Magnet Entertainment are today launching Magnet Bolt, a new service for computer gamers, that will dramatically quicken responsiveness, eliminate jarring game play and speedily deliver spoken commands to online team mates. The service, a world first, was developed with the feedback and testing of 120 Irish gamers who have long complained that slow ping times and poor latency are the biggest downsides to online gaming in Ireland.
Speaking at the launch Magnet Marketing Manager Tom Larkin said “When gaming, milliseconds of delay mean either instant victory or defeat. We talked directly with the gaming community through Boards.ie to see what could be done to improve online gaming and make them more competitive. Bolt is an all-in service that gives the ping time speeds and performance they need to win.”
Magnet Bolt subscribers will have their internet line personally tuned by a Magnet engineer to increase performance for gaming. Customers will also have gaming server traffic prioritised and be supplied with a high quality Telsey gaming router as well as 12Mb Broadband with 1:1 contention.
Ping times, the amount of time it takes for information to travel between game consoles, are the most important factor when competing online. A recent survey revealed that Irish gamers suffer from an average ping time of 194ms, nearly twice what is acceptable to enjoy online gaming. Magnet Bolt reduces this down to speeds as low as 16ms, the fastest ping times available in Ireland. Latency, another important factor, is slashed to one quarter of the Irish average.
Commenting on the involvement of Boards.ie, Community Manager, Dav Waldron said: “We’ve had companies use our site to talk directly to customers around customer service issues but it is really exciting for a company to step in, listen and invest time and money into designing something that members actually want. As more companies move into online communities like ours collaboration with members will become commonplace. This can only benefit both the consumer and the company.”
Gamers have been quick to endorse the new service with one tester, Stel Fox saying “I’ve noticed a big leap in terms of faster in-game response times and it’s given me a real edge playing against others online.”
Priced at an introductory rate of €64.99 per month until the end of the October, Magnet Bolt will then cost €69.99 including VAT and line rental.
To buy the service customers can log on to Magnetbolt.ie and become members of an online community with the benefits of competitions, special offers, and the chance to network with fellow gamers. Alternatively call Magnet directly on 1800 819600.
*Epitiro Ireland Internet Performance Index 2008: http://www.epitiro.com/news/ireland-internet-performance-index.html
For further information, please contact:
Bernice Burnside/Thomas Brunkard
Bvisible Communications
01-845-2401
087-2337366/085-7189920
bernice@bvisible.ie/thomas@bvisible.ie
About Magnet Entertainment
Magnet Entertainment, the consumer services division of Magnet Networks, utilises the latest in broadband technology to provide a range of phone, internet and TV services to Irish residential customers nationwide. The company has pioneered super-fast broadband in Ireland offering speeds of up to 50Mbps and owns the largest fibre network in Ireland and the UK. For more information, visit Magnet Networks at www.magnet.ie.