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ATI Radeon™ HD 4550 and ATI Radeon™ HD 4350 Graphics Cards Load Up Compelling Gaming and Multimedia Features

SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Sept. 30, 2008 —AMD (NYSE: AMD) today announced the introduction of the ATI Radeon™ HD 4550 and ATI Radeon™ HD 4350 graphics cards, the latest additions to the award-winning ATI Radeon™ HD 4000 series graphics line up. These feature-rich graphics cards deliver exceptional gaming and HD multimedia performance at value prices. Both cards are based on the same technology found in the celebrated ATI Radeon™ HD 4800 series, including support for the latest DirectX® 10.1 games and superior HD multimedia capabilities.

Delivering mainstream-class performance at a value price, the ATI Radeon HD 4550 graphics card plays demanding game titles previously unplayable by cards in this price segment2, starting from just USD $55 for a 512MB memory configuration.  An even more incredible value, the ATI Radeon HD 4350 graphics card is the ideal introduction to the ATI Radeon HD 4000 series, starting from USD $39 for a 256 MB memory configuration, giving gamers and multimedia enthusiasts more features than products available from the competition today.3

“The ATI Radeon™ HD 4550 and ATI Radeon™ 4350 graphics cards are the final pieces of the puzzle in rounding out the highly successful ATI Radeon™ HD 4000 series family,” said Rick Bergman, senior vice president and general manager, Graphics Products Group, AMD. “AMD set out to lead performance at every price point and today we offer a complete family of graphics cards that delivers on our commitment of winning performance in each market segment.”

Step up your game: The ATI Radeon™ HD 4550 graphics card

The ATI Radeon™ HD 4550 graphics card gives mainstream-class PC game performance at a value price. Derived from the same cutting edge technology found throughout the ATI Radeon HD 4800 family of products and featuring 80 stream processing cores, the card is based on the AMD advanced second generation 55nm process. With 96 GFLOPS of compute power (eight times the raw compute power of the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue), the ATI Radeon™ HD 4550 allows users to unlock new gaming experiences never before playable in this segment2, with full support for DirectX 10.1 games. With incredible power efficiency, operating at less than 20 watts under full load, the ATI Radeon™ HD 4550 is available as a passively cooled solution so users can access incredible gaming capabilities with a minimum of noise, heat and power consumption. The ATI Radeon™ HD 4550 with a frame buffer of 512MB DDR3 memory is expected to be available in October.

 “It’s great to see AMD deliver gaming performance for the mainstream segment,” said Alexander Muller, CEO, SK Gaming International. “People will be excited to know they can get their hands on leading graphics performance at an incredible value price.”

Go beyond HD: The ATI Radeon™ HD 4350 graphics card

With certain card configurations offering more than seven times the gaming performance compared to competing integrated motherboard graphics offerings1, the ATI Radeon HD 4350 graphics card marks an incredible, low-cost introduction to the ATI Radeon™ HD 4000 series family.  Consuming just 20 watts under full load and featuring a frame buffer of 256MB memory and 7.1 channel audio via HDMI, the ATI Radeon™ HD 4350 is also expected to be available in October.

Spectacular HD multimedia experience

Home theatre enthusiasts should especially appreciate the ATI Radeon™ HD 4550 or the ATI Radeon™ HD 4350 graphics offerings. In addition to superior game performance, these ultra-quiet cards represent a tremendous value for do-it-yourself home theatre PC builders by enabling a feature-rich, high definition and high quality home theatre experience when used in conjunction with HD displays.  Like all ATI Radeon™ HD 4000 series products, the home theatre experience is enriched with features such as AMD’s second generation Unified Video Decoder (UVD 2.0) ensuring smooth HD media playback, and ATI Avivo™ HD technology that delivers sharp, crisp images and vibrant colours for immersive, cinema-quality home entertainment. 4

Ecosystem support

The ATI Radeon HD 4550 and ATI Radeon HD 4350 graphics cards are supported by a dozen add-in-board companies offering custom designs of the products.  Partners include ASUS, Club 3D, Diamond Multimedia, Force3D, GECUBE, GIGABYTE, HIS (Hightech Information Systems), Jetway, MSI, Palit Multimedia, PowerColor, SAPPHIRE Technology and  VisionTek.5

For more information about both products, visit http://www.amd.com/newsroom.

About AMD

Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) is a leading innovator in semiconductor design and manufacturing dedicated to collaborating with customers and partners in ways that ignite the next generation of technology solutions at work, at home and at play. For more information, visit http://www.amd.com.

 
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NEW ONLINE SHOPPING ALLIANCE FORGED FOR TYRE AND AUTO MARKET

Sydney, 26 September 2008 – CarbonBlack TyreXchange (CarbonBlack), Australia’s leading independent online marketplace for tyres and auto services, today outlined an alliance with Catalogue Central to create the premier comparative shopping resource for the tyre and auto sector. The CarbonBlack tyre and auto dealer network and its products and services will now be found across the Catalogue Central website. As part of the deal, cross-promotion of Catalogue Central will occur on the CarbonBlack website. The alliance is part of the CarbonBlack goal to generate two million consumer visits to its site in the next twelve months and provide greater value for its growing network of leading parts and services across Australia. 

The alliances between CarbonBlack and Catalogue Central create a series of firsts for both organisations. 

“This is the first time that a tyre and auto service catalogue will be listed with Catalogue Central,” outlined the founder of CarbonBlack, Ms. Jodi Stanton. 

This expansion to more online retail destinations is part of the CarbonBlack goal to generate two million consumer visits to the independent marketplace over the next twelve months. It is also the first announcement for multiple destinations that CarbonBlack intends on securing. 

For Jodi Stanton, Managing Director, the alliances are part of the strategic rollout of the company. “We recently added almost a million aftermarket auto parts to our online marketplace. Today, 90% of consumers research a major purchase online before they buy. Comparative shopping on external retail destinations is another tool to help consumers find the most appropriate and relevant tyre and auto dealer, or even spare part. The independence of CarbonBlack is a great way to reassure consumers that their search for value will be met,” she said. 

The cross selling of lead generation services also has benefit for Catalogue Central. A digital catalogue of over 7,000 tyre tread patterns will be published on the Catalogue Central website and a wide range of automotive digital catalogues from Catalogue Central will be posted to the CarbonBlack site.

The ready-to-buy aspect of comparative shopping was also a key component of the alliance for Catalogue Central’s Chief Executive Officer, Rob Wong. 

“Catalogue Central allows consumers to browse digital catalogues online for free and our shoppers are looking for relevant, independent product and pricing information. Our alliance with CarbonBlack is very complimentary to these goals and it is a strategic fit for our customer base,” he concluded.

Since establishment in mid 2007, CarbonBlack has been connecting consumers to auto dealers and parts suppliers.  CarbonBlack services includes market research surveys and email marketing to over 600,000 profiled consumers. Today hundreds of leading tyre dealers and auto service centres provide products and services to Australian consumers.

 
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Top 10 Things to Do While Xbox LIVE is Offline for Maintenance

The Xbox team is hard at work getting ready for the launch of the New Xbox Experience, coming to Xbox 360s around the world later this Spring. In order to prepare to bring you new features, games and experiences the team is going to need to take Xbox LIVE offline for a short time. On September 29 Xbox LIVE will be unavailable from 5.01 PM and will restart at 4:59 PM on September 30. 

“Well, what are we supposed to do during that time?” you ask. We are a step ahead of you. Take a look below for the Top 10 Things to Do While Xbox LIVE is Offline for Maintenance. And don’t worry… Xbox LIVE will be back up soon, ready for the New Xbox Experience to come and change the way you and your friends stay entertained at home.  

1.       Today is International Inventor’s Day.  Create a time machine so you can fast forward 24 hours when the downtime will be over.

2.       Read the unofficial strategy guide to “Braid” so you can boost your Achievements and finally beat the game.

3.       Head over to the nearest shopping centre to search for inspiration and design ideas to use when creating your Avatar. We hear kilts and t-shirts with gamer slogans will be in this year.

4.       Go out and take some great pictures to share with your friends during an Xbox LIVE Party. Wear your kilt and gamer t-shirt.

5.       Flip through your collection and look for games that you haven’t completed and get stuck back into them.  Yes, even that nasty boss battle that you are avoiding going back to.

6.       Get ready for Lips by singing in front of a mirror with your beer bottle in your hand.

7.       Read MajorNelson.com to catch up on the latest features coming with the New Xbox Experience.

8.       Play some couch co-op on “Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise” and grow your garden, but watch out for Professor Pester, please.

9.       Play through the story-mode of the original “Gears of War” so you have a story refresher before “Gears of War 2” launches in November. Practice your Roadie Run. You could even make some chainsaw noises if you felt like it.

10.   Get some sun. You are going to be spending A LOT more time inside once the New Xbox Experience launches.

 
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UBISOFT GIVES GAMERS – SHAUN WHITE SNOWBOARDING ON THE GO

Versions for Nintendo DS™ and PSP® systems Allow You to Hit the Mountain Anytime and Anywhere

Australia – September 25, 2008 – Today Ubisoft announces the development of Shaun White Snowboarding for the Nintendo DS™ system and PSP® (PlayStation® Portable) system. The game is scheduled for release mid November, 2008.

Developed in close collaboration with Shaun White, Olympic Gold Medallist and eight-time X Games Gold Medallist, Shaun White Snowboarding for the PSP system and DS allows players to enjoy the thrilling sport of snowboarding anytime, anywhere. Built from the ground up on both platforms, each version includes exclusive and unique features. Using intuitive controls, players can ride and compete on mountains around the world. They can also express their creativity through rides and customisation and challenge their friends through wireless multiplayer.

Key features of Shaun White Snowboarding for Nintendo DS:

Carve Your Path Through Huge Mountain Environments – Create your own runs to suit your personal riding style, and choose your path down four open mountains. Each path offers its own risks, rewards and opportunities. Big airs, dangerous carves, thrilling speed runs and huge challenges await!
 
Intuitive Stylus Controls – Be in complete control of your rider using intuitive motion–based controls on the Touch Screen. Simply flick the stylus to jump, draw a circle to spin, or slide it across to control your carves. Experiment with a ton of different combinations and get into the game like never before!
 
Wireless Multiplayer for Four – Get your friends together for a snowboarding session using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Up to four players can get in on the action at once – compete in races, point competitions, king of the hill and more.
 
Customise Your Rider and Your Gear – You can choose a rider to suit your own personal style and complete challenges to unlock decals. These decals will not only be a way for you to customise your gear and show your accomplishments to the world, but will also help you customise your riding style by granting you new abilities. See a particularly cool sticker on a friend’s board? Trade stickers with your friends over a local wireless connection!
 
Key features of Shaun White Snowboarding for the PSP system:

Huge Outdoor World – With five mountains and a variety of slopes, the player will have plenty of room to ride in this outdoor playground.
 
Single and Multiplayer Modes – Embark on a solo campaign and explore the wildest mountains of the world, or select and replay specific slope challenges. Innovative multiplayer featuring co-op and competitive modes creates a richer and deeper overall experience.

Intuitive Controls – Experience a totally intuitive controls scheme, where all tricks and actions are available right from the beginning.
 
Unique Scoring System – Speed, trick, slide and carve your way to victory. Points are allotted based on these four actions rather than simply tricking – link these together to increase your skill rewards.
 
Skill Development – Earn experience points and build up your rider’s attributes to serve your riding style. Use your board and rider to work in unison to conquer the mountain.
 
For more information on Shaun White Snowboarding, please visit www.shaunwhitegame.com

About Ubisoft

Ubisoft is a leading producer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment products worldwide and has grown considerably through a strong and diversified line-up of products and partnerships. Ubisoft has teams in 28 countries and distributes games in more than 55 countries around the globe. It is committed to delivering high-quality, cutting-edge video game titles to consumers. For the 2007–08 fiscal year Ubisoft generated sales of 928 million euros. To learn more, please visit www.ubisoftgroup.com.

 
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BLIZZCON® 2008 LIVE ON MAIN EVENT

FOXTEL’s MAIN EVENT channel will offer Australian viewers the opportunity to see BlizzCon® 2008 – Blizzard Entertainment®’s sold out, two-day gaming convention celebrating the global player communities that surround its Warcraft®, Diablo®, and StarCraft® game universes – as exclusive LIVE pay-per-view events on Saturday, October 11 and Sunday, October 12.

MAIN EVENT will present eight hours live coverage on each of the two days of BlizzCon 2008 (16 hours in total) letting Australian gamers feel like they are actually there on the convention show floor. The exclusive pay-per-view broadcasts will include access to main stage presentations, exclusive interviews, tournament coverage, game demonstrations and much more.

The BlizzCon 2008 pay-per-view event will be available to all residential FOXTEL, AUSTAR and Optus subscribers, who can purchase it for $14.95 (inc GST) per day. MAIN EVENT’s coverage of BlizzCon 2008 will commence daily at 4.00am (AEDT) with subscribers also having access to the same day replay starting at 3.00pm (AEDT).

As a special offer, MAIN EVENT customers who purchase both separate days of the BlizzCon 2008 pay-per-view package can also register at www.mainevent.com.au to receive a BlizzCon-exclusive in-game polar bear mount, complete with a BlizzCon-flag-waving murloc, for a World of Warcraft® character they play.

“The BlizzCon 2008 pay-per-view event is an exciting opportunity for Blizzard Entertainment gamers across Australia to feel like they are actually there on the show floor at one of the most anticipated gaming events of the year, and only MAIN EVENT pay-per-view can take you there without leaving your lounge room,” said Brendon Moo, FOXTEL’s General Manager of FOXTEL Box Office, New Media and Pay-Per-View.

Book your MAIN EVENT now and take part in the epic celebration of BlizzCon. The MAIN EVENT coverage of BlizzCon 2008 will include:

• Complete coverage of both days – Saturday, October 11 and Sunday, October 12
• Over eight hours of live coverage each day (16 hours across both days)
• Exclusive interviews and commentary
• Main stage presentations including the opening ceremony
• Select panels featuring Blizzard Entertainment game developers
• Tournament coverage and team highlights
• Subscribers who order the BlizzCon pay-per-view also have access to the same day replay which begins at 3.00pm (AEDT)
POLAR BEAR MOUNT GIFT CARD OFFER: Subscribers who order both days of the MAIN EVENT pay-per-view qualify to receive a gift card (no retail value) that can be redeemed for a World of Warcraft in-game polar bear mount complete with flag-waving murloc. To receive the gift card, subscribers who have ordered both days of the BlizzCon 2008 PPV simply enter their details on the Gift Card Registration page of the www.mainevent.com.au website and on verification that they have subscribed to both days of the event, they will be sent the card.

For full details on how to order the BlizzCon 2008 MAIN EVENT and how to redeem the Polar Bear Mount Gift Card, see www.mainevent.com.au.

 
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SPORE BEGINS WITH A BIG BANG! -ONE MILLION GAMES SOLD AND 25 MILLION CREATIONS UPLOADED

Sydney, Australia – September 25, 2008 –   Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that Spore™ has sold through more than one million copies at retail worldwide on the PC, Mac® and Nintendo DS™, since shipping worldwide on September 7th.  Spore, developed by EA’s Maxis™ Studio, is also available on mobile phones including the iPhone™. To date, gamers have used the creativity tools in Spore to populate the universe with more than 25 million creatures, vehicles and buildings available to view in the Sporepedia™ at www.spore.com/sporepedia

Spore has been well received by game critics – with a Metacritic index of: 85.

“Spore is a hit,” said Frank Gibeau, president of the EA Games Label.  “Will Wright’s latest delivers an incredibly diverse game that appeals to casual gamers and the core alike.  We’re off to a great start moving into the holiday season and believe Spore will deliver a platform of creativity for gamers of all stripes for years to come.”

“We’re humbled by how quickly the community has taken to the creativity tools in Spore,” said Lucy Bradshaw, vice president of Maxis and Spore’s executive producer. “It’s amazing to see the sheer imagination represented in the hundreds of thousands of creatures, vehicles and buildings that have been uploaded around the clock since launch.”

Spore – rated PG — gives players their own personal universe in a box. Create and evolve life, establish tribes, build civilizations, sculpt entire worlds and explore a universe filled with creations made by other gamers. Spore gives players a wealth of creative tools to customize nearly every aspect of their universe: creatures, vehicles, buildings, and even spaceships.

To download a free trial of the Spore™ Creature Creator, please visit www.spore.com. For screen shots or more information about Spore, please visit our press web site at http://info.ea.com

 
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Logitech Introduces Squeezebox Boom – All-in-One Network Music Player

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — 25th September 2008 Today, Logitech has announced it has begun shipping the Logitech® Squeezebox™ Boom all-in-one network music player into the Australian and New Zealand market. Featuring an integrated amplifier, high-performance speakers and a simplified setup, it’s easier than ever before to bring digital music to any room in your home.

“The network music player will be the CD player of the 21st century, and Squeezebox Boom is the first player in its class to deliver high-quality audio in a compact, all-in-one design,” said Robin Selden, vice president and general manager of Logitech’s Streaming Media business unit. “From the streamlined setup to the breakthrough acoustics, the Squeezebox Boom is an entirely new type of network music player. Just plug it in and you’re ready to rock the house.”

No Additional Audio Gear, Wires Needed

With the Logitech Squeezebox Boom all-in-one network music player, you can listen to your digital music in the kitchen, the bedroom or any other room in your home – without needing to attach external speakers. Just plug the new Logitech network music player into a power outlet – there are no additional wires to connect. Then, using your existing home network, you can listen to the music you love from the personal collection on your computer or your favourite Internet radio stations – even when the computer is off.

Adding Squeezebox Boom to your network is simple. The new Logitech player will automatically detect the available networks. Once you select your network, simply enter your password – for your convenience, Squeezebox Boom automatically remembers it for future use.

For different music in another room of your home, you can easily expand your Squeezebox network music system. Simply add additional Squeezebox Boom players in any room you like or, if you already have an existing stereo system, add another player from the Squeezebox family to your network music setup, including the Logitech® Squeezebox™ Duet network music system.

Listen to Thousands of Internet Radio Stations on High-Performance Speakers

Upon registering your Squeezebox Boom network music player, you can access thousands of radio stations and millions of songs, aggregated by SqueezeNetwork™ – Logitech’s free, online service – without having to remember Internet addresses or passwords. So you enjoy an optimised wireless-network speed and a secure connection, Squeezebox Boom uses true 802.11g wireless technology and dual internal antennas.  

To fill your room with sound, the Squeezebox Boom network music player offers an integrated, all-digital 30-watt amplifier accompanied by two ¾-inch, high-definition, soft-dome tweeters and two 3-inch, high-power, long-throw woofers. A bi-amplified design – which includes a high-performance signal processor, class-D amplifier and digital crossover – delivers crystal clear sound with minimal noise and distortion. For bass lovers, the Squeezebox Boom even includes a subwoofer connection. And if you want to listen to music in private, the 3.5 mm jack lets you plug in your headphones.

The Logitech Squeezebox Boom network music player works as an alarm clock and can wake you up to your favourite tunes. Six preset buttons, located under the display, make it easy to get to your favourite song, Internet radio station or playlist.

The included remote control gives you control of the Squeezebox Boom from across the room. And the remote includes a tiny magnet that lets you easily attach it to the top of the Squeezebox Boom or, for example, your refrigerator.

The Squeezebox Family

The new Squeezebox Boom is part of the Squeezebox family of products, which includes the award-winning Logitech Squeezebox Duet network music system, Logitech® Squeezebox™ network music player, as well as the audiophiles’ choice, the Logitech® Transporter™ network music player.

Pricing and Availability

The Logitech Squeezebox Boom network music player will be available in Australia and New Zealand in early October for a suggested retail price of $499.95 (inc GST) in Australia and $599.90 in New Zealand.

 
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ASUS P6T Series breezes in with revolutionary wind-flow design

Sydney, Australia, September 24 2008 – ASUS, manufacturer of world-leading motherboards, has announced its upcoming ASUS P6T Deluxe motherboard.

Carrying on the tradition of ASUS’ award-winning P5Q Series motherboards, the P6T Deluxe will combine the latest technology with the new Intel X58 platform and outstanding design with a revolutionary thermal concept. This exclusive thermal technology, dubbed the Wind-Flow Design integrates a heatsink that is entirely shaped to efficiently disperse and cool down chipset temperatures.

Providing users with more stability, the new heatpipe design on the P6T Deluxe blends wind flow with an added cooling heatsink for the Northbridge. The heatsink is crafted with curved grooves that smartly manage air flow of the CPU fan, directing system heat away from the PC providing maximum ventilation and lowering temperatures.

Design aside, when it comes to real performance, the curved grooves on the Northbridge heatsink work as air flow channels – when heat generated by the CPU is driven away by the CPU fan, part of this hot air flow is directed towards the Northbridge area. It is here that the grooves effectively exert heat away in line with the channels. Furthermore, to cater for more stable overclocking, users will be able to attach a 4cm chipset fan* directly to the Northbridge heatsink to enhance air flow for cooler temperatures during overclocking. *Note: Chipset fan to be purchased separately.

The ASUS P6T Deluxe will be available from selected computer resellers – date and recommended retail price to be confirmed.

About ASUS
ASUS is a leading company in the new digital era. With a global staff of more than 8,000 and a world-class R&D design team, the company’s turnover for 2007 was 6.9 billion US dollars. ASUS ranks among the top 10 IT companies in BusinessWeek’s “InfoTech 100” and has been on the listing for 11 consecutive years. ASUS was also selected by the Wall Street Journal Asia as No.1 in quality and service in Taiwan. For more information, visit www.asus.com.au.

 
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STAR WARS®: THE FORCE UNLEASHED™ SELLS 1.5 MILLION UNITS WORLDWIDE IN UNDER ONE WEEK

Sydney, Australia – September 24, 2008 – After less than one week on store shelves worldwide, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is on track to become the best-selling Star Wars game of all time.  LucasArts today announced that more than 1.5 million customers worldwide have purchased Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, making it both the fastest-selling Star Wars game and LucasArts game ever.

Released on Sept. 16 in North America, Sept. 17 in Australia and Southeast Asia, and Sept.19 in Europe, Star Wars: The Force Unleashed has demolished LucasArts sales records around the globe in record time.

Sales figures are based on the first five days of sales across all platforms worldwide.

Although LucasArts shipped more than 4.3 million units of The Force Unleashed around the world in preparation for the game’s launch, unprecedented demand has led to the manufacture and distribution of additional copies.

“The record-setting sales of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed shows the undiminished power of Star Wars and its popularity across all media types, including video games,” said Darrell Rodriguez, president of LucasArts. “We’re blown away by the response to the game.”

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed completely re-imagines the scope and scale of the Force and casts players as Darth Vader’s “Secret Apprentice,” unveiling new revelations about the Star Wars galaxy seen through the eyes of this mysterious new character, who is armed with unprecedented powers. 

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is the first next-generation game developed internally at LucasArts, and is available on the Xbox®360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.

LucasArts and developer Krome Studios have created an equally enthralling version of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed on the Wii™ home videogame system from Nintendo, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, and n-Space, Inc., developed a version for Nintendo DS™. All feature the same storyline, with opportunities to unleash the Force in devastating new ways.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is more than a video game phenomenon.  The novelisation of the game’s story published by Del Rey was No. 1 on the New York Times Best Sellers list the week it launched and toys and games from Hasbro, LEGO, and Wizards of the Coast based on the property are top sellers at retailers. This unprecedented promotional effort by LucasArts and Lucas Licensing also includes a full publishing program from Dark Horse, Prima Games, and Palace Press.

ore information about the game can be found at the official website, www.theforceunleashed.com.

About LucasArts

LucasArts, a Lucasfilm Ltd. company, is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide for video game console systems, computers and the Internet. Based in San Francisco, Calif., as well as on the Internet at www.lucasarts.com, LucasArts was created in 1982 by George Lucas to provide an interactive element to his vision of a state-of-the-art, multifaceted entertainment company.

 
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UBISOFT® AND AUSTRALIA ZOO COME TO THE RESCUE WITH A RANGE OF GAMES FOR ANIMAL LOVING KIDS

AUSTRALIA – September, 2008 – Ubisoft, has teamed up with Australia Zoo to unveil Planet Rescue, a new brand of video games for Nintendo Wii™ and DS™. Fulfilling every child’s dream of helping to protect the planet and preserve animal diversity, the first games in the Planet Rescue series: Wildlife Vet, Animal Emergency, Endangered Island, and Ocean Patrol allow young players to save, nurture and heal endangered animals.

A percentage from each game sold will be donated to Australia Zoo to assist with funding of various conservation projects, and continue their ongoing environmental campaigns.

Planet Rescue: Wildlife Vet, available for Wii, and Planet Rescue: Animal Emergency, available for Nintendo DS, lets kids live an amazing adventure as a young vet who cares for domestic and exotic animals. Planet Rescue: Endangered Island for Nintendo DS allows kids to become members of an environmental rescue team whose mission is to save the wildlife on a beautiful island that has been threatened by pollution. Planet Rescue: Ocean Patrol for Nintendo DS takes players to the water, to help save endangered marine life on a secluded island.

“Safeguarding our planet and protecting our animal kingdom for future generations is a major concern in today’s society,” said Edward Fong, General Manager of Ubisoft Australia. “As part of our Games For Everyone range, Planet Rescue provides children with a fun and interactive way of learning about and taking care of endangered animal species and the environment through a variety of adventures round the world.”

The Planet Rescue series is designed to provide education and information to children in order to raise awareness of wildlife issues. Terri Irwin commented, “Bindi and Robert enjoy playing the Planet Rescue games while we’re travelling. They’re fun games that also inspire children to think about conservation and wildlife rescue”. 

“Parents now have the opportunity to go on that long road trip without enduring ‘Are we there yet?’ and kids are playing games that encourage compassion toward animals that need help” she continued.

“Our association with Ubisoft and the Planet Rescue games is a huge boost to Australia Zoo’s conservation efforts,” said Natalie Hodgskin, Group Marketing Manager of Australia Zoo. “It will allow us to continue with vital research and initiatives to support the protection of injured, threatened or endangered wildlife as well as the conservation of environmental habitats right around the world.”

The Planet Rescue games will be demonstrated on Steve Irwin Day at Australia Zoo on the 15th November 2008.

The Planet Rescue range will be available mid November from all major retailers.