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Creative Celebrates 30 Years of the Sound Card with All-New Sound BlasterX AE-5 at Gamescom 2017

Event Showcase Features the European Premiere of the Next Generation Audiophile-Grade Gaming Sound Card with World's Best PC Headphone Amp

COLOGNE, Germany - 17 August 2017 - Creative Technology Ltd today announced that it would be celebrating 30 years of the Sound Card at Germany's world famous gaming tradeshow, Gamescom 2017. Famous for setting the de facto standard in PC Gaming with its Sound Blaster® sound cards, and for launching the multimedia revolution, Creative will also be showcasing its latest next generation sound card for the first time in Europe, the Sound BlasterX AE-5.

Sound BlasterX AE-5: The New Era in PC Gaming Audio
This sound card features the world's best gaming headphone amplifier for PCs. The Sound BlasterX AE-5 delivers the ultimate audio performance with the full force of a kick-ass custom-designed Xamp - a discrete headphone amplifier that powers each channel individually, coupled with a 122dB 32-bit/384kHz ESS Sabre™ DAC, audiophile-grade components, and proprietary Sound Blaster audio enhancement technologies.

Sound BlasterX AE-5 Pure Edition

Sound BlasterX AE-5 PCIe Sabre Class Gaming DAC with Discrete Headphone Amp

Sound BlasterX AE-5 with Integrated RGB Controller Powers Up LED Strips

The AE-5 is also the world's first sound card with integrated RGB controller powered by Aurora Reactive Lighting that lets users personalize their rig with 16.8 million colors. It comes with the option of attaching up to four 30cm light-strips to enhance the look of a gamer's rig even further. The custom-designed PCB also allows for RGB lights to actually shine through on three sides of the card, including the logo on the AE-5's casing. The back of the card incorporates white geometric patterns that reflect the lights, lending a distinctive character to the AE-5.

Imbued with industry leading audio processing for enhanced realism with immersive 7.1 surround sound, the AE-5 also supports the all-new Scout Radar, a gaming audio technology converging PC and mobile devices, and brings gaming and entertainment on PCs and laptops to new levels of fun and acoustic awareness. Gamers can now not only enjoy amazing audio, they will also be able to see the direction of the sound sources on their smart devices.

30 Years of the Sound Card: Celebrate With Us
Creative will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Sound Card at the Sound BlasterX booth (Booth 20) in Hall 5.1. Visitors can expect sweeping stage events and exciting booth activities highlighting the “magic” number 30. Host and master of ceremony Frank Schilde (among others) will present:

• Interactive stage performances and product presentations
• Interviews with top European e-Sports players from Epsilon eSports's FIFA team and compLexity Gaming's Hearthstone squad
• Birthday freebies
• Giveaways and competitions
• Intoxicating crowd parties

BlasterX Gaming Zones
Participants at the Sound BlasterX booth will also get a chance to experience the Sound BlasterX Katana - the world's first gaming under monitor audio system, Sound BlasterX headsets, and high-performance gaming rigs at BlasterX gaming zones. Leading European and US eSports teams, Epsilon eSports and compLexity Gaming, will also be there to square-off with participants in ‘gaming shoot-outs'.

The gaming zones, jointly sponsored by leading gaming monitor manufacturer AOC International, gaming controller manufacturer Scuf Gaming®, Premium Germany-based computer hardware retailer Caseking.de, gaming bean bag manufacturer Gamewarez, and Creative, will also feature noblechairs sponsored premium high-end gaming chairs inspired by luxury sports car interiors - all designed in Germany.

The BlasterX booth will be divided into three exciting zones for participants to experience a full variety of gaming and entertainment ‘worlds': a PC Gaming Zone which features the latest games, a Console Gaming Zone decked-out with plush gaming bean bag where gamers can enjoy the latest PS4™ FIFA 17, and a Sound BlasterX Katana Zone with dedicated sound room.

As part of a technology showcase, the Sound BlasterX series will be on display, which include:

• Sound BlasterX Vanguard K08 RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard (now with German and Nordic keyboard layout)
• Sound BlasterX Katana and Kratos S5 gaming speakers
• Sound BlasterX H7 and H5 Tournament Edition headsets
• Sound BlasterX Siege M04 Precision Gaming Mouse

These products, as well as the Sound BlasterX AE-5, will also be showcased at partner booths at Gamescom such as Caseking and ALTERNATE.

The full Sound BlasterX Series will be demonstrated at Gamescom 2017, Cologne, Germany, Hall 5.1, Booth 20. To find out more about Sound BlasterX at Gamescom 2017, and the Sound BlasterX Series, go to Creative.com.

About Creative
Creative is a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products. Famous for its Sound Blaster® sound cards and for launching the multimedia revolution, Creative is now driving digital entertainment with cutting-edge audio solutions which include premium wireless speakers, wireless headphones, and powerful audiophile-grade amplifiers and digital audio converters. Today, Creative re-invents the Sound Blaster, which has a user base of over 400 million, with its ground-breaking Sound Blaster Roar and Sound Blaster X7 that aim at the new mobile networked generation by bridging the worlds of the computer, smartphones, and tablets. Creative's proprietary technologies, innovative hardware, applications and services leverage the Internet, enabling consumers to experience high-quality digital entertainment - anytime, anywhere.

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This announcement relates to products launched in Europe. Availability is subject to change without notice and may differ elsewhere in the world according to local factors and requirements. Creative, the Creative logo, Sound Blaster and the BlasterX logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Creative Technology Ltd in the United States and/or other countries. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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