DS's 802.11 wireless gadgetry now in production.
October 6, 2004
[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Game Developer and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press]
RF Micro Devices |
Greensboro, NC - October 6, 2004 - RF Micro Devices, Inc. (Nasdaq: RFMD), a leading provider of proprietary radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) for wireless communications applications, today announced the Company has begun production shipments of its 802.11 wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver for use in the new Nintendo DSTM. Nintendo is a leading provider of hardware systems and interactive video games for both the home entertainment and handheld gaming environments.
By enabling wireless connectivity in the Nintendo DS, RFMD's WLAN transceiver provides a wireless link to other Nintendo DS units within range. Additionally, with its chat software and wireless capabilities, Nintendo DS gamers are able to transmit text messages, handwriting and even drawings to one another.
The Nintendo DS features dual screens providing two perspectives on the action at once. Its touch-screen input enables users to easily access items, move characters or navigate menus. The Nintendo DS also contains a microphone, which could enable players to control the system using voice commands.
"RFMD's energy-efficient wireless device enables Nintendo to include wireless technology in the Nintendo DS handheld at a low cost," said Satoru Okada, general manager, research and engineering at Nintendo Co., Ltd. "The embedded wireless functionality will enable developers to create rich game designs which were not considered possible in the past, further expanding the fascinating world of Nintendo DS."
Kris Rausch, product line director of wireless LAN products at RF Micro Devices, said, "We are extremely excited to be working with Nintendo, the world's leading name in the gaming industry. Additionally, we are pleased to build upon the success of our WLAN transceiver products, which offer distinct advantages in bill of materials (BOM) cost, size, performance and power consumption. These competitive advantages are driving incremental customer traction as an increasing number of electronic devices are being designed to capitalize on consumer demand for wireless connectivity."
Frank Morese, corporate vice president of the wireless connectivity business unit at RF Micro Devices, said, "We are very pleased to add Nintendo to our blue-chip customer base, which features many of the world's leading manufacturers of high-volume consumer electronic devices. As one of the world's leading video game manufacturers, Nintendo provides RFMD a valuable growth opportunity as we expand into the explosive video gaming market."
RFMD is a trusted supplier of high-volume, low-cost wireless components to leading manufacturers in multiple high-volume markets, including wireless networking, Bluetooth® technology and cellular handsets. The cellular handset market is the world's highest-volume consumer electronics market, with estimated handset shipments in 2003 of 510 million units. The video gaming market had estimated shipments in 2003 of 56 million units and is expected to grow to 80 million units by 2007.
About Nintendo
The worldwide leader and innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its popular home and portable video game systems. Each year, hundreds of all-new titles for the best-selling Game Boy® Advance, Nintendo DSTM and Nintendo GameCubeTM systems extend Nintendo's vast game library and continue the tradition of delivering a rich, diverse mix of quality video games for players of all ages. Since the release of its first home video game system in 1983, Nintendo has sold more than 1.9 billion video games and more than 170 million hardware units globally, creating enduring industry icons such as MarioTM and Donkey Kong® and launching popular culture franchise phenomena such as Metroid®, ZeldaTM and Pokémon®. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company's Web site at www.nintendo.com.
About RF Micro Devices
RF Micro Devices, Inc., an ISO 9001- and ISO 14001-certified manufacturer, designs, develops, manufactures and markets proprietary radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) for wireless communications products and applications. The Company is a leading supplier of power amplifiers, one of the most critical radio frequency (RF) components in cellular phones. The Company is also the leading manufacturer of GaAs HBT, which offers distinct advantages over other technologies for the manufacture of current- and next-generation power amplifiers. The Company's products are included primarily in cellular phones, base stations, wireless local area networks (WLANs), cable television modems and global positioning systems (GPS). The Company derives revenue from the sale of standard and custom-designed products. The Company offers a broad array of products including amplifiers, mixers, modulators/demodulators and single-chip transmitters, Bluetooth® products and receivers and transceivers that represent a substantial majority of the RFICs required in wireless subscriber equipment. The Company's goal is to be the premier supplier of low-cost, high-performance integrated circuits and solutions for applications that enable wireless connectivity. RF Micro Devices, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq National Market under the symbol RFMD. For more information about RFMD, please visit www.rfmd.com.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that relate to RF Micro Devices' plans, objectives, estimates and goals. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "projects," "believes" and "estimates," and variations of these words and similar expressions, identify these forward-looking statements. RF Micro Devices' business is subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including variability in quarterly operating results, the rate of growth and development of wireless markets, risks associated with the operation of wafer fabrication, molecular beam epitaxy and other foreign and domestic manufacturing facilities, our ability to attract and retain skilled personnel and develop leaders, variability in production yields, our ability to reduce costs and improve gross margins by implementing innovative technologies, our ability to bring new products to market, our ability to increase production capacity quickly in response to increases in demand for our products, dependence on a limited number of customers and dependence on third parties. These and other risks and uncertainties, which are described in more detail in RF Micro Devices' most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, could cause actual results and developments to be materially different from those expressed or implied by any of these forward-looking statements.
RF Micro Devices
(336) 664-1233
Jerry Neal
Executive VP of Marketing and Strategic Development
Dean Priddy
Vice President of Administration and CFO
RF MICRO DEVICES® and RFMD® are trademarks of RFMD, LLC. BLUETOOTH is a trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc., U.S.A. and licensed for use by RF Micro Devices, Inc. All other trademarks, trade names and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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