Bigfoot Networks, today launched Killer Xeno, the company’s next-generation voice chat-enabled network interface card for online gamers. The new product comes with more memory, an upgraded network processing unit (NPU), and integrated audio for hardware-accelerated voice-chat, all designed to bring gamers the ultimate online experience. The Killer Xeno platform provides Bigfoot Networks’ partners and customers the fastest time to market with a flexible product design for customizing, licensing and distributing Killer Xeno.

Killer Xeno’s voice-chat acceleration technology addresses the most requested gamer feature, and will enable the millions of online gamers worldwide who utilize these chat services to enjoy a "hiccup-free" voice experience while playing the latest generation of online games. Bigfoot, in providing voice chat, has partnered with companies supporting leading products such as TeamSpeak and Vivox as well as utilizing the popular open source application Mumble.

Killer Xeno is also a flexible product design platform that enables customers, including Add-In-Board (AIB) vendors and PC OEMs, to license and differentiate Killer Xeno products for their markets. Bigfoot Networks also announced today that leading game systems developer Alienware, Dell’s high-performance gaming brand, will be the first exclusive PC OEM to ship the Killer Xeno Pro.

"The worldwide online gaming market is rapidly growing, and with more gaming customers come more customer requests, demands and needs. Alienware works to stay ahead of the curve and Bigfoot Networks helps us do this," said Frank Azor, senior vice president and general manager, Alienware. "The Bigfoot Networks’ Killer Xeno gives us the proven technology needed to guarantee customers’ ultimate online gaming experience."

Additionally, the company announced that EVGA Corporation, the leading-edge 3D graphics card and motherboard manufacturer, is Bigfoot’s first exclusive third party AIB partner to license Killer Xeno to be distributed under the EVGA brand.

"EVGA, from the beginning, has embraced intelligent innovation and leadership within our product philosophy," said Andrew Han, EVGA president and CEO. "By partnering with Bigfoot Networks, EVGA can now offer the Killer Xeno Pro to members of the VGA community. In particular, this new product will greatly improve the immersive experience and competitive edge for online gamers. Addressing our customers’ real-time networking needs and empowering them with new products is made possible with Bigfoot’s Killer Xeno technology."

"Bigfoot Networks’ products are designed to provide the best experience for today’s new generation of real-time network-dependent applications such as online gaming, voice chat and file sharing," said Bigfoot Networks CEO Michael Howse. "Our new high-volume distribution partnerships with Alienware and EVGA will enable a wide variety of product implementations and price points for gamers and consumers worldwide."

The Killer Xeno gaming network cards deliver the ultimate online gaming experience, decreasing latency and offering better framerates, thus enabling smoother gameplay. Key features of the Killer Xeno include:

--  PCIe interface: provides for higher throughput.
--  Killer Xeno NPU: dedicated smart packet processor for all network
    operations, ensures the delivery of time-sensitive data like game control
    and VoIP.
--  Plug-and-play compatibility with all games.
--  Windows network stack bypass: provides for direct to game interrupts.
--  Integrated audio chip: offloads VoIP operations to Killer Xeno NPU for
    "hiccup-free" voice communications while gaming.
--  On board RAM (256 MB/Ultra and 128/Pro): enables applications such as
    firewall, VoIP chat and bandwidth control to run on the card simultaneously
    with no system performance degradation.
--  Firewall: stops intruders with zero gaming performance impact. Based
    on robust Linux iptable implementation.
--  Bandwidth control: prioritize network traffic for each application by
    setting bandwidth priorities and max/min limits through a simple interface.
--  Onboard status display: Xeno Ultra model includes a customizable LED
    display for caller ID, network statistics, game information or any user-
    customized messages.
    

The Killer Xeno comes in two form factors, Killer Xeno Ultra with 256MB of on board ram, OnBoard Status Display and Killer Xeno Pro with 128MB of on board ram. Both models include audio processing for VoIP chat.

The Killer Xeno Pro will be available for $129.99 from both Alienware and EVGA in April 2009. The Killer Xeno Ultra will be available for $179.99 in May from leading online retail partners. Check www.bigfootnetworks.com for more details.

To see Bigfoot Networks at the Game Developers Conference 2009, March 25-27, at the Moscone Center, San Francisco, please visit us at booth #6406 North Hall (NH).