New 10 foot enhanced version of GameTap offers hundreds of games and original video programming for Intel® Viiv™ technology-based Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
January 6, 2006
[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Game Developer and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press]
Author: GameTap
LAS VEGAS - Jan. 6, 2006 - GameTap and Intel Corporation today announced that GameTap, Turner Broadcasting's first-of-its-kind broadband games and entertainment network, is verified to work with the Intel ViivTM technology platform, bringing the digital PC entertainment experience to life 10 feet away on a television monitor.
GameTap offers access to original programming and more than 300 of the greatest videogames, playable from a broadband connected PC. With games from a wide variety of platforms, genres and publishers, GameTap has been heralded as the "#1 pick" in Electronic Gaming Monthly's "Hot 10 List" for January 2006.
With the "10 foot" version of GameTap, consumers will have on-demand access to a universe of games and video programming on their television monitor through their PC running Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005. As an Intel Viiv technology verified service, it is now easier to play GameTap using wireless USB peripheral game controllers and MCE remote control. Rich 3-D navigation and sophisticated graphics, combined with the speed of processing through Intel's powerful dual-core processors, will make the GameTap gaming experience a unique Intel Viiv technology verified application.
"Playing GameTap just got better for consumers as we take the experience beyond the PC environment and into virtually any room in the home," said GameTap General Manager Stuart Snyder. "The ability to expand the playground to a large screen and experience the network in a bigger way brings the consumer into an even more immersive world of video games and makes playing even more compelling."
"For all of us who love playing video games, GameTap's effort to bring its huge selection of video games to the comfort of the couch is ground-breaking," said Intel's Kevin Corbett, vice president, Digital Home Group and general manager, Content Services Group. "Adding this type of experience to Intel Viiv technology-based PCs furthers our goal of bringing new forms of interactive entertainment to the living room."
"We're pleased that GameTap is making their library of on-demand games available in an optimized format for Media Center Edition Users," said Dave Mendlen, director of Windows Consumer Marketing at Microsoft Corp. "They join our growing list of content providers, helping us deliver consumers the most diverse and relevant selection of digital lifestyle and entertainment content available at the touch of a button on a remote control."
GameTap features everything from Pong, Pac-Man and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell, to Sonic and Myst. Turner has licensed nearly 1,200 games from 24 publishers, including Activision, Atari, Capcom, Cyan, Codemasters, Dreamcatcher Interactive, Eidos Interactive, Electronic Arts, First Star Software, G-Mode, Intellivision Lives, Ironstone, Knowledge Adventure, Midway, Namco, SEGA, TAITO, Take-Two Interactive Software, Taurus Media, Team 17, Telegames, 3000AD, Ubisoft and Vivendi Universal Games.
To play, game lovers just download the GameTap software, which acts as a gateway to the GameTap vault. The multi-level vault features a diverse mix of titles and platforms - something for everyone. These are organized in a series of game rings, including "hot picks" and user favorites, as well as games organized by game type (e.g., action, adventure, strategy, etc.) and game system (e.g., Sega Dreamcast and Genesis, Atari 2600, PC games and more). Once a game is selected, each title displays an associated "InfoCard" that includes directions for playing, control options, and tips, as well as parental controls (the vault contains "E," "E10+" and "T" titles, only) and top scores from the GameTap community.
Because games reside securely on the PC, not across a network, they play as if they were still on the console or at the arcade, with fast response times, 3D effects, and original colors and characters. Like a premium channel, subscribers will pay a flat monthly fee for an "all-you-can-play" experience on up to two household PCs and also can have several sub accounts.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. a Time Warner company, is a major producer of news and entertainment product around the world and the leading provider of programming for the basic cable industry.
Intel, the world leader in silicon innovation, develops technologies, products and initiatives to continually advance how people work and live. Additional information about Intel is available at www.intel.com/pressroom.
Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 delivers advanced computing plus easy-to-use integrated digital entertainment, including live and recorded television, movies, music, photos and radio, that consumers can enjoy when and how they want. It provides an all-in-one digital entertainment hub, accessible on either a PC monitor or TV display, using a single remote control.
Contacts:
GameTap
Misty Skedgell
404/885-4396
Intel
Kari Skoog
503/264-1607
Access Communications
Molly Musler
415/844-6230
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