PC games console, PVR and DVD player in one?

No, it isn't the legendary Sony PSX, it's the ApeXtreme. As well as being a PVR, it plays unmodified PC games and is a DVD player too...

Apex Digital Announces Final Specifications and Partners for its Revolutionary ApeXtreme DVD Player/PC Game Console; Adds PVR Features, Faster CPU
Thursday March 25, 2:18 pm ET
AMD to Supply CPU, NVIDIA to Supply Graphics Chip Solution and BioStar to Supply Motherboards

ONTARIO, Calif., March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Apex Digital Inc., America's number-one seller of DVD players, has finalized the specifications of its revolutionary ApeXtreme (pronounced Apex Extreme) DVD player/Personal Video Recorder/PC game console, it was announced today by company President Steve Brothers. At the heart of the system will be AMD's AthlonXP2000+processor chip; video will be supplied by NVIDIA's nForce2 IGP graphics processor; all of which will be integrated on a motherboard produced by Biostar. The ApeXtreme will also utilize NVIDIA's GeForce4 MX graphics card to supply smooth, crisp graphics. Additionally, the company has added Personal Video Recording (PVR) functionality to the device since it was originally unveiled at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

"By creating the first game console that will play PC games and combining it with a full-featured DVD player and a Personal Video Recorder, Apex is defining a new product category," said Brothers. "And just like with all of our other products, we want to provide the best technology at a price that makes sense to the average consumer. Working with AMD, NVIDIA and Biostar allows us to do that."

The ApeXtreme is the first device of its kind. It functions as a full-featured, high-end home DVD player, a hard-disk-based Personal Video Recorder and a home game console designed to play any PC game -- all in one attractive device. The device moves PC versions of electronic games out of the computer room and into the TV room, giving gamers the ability to play their favorite "PC-only" games on a console machine, with a bigger game image -- on their standard TV. The enhanced CPU and graphics hardware will deliver game performance and graphics superior to existing game consoles for gamers of all skill levels. With the newly announced PVR capabilities, users will have near-total control over their TV viewing. PVR allows them to easily record television programs to the internal hard disk for later playback, or to record, pause and/or rewind "live" television programs as they watch them. Introduced at this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the ApeXtreme was honored as the "Best of CES" in the "Home Audio & Video" category, as well as being a CES Innovations Design and Engineering Showcase Honoree.

The ApeXtreme will be available to consumers in select markets this Spring. The device will be available everywhere in third quarter of this year. Suggested retail price is $499.

Another major advantage the ApeXtreme will have over existing game consoles is the large library of games available for the device. There are already thousands of PC game titles that can be played on the ApeXtreme -- many of which are not even available for existing game console systems. Just like proprietary game consoles, there is no waiting to play games on the ApeXtreme. Unlike personal computers, there's no "boot-up" time with the ApeXtreme -- turn it on, drop in the unmodified PC game CD/DVD and you're ready to play. The device's unique game-play ability is made possible by a patented "Drop & Play(TM)" Engine, developed by Digital Interactive System Corporation (DISC). Apex has partnered with DISC to be the first to bring this groundbreaking technology to market.

The ApeXtreme combines all the most popular features of Apex Digital's successful line of DVD players such as Component, Composite, S-Video, Scale up Video Output and Digital Video (DVI) outputs with everything a gamer could want in a game console like powerful central and graphics processors, dual channel 256 MHz DDR SDRAM, 40 GB hard drive and networking capabilities. The device also boasts 5.1 channel Dolby digital audio output, as well as the ability to playback a variety of CD and DVD formats. The ApeXtreme marks Apex Digital's first PVR-capable device.

About Apex Digital Inc.

Headquartered in Ontario, California, Apex Digital Inc. is the country's leading manufacturer and marketer of DVD home entertainment players and a fast-growing supplier of analog and digital televisions. Founded in 1999 by David Ji and Ancle Hsu, privately held Apex Digital, Inc. expects to exceed $1billion-plus in sales for 2004. The company's products are now carried in over 20,000 retail outlets nationwide. For more information about Apex Digital Inc. go to www.apexdigitalinc.com.

About DISC

Digital Interactive Systems Corporation (DISC) is a California corporation headquartered in Long Beach, California. DISC produces and markets hardware and software based on patented technologies. DISCover is the registered trademark name under which DISC's partners will market their PC game and digital interactive entertainment consoles. For more information about DISC, go to www.discoverconsole.com.

About AMD

AMD (NYSE: AMD - News) designs and produces microprocessors, Flash memory devices and system-on-chip solutions for the computer, communications and consumer electronics industries. AMD is dedicated to helping its customers deliver standards-based, customer-focused solutions for technology users, ranging from enterprises to government agencies and individual consumers. Founded in 1969, AMD is a Standard & Poor's 500 company with global operations and manufacturing facilities in the United States, Europe, Japan and Asia. For more information about AMD, go to www.amd.com.

About NVIDIA

NVIDIA Corporation is a market leader in visual computing technology dedicated to creating products that enhance the interactive experience on consumer and professional computing platforms. Its graphics and communications processors have broad market reach and are incorporated into a wide variety of computing platforms, including consumer digital-media PCs, enterprise PCs, professional workstations, digital content creation systems, notebook PCs, military navigation systems and video game consoles. NVIDIA is headquartered in Santa Clara, California and employs more than 1,800 people worldwide. For more information, visit the Company's Web site at www.nvidia.com.

About Biostar

Since its establishment in 1986, the BIOSTAR GROUP has become a major motherboard supplier to the PC industry worldwide. In order to pursue continuous growth, BIOSTAR has invested heavily in acquiring the physical and human resources to excel research and development. With a constant emphasis on quality, BIOSTAR seeks to offer products with the highest price-performance ratio in the industry. For more information, visit the Company's web site at www.biostar-usa.com.