Gungho confront Pokemon GO by new geolocation apps "Puzz-Dra Radar"

Puzzle & Dragons is a Gungho's popular mobile game. It passed 40 million downloading in Japan in this month. However, they add a newer element to this. They released geolocation application "Puzz-Dra Radar(パズドラレーダー)" in conjunction with Puzzle & Dragons. The downloading is free(iOS/Android), but can use it now only in Japan.

This is geolocation treasure hunt application using the GPS of smartphones. Players can collect various virtual items in this application using positional information in the movement of the reality world, and can change them for challenge rights of special dungeon and special monsters in Puzzle & Dragons. This is similar to general geolocation mobile games. In Japan, geolocation mobile games was popular from the futurephones era. In addition, Nintendo and Niantic develop geolocation mobile game of of the Pokemon series "Pokémon GO". Of course Gungho will mind this.

mixi also entered VR business

A lot of Japanese mobile game companies pay attention to VR. mixi is no exception. They make money in popular mobile game Monster Strike, but, in addition, released new 360-degree panoramic video service Kimidake360 °(きみだけ360 °: Only for you 360 °).

Kimidake360 ° is mobile VR contents version of "Kimidake LIVE" providing original video of artists. Users can see 360-degree panoramic video of artists by using simple VR goggles supporting smartphones(Like the Google Cardboard). In the beginning, they showed contents of Boys band Break through. These are shown in Japanese 360-degree panoramic video platform Hacosco Store.

Air cleaner which can exterminate mosquitoes

Air cleaner absorbs dirty air and exhaust clean air. SHARP paid attention to this function and developed Air cleaner which can capture mosquitoes without using chemists. The mosquitoes are drawn to ultraviolet rays, like black, and want to be covered in the dark and the shade. They adopted these in a design of Air cleaner. The body of this is black, has UV lights emitting ultraviolet rays and plural small windows. When mosquitoes near it, it absorbs them with dirty air and capture them with an adhesion sheet. Because chemists is unnecessary as for this, families having infants, elderly, or pets can use this in peace.
Originally SHARP released this in the ASEAN countries from September, 2015, but they sell it in Japan from April 23. It is important that they release this before summer begins. Because the spread of epidemics by mosquitoes is a social problem in Japan also.

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.

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.

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".

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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.







"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.

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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.

Japanese mobile game superstar Nameko become TV anime in public broadcasting channel NHK

Japanese mobile game superstar Nameko becomes anime again. They released anime DVD in 2013. However, they broadcast the short anime series in national public broadcasting channel NHK this time. It is broadcasted on every Sunday.

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Japanese popular mobile apps character Nameko becomes the Anime at last

The title is "Nemko -Sekai no Tomodachi-(なめこ～せかいのともだち～: Nameko -Friends of World-". This is broadcasted in NHK's education program for children "Nyanchu World" in April 10. One broadcast time is three minutes, and the designer of the game draws Nameko of the new design for this.

Outline...
Welcome to the forest of Nameko! --- Here is the "Forest of Nameko" where various Nameko gathers from all over the world. Nameko to live in there began the guide of the forest with friends to tell the charm of the forest to everyone. Their team name is "Universal Ranger of the forest of Nameko", the abbreviated designation is "NUR". Nameko coming over to the forest of the world are very unique and individual. Well, what kind of trouble will arise today in the forest...?!

The setting of characters in this anime are different from the games. For example, because mushrooms are agamogenesis, Nameko in games are asexual condition. However, Nameko in this anime is a boy.

On the other hand, Love-Nameko is a girl.

And, as you see, Robo-Nameko is a robot.

A lot of anime which came out of games has been broadcasted in Japan until now, but this is the first time that anime of characters who came out of a mobile game is broadcasted in education program of national public broadcasting channel.

Android OS transceiver which has a camera

Teisen releases the transceiver with the camera which can send images in high compression image codec in July. It works by the Android OS. You may think this to be the same as smartphones or tablets. However, the mobile is not usable in big disaster. On the other hand, simplicity radio such as the transceiver is available for stable communication even if lifelines are destroyed. In addition, the photography function is important in damage rehabilitation works. They realized an effective image transmission function using high compression codec "MXcodec" which Information System Research Institute developed. Its transmissible distance is 1~4km, has a voice mail function, and of course drip-proof/dust-proof structure. By the way, according to them, the transceiver with the camera is the world first.

Official crime prevention apps of the Metropolitan Police Department

You may see dog girl in this apps, but this is not entertainment or game apps. This "Digi Police" is crime prevention apps by the Metropolitan Police Department. They offer various useful information to prevent phone fraud such as "it's me scam" by this application. In addition, the application has the practical function such as personal alarm, police stations search, open criminal investigation information, inquiry counter introductions. However, they do not forget to appeal to users for a friendly image...by Japan-specific style. This application has the camera function of their official character, characters collection function, and fraud karuta - the card game that words to be used in a fraud crime are displayed at random- also. They may not help crime prevention immediately, but may become the motive to run application to users many times. Download is free(iOS/Android).

The man who stole game characters of Monster Strike was arrested

According to Japan's Sankei News, the 33-year-old jobless man who lives in Osaka and stole rare characters of mixi's popular mobile game Monster Strike using cheating software was arrested. This is a crime called "illegal production of private electromagnetic record" in Japan.
He downloaded cheating software from the Internet and stole three kinds of rare characters from Monster Strike using it. Furthermore, he made three kinds of characters a set and sold it on Internet auction for about 1,500yen(about 13USD). He earned 4,400,000yen(about 38,720USD) by this criminal technique from last April through this February. He accepts a crime and tells that he fed his family by selling game characters.
The Hyogo Prefectural Police cybercrime measures section found his crime in the cyberpatrol which they carried out in last December.

[Review]mixi released cute mobile puzzle game of Marvel Heroes "Marvel TSUM TSUM"

Japan's mixi released cute mobile puzzle game of Marvel Heroes "Marvel TSUM TSUM" on February 24.

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mixi started pre-registration of cute mobile puzzle game of Marvel Heroes "Marvel TSUM TSUM"

This is the puzzle game that combined popular mobile puzzle game Disney TSUM TSUM with Marvel Heroes. Marvel Heroes and Villains become cute mascots "TSUM", and players connect them of same kinds with a single stroke. After Disney store closed, the stuffed toys of Marvel TSUM begin to move and fight. By the way, the real Marvel TSUM stuffed toys were released in Disney store in Japan on February 26.

At first, players get TSUM of the Iron Man. He is existence such as the mascots of Marvel TSUM TSUM.

 In Disney TSUM TSUM, score competition is the main, but in Marvel TSUM TSUM, it is the main to clear levels.

 The game system is the almost same as Disney TSUM TSUM. Players connect same type of TSUM more than three.

Each TSUM have skills.

An original element of this includes the battle with TSUM of the enemy. When players win enemy TSUM, they can go in the next level.

Furthermore, there is the Co-op function that fight against enemy TSUM with other players whom there is near oneself.

Of course players can purchase other Marvel TSUM using a virtual currency. All are cute!

Marvel TSUM TSUM is the puzzle game that combined a mixi's popular mobile game Monster Strike with Disney TSUM TSUM. Game in itself is the same as Disney TSUM TSUM, but battle with enemies and Co-op function resemble Monster Strike. This has characteristics of two popular mobile games.

In addition, it has not been yet announced whether this is released in a global market.

The The Angry Birds Movie Japanese version got Japan's original voice actor

In Japan, the overseas movies are dubbed into Japanese by voice actors. Because Japanese people are weak in a foreign language, and children in particular are so. In addition, dubbing becomes the promotion of the movie because voice actors are popular in Japan. Recently, as part of promotion, it increases that actors who are not a voice actors, musicians, idols, and comedians do dubbing. The Angry Birds Movie is also no exception. Sony Pictures announced that Japanese actor Shinobu Sakagami(坂上忍) was in charge of a voice of Red in The Angry Birds Movie Japanese version.

He is an skilled actor, active as an actor since 3 years old, and was known as a genius kids actor from that time. He established a theatrical company in 2005 while he was active as an actor, and established the training school of kids actors in 2009 furthermore. And he has a sharp tongue, and is famous in TV talk shows as a person always feeling resentment in something. Sony Pictures thought that his character was good to Red. This is the first time that he is in charge of a voice actor in 3DCG anime movie. He comments, "Because I worked as a dubbing voice actor in the days of a kids in "Little House on the Prairie", I feel with nostalgia. I love work of the voice actor, so I do my best while enjoying this."
The Angry Birds Movie is shown in theaters of Japan from October 1.

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The Angry Birds Movie is shown in theaters of Japan from October 1

Minecraft becomes the erasers in Japan

Minecraft is popular among primary schoolchildren in Japan. It is creative, helps education and can play with parents.

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Minecraft PlayStation version attract the Japanese primary schoolchildren

The toy section of BANDAI releases the original Minecraft goods which kids seem to be pleased in the end of May. It is erasers.

This "Mine-Keshi"(Minecraft & Keshigomu, means erasers in Japanese) is the goods which reproduced objects and characters of Minecraft as erasers. Of course these are available as erasers, but kids will not intend to do so it.

The series released in May is a starter set(1,300yen, about 11USD), a character box(500yen, about 4USD) and a block set(1,600yen, about 14USD). Kids can easily make dioramas of Minecraft by buying these.