Bigfoot Networks Launches Killer Xeno NIC
Bigfoot Networks Launches Killer Xeno™: Second-Generation Gaming Network Card
SAN FRANCISCO, Game Developers Conference – March 23, 2009 – Bigfoot Networks, the networking technology company behind the Killer™ line of gaming network cards, 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 new development tools and flexible product design.
Partners Alienware and EVGA First to Distribute Killer Xeno;
TeamSpeak and Vivox First to Partner With Killer Xeno Voice-Chat Acceleration
The new Killer Xeno platform provides application developers the opportunity to uniquely port their applications to the NPU and embedded Linux operating system. To support Killer Xeno’s VoIP-chat acceleration technology, Bigfoot has partnered with companies supporting market leading voice chat services such as TeamSpeak and Vivox as well as utilizing the popular open source application Mumble. Killer Xeno’s VoIP-chat acceleration technology 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.
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. Today, Bigfoot Networks also announced 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. Additionally, the company announced 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.
“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.”
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:
The Killer Xeno comes in two form factors, Killer Xeno Ultra with 256MB of on board ram along with an 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.
SAN FRANCISCO, Game Developers Conference – March 23, 2009 – Bigfoot Networks, the networking technology company behind the Killer™ line of gaming network cards, 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 new development tools and flexible product design. Partners Alienware and EVGA First to Distribute Killer Xeno;
TeamSpeak and Vivox First to Partner With Killer Xeno Voice-Chat Acceleration
The new Killer Xeno platform provides application developers the opportunity to uniquely port their applications to the NPU and embedded Linux operating system. To support Killer Xeno’s VoIP-chat acceleration technology, Bigfoot has partnered with companies supporting market leading voice chat services such as TeamSpeak and Vivox as well as utilizing the popular open source application Mumble. Killer Xeno’s VoIP-chat acceleration technology 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.
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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. Today, Bigfoot Networks also announced 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. Additionally, the company announced 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. “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.”
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 along with an 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.
