By Joey Davidson |
Adorable, right? Eevee’s an awesome Pokémon and having a strange Nintendo 3DS XL with his (or her) mug on the back and color scheme on the front would be awesome in the nerdiest way possible. Too bad. We’re not gonna get this Nintendo 3DS XL, and…
By Joey Davidson |
It looks like the developers at Capcom are working on something new in the wonderful Okami franchise. One tweet teases that something big is coming in a few weeks’ time. Here’s the tweet from Capcom’s official Japanese Okami account: こんにちは！最近ちょっとご無沙汰している大神ニュースですが、GW明けくらいには新しいお知らせをドカン！と投下できる気がしていますので、楽しみにお待ちくださいね。現在、着々と準備中。運営壱も、とってもワクワクしています…！#OKAMI Our super rough translation runs like this:…
By Ron Duwell |
Tokyo and a few of its suburbs are about to get an Internet service which doubles the 1Gbps speeds of Google Fiber. Nuro, a fiber service supported by Sony, will be able to reach speeds of 2Gbps down and 1Gbps up, making it the fastest…
By Ron Duwell |
Living in Japan is the best choice I’ve ever made. I’ve moved beyond five years out here, and I still have to do a double take at least once a day when I catch a glimpse of something out of the ordinary. Don’t listen to…
By Ron Duwell |
Is the the downward spiral of the Japanese video game industry coming to an end? The tumbling market has taken some serious hits over the years, but if 2012 is any indication, things might actually be getting better. Japanese magazine publisher Enterbrain is reporting that…
By Ron Duwell |
Shortly after announcing a massively successful launch in South Korea, selling half a million phones in just 40 days, LG has its highly anticipated Optimus G Pro all set to launch abroad, and the first stop on the list is just a short flight away…
By Ron Duwell |
Square Enix might be trying to blame its financial woes on “slow sales of major console game titles in North American and European markets,” but it should seriously stop and look at its home country in the meantime. The latest game in their flagship franchise,…
By Ron Duwell |
While the rest of the world continues to use research funding for the expansion of television size and larger resolutions, here in Japan, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology is far more interested in getting you to smell the television programs you are watching. Its…
By Ron Duwell |
The days are numbered for Nintendo fans to complain about Nintendo’s lack of support for Fire Emblem is the States. Fire Emblem: Awakening has been performing admirably on the retail market, and even better than expected through digital distribution. With six games officially Stateside, we…
By Ron Duwell |
While most of the world continues to cry for larger screens and higher resolutions, Japan is continuing to do what it does best in the cellphone market and dance to their own tune. Cellphone maker Willcom has just unveiled what it is calling the world’s…
By Joey Davidson |
Last week, Sony elected to cut the price of its PS Vita models in Japan. They dropped both the 3G and Wi-Fi SKUs to the same exact price point: ¥19,980 (that’s right around $215 USD). Those cuts have proven successful as PS Vita sales rates have…
By Ron Duwell |
We are all excited to see Terraria being ported to consoles. The indie hit has already sold two million digital copies through steam, and if Minecraft is any indication of the popularity of these world creation games on consoles, then you can expect that figure to…
By Joey Davidson |
The PS Vita hasn’t exactly been a marketplace knockout in its home nation of Japan. In fact, since its release, it’s been regularly beaten by the PSP in weekly sales charts. The PSP, of course, is the PS Vita’s predecessor. So, things haven’t been all…
By Ron Duwell |
Apple and the iPhone are finally sitting atop the Japanese cell phone market after a slow and arduous climb. Smartphones from all companies have had trouble finding a foothold in Japan thanks to Web-enabled phones already being so well ingrained into the culture, but 2012 proved to…
By Joey Davidson |
One Japanese newspaper has a source close to Sony that says the company has targeted a launch date and a launch price for their upcoming PlayStation 4, or whatever they choose to name it. The Asahi Shimbun reports that Sony will release the PlayStation 4…
By Ron Duwell |
Instant ramen is the Japanese go-to meal for a nice quiet evening where you don’t feel much like cooking. Trust me on this, I’ve had my fair share of instant ramen nights after long days of teaching Japanese children, and it’s been a lifesaver when…
By Ron Duwell |
While American interest in Japanese video games has been waning with the shift in market towards Western developed titles, you can bet your hat that Japan is still very much in love with the games they create. A list of games put together by Media…
By Adriana Lee |
So what has some mobile phone users in Japan unwilling to let go of an old, outdated feature phone? It’s not nostalgia, and it’s not some sort of ironic fashion statement either. If you said “adultery,” then winner, winner, chicken dinner, you’re right on the…
By Joey Davidson |
The PlayStation Vita, let’s face it, isn’t exactly doing well in Japan. Just look at recent sales statistics for proof. During the week of January 7th through 13th, 2013, the Nintendo 3DS and 3DS LL (XL, as it’s known internationally) sold roughly 92,000 units. The…
By Ron Duwell |
How many instant messaging services have taken off with the help of smartphones? WhatsApp and Skype are the most widely used throughout the world these days, but here in Japan we use LINE. What might be just another instant messaging service to some has been…
By Ron Duwell |
Imagine all your childhood images of a giant squid. A huge dangling beast with monstrous tentacles, crushing submarines and glaring at you with an eye the size of a beach ball. Captain Nemo battling one of the creatures in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, vikings combating…
By Ron Duwell |
Well, that was a good run! As of today, Sony will no longer be shipping any more PlayStation 2 units in Japan. Clocking in at an impressive 154 million units shipped worldwide, the PlayStation 2 is the best selling console of all time, even out-performing…
By Ron Duwell |
While Japanese cellphone developers continue to get hammered by their South Korean counterparts, a Tokyo based home appliance company called LIXIL has come up with a clever way to show Samsung and LG what it thinks of their dominance over the world’s most competitive market.…
By Joey Davidson |
Muramasa: The Demon Blade was a hidden gem from Japanese developer Vanillaware that released exclusively for the Wii back in 2009. Ignition Entertainment brought the game to North America, while Rising Star Games made it available in Europe. It was not a massive success at retail,…
