CameraPlay™ Technology Available for Developers of Camera-Based Interactive Games
SAN JOSE, CA — March 6, 2002 — OMNIVISION Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: OVTI), a market-leading independent supplier of CMOS CameraChip™ solutions for high-volume imaging applications, today announced it’s CameraPlay™ Technology for developers of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc (SCEI) PlayStation®2 home entertainment system. The CameraPlay™ Technology consists of an OMNIVISION USB camera and specialized drivers needed by software developers to incorporate camera based controls and inputs into their PlayStation®2 games, thereby allowing players to experience live video gaming interaction. The CameraPlay™ Technology is available to all licensed PlayStation®2 Game Developers.
Cameras can be used with game consoles to allow a player physical movements to control the actions in the game. A camera tracks the movement of the player or objects in their hands and the game console translates the movement into console controller type commands. Several arcade games currently incorporate camera technology.
“OMNIVISION has worked closely with PlayStation®2 game developers at a technical level to ensure our CameraPlay™ Technology meets their requirements,” said Hasan Gadjali, Director of Advanced Product Development at OMNIVISION. “We have worked hard to support the game developers needs for minimized use of the system processor, and we are providing optimized camera hardware as well as specific optimized drivers for the PlayStation®2 environment.”
Coinciding with the release of CameraPlay™ Technology, Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) will be releasing compatible video processing libraries to licensed PlayStation®2 developers.
“OMNIVISION’s early CameraPlay™ Technology was instrumental in our development of our first camera enabled game title to be released this spring in Europe,” said Kaz Nirasawa, International Product Manager of KONAMI CORPORATION. “We see cameras as a way to significantly enhance the playing experience for users, and we look forward to providing other camera-enhanced titles in the future.”
OMNIVISION offers CameraPlay™ Technology to PlayStation®2 Game Title developers. You may download the specialized set of drivers from the OMNIVISION Project on the SCEA Developer Network Web Site. A specialized USB interfaced camera with wide-angle lens is available to PlayStation®2 Game Title developers. Developers can obtain the specialized cameras by contacting OMNIVISION Sales via e-mail at sales@ovt.com.
About OMNIVISION
OMNIVISION Technologies, Inc. is an independent CameraChip™ solutions provider. Utilizing proprietary design technology for its highly integrated still-photo and video camera solutions for high-volume imaging applications, OMNIVISION integrates multiple image processing and capture functions into a single CameraChip™ design. With the addition of only a lens, the result is a low-cost CameraChip™ that consumes less power, has a greater environmental functioning range and has a smaller footprint than typical CMOS multi-chip image sensor solutions. OMNIVISION’s CameraChip™ solutions are in cell phones, personal digital assistants, automobiles and industrial machine vision applications, as well as surveillance and biometric security applications. OMNIVISION is based in Sunnyvale, California. For more information about the company, visit our Website at www.ovt.com.
OMNIVISION, CameraChip™ and CameraPlay™ are trademarks of OMNIVISION Technologies, Inc.
PlayStation is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
All other trade, product or service names referenced in this release may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Certain statements in this press release, including statements regarding OMNIVISION’s provision of optimized camera hardware and specific optimized drivers for the PlayStation®2 environment; SCEA’s release of compatible video processing libraries and KONAMI CORPORATION’s future camera-enhanced titles are forward looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties, which could cause the forward looking statements and OMNIVISION’s results to differ materially, include, without limitation: successful development and customer acceptance of CameraPlay™ Technology; the success of the relationship between the parties and the other risks detailed from time to time in OMNIVISION’s Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports, including, but not limited to, OMNIVISION’s quarterly reports filed on form 10-Q. OMNIVISION disclaims any obligation to update information contained in any forward looking statement.