Essential Docking Station for PS3 – Connects, Docks, Expands & Charges

Keeps Gaming Area Stylish & Neat - Controllers Always Charged & Ready

Winner of “Best Accessory Award” RetailVision Europe 2010

June 12, 2010, Eindhoven, Netherlands - Vogel’s www.vogels.com, the leading European market leader in Audio/Video & TV mounting solutions, announced today TwistDock www.twistdock.com, the highly-anticipated new essential docking station for the Sony PlayStation®3 (PS3TM) gaming and entertainment system. TwistDock connects, docks, expands, and charges the PS3, keeping cables and controllers organized and neat for a home entertainment center that looks clean, stylish and sexy. A must-have for all PS3 users, TwistDock will be shown in the U.S. for the first time at E3 Expo, June 15-17, 2010 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA – Vogel’s Meeting Room #5356 West.

Controllers Always Charged & Ready to Go – Even when the PS3 is Off

Already the winner of the RetailVision Europe “Best Accessory Award” May 2010, gamers will love TwistDock’s ability to keep controllers organized at their fingertips and always charged, since stopping to re-charge a controller can mean the difference between winning and losing a game. With TwistDock, controllers are always ready for action, continuing its high-speed charge even when the PS3 is turned off.

Docks PS3 Original & PS3 Slim – Additional 2-6 USB Ports Keep Peripherals Always Connected

The first product in Vogel’s new line of essential gaming products and accessories, TwistDock esthetically blends with the PS3’s sleek design, docking both the PS3 Original and the PS3 Slim models for a beautiful entertainment center that enhances a home’s décor. TwistDock expands on the PS3’s capabilities, keeping PS3 USB peripherals (such as an extra hard drive) always connected with TwistDock’s additional 2 USB charging ports, as well as its optional 4 USB Hub accessory. In addition, there is an optional TwistDock CableSet accessory for an extra set of high quality cables that are designed to blend with the PS3.

“TwistDock is a must-have for the gaming enthusiast, who will love its combination of style and functionality that makes the PS3 even more enjoyable to use,” said Albert Zeeman, VP Innovations and Alliances, Vogel’s. “TwistDock expands and charges more peripherals, keeping the PlayStation 3’s unsightly cables neatly concealed in TwistDock’s sturdy pedestal. With the introduction of TwistDock, Vogel’s is launching a whole new line of gaming accessories to complement its successful worldwide product line of TV and mounting solutions.”

TwistDock – Essential Docking Station Features for the PS3:

CONNECTS:

• Easily connects all cables, including HDMI port to TV
• Keeps controllers and gaming area neat and organized

EXPANDS:

• Keeps USB peripherals always connected, no need to plug and unplug peripherals
• Features 2 USB charging ports
• Optional USB Hub features 4 additional USB ports for connecting more peripherals

DOCKS:

• Docks PS3 and controllers for a neat esthetic display
• Works with both versions of PlayStation 3: PS3 Original and PS3 Slim

CHARGES:

• High-speed charging of controllers and USB peripherals for continuous play – even when PS3 is off
• LED indicators show charging status

TwistDock pricing will be available summer 2010 with product availability in the U.S. starting 4Q 2010 in time for the holiday season. For more information, see the websites: www.twistdock.com and www.vogels.com.

Formerly called “Project Natal,” Kinect was revealed Sunday evening in a Cirque du Soleil performance on the eve of the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles.

LOS ANGELES – June 13, 2010 – Microsoft today unveiled Kinect for Xbox 360, a controller-free gaming device that Microsoft is positioning as an entirely new way to experience entertainment in the living room.

Previously code-named “Project Natal,” the Kinect label was released before the start of the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles (E3) as part of a Cirque du Soleil performance that was inspired by Kinect’s technology.

The slim black Kinect sensor plugs directly into any Xbox 360. Despite its small size, the Kinect device contains a camera, audio sensors, and motion-sensing technology that tracks 48 points of movement on the human body. It has the ability to recognize faces and voices.

With Kinect, game-players no longer need to memorize different commands for a hand-held control. “You are the controller,” said Mike Delman, corporate vice president of Global Marketing for the Interactive Entertainment Business. “You simply step in front of the sensor and Kinect sees you move, hears your voice and recognizes your face.”

The Cirque du Soleil show at Los Angeles’s Galan Center included few specifics about Kinect. Instead, it focused on the new experiences that it will enable. Microsoft will share more details – including the release date, and some of Kinect’s initial game and entertainment offerings – at a Monday morning news conference that will kick off E3, the gaming industry’s annual show-and-tell event.

Marc Whitten, corporate vice president of Xbox LIVE, said 2010 could be the biggest year yet for Xbox. “It’s an amazing year just when you look at the things people are expecting,” he said. “But we’re excited to also be announcing ways that make it simpler for everyone to enjoy the things we do. People who are intimidated by a controller or game pad will finally get to unlock some of the experiences that are possible in the living room, gaming
and non-gaming alike.”

Microsoft made a splash at E3 a year ago with a short video showing Kinect, and introducing the concept of controller-free gaming and entertainment on Xbox 360.

That video took off and subsequent demos of the technology spurred gaming followers to say Kinect could shake up the enormous (more than $10 billion a year in the United States) gaming industry.

Last January, for instance, CNET’s Josh Lowensohn wrote that the then-“Project Natal” device would be a “big adrenaline shot going into the heart of the Xbox 360.” After trying it out for himself last year, Gizmodo’s Matt Buchanan commented on the “remarkable sense of control” and “immersion.” And the U.K edition of IGN Entertainment said Kinect’s “tracking of movement is astounding, the detail of the recognition even more so.”

Some of what intrigued industry experts is that Kinect can perform full-motion tracking of the human body at 30 frames per second. It isn’t affected by what a user is wearing or what type of furniture is around. And it recognizes voices and faces.

Kinect was top secret until last year’s E3 video was released. After the conference it once again returned to “black box” status even inside the walls of Microsoft as the Xbox team worked to move it from prototype to product.

In keeping with that secrecy, there have been just two announcements on Kinect since last year at E3 – and one of them was releasing the name Kinect on Sunday night. The other occurred earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, when Microsoft announced that Kinect would be in stores this holiday season.

Much more news is expected Monday, Delman said. He believes Kinect will help Xbox get closer to reaching its goal of becoming the hub of games and entertainment in every living room. But while hard-core gamers are and will remain the cornerstone of Xbox and Xbox LIVE, Microsoft wants to use Kinect to reach a broader, new audience.

There are upwards of 40 million Xbox 360 consoles on the market. Kinect could help significantly increase that number because it appeals to traditional non-gamers such as young children, mothers, and grandparents.

The Sunday-night Cirque du Soleil show illustrated this concept by telling the story of a boy and his Xbox 360. He begins the show playing Xbox alone with a traditional controller, but when he and his family are introduced to Kinect, they all enjoy games and entertainment together.

“Some people don’t like controllers,” Delman said. “And Kinect makes the gaming and entertainment experience more organic and free-flowing, without any of the barriers that can sometimes keep people from participating.”

A commercial-free version of the Cirque du Soleil show will air on U.S. television on Tuesday, June 15, at 3:30 p.m. and 9 p.m. EDT on Nickelodeon, MTV and other channels. Later in the week, video of the event will be posted on www.xbox.com.