July 25, 2007 (Tokyo, Japan)—Acrodea, Inc. (CEO and President: Junya Tsutsumi), headquartered in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, and Bandai Networks Co., Ltd. (President and CEO: Satoshi Oshita), headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo, announced the release of X-Forge 2007, a game development environment for handheld devices.
In recent years, download speeds for mobile phones have improved to broadband levels, and opened the door to the operation of richer content. High-performance system LSIs for handheld devices have been released with higher functional specifications, high-resolution LCD screens have advanced higher definition, and consequently, an environment to enjoy outstanding content is forming. To match the growing sophistication in network services, and the high processing performance and capability of expression held by the resulting handheld devices, Acrodea and Bandai Networks have added new functionality to X-Forge that can extract the most performance from system LSIs implemented with high-performance 3D-graphics capability, such as the TC35711XBG made by Toshiba.
Leading the mobile games market, the newly released X-Forge 2007 SDK (software development kit) offers the first compatibility for Open GL®ES 2.0, and supports programmable shaders and scene graphs. The additional functions enable realistic 3D video expressions that were difficult to achieve with conventional 3D middleware. VIVID Movie is embedded as a module for video processing. Game applications can use high-quality motion video with high compression efficiency. Robust functions have upgraded sound effects to support more appealing game content. X-Forge 2007 has also proceeded with modularization of functions, promptly delivers compatibility with Open KODE as set forth by the Khronos Group, and supports the de facto standard 3D graphics API sets Open GL®ES 1.0/1.1/2.0.
Acrodea and Bandai Networks intend to distribute the latest X-Forge 2007 SDK release jointly within Japan and internationally through the sales networks of both companies. Bandai Networks will actively introduce and employ X-Forge 2007 in the development of its own content. Acrodea will feed the game development expertise and business know-how belonging to Bandai Networks into worldwide market development.
The TC35711XBG developed by Toshiba Corporation is a system LSI for game functions on mobile phones. The single chip integrates three processors: a high-performance 3D graphics processor with rendering performance of 100 million polygons per second, the top performance in its class; MeP (Media Enhanced Processor), a media processor suited for processing multimedia; and the ARM 1176JZF-S. Processing performance comparable to a stand-alone video game unit can be attained. In addition, a built-in LCD controller is compatible with wide VGA resolution for the display of high-resolution 3D graphics, while the new, programmable shader function can express 3D video like live video through reflected images of shiny surfaces and the glare of facing light.
 |
 |
|
| Fig. 1 | Fig. 2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Sample 3D scene using programmable shaders expresses the water's surface of the pool, light reflected from the walls and ceiling, and shadows using environment mapping. | The material shaders created can be browsed within the 3D modeling tool. |
 |
 |
|
| Fig. 3 | Fig. 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Material editor can preview the results of settings in real time. | Sample 3D scene using programmable shaders expresses a realistic shield through normal mapping, shadows using light mapping, and flares with sprites. |
Acrodea, Inc., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a software technology R&D firm involved in middleware technology for mobile terminals. The company is particularly focused on interface technologies connecting between the user and terminal, and currently provides UI (user interface) technologies and email enhancement technologies to the market. We are also applying R&D energy towards the enhancement of graphics performance, which is indispensable in facilitating usage of mobile platform interfaces. Our stance and efforts are a continual commitment to superior products and improving technology, for which we have received recognition worldwide. In addition to Japan and Korea, Acrodea is engaged in business on the global market, including China, Europe, and North America. The company listed publicly on Mothers Exchange of TSE on Oct. 19, 2006, just two years and three months after establishment in July 2004. Acrodea is headquartered in Tokyo, and has offices in Korea, Europe and United State. For more information, please visit
http://www.acrodea.co.jp.
Established as a subsidiary of Bandai Co., Ltd. in September of 2000, Bandai Networks builds on its parent company's strength in character merchandising and adds an expertise in server management and applications, innovative concepts, and strategic business partnering to operate a wide variety of mobile phone and Internet content services. Bandai Networks currently boasts 4 million subscribers to its domestic pay mobile phone services. Stocks went public on the JASDAQ Market (code 3725) on December 12, 2003.
Marketing Department at Acrodea, Inc.
TEL：+81 3-5798-4885
http://www.acrodea.co.jp/
Public Relations and IR Team, Corporate Planning Department, Bandai Networks Co., Ltd.
TEL: +81 3-6215-7655
http://www.bandai-net.com/
