Philips today announced the appointment of Neil MacDonald as CEO of amBX. Neil was most recently CEO of AIM-listed Yoomedia PLC, a leading innovator of transactional content services.

Neil began his retail career with Dixons Stores Group and, as Marketing Director, developed the computer, gaming and electronics business, including the acquisition and development of PC World. Neil went on to establish a PC hardware business across nine European markets for Fujitsu ICL, latterly Fujitsu Siemens and, as General Manager of Internet Services for BT, oversaw the launch and development of a portfolio of business lines and ISP services in the early years of the consumer Internet market. Before joining DITG, which was later acquired by Yoomedia, Neil was CEO of Sportal, an international sports Internet portal.

Neil is a passionate believer in the power of user interaction with content and media; a belief that is reflected throughout his career achievements to-date.

“I’m ready to bring all my retail, hardware and online experience to drive the business upwards and onwards at this important and exciting time in the amBX lifecycle,” commented Neil MacDonald. “There are some extremely high profile development, publishing, hardware and retail companies enthusiastically supporting amBX and we intend to continue to expand on those partnerships and push the boundaries of what amBX can achieve across both the trade and consumer sectors.”

Shorthand for ‘ambient experiences’, amBX reinvents the gameplay experience by extending the traditional gaming world out of the screen and into the real world. amBX delivers full ‘surround senses’ by allowing developers to use light, colour, sound, rumble and even air flow through enabled devices, including the Philips amBX PC Gaming Peripherals range of LED colour-controlled lighting, rumble peripherals and variable speed desktop fans.

Philips is setting a global standard by licensing the amBX technology to game developers, publishers and peripherals manufacturers including Ubisoft, Codemasters, THQ, Introversion, Gearbox Software, Gas Powered Games, Zombie, Riot Games, Brain in a Jar, Invictus Games, Instinct Technology, Kuju, Revolution, Sumo Digital and Rivers Run Red.

Games which are amBX compatible include Broken Sword: The Angel of Death, Brothers in Arms: Hell’s Highway, Clive Barker’s Jericho, Darwinia, DEFCON, Far Cry 2, Overlord, QUAKE 4, Supreme Commander and Toca Race Driver 3.

Over 100 titles are also compatible with FXGenerator and amBX FXGen+, including The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Lost Planet, Crysis, Stranglehold and Need for Speed: ProStreet, and a full list, searchable by genre and publisher, can be found at can be found.