3.15.2016

This button type speaker gives voices to stuffed toys


If stuffed toys can talk... Anyone would dream in childhood. Toy speaker "Pechat" realizes it. Parents attach this to children's favorite stuffed toys, pretend to be the stuffed toys, and can talk to children. Pechat is the yellow button-shaped chat speaker which HAKUHODO's new product development project monom developed, has lithium ion rechargable battery, and links smartphones in Bluetooth.


When users talk to Pechat's smartphone apps, it converts their voice into the cute voice of stuffed toys automatically and replay it from Pechat. In addition, this has function to convert texts into voices, templates of lines, automatic responses function, and alarm function. Furthermore, it has a function that detects the crying of children and informs it to the parents' smartphone, so parents can use this as a monitoring tool. Unfortunately it is undecided on the sale date of this. However, HAKUHODO showed this in a trade show of SxSW 2016.

3.12.2016

Japan's national public channel NHK showed 360-degree contents of The great Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami

March 11 is a memorial day of The great Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Five years passed, but the rehabilitation is behind the original plan, and many people still suffer. We must not let memory of  this disaster weather.
Today, Japan's national public broadcasting organization NHK showed interesting data. They showed images and videos that took scenery of the disaster-stricken area with a 360-degree camera.

http://www.nhk.or.jp/d-navi/vr/shinsaivr/

The most of these ruins are in the places that became restricted residence area by a nuclear plant accident. As for them, time stops before five years.

For example, there were ever 125 kids in this kindergarten. Fortunately, all of them were saved because they evacuated immediately, but they could not go to this kindergarten again.

It is a large office in a mess a little. Town's emergency management headquarters was established here only  March 11, 2011. However, all residents of the town evacuated on next day.

Unfortunately this site has only Japanese. However, it is easy to see videos and images if you are used to VR contents.

3.11.2016

Yo-Kai Watch's mobile game Yo-Kai Watch Puni Puni released soon in North America

Yo-Kai Watch strikes the North America last October and increases fans steadily. Following this, Level-5 carries out the next move. They release popular mobile game Yo-Kai Watch Puni Puni soon in North America. The English title is "Yo-kai Watch Wibble Wobble".

See Also:
Level-5 and NHN PlayArt released a mobile game of Yo-Kai Watch


Yo-Kai Watch Puni Puni is released in Japan in last October and has already passed 6 million downloading. The tie-up with the real Yo-Kai medal and movie of Yo-Kai Watch was held in this game, too. Now, the goods and books using character designs of Yo-Kai Watch Puni Puni are sold.

妖怪ウォッチ ぷにぷに オーぷにング攻略BOOK (ワンダーライフスペシャル)

オーエスケー 妖怪ウォッチ ぷにぷに ダイカットシール容器 レッド SLD-1B

ヨロズマート限定  妖怪ウォッチ ぷにぷに ぷにっとぬいぐるみ ジバニャン

"Yo-Kai Puni"(Round cute faces of Yo-Kai) becomes the English name "Wib Wob" in Yo-kai Watch Wibble Wobble.
The opening movie like the Japanese version has been already shown.

HTC ties up with GREE and brings VR into amusement facility


Taiwan's HTC Corporation tied up with Japan's GREE in VR business. They bring VR contents into Japanese amusement facility such as the theme park, the karaoke studio, and the shopping center jointly.

GREE enters the VR business from last year, exhibit the demo version of the VR social game in Tokyo game show 2015, and established new studio GREE VR Studio which developed VR contents.

See Also:
GREE entered the VR business and established GREE VR Studio

VR is the one of the hot topics in Japan, but it is still only early adopters. GREE and HTC intends to diffuse it to ordinary people.


The new mobile game of Pokemon using the AI is released in this spring

Now, Nintendo makes efforts in a mobile game. This is the part, too. The Pokemon Company and HEROZ release new mobile game of Pokemon "Pokemon Komadtar(ポケモンコマスター)" in this spring.



This is PvP board game using figure of Pokemon. Players collect figure of Pokemon with the different characteristic each, form deck, and battle with other players. HEROZ is in charge of the development of this. Their core technology is AI, they run online shogi(将棋: Japanese chess) service using the AI, and this AI won against a professional shogi player for the first time in the world. However, the AI of Pokemon Komadtar does not confront players, and it supports players. Of course, when a lot of players play a game a lot, the AI grows wise and evolves. This is right a mobile game to evolve and the evolution is one of the important elements of Pokemon.