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Penguin United Quad Charger

•   Recharge 4 Wii Remotes Simultaneously
•   High Capacity Li-Ion Polymer Rechargeable Batteries
•   Li-Ion Battery Provides full 13 Hours of Actual Playtime per Remote
•   Charge Each Remote in Less than 4 Hours
•   LED Light Indicates Charge Status in 25% Increments
•   Up to 1000 Recharge Cycles
•   Includes 4 Free Color Coded Remote Straps  

Having covered the Dual Charger 2nd Gen (http://gamersnewsbits.com/2008/07/03/review-penguin-united-remote-dual-charger-2nd-generation/) from Penguin United, I have decided to take the quad charger for a spin.

After buying 2 more WiiMotes (to my kids’ delight), I tried it out for 2 weeks. This unit requires an actual power outlet, and does not charge via the USB as the Dual Charger unit did. I found the color coded straps handy, as I need a way to tell all the WiiMotes apart, and those plastic covers that I have tried in the past just got in the way of gameplay and fell off after a few weeks. It also solves my previous issue with the Dual Charger, which was the contacts were directly in the middle of the WiiMote’s back, which I thought would lead to sweaty contacts. I never did have an issue thankfully, and still recommend that unit.

The unit is very nice looking, with the Wii White color that all accessories seem to strive for these days. It’s in a circular shape, and all 4 WiiMotes’ status lights are visible at a glance. It’s got that cool blue glow around each wiiMote as well, when the units are in place. It came with 4 batteries, all popping easily into the WiiMote, and charged up in about 3 hours the first time, though I let them go overnight. The base unit has 4 lights per socket, and each indicates 1/4 battery life. I found that this unit gave me the 13 hours advertised, and more. I was able to average 16 hours of play over 4 days, depending on the game and accessories used while playing. One WiiMote was able to pull 20 hours just using the WiiMote with no accessories on Virtual Console games (the kids are addicted to Super Mario 3). I am curious how the Li-Ion batteries will behave later on in life vs. NiMH, as in the Dual Charger.

Now that I have the 4 WiiMotes, I have to say, I love this charger. It’s fast, and since we don’t have 4-person games running all the time means I get to have a freshly charged WiiMote at all times. Even if we did managed to discharge all 4, the charge time is quick, usually 4 1/2 hours or shorter. The Quad Charger does what it should, keeping the game playing to a maximum and the wait to a minimum, and I don’t miss the cries of “I need 2 AA batteries Dad! The WiiMote died!!” I think if you are one of those who has the need for 4 WiiMotes in a large family like mine, or heck, a college dorm or frat, this is going to be the best money spend for a quick way to keep your WiiMotes juiced and ready for action!

The unit has a SRP of 44.99. I know that I used to spend around $10.00 a month in AA batteries for the 2 WiiMotes we had before using the rechargable units. This thing easily pays for itself. A quick look at Amazon shows a Sony Charger with 4 AA batteres at 23.41, which would mean you need 2 of those for a 46.82 grand total. The Sanyo Eneloop unit with 4 AA batteries comes in at 20.35, so you could get away with 40.70 for 8 AAs and 2 chargers, but then you are constantly taking the back off the WiiMotes and charging. Simply putting them in the base to charge is just so much nicer.

Pros: Quick charge time
Long battery play life
Cool Light setup
Colored straps included

Cons: I had no cons using this unit. I’ll let you know if there are any in the future!

Rating: 4.75 of 5

All attendees to Receive Both Expansions for Free as Part of Living Legacy Program!
LAS VEGAS, NEV. – Aug. 15, 2008 – Thousands of video game enthusiasts are in Las Vegas for the annual Sony Online Entertainment Fan Faire where the upcoming expansions for the online role-playing games EverQuest® (EQ) and EverQuest® II (EQII) were just announced. EverQuest® Seeds of Destruction™ is scheduled to be available on Oct.21, and
EverQuest® II The Shadow Odyssey™ is scheduled to be available on Nov.18. As part of SOE’s extensive Living Legacy program designed to entice new and past EQ and EQII players into the games and reward the existing loyal playerbase, all Fan Faire attendees will receive the software for both expansions for free, an unprecedented offering.

“It is such a privilege to announce the upcoming expansions for two of our most popular games, EverQuest and EverQuest II, in a venue like Fan Faire where we are joined by thousands of our loyal fans, and it seems more than appropriate to give those fans access to both of the expansions for free,” said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. “Both of these expansions are rich in content and adventure, and will provide our players with hours of excitement as they explore the online world of Norrath.”

EverQuest II The Shadow Odyssey is the fifth expansion for the critically acclaimed EQII franchise and follows the award-winning and best-selling Rise of KunarkTM expansion. New players and veterans alike will journey through a substantial amount of exquisite content with more than 20 new zones, including the Moors of Ykesha, a massive outdoor zone once known as Innothule Swamp, and the legendary dungeon Guk. Throughout the summer months, players were treated to prelude events, such as the Void Storms, that gave them a glimpse into the expansion lore and content from The Shadow Odyssey, building the anticipation leading up to the launch.

EverQuest is rapidly approaching its 10th anniversary, and Seeds of Destruction is the 15th expansion for the genre-defining online game. For the first time ever, players will have the ability to hire non-player characters (NPCs) to aid them in their heroic endeavors in Seeds of Destruction. These mercenaries will be valuable player assets as they thwart the efforts of Discord’s Dark God. This expansion also includes a level cap increase to 85, new dynamic high-level raid content, new spells and new alternate advancement abilities.

EverQuest II The Shadow Odyssey Feature Set:
• New Zones: Journey through more than 20 new zones, including the new overland zone, Innothule Swamp.
• Dungeon Adventures: Experience nostalgic EverQuest dungeon themes, such as Najena, Mistmoore and The Sebilisian Empire, and adventure through more than 18 goal-based dungeons, such as Ruins of Guk and Befallen.
• Achievement Point: An achievement level cap increase to 200 that offers new achievements for class-specific lines.
• Dungeon Delving: A new mission system for players to replay content with new and different experiences.
• Heritage Quests: Five new quests with unique rewards being added.
• Shard Reward System: A new, mysterious group of erudites with powerful new armor and equipment will barter for void shards earned during players’ encounters
• Epic Tales: Stories told through battles with dozens of new creatures and hundreds of new quests.
• New Deities: Rodcet Nife and Anashti Sul are introduced into Norrath.
• Access to All Previous Content: Includes all previous expansion packs and adventure packs.
• Legends of Norrath: Includes strategic online trading card game, digital starter deck and booster pack.

EverQuest Seeds of Destruction Feature Set:
• Mercenaries: Player-controlled NPCs are now available and will not only scale to the appropriate level, but also think and act for themselves with limited player guidance. Designed for extra support or extra muscle in PvE encounters, mercenary archetypes include a variety of classes from all playable races.
• Level Cap Increase: Players can now achieve level 85 with new high-level item sets, new alternate advancement ability lines and new spells.
• 20 New Zones: Features re-imagined classic content and brand-new realms for adventurers to explore, including the eerie wasteland of the Void, the Battle of Rathe on the Plane of Earth and the ultimate Heart of Darkness in the Plane of Discord.
• Access to All Previous Content – Includes all features and content from the 14 previous expansion packs.
• Legends of Norrath: Includes strategic online trading card game, digital starter deck, booster pack and loot item.

In addition to attending exclusive panels this weekend at Fan Faire, eligible players with active accounts will receive early access to beta for one or both games, depending on their preference. EQ’s public beta is anticipated to begin on Aug. 19, and EQII’s public beta is anticipated to begin on Sept. 2.

For more expansion information from EverQuest Seeds of Destruction and a free trial of EverQuest, visit www.everquest.com.

For expansion information from on EverQuest II The Shadow Odyssey and a free trial of EverQuest II, visit www.everquest2.com.

A company determined to put Wales on the map in the computer games industry has launched its first game – an action-packed space adventure entitled ‘Cosmic Sunder’. Dark Rock Games was set up by Adam Griffiths, a graduate of the University of Wales, Newport, in an effort to provide employment for Wales’ talented games designers and help the country to profit from this multi-million pound industry.

In partnership with three other graduates of the Games Development and Artificial Intelligence course at Newport Business School, Adam has created the retro game – in which players control a futuristic vessel smashing through the gallery to reclaim stolen Earth elements – and tested the game out on two keen gamers – his young sons, Asher and Eden.

Their verdict is that it’s a winner. “We’ve played the game a lot and think it’s five star! It’s got over 80 levels and the final one is really hard when you have to blow up fireballs that are coming at you,” said eight -year-old Asher.
“We’re all pleased with the game and hoping for a good response now it’s on sale at our website,” said 31-year-old Adam. “We currently have two more games in various stages of production, and hope to start creating more sophisticated 3D games that will put Wales on the map in the computer games industry.”

Adam set up Dark Rock Games with fellow graduates Rob Simmonds, Cameron Coles and Matthew Clark because he wanted to stay in Newport and avoid the stress of relocating his wife, Debbie, and young children to find a job making computer games.

“The computer games industry is one of the biggest in the world yet there are very few companies in Wales making games. As a result, many people like myself who are gaining degrees in computer game design are having to leave the country in order to find jobs.

“Newport’s University has two excellent computer games development courses producing talented students with lots of potential. It seems ludicrous that Wales is losing them to other countries because we have no computer games industry.”

Dr Mike Reddy, Senior Lecturer in Computing at Newport Business School, said, “The release of this game represents a considerable success for Adam and his team at Dark Rock. He was always determined to create job opportunities for games developers in Wales and he has put his money where his mouth is with this game which is an imaginative version of the classic retro Breakout game.

“At Newport, we believe it’s essential to maintain close links with the computer games industry to enable our students to successfully find jobs when they graduate. We already have graduates working for major games companies such as Sega and Blitz, and this year sees the first woman graduate from the course.”

Dark Rock Games was set up with funding from the Knowledge Exploitation Fund (KEF) which has provided £20,000 to help the company become established.

“The University has now helped more than 65 graduates set up their own business,” said Emma Williams of the Research and Enterprise (RED) department. “We have many enterprising students who posses a diverse range of talent, and we help them by providing funding and the business skills necessary to become the entrepreneurs of tomorrow, and ensure the future growth and prosperity of Wales.”

The ‘Cosmic Sunder’ game is available from www.darkrockgames.com.

In Monster Madness: Grave Danger players can take on the challenge of 25 special mini games designed to test the stamena of expert players. They include: White Water Swanning – race down the river rapids in your swan boat, Zombie Cats – burn zombie cats for fun!, The Crate Escape – survive the trip down giant industrial conveyor belts and traps, UFO Shooter – Destroy the monsters with your UFO; our homage to Space InvadersTM. Monster Madness: Grave Danger will be released on PS3 by SouthPeak Games in Q3. For more information go to: www.monster-madness.com.

arvato systems, the international IT service provider of Bertelsmann AG, and Koch Media, a leading producer and distributor of digital entertainment products, are announcing the closure of an agreement regarding worldwide deployment of the eeis (Electronic Entertainment Infrastructure Services) service platform.

arvato systems is going to safeguard operation of Koch Media online projects in the development phase. Koch Media utilizes eeis modules to ensure the functionality, marketing, general administration and operation of both current and coming online games. Among others, this refers to the already announced online world 7Million.

At Koch Media, the department New Media Development focuses on building up the online publishing sector. 7Million was announced this year as the first of its own projects which is going to be marketed by Koch Media worldwide. The online title placed in a modern setting enters onto paths apart from the well-trodden within the genre, and is intended to appeal to completely new target groups alongside core gamers. eeis from arvato systems supplies the necessary infrastructure for Koch Media’s online plans.

“The implementation of eeis is an important step in helping our MMO game 7Million to worldwide success. Our ambitious projects call for innovative, well-engineered technologies and services in order to come up to the steadily rising customer expectations being placed on service, stability and security.

eeis from arvato systems unites all the necessary technologies in one full-scale solution. Furthermore, we’re glad to have found a German-German solution in this highly innovative field,” remarks Dr. Klemens Kundratitz, managing director of Koch Media.

CEO and president of arvato systems, Dr. Michael Pesch, adds: “With Koch Media, we’re glad to have won over one more partner who will be utilizing eeis. For us, the cooperation confirms once again that we have recognized the signs of the times on the constantly growing online entertainment market by offering our integrally holistic back-office solution. More and more, user bonding and customer orientation are becoming the focal point while new business models are being sought. eeis is the optimal answer to meet these demands and is going to support Koch Media decisively in penetrating the online market.”

Among other features, the eeis modules used by Koch Media include: Worldwide transparent billing services, an efficient CRM system and customer care back-end solutions.

More details about eeis from arvato systems on www.e-eis.com.