Tag archive: Japan

As reported by Kotaku earlier today, Sony is ditching plans to allow new Vita owners to download PSP titles that they currently own on UMD disc. Sony rolled out this program in Japan at launch during December 2011 and all Japanese owners can register their UMD titles on the Vita by paying a fee based on the value of the game, thus Japanese owners can avoid having to repurchase the titles at full cost on the PlayStation Vita digital download… Read More

It may not be the kind of thing you want to watch just before going to bed—especially if you live on a major fault line—but these stunning videos really bring home just how volatile and violent things are below the Earth’s surface. YouTube user StoryMonoroch has created two stunning visualization maps—one for Japan and one for the world—showing all of the quakes which took place throughout 2011 registering between magnitude 3 and 9 on the… Read More

Eyes are on the Facebook IPO and how it may change the way investors view social media; but in the shadow of Facebook's big $5 billion IPO filing news is the 6-year old Twitter, moving past its awkward revenue stage and working its way around the globe. According to a new report from social media research company Semiocast, out of 383 million Twitter profiles created before this new year's beginning, 72% of all user profiles are… Read More

One might think that a mannequin in a store window that suddenly starts pulling a few moves would be enough to make shoppers jump out of their skin, but looking at a video of one that has recently appeared in the window of a department store in Tokyo shows shoppers appear to be unfazed. Perhaps their nonchalant reaction should come as little surprise in a country where robotic technology is the norm. The android is the creation of Dr Hiroshi… Read More

With the North American PS Vita launch coming to a February 22 near you, Sony has unveiled two Vita bundles, hoping to drum up interest in the 3G version. Sony will normally be selling the Vita's 3G-added version for $300, and the WiFi only version for $50 less. However, on the launch day, Playstation is offering up a new 3G/WiFi bundle that includes the handheld device and related hardware, as well as an 8GB proprietary PS Vita memory… Read More

A teaser video from Sony has been released demonstrating a new product named Dot Switch, that seemingly lets you control a variety of devices from a Sony smartphone. The clip shows someone tapping a big glowing button on the screen of their Xperia phone, which then activates different devices ranging from the improbable — a gramophone and confetti cannons — to the more likely, a Sony flatscreen TV and a remote light dimmer. Once… Read More

Racking up over one million views on YouTube in approximately two weeks, photographer Kien Lam created a time-lapse video (embedded below) comprised of 6,237 photographs documenting his year long trip around the world. Lam quit his job as a securities finance analyst at Blackrock during August 2010 and decided to spend 2011 visiting 17 different countries over a period of 343 days. To start the journey, Lam packed up his Panasonic Lumix GF-1… Read More

In a country where vending machines can be found not only on every street corner, but in between every street corner, across from every street corner and beside every street corner (in other words, there are a lot of vending machines), the idea of turning them into Wi-Fi hotspots is a stroke of genius. The new machines are being introduced in Japan by drinks company Asahi over the next 12 months, with plans for more in the coming years. The… Read More

  We've been a little light on Nintendo 3DS news lately, but things continue to look up for the once struggling handheld. Sources report that Nintendo will offer downloadable content (DLC) for the first time in 2012, hardware sales have eclipsed 4 million units in Japan, and Satoru Iwata has revealed Nintendo's upcoming game lineup for early 2012. DLC coming to Fire Emblem: Nintendo added support for DLC within games in a system… Read More

Toyota has officially unveiled its Aqua compact hybrid car, set to be called the Prius C when it comes to the USA. It's the first spin-off of the popular Prius brand, and is similar in size to the Toyota Yaris. The concept appeared at the New York motor show back in April, then again as a leaked set of press shots in October. In-between time, the car lost the barking mad headlights and the steeply raked roofline, which made it look more… Read More

Car security comes in many shapes and forms, but a new car seat developed by engineers in Japan designed to prevent your car being stolen is about exactly that: shape and form. Developed by the Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology in Tokyo, the seat is able to determine whether the person sitting on it is the car owner or simply someone wishing they were the owner (ie. a thief). So how does it do it? Placed throughout the car seat are 360… Read More

When Nintendo decided to drastically cut the price of its 3DS handheld from $250 to $170 in August, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata promised 20 free downloadable games to those who purchased the system at full price. At the end of August, the first 10 games were revealed and they were all NES games. Today, Nintendo Japan has revealed the remaining 10 games and they're all from the Game Boy Advance. This is part of what Nintendo calls the… Read More

Back in July, Google announced its intention to digitally archive the devastation caused by March’s tsunami in north-eastern Japan, which claimed the lives of nearly 20,000 people. “This [Street View] imagery will help people in Japan and across the world remember and observe the tragedy of March 11, 2011,” the Mountain View company said. In a post on the official Google blog on Tuesday, it said that after driving more than 27,000 miles (44,000… Read More

An accident on a highway in Japan on Sunday involving a bunch of supercars has been dubbed 'the world’s most expensive car crash ever.' Eight Ferraris, one Lamborghini Diablo, a Nissan GT-R Skyline and three Mercedes Benz were involved in the smash. The Wall Street Journal reported that the total value of the cars involved could be as much as $4 million. Oh, and there was a Toyota Prius caught in the 14-car pile-up too. According to… Read More

Anyone who has tried to get some shut-eye beside someone snoring like an elephant breaking wind every five seconds knows how it can totally ruin a night’s sleep.  In an attempt to put an end to your bedfellow’s rumblings, you may have administered a gentle nudge or swift kick, but the chances are it will only have resulted in temporary success, or possibly just an angry complaint. In a worse case scenario, you may have been forced to retreat to… Read More