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For Immediate Release:

NEW PLAYSTATION®2 SENSATION SINGSTAR* SET TO BE A NUMBER ONE HIT

Auckland, 22 April 2004 - Sony Computer Entertainment New Zealand announced today the May 21st launch of SingStar*, the innovative PlayStation®2 title that invites players to step into the spotlight and unleash their inner pop star. SingStar's revolutionary technology analyses the player's vocal skills based on their pitch, tone and rhythm as they sing into the USB microphone and gives them a score based on their performance.

The public got their first chance to have a sneak preview of SingStar during the annual Armageddon Pulp Culture Expo in Auckland last weekend. Over 25,000 people were witness to the SingStar stand which stole the show and hundreds took to the stage in front of roaring crowds to battle it out against friends to win PlayStation 2 prizes.

Wannabe pop idols of all ages and the odd celebrity guest swamped the stand, queuing for a chance to show off their singing skills. Amongst the celebrity singers were Dayna and Matt from TV2's Studio 2 who hosted the SingStar stage for an hour a day. On Sunday they bought along a surprise guest singer, none other than kiwi born international pop star Daniel Bedingfield. To the amazement of the crowd Daniel got up and sung his own song "If You're Not the One", reaching no less than "Super Singer" status within the game's scoring system.

SingStar is the latest innovation to come out of Studio London, the development team responsible for the critically acclaimed EyeToy*, winner of dozens of innovation and technology awards throughout the world including two prestigious BAFTA's.

Steve Dykes, Managing Director of Sony Computer Entertainment NZ commented, "We were absolutely overwhelmed by the response that SingStar received at Armageddon. Like EyeToy, this type of software takes gaming to a new level, broadening the appeal and encouraging social interaction."

"As the number one console in world, this is the type of innovation and technology that consumers have come to expect from PlayStation 2; stay tuned for more big news this year."

The game has an extensive track list featuring a wide variety of well-known songs from world-class artists including, Jamelia, Madonna, Avril Lavigne, Pink and many more. Each track is the artist's original recording and SingStar also includes original music video clips.

SingStar Track List:

* Liberty X - Just a Little
* Mis-Teeq - Scandalous
* The Darkness - I Believe in a Thing Called Love
* A-Ha - Take on Me
* Pink - Get the Party Started
* Jamelia - Superstar
* Motorhead - Ace of Spades
* George Michael - Careless Whisper
* Avril Lavigne - Complicated
* Petula Clark - Downtown
* Sophie Ellis Bexter - Murder on the Dancefloor
* Daniel Bedingfield - If You're Not the One
* Carl Douglas - Kung Fu Fighting
* Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up
* Westlife - World of Our Own
* Ricky Martin - Livin La Vida Loca
* Madonna - Like a Virgin
* Roy Orbison Pretty Woman
* S Club - Don't Stop Movin'
* Deee-Lite - Groove is in the Heart
* Sugababes - Round Round
* Elvis - Suspicious Minds
* Busted - Crashed the Wedding
* Village People - YMCA
* Good Charlotte - Girls and Boys
* Blondie - Heart of Glass
* Dido - Thank You
* Atomic Kitten - Eternal Flame
* Blue - One Love
* Lemar - 50/50

SingStar will officially release in New Zealand on May 21, 2004 and will retail for $99.95. Also releasing later this year exclusively to PlayStation 2 is the highly anticipated Gran Turismo 4*, The Getaway* 2, Grand Theft Auto*: San Andreas and Killzone*.

~ends~

About Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, based in London, is responsible for the distribution, marketing and sales of PS one and PlayStation 2 hardware and software in 102 territories across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Oceania. By the end of December 2003, over 39 million PlayStation and PS one units had been shipped across these PAL territories and over 99 million worldwide. Between its European debut on 24 November 2000 and 13 January 2004, over 24.5 million PlayStation 2 units have been shipped across the PAL territories, over 70 million world-wide, making it one of the most successful computer entertainment products in history.

PlayStation and the PlayStation logo, PS one and PS2 are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About Sony Computer Entertainment New Zealand

SCE New Zealand, based in Auckland, is responsible for the distribution, marketing and sales of PlayStation®, PS one® and PlayStation®2 software and hardware in New Zealand. Over 210,000 consoles have been shipped in New Zealand, by March 2004. With both CD and DVD capabilities, PlayStation®2 offers consumers a diverse range of computer entertainment solutions and is supported with over 700 high quality software titles.

PlayStation and the PlayStation logo, PS one, PS2 and PSP are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

More information about PlayStation products can be found at and http://nz.playstation.com and http://www.scee.com

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