforest. Gardeners will snap a photo of their creations with the game’s free-roaming in-game camera in order to unlock rare and exotic flowers. Along the way, My Garden players will also unlock more than 20 different abilities for Tanuki, who uses those attributes, plus a little magic, to help the garden reach its full potential.

Every gardener will have a bouquet of flowers and items to choose from in creating his or her own floral paradise. As new growth begins to push, the flora comes alive in a resplendent array of colors and textures, attracting natural garden visitors ranging from birds to butterflies, insects and other creatures. If a player wants a few more feathered friends in the garden, simply whistle bird calls into the Nintendo 3DS microphone to summon additional members of the flock. Alternatively, if too many unwanted visitors arrive at the garden gate, a quick shake of the Nintendo 3DS will send them scattering while also dispensing in-game coins that can be used to add a variety of new garden tools and more plants.

My Garden will be released alongside the hardware launch of the Nintendo 3DS. For more information on My Garden, please visit: www.ea.com/mygarden.

(Please click on the image above for high resolution images)

Sydney, Australia: 21 September, 2010 – Fujitsu PC Australia today announces the release of the Fujitsu LIFEBOOK AH530 now available with the ATI Mobility Radeon™ 1GB Graphic Card More than being a capable desktop-replacement, the LIFEBOOK AH530 is the perfect all-in-one machine that will transport you into an astounding world of gaming and entertainment with its superior performance, catering to the most demanding leisurely pursuits of consumers.

“The Fujitsu LIFEBOOK AH530 is a stylish desktop alternative designed to help the modern consumer with both play and work activities, all with a touch a class. Perfectly capable of powerful processing, gaming and entertainment usage, the Fujitsu LIFEBOOK AH530 is the perfect companion for weekdays to weekends,” elaborates Mr. Ivan Chan, Country Director, Fujitsu PC Australia.

With speed and computing power for both work and leisure, the LIFEBOOK AH530 features the latest Intel® Core™ i3-350M or Intel® Core™ i5-450M (2.40GHz with a Turbo Boost function of up to 2.66GHz). Further performance is enabled by the 2GB DDR3 memory supporting up to 8GB and 5,400rpm hard disk and Windows® 7 Home Premium 64-bit or Windows® 7 Professional operating system. With these latest technologies, the LIFEBOOK AH530 allows you to power up numerous applications concurrently and be able to reference several documents simultaneously without any disruptive lag time. With all these greater performance features, users can multitask effortlessly or even run multiple demanding applications simultaneously.

With the LIFEBOOK AH530, users will rediscover the joy of entertainment. Embellished with a 15.6-inch SuperFine back-light LED 16:9 High Definition widescreen display with 220 nits brightness,  1366 by 768 pixels resolution, 350:1 Contrast Ratio, 60% Colour Gamut and boosted by the ATI Mobility Radeon™ HD 550v 1GB VRAM graphics card, the LIFEBOOK AH530 turns your leisure time into a delectable visual affair.

Presenting users with an alternative option to take their viewing experience up another level, the LIFEBOOK AH530 comes with an HDMI output to a high definition LCD TV screen. If you’re a self-acclaimed videophile, get ready for a visual feast as you indulge yourself in a marathon of the latest movie blockbusters, a relaxing night of watching YouTube videos or even an intensifying gaming session where you battle it out on the latest strategy games. The LIFEBOOK AH530 pampers your senses with the razor sharp display of rich colours, proving itself to be a must-have in your home.

Complementing the whole desktop computing experience, the LIFEBOOK AH530 features a full keyboard with a 10-key number pad to provide the user with an ease of use while minimising the footprint. Rendering a full-featured support to the user, the LIFEBOOK AH530 is an all-in-one communication tool with features like a 1.3 Mega Pixel Camera with dual built-in speakers and microphone, making it a breeze to keep in touch with business associates and friends. It also comes with a Bluetooth facility to facilitate an effortless and smooth file sharing and transfer process.

With a minimalist, sophisticated design, the LIFEBOOK AH530 shows a marriage of function and style. Draped in two urbane colours, Glossy Black and White, the LIFEBOOK AH530 portrays you as a chic individual with fine taste.

Fujitsu remains firmly committed to the promotion of a cleaner environment and complies with the European Union’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances directive (RoHS) across its entire range of products. In addition, Fujitsu has established a set of commitments that goes beyond RoHS requirements, thus allowing it to stay keenly focused on its customers’ health and well-being as well as to embrace a healthier environment for all. By adopting a green factory concept and being committed to the cause of energy-efficient computing, Fujitsu also fights to sustain the Earth as a sponsor and a member of the Climate Savers Computing Initiative.

Pricing and Availability: Fujitsu LifeBook AH530
Vendor: Fujitsu PC Australia
Model:  LifeBook AH530
RRP: from A$1,149
Website: http://au.fujitsu.com/pc
Customer Care Hotline: 1800 288 283
Distributors:  Bluechip Infotech and Multimedia Technology
Availability: Now

About Fujitsu
Fujitsu is a leading provider of ICT-based business solutions for the global marketplace. With approximately 170,000 employees supporting customers in 70 countries, Fujitsu combines a worldwide corps of systems and services experts with highly reliable computing and communications products and advanced microelectronics to deliver added value to customers. Headquartered in Tokyo, Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.6 trillion yen (US$50 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2010. For more information, please see: www.fujitsu.com.

About Fujitsu PC
Fujitsu PC pledges “Built-in Confidence” for every product under its brand name to reassure users of product and service excellence. From high performance components to stringent quality control and professional after-sales service, Fujitsu stands for reliability and satisfaction.

Fujitsu PC Australia is the Sales and Marketing office of Fujitsu PC Asia Pacific (the Asia Pacific Regional Headquarters for PC business of Fujitsu Limited, Japan). Its responsibilities include the marketing and sales of a wide range of personal computers for the corporate and end-user markets in Australia and New Zealand.

Delivering fans original content exclusively playable in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, axe shredders, drummers and fearless frontmen will have the opportunity to rock out to “Black Rain” as part of the 90+ on-disc set list in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. 

Additionally, from 29^th September, fans and gamers alike will get full access to Soundgarden’s Telephantasm album, their new 12-song, career-spanning opus, as downloadable content for Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock.

In Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock, join with friends on an epic rock journey to save rock n’ roll.  Featuring an impressive 90+ track set list and a host of all-new gameplay features, living room legends and their friends can strum, drum and wail in the most immersive music videogame experience to date. 

Delivering the quintessential rock music collection that focuses on guitar shredding hits from bands such as Black Sabbath, Slipknot and Megadeth and larger-than-life band anthems from Queen, Muse and KISS, players can unleash more rewards and unlockable content than ever before in Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock’s Quest Mode, the franchise’s first ever story-based mode, and Quickplay, which invites challenge-starved fanatics to test their rock skills.

Running on the powerful Guitar Hero engine that has been expanded and refined and with encores from the critically-acclaimed and fan favourite gameplay features that made Guitar Hero one of the most popular franchises of all-time – such as Party Play, Competitive modes and any combination of up to four instruments – the game offers a complete interactive and connected experience bringing friends and foes to the stage in the ultimate rock music experience.

SEE VIRTUAL WORLDS™ TEAMS WITH THE ESTATE OF MICHAEL JACKSON TO PUBLISH
ONLINE VIRTUAL WORLD, PLANET MICHAEL™

· Immense game world to be themed around this planet’s biggest star
· Will feature real-world economy along with opportunities to learn about and contribute to charitable causes
· “One of our primary goals was to build an interactive environment where fans from all over the world come together to affirm Michael’s life-long dedication to fostering global friendships,” Martin Biallas, CEO of SEE
Virtual Worlds, LLC

Los Angeles – September 21, 2010 – SEE Virtual Worlds™, an entertainment company developing a virtual reality universe of connected planets tied to licensed franchises, today announced a collaborative deal with the Michael Jackson Estate to publish Planet Michael™, a massively multiplayer online virtual world set to launch in late 2011. Planet Michael will offer fans around the globe an innovative, first-of-its-kind interactive gaming and social experience that truly celebrates Michael Jackson’s extraordinary life as an artist and humanitarian.

The new planet, currently under development and slated for launch next year, will be an immersive virtual space themed after iconic visuals drawn from Michael’s music, his life and the global issues that concerned him. Entire continents will be created that will celebrate Michael’s unique genius in a way that underscores his place as the greatest artist of all time. Michael’s longtime fans will feel at home as they find themselves in
places that seem familiar and yet unknown at the same time, and new generations will discover and experience Michael’s life in a way never before imagined. At its core, Planet Michael is a massive social gaming experience that will allow everyone, from the hardcore fan to the novice, to connect and engage in collaborative in-game activities with people worldwide.

Planet Michael is one of the first themed-planets that will be published by SEE Virtual Worlds for the Entropia Universe, a vast dynamic 3D environment created and provided to end users by MindArk PE AB. The Entropia Universe features several existing planets and combines a revolutionary cash economy with cutting-edge graphics. Although Planet Michael is a free-to-download world without monthly subscription fees, the real-world in-game economy features gameplay monetisation that allows players to take on dozens of different occupations and in certain instances, contribute to a charitable cause at the same time.

“When we first approached the Estate and talked about creating Planet Michael, one of our primary goals was to build an interactive environment where fans from all over the world come together to affirm Michael’s
life-long dedication to fostering global friendships,” said Martin Biallas, CEO of SEE Virtual Worlds. “In building a space worthy of those global connections, we envisioned a magical, enjoyable place that will capture
that zest for fun and life that was at Michael’s very core. Throughout his extensive career, the King of Pop was well-known for his visionary contributions to music, dance, fashion, entertainment and philanthropy, and
it was critical that we somehow incorporate all of those elements into the game.

“No artist unified the world like Michael Jackson, so it is fitting that in Planet Michael his fans will be able to join together in such a unique way online to celebrate his music, his artistry and his devotion to helping those in need,” said John Branca, co-executor for The Estate of Michael Jackson. “Michael was always exploring creative new ways technology could enhance the experiences of his fans, and for that reason we are thrilled to be working with SEE Virtual Worlds to build a global interactive experience that befits an artist as innovative as Michael Jackson,” added John McClain, co-executor of the Estate.

For game updates and to register to become a part of Planet Michael, please
visit: www.planetmichael.com.

For additional assets and information please visit:
http://bhimpact.gamespress.com/client_page.asp?i=181.

About SEE Virtual Worlds:
Special Entertainment Events or SEE has been in the business of themed entertainment for over a decade. For SEE this is a process of utilising known entertainment titles and franchises in new and innovative ways to increase brand awareness and create lucrative additional revenue streams for Licensors and project investors. SEE has worked with some of the most iconic names in show business, including Star Trek, Pokémon and Titanic. SEE has received numerous awards for excellence in touring attractions and other themed entertainment projects.

Popular productivity app adds laser pointer, group edits and Dropbox support

Tempe, AZ — September 21, 2010 — Avici Software, LLC has just updated their widely popular productivity app, Whiteboard HD. The powerful visualization, collaboration and learning tool for the iPad now has even more far-reaching functionality, useful new tools and additional capabilities. As a full-featured, interactive whiteboard, the application has already proven itself to be both effective and productive for corporate board rooms and work groups, educational institutions, sports organizations, broadcasting studios and more!

“We received a lot of great feedback from Whiteboard HD users and we’ve added a substantial number of features,” says CEO of Avici Software, Cory Powers. “New tools like an integrated laser pointer for presentations on external displays, and features like grouping elements for edits are fantastic evolutions for Whiteboard HD in terms of maximizing utility.”

The update now supports a new sharable file type that enables users to send fully editable boards to other Whiteboard users. In addition, images can now be imported or exported to the native Photo Library, Dropbox or Box.net accounts as PDFs or photos. Issues regarding VGA output to external displays have also been completely resolved.

“There really is a lot more to see now,” says Cory Powers, CEO of Avici Software, “so we’ve added a lot of support options for different functions as well as a Help screen to aid users in navigating through everything that’s now possible using Whiteboard HD.”

Whiteboard HD is available for $6.99 from the iTunes App Store on iPad or at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/whiteboard-hd/id383779666?mt=8

For more information please visit: http://www.avicisoftware.com/
The Whiteboard HD website: http://www.avicisoftware.com/whiteboard