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Farmer Grows Pikachu Fruit
It was about three months ago that sixty-three year-old Toshinobu Takamoto noticed two bumps attached to a Japanese persimmon growing in his yard. After harvesting the fruit, it became the talk of his Fukui City neighborhood, and it was dubbed “Pikachu” for the way it resembled the famed Pocket Monster. Black eyes were drawn on…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 20, 2011 -
Could the Father of the PlayStation Run Sony?
Sony Computer Entertainment honcho Kaz Hirai seemed like a logical choice to replace Howard Stringer. But with Hirai lacking in experience outside gaming, Sony’s old guard could actually select someone with a deep understanding of electronics—namely Ken Kutaragi. [東洋経済]
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 20, 2011 -
Is Rubber Ducky the One in iBath?
There’s this famous PlayStation tech with a rubber duck and a submarine. Everybody always forgets the submarine, but remembers the duck. The PS3 had a duck tech demo, which didn’t just have one duck. It had a bunch. Oh, and pirate ships. If you are familiar with these tech demos, they’re going to be the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 19, 2011 -
The PS Vita’s Interface Is Simple, Elegant
One of the things that is impressing me most about the PS Vita isn’t just the hardware. It’s the software that powers the machine. It’s just as beautiful as the OLED screen on which it’s displayed. The PS Vita went on sale this past weekend in Japan. Check out Kotaku‘s coverage
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 19, 2011 -
Merry…Um…Yeah
Those Eyes | TOKYO, JAPAN: Idol group AKB48 appeared on a Japanese music program for a holiday special. (Photo: FUJI TV) Video Game Almost Predicted Kim Jong-Il’s Death Kim Jong-il, who has ruled the Communist state of North Korea since 1994, has passed away. Which means 2011 shooter Homefront was only two weeks off making…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 19, 2011 -
Angry Birds Christmas Lights Insanity That You Can Play
Thought the Angry Birds playground equipment was nutty? It is. The Angry Birds Christmas lights are bonkers, too. This set-up was made with over 20,000 lights, with audio broadcast via 99.1FM and a controller that has a cord long enough so you can play these lights while standing in the street. Now that’s nuts. This…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 19, 2011 -
Time To Tour the PS Vita Store!
Got fifteen minutes? Because that’s how long YouTube user dodgykebaab spends going through the PlayStation Network’s PS Vita Store. It’s viewable on the PS3, if you have a Japanese PSN account. PS Vita Store items via PS3 [YouTube]
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 19, 2011 -
How Does the PS Vita’s Screen Stack Up to the PSP’s?
For those wondering just how pretty the PS Vita’s OLED screen is (it’s really pretty!), check out how it compares with the PSP Slim’s screen, which is no slouch itself. Check out Kotaku‘s great PS Vita size comparison if you missed that. 2ちゃんえる [2ch]
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 19, 2011 -
Sambomaster: Sono Nukumori ni You ga Aru
Guess what, reader people! It’s that time again. Time to ditch the controllers for tunes. Time for Soundtrack As columnist Tim Rogers likes to point out, Sambomaster are Japanese rock’n’roll gods. They might not look it—they don’t—but damn, they can rock. This track originally appeared on the group’s debut album Atarashiki Nihongo Rock no Michi…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 19, 2011 -
Unscrupulous Gamers Exploit PS Vita for Sexy Time
When I first looked at the PS Vita’s graphical user interface, I thought, wow, this is elegant. I was impressed with how simple and intuitive it is. But when some unscrupulous gamers looked at it, they thought something else entirely. They thought, wouldn’t this be a wonderful way to tear underpants off manga girls. These…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 19, 2011 -
PS Vita Freeze and Touch Screen Issues
Whenever new hardware launches, whatever it is, there are problems. The PS Vita is new hardware, and while I haven’t experienced any hardware issues, others have. These are some of them. According to YouTube videos, there are some machines experiencing lock-ups and freezing. One error appears to occur during the System Update, which then freezes.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 19, 2011 -
Testing Out Vita’s Near. In the Back of a Car.
Near is a PS Vita app that searches for PS Vitas in the vicinity, and then lets you know how many people are playing the Vita, what games others are playing, and what their opinions are. It’s a neat feature, and I give it a whirl. Parts of the video get bumpy—sorry about that! Near…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 19, 2011 -
Where Can Japanese Nerds Take Non-Nerds on Dates?
You might be a nerd. I’m a nerd! But just because you are one, that doesn’t mean your significant other is. Your partner, whether they’re male or female, might not like video games, anime, manga—or whatever. That still doesn’t mean you both can’t explore geekdom together! A recent issue of Japanese women’s magazine Otome Sugoren…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 19, 2011 -
Final Fantasy XIII‘s Lightning Strikes Skyrim
It’s East meets West. A Japanese gamer has inserted Final Fantasy XIII heroine Lightning into The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim with a character mod. Here are the results. What do you think? The stockings and starch white outfit look out of place, but Lightning sure can pull off a simple tunic. Japanese role-playing game Final…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 19, 2011 -
Which Is Faster: Vita Game Cards or Vita Downloads?
With the PlayStation Vita, you can buy retail game card games or download digital versions from the PlayStation Store. It’s your call. But before you do, there’s something you should know: one is slightly faster than the other. In this video from sister site Kotaku Japan, a card copy of PS Vita game Uncharted: Abyss…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 19, 2011 -
If You’re Getting a PS Vita, You Better Not Bite Your Nails
Earlier, Kotaku did a PS Vita size comparison to show not only the machine’s size, but also the memory card’s and the game card’s size. In this video, my nimble fingers stick tiny cards in slots and then pull them out. Fascinating!
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 17, 2011 -
Watch as a PS Vita Boots Up for the First Time
Today the PS Vita went on sale Japan. One also arrived at my house! And in this video, I fire it up for the first time. The PS Vita, Sony’s successor to the PlayStation Portable, will launch in the in North America and Europe on Feb. 22, 2012. Australia will get the machine Feb. 23.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 17, 2011 -
The Great PS Vita Size Comparison
Is the PS Vita bigger than the Nintendo 3DS? What about bigger than an orange? Or an Ultraman figure? These pressing questions and more. Kotaku put the PS Vita, a Vita game card, a Vita game box, and a Vita Memory Card through the paces, seeing how the new portable sized up to various objects.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 16, 2011 -
Unboxing the PS Vita
Today the PS Vita went on sale today in Japan. Let’s check out what’s in the box. The unit I have is a review sample. Full disclosure: Sony Computer Entertainment Japan sent it, hence the SCE labels on it. I was also sent a Vita Memory Card and a copy of the new Hot Shots…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 16, 2011
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