Japan is a major player in the high performance computing space, but it is often overlooked in favor of discussions about the latest efforts out of China and the US. While China’s national showpiece of Tianhe-2 gets its share of attention, it’s important to remember that on the Linpack Top500 list of HPC systems, within the top 20 Japan holds two positions: the fourth and 15th.

Given Japan’s industrial and scientific might as the world’s third-largest economy, it’s expected that it would also be a major

Professor Satoshi Matsuoka

HPC power. Japanese firms are fast at work designing exascale systems, and the Riken Advanced Institute for Computational Science, home to the world’s fourth fastest supercomputer (which held the title as fastest when it was switched on in 2011), might be home to the world’s first exascale system even before the United States.

On the sidelines of the Supercomputing Frontiers 2015 conference in Singapore, the VR World team sat down with Dr. Satoshi Matsuoka of the Tokyo Institute of Technology, one of the leading figures in HPC in Japan to discuss the state of HPC in the country.

VR World: What is the state of Japanese supercomputing when compared to the competitive landscapes of the United States and China?

Satoshi Matsuoka: Historically, the Japanese HPC market and Japanese technology has always been fairly competitive especially in the system architecture space. US and Japan are now the two countries that are producing supercomputing platforms that are sold worldwide. What China creates is not sold to the outside market.

The Japanese market in computing has always come from the mainframe market. Hitachi, Fujitsu and NEC… they were all mainframe vendors. There were actually others but they have since moved away so there. These have always been the biggest mainframe vendors.

Fujitsu has gone the way of building their own MP piece since actually they built the first MP piece in the 90s, the AP 1000. And then they went to building its own SPARC processors so differs from Oracle, SUN and then now with the K computer [the world’s fourth fastest supercomputer].

VRW: So you would say the Fujitsu SPARC in terms of computational performance, stability for HPC, or client computing is actually ahead of Oracle’s at this point?

SM: Way ahead, yes; it is very HPC focused. So it is hard to say which one is better but for HPC, definitely Fujitsu’s [system] is better. Now looking at the hardware side, there are some advantages [over Oracle], because the Japanese vendors are focusing on building fairly special-purpose HPC hardware. They can really tailor the processors to be directed towards this specific market.

For example, the FX 100; the latest chip from Fujitsu has 34 cores.

VRW: Are you comfortable Fujitsu will continue in the medium to long-term. Are they committed to leading the industry in your mind?

SM:  Yes. They are. They have embedded the Tofu network into the latest FX 100. They were the first adopters of using HMC, the 3D stacking technology. And also they have enormously high injection bandwidth within the network, they also have RAS features [reliability, availability, and serviceability] that are extensive which makes them, in comparison to other processors, really competitive.

So it is becoming increasingly difficult for the Japanese HPC vendors to try to compete with the American counterparts because now designing these processors has become increasingly expensive. There are more transistors, now with lithography design becoming more complicated and you need more validation testing. So much of the Japanese HPC development is being funded by public money because still there are some centers that buy [the HPC systems] and also there are national projects like the K computer now post K computer project has been approved.

So this makes it very hard for the Japanese vendors. Now of course the Japanese vendors also have their own XV-6 line and so forth – Fujitsu sells XV-6 machines; so does NEC, so does Hitachi. And Hitachi has alliance with IBM now so they don’t make their own processors anymore. They work with IBM to design high-end systems.

I think the only way the Japanese vendors can survive is to – but it is my personal view – they will become more aligned with the overall, commoditization leveraging of the other markets. It is not to say they will produce something cheap. Again I will say that commoditization is about building cheap stuff. Commoditization is actually to apply the latest and greatest technologies however to be compliant with certain standards.

VRW: Thanks for your time. 

This interview has been edited and condensed. 

The post Satoshi Matsuoka Interview on state of Japan’s HPC Market appeared first on VR World.

Details are less than scarce about the Nintendo NX,  the Japanese gaming giant’s new venture into gaming hardware, but that isn’t stopping EB Games Australia from opening up pre-orders anyway.

Although Nintendo hasn’t actually even revealed what the NX really is, the overseas retailer will let you pre-order the Nintendo NX at select in-store locations.

We’re guessing that EB Games isn’t actually taking any money but is sort of testing the waters and letting customers sign up on a pre-pre-order list of sorts. A pre-list for pre-orders. I hope this trend of cashing in on hype this early in the game doesn’t catch on.

If they are actually taking any money, it’s probably a lower sum deposit rather than being able to pay off the whole thing right away. Also a price point might deliver some info on what to expect with the system, but at this point Nintendo might not even know what the new finalized hardware will look like.

Little and less is known about Nintendo’s (TYO:7974) new next-gen hardware solution, and the company’s sneaky announcement yesterday ignited a firestorm of hype and speculation across the gaming sphere.

The big question is “what is the NX”? Is it a smartphone, a handheld, or even a new console with motion-controls like the Wii or maybe a GamePad accessory like the Wii U?

What we do know is that the NX is a gaming platform “with a brand new concept”, a concept that’s actually pretty revolutionary and actually very un-Nintendo-y.

NX will interact with Nintendo’s newly revised online service-possibly akin to a subscription-based service like Xbox LIVE or the PlayStation Network, possibly related to the new Nintendo Club–that actually unites Nintendo hardware with PCs and Android and iOS smartphones and mobile devices.

According to company president Satoru Iwata, Nintendo and DeNA will “jointly develop and operate a new membership sevice that encompasses smart devices and dedicated video game systems”.

For the first time ever Nintendo is embracing hardware outside its line of first-party gaming systems; but that’s not it, they’re also making games specifically for mobile platforms. Mario on mobile is coming after all.

Nintendo has tapped renown Japanese mobile games company DeNA to bring its iconic line of IP’s to iOS and Android devices.

DeNA is infamous for its popular games laden with microtransactions, and based on the widely-gouged Pokemon Shuffle, we might see “Mario on mobile” accompanied with steep free-to-play style monetization structures.

Also it looks like you won’t be able to play your beloved NES classics on smartphones, at least with DeNA at the helm: company president Satoru Iwata said that “only new original games optimized for smart device functionality will be created”.

But maybe we’ll still get a Virtual Console-like experience with the membership service?

Oh and what about amiibos?

Certainly the NX will do something fancy with those, too, considering Nintendo has moved 3.5 million amiibos so far, right? Let’s also ask ourselves if the NX will have some sort of exclusive interactivity with first-party hardware like the New 3DS or the Wii U.

In any case, it’s still too early to tell what Nintendo has up their sleeve. Yesterday’s press conference was just a confirmation that the beleaguered Japanese gaming giant is embracing the future, and it’s definitely made plans for the long haul.

Regardless of what the NX is or how much it costs, there are undoubtedly millions of gamers who will eagerly shell out their cash to pick it up.

But we should probably wait until we actually see the system in action before we buy it, right?

Via Destructoid

The post You Can Already Pre-Order The Nintendo NX appeared first on VR World.

In a very special Xenoblade-themed Nintendo Direct, the Japanese gaming giant showcased a half-hour of straight gameplay footage for the upcoming Wii U exclusive JPRG Xenoblade Chronicles X.

The footage gives a delightful overview the RPG’s expansive battle system, which is a real-time action-based active system very much akin to the combat mechanics found in the original Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii.

Fighting sequences are pretty immersive, painting a distinct picture of being able to drop in and out of combat within the game’s wide-scaled environments. The UI is sleek and MMO-like, featuring a hotbar with various abilities balanced out by active cooldowns, as well as a dynamic party-based system for strategic and tactical battles.

Combat will be fluid and different characters will have “Arts” (as Gamingbolt notes these are very similar to Monado Arts featured in the first game) which are color-coded skillsets determined by various battle stances and techniques. There are four different kinds of arts: fighting, shooting, support and weakening.

Combos are an important part of combat, and you’ll be able to thread together attacks between various party members for spectacular high-damage finishing moves.

Plus every character has a sort of Limit Break-like Super Saiyan-esque boosted-damage status called an “Overclock”, which can raise damage output and unlock various other abilities.

Apart from combat sequences, the new 30 minute video gives us a decent glimpse at Xenoblade Chronicles X‘s class change system, and gamers can expect to see a multitude of different jobs and classes each with their own set of unique roles and abilities.

Nintendo still hasn’t revealed a release date for North America and Europe, and hopefully we’ll hear something on that account soon. I don’t know about you but I’m incredibly hyped for this game, and it looks to be a strong contender for 2015’s best RPG of the year.

Since were betting some of you don’t speak Japanese, Cheesemeister3k translated some of the more important facts from the video:

• Last time, we introduced Planet Mira. This time, we’ll explain the battle system. Tatsu can’t battle, so has to stay at home.

• You’d be in trouble without Tatsu. Need info? Ask him. You won’t get any info without him. He’ll keep things going smoothly.

• Now introducing beasts near NLA (New Los Angeles). Switch between sword and gun for simple attacks, activated by auto attack.

• More advanced techniques are called arts. They’re categorized into fighting, shooting, support, and weakening arts.

• Be careful when using arts: you have to wait a certain amount of time before you’re allowed to recast the same art.

• It’s important to balance usage of auto attack and arts. Soul Voice lets you communicate with your party to use specified arts.
• Soul Voice settings let you plan out strategies in advance of battle. The characters will use the ones you select
  Combos increase damage. Learn arts to generate combos. Doing a combo will let you deal 1.5x damage. Hit from behind.

• Shooting from above or below will increase your accuracy. You can target parts of an enemy to break defenses piece by piece.

• Double recast, waiting for the recast meter to refill a second time after becoming available again, will boost arts strength.

• You can bring your fallen party members back by resuscitating them. You can use auto attack while waiting for double recast.

• Overclock Gear reduces recast waiting times. Using the same arts consecutively ups damage. Triple recast is stronger still.

• Enemy Icons display their level, other info. An eye indicates visual search. A bolt means seismic sensitivity (tread lightly).

• Enemies with a circle around the eye icon hunt in packs, and will call others when they see you.

• Equipment. Weapons come in melee and shooting varieties. Armor: helmets, body armor, left arm, right arm, and leg armor.

• As you use weapons and armor, the supplying company will develop new equipment products for you.

• Equipment slots allow you to customize your weapons and armor with stat-modifying items.

• Leveling up. Gain experience not just from battle, but by finding treasure, etc. Unlocked the arts in your class to open more.

• Choose which class and set of arts to unlock and change to.

• You can form teams of 4 characters. Here’s Ilina. Guin has youthful strength. Doug uses heavy equipment, and is kind.

• This is Lao. Many characters will surprise you with what they bring to battles.

• How are you supposed to fight this big robot? Use your battle skills to win. There’s another weapon at your disposal: dolls.

• Next presentation will be about Dolls

The post Xenoblade Chronicles X Gets New 30 Minute Combat Trailer appeared first on VR World.

Word has finally gone out. Last month, Vaio had finally opened its sweeping update announcement about its new upcoming line of products as an independent brand. Spearheading the company’s promotional campaign is the reestablishment of its Vaio Z line of high-end top performance notebook PCs. The company introduced two new models, the new Vaio Z laptop, and more interestingly, the Vaio Z Canvas, which obviously will be our topic of discussion for this article.

But, what’s in it for us with the upcoming Vaio Z Canvas? Would it be different from, let’s say, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10? How does it differ from another hybrid 2-in-1 PC? And ultimately, would you want one? Probably, and here are some of the reasons why.

It’s at the right time and the right place

We all know that the concept of high-end, productivity-focused tablets is hardly a new one. Take the Asus (TPE: 2357) EEE Slate EP121 for instance. It’s a top spec tablet with superb overall performance, built for PC-level productivity in the fresh tablet year of 2011. But despite all of its perks, it never caught on, or at least it never went popular so as to firmly establish tablets as hardcore productivity devices.

Fast forward to 2015, a time where tablets are now significantly better and owning one is considered as normal. In a market where hybrid 2-in-1’s are already prevalent, the Vaio Z Canvas may finally find its spot as a high-end productivity tablet. No more clunky Windows 7 touch interfaces, and say hello to better hardware optimization. If you think the Vaio Tap 11 was already amazing, then Vaio’s promotion of the Vaio Z Canvas is probably more than eager to prove you wrong.

A portable office in its own right (or so they said)

The Vaio Z Canvas is advertised as one of Vaio’s two new “monster PCs”. It was purposely built and promoted as a product that would be desirable for businessmen, artists, and casual users alike. It showcases its “Z Engine”, which is an undisclosed combination of a Core i7 Haswell processor and an Iris Pro Graphics card. Coupled with a few other hardware tweaks such as screen parallax reduction, its use is supposed to help the user feel closer to writing on paper than on a hard graphics tablet.Normally, the tablet option for 2-in-1 PCs is designed for casual, on-hand use. The company however strongly promotes its tablet mode productivity, and are even adamant to prove its worth as an item of creativity. Drawing? Check. Composition? Check. Animation? Check. General media editing? Check. How it actually performs is of course another matter in itself, as this assessment is solely based on how it’s introduced until now.

Designed to give, not take

We’ve mentioned that the main selling point of the Vaio Z Canvas is productivity and creativity. What better way to promote this than to sell this high-end unit as a canvas? As stated in its latest presentation, “tablets provide something“, whether it’s information, data or multimedia. But “an empty, open canvas creates“. It is the user himself or herself that provides the information, data or multimedia.So, not only does it function both as a laptop (for typing work) and tablet (for data management), but according to the company it can also be used in various graphics related professional work. Much so, that they put hard emphasis on the kind of pro-level functionality that is also being promoted by companies like Samsung and Asus in their 2-in-1 hybrids and high-end tablets. The product hinges on the concept of a transformable and portable digital sketchboard, showcasing to its users an experience that is supposedly not very different from an actual digital art office.

Its Z carries its $

Let’s face it. Even during the height of the Vaio brand under Sony (TYO: 6758), its Z series always ended short on one critical factor: its innards and price do not add up. Potential consumers are usually hard pressed to justify its premium price, and those that do own one never usually purchased it with economy or optimization in mind.

The Vaio Z Canvas is introduced at a hefty price of 200,000 yen in Japan, an equivalent of about $1,670. Great features, but with the same gaping disparity in specs and price. How is it different then? The Vaio Z Canvas is a notable exception because this time, the company clearly wants it to be presented as an investment, rather than a general, all-purpose high-end gadget. It introduces itself as a work machine, and claims to offset its premium price with its productivity features. Again, its actual performance is still yet to be tested, but it’s quite nice to see the potential.

It’s NOT made by Sony

Okay, that one was pretty sarcastic, but logically, this statement is true. In fact, this may be the most important reason why anyone would have a change of heart for the brand at all. True, Sony may not be that notorious when it comes to PR announcements and marketing, but many people will agree that Vaio’s demise in Sony was partly due to the company’s poor introduction of the brand.Poor, in the sense that it still maintained its glorified laptop status in the face of dwindling sales. In light of this realization, Vaio has pledged a slightly different approach. Sure, the price tag will probably remain the same, but the company is now attempting to market its products to where it is needed, or at least that’s how it looks. The name says it all: Vaio Z Canvas. Need its artistic essence be explained further?

Of course, there are still a few unmentioned potential dealbreakers for the Vaio Z Canvas. Most notably its accessories, as the brand’s previous owner had the notorious reputation of developing proprietary accessories to its products. There’s also the issue of whether the Vaio Z Canvas would be officially available outside Japan. However, there’s at least a few more months to wait, so interested consumers still have plenty of time for updates and new tidbits about the product.

The post 5 Reasons Why You MIght Want a Vaio Z Canvas appeared first on VR World.

Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, Wizcorp, a Tokyo based company that specializes in mobile social games has gone gold with its Striker Arena game. This tactical-action soccer game will be available on the App Store for iPad and iPhone on February 24.

Originally planned as a freemium game Striker Arena has opted for premium game buisness model. Wizcorp came to conclusion that a free to play gameplay but one plagued with thousands of ads and “buy this” popups does not mesh well with their vision of the game. Basic purchase will cost $2.99 but all future updates and potential new teams will be free of charge.

Without the usual free to play item or team limitations the player will be able to choose from Vikings, Gladiators or Samurai and enjoy the game from the start.

On a distant planet, ancient tribes have settled their wars through an old brutal discipline, Soccer of the Gods. Once every ten years, tribes gather in the Striker Arena tournament to battle each other under the authority of their Emperor. Each tribe enlists the bravest and fiercest of their kin to fight for glory. These few are known as the Strikers. Their spilt blood and sweat in the arena feeds the Emperor’s ever growing lust for true transcendence.

Striker Arena is a 3D tactical action fantasy soccer game that pits the Vikings, Gladiators and Samurai against each other in the Soccer of the Gods.

Some of the features of this game are arenas with their own traps and surprises, two player Quick Match mode, 48 challenge Story Mode, 3 AI levels of difficulty and good old chiptune music.

The player controls a Striker team and his objective is to get the ball, pass it and shoot it into the arena vortex. On his way to victory he will be able to move players, intercept opponent passes and swipe the screen to make passes and shots. The only rule in the Soccer of the Gods is that there are no rules. Fighting and blasting away the enemy team members while being juiced up on special power ups is not only allowed but encouraged.

Soccer of the Gods starts in February, until then, the Emperor will be waiting.

The post Striker Arena, Soccer of the Gods Starts in February appeared first on VR World.

Namco Bandai’s Japanese channel has uploaded a fresh new gameplay trailer for Pokken Tournament, the fighter that seamlessly blends Pokemon and Tekken together for gloriously chaotic combat.

Although the traditional turn-based combat of the Pokemon handheld games is quite beloved to most every gamer, I think most of us have always wanted to see their favorite pocket monsters duel it out in no-holds-barred battles.

The Pokken Tournament arcade fighter is the purest manifestation of that desire, culminating in an invigorating and dazzling expose of what really happens when Pokemon showdown, bringing to mind epic fights on a DBZ scale.

The trailer was spotted in a recent Tweet from Katsuhiro Harada, the father of Tekken, who has been a major motivator for the game.

This new bit of footage showcases some incredibly delectable beat-em-up havoc that builds our hype to exponential proportions.

In short, it’s totally badass and looks to be one of the best fighting games I’ve seen in a long time.

Utilizing signature techniques and moves from the previous Pokemon games, the game will feature a number of different pocket monsters to choose from–Lucario, Machamp, Blaziken, Suicune, Gardevoir, and Pikachu.

Other extra “assist” Pokemon like Emolga, Fennekin, Snivy, Frogadier, Eevee and Lapras will help characters out with specific buffs along the way.

The moves are explosive and entertaining beyond measure, and the game will also feature mega-evolutions and power-up specials to dish out some serious colorful pain.

It looks like the new trailer is a demo/intro video for the Japanese version, which is going to be released as an arcade fighter with special controllers.

The game is planned for a release in Japan this summer, and Bandai Namco also plans for an overseas release across Europe and North America as a possible Nintendo exclusive.

Invariably the best part about the footage is at the very end where Pikachu delivers some serious hurt on Lucario. Ouch doesn’t even come close to the pain that the little yellow electromancer dishes out…and we should be able to expect all Pokken fighters to have finishing moves like these.

The post New Pokken Tournament Trailer Delivers Explosive Hype appeared first on VR World.

Monolith Soft has released a hefty amount of new Xenoblade Chronicles X info on the game’s official Japanese website, revealing a bunch of new pictures of New Los Angeles, the planet Mira, characters, quest arcs…and much more.

As Xenoblade Chronicles X is one of the most anticipated games of the year, any little scrap of info is enough to send nerds like myself into a hype-fueled flurry of excitement.

But once again Japan has one-upped the Western world’s style of teasers by unleashing a volley of new tantalizing images and info on the game, painting a clearer picture of Monolith Soft’s new magnum opus.

First off let’s take a look at character creation options.

Character Creation & Customization

Monolith Soft affirms that players will have the chance to create their own specific “Avatars” by customizing various staple features like eye color, skin color, height, hair color/style and more.

Players will also be able to customize their Avatar’s voice, and the website has a nice little preview of audio voice samples across both male and female heroes.

The character page has also been updated with in-depth dossiers on Xenoblade Chronicles X‘s in-game cast, which we have listed below.

Note that the descriptions are based on loose Japanese-to-English translations, and this probably isn’t the full list of characters.

• Elma – BLADE leader, known for her calm and insightful judgement while in and out of battle.

• Lynlee – As a genius engineer, Lynlee serves as an invaluable mechanic for the BLADE outfit.

• Tatsu – Appears to be a quirky alien indigenous to the planet Mira, very cheerful and has an innocent demeanor.

• Van Damme – BLADE commander who served as a chief engineer for the interstellar immigrant ship Moby Dick and leads the expedition forces on the planet Mira.

• Irina – Dedicated blade operative, known for her skills in the previous Doll Corps outfit.

• Guin – Young devout fighter who served in the Doll Corps alongside Elma and Irina.

• Nagi – Served as the captain of the crash-landed Moby Dick interstellar ship, currently serves as a high-ranking military executive on New Los Angeles.

• Maurice – Appears to be the president or administrative politician on New Los Angeles, acting as a chief member of the bureaucracy for the new frontier.

• Player Character (Avatar)

Planet Mira

Now let’s take a look at the game’s major fantasy world, Planet Mira. The planet is separated into five distinct major continental zones: the Forgotten Canyon, White Tree Continent, the Luminous Forest, the Black Steel Continent, and finally the Primal Wilderness.

In an effort to colonize offworld zones, Earth sent off the interstellar transport ship called the Moby Dick to look for prime life-sustaining planets.

The Moby Dick soon crash landed upon one such planet, Mira, and after two months, formed New Los Angeles (NLA) which served as the bastion of humanity in the foreign world.

Throughout their journey, players will explore Mira’s five regions in full open-world style, coming across a number of fantastic and sci-fi creatures along the way.

According to the brief introduction, players will be able to “seamlessly” traverse the world of Mira, hopping from continent to continent as they progress through the storyline.

The areas themselves are so incredibly bizarre and truly bring a sense of pure sci-fi mastery, melding wonder, splendor and curiosity together to breathe life into yet another world that’s rife with amazing style.

The sheer scope and “otherworldliness” of the planet says volumes about the game itself, and remains one of my most anticipated desires: I can’t wait to roam and carouse the regions, basking in their titanic strangeness and take in their weird alien vistas complimented with towering tentacled monstrosities and other alien flora and fauna.

New Los Angeles – The Hub of Humanity

New Los Angeles (NLA) is a city-state that acts as the major hub for human life on Mira, and is the headquarters for the BLADE military operation that protects the colony from on-world dangers.

NLW is actually the residential area from the first Moby Dick ship transplanted into the world itself, making it quite symbolic, and the city spearheads all efforts to cultivate the alien planet to make it a “second Earth”.

The techno-industrial futuristic city is sectioned off into four different areas: the BLADE area, industrial area, commercial area and residential area.

But NLA isn’t just about high-tech machines, ships and military outfits: it has a stylish side with tropical palm trees and sun-lit squares that emulate the upscale city on Earth, making it quite appealing. NLA also features beautiful gardens and parks that are perfect for evening strolls, designed to make colonists feel right at home.

Players will be able to visit these areas at their leisure, and possibly do some shopping here and there on their days off.

BLADE and the Eight Factions

BLADE is the primary military faction in Xenoblade Chronicles X that’s charged with protecting the citizens of New Los Angeles and spearheading the frontier efforts for the planet.

BLADE operatives are thrust into the most dangerous and hazardous missions in order to secure zones as well as explore and scout out various regions of Mira’s five continents. Military officials are charged with taking on hostile alien forces in direct combat encounters, while collecting information and key supplies along the way.

Members of the elite military task force also have to search Mira for “life points”, a sort of ethereal life force/essence, which might be the key in resurrecting or sustaining part of New Los Angeles’ populace that remains “asleep”.

The translations are a bit iffy, but it looks like a portion of the Moby Dick’s immigrants have been placed in a type of suspended slumber (possibly a sort of death state) and can only be brought back with “life points”.

BLADE has eight distinct Unions (or departments, sort of like guilds) that players can affiliate themselves with throughout the game.

Every Union has its own unique line of quests and missions, and completing them earns players a “Union point” which can be spent in ranking up their standing in the particular faction.

One of the main benefits of choosing a Union is that you get “Union support”, which could possibly be various upgrades like weapons and armor, or perhaps a specific skill increase.

Additionally you’ll be able to change your Union affiliation within the game, and you’re free to choose any Union you like.

Quests

Xenoblade Chronicles X will feature a number of different quest arcs similar to any open-world RPG, including main story quests and side quests.

The Japanese site also mentions something called “Kizuna Quests”, which the translations roughly say are “made in the wake of new encounter”. These could be found peppered across Mira, outside of the fortress-city of New Los Angeles.

Additionally the site shows off the in-game mini-map which looks pretty amazingly dynamic. And if you ever get lost in the game, you can call upon a magical “navigation ball” that points you in the right direction, leading you to items and quest locations.

Last but not least, we have a new batch of Xenoblade Chronicles X artwork for you to feast your eyes on. Check below for some glorious sci-fi paintings!

And if you can’t get enough Xenoblade, check out 25 minutes of in-game footage that showcases off Monolith Soft’s RPG mastery in action. Even if you’ve already seen it, it’s good for another view (or another twenty).

The post Xenoblade Chronicles X World Areas, Customizations And More Revealed appeared first on VR World.

The intense blood-feud between the revenge-fueled, devil-possessed Kazuya and his father Heihachi Mishima has burned with the fire of a thousand suns, culminating in the ultimate rivalry for the Tekken franchise.

Tekken 7, the new release in the landmark arcade fighter, will give the father and son duo the chance to settle the score once and for all in an explosive showdown of epic proportions.

In the newly released Tekken 7 cinematic trailer, Bandai Namco Games has given us a quick look at what that battle will look like.

So what’s new in the CG cinematic footage?

First off it shows a full-on depiction of Kazumi, Kazuya’s mother (and Jin’s grandmother).But the most interesting revelation comes when Kazuya uses his devil powers without actually transforming. 

The fearsome Kazuya harnesses his demonic powers without fully transforming–could this mean his moveset will incorporate Devil techniques?

The demon-addled martial arts master taps into his otherworldly bestial might while in human form, sporting the distinct demonic “third eye”, and unleashes the trademark devil beam at his father. Heihachi, who stares in disbelief, is struck with the devastating blow that rips apart the volcano with its strength.

And if Kazuya can do it, chances are Jin will be able to as well.

It’s a bit alarming to imagine Kazuya being able to use his Devil moveset as well as his traditional combos. He already does such incredible damage–just one power uppcut can basically reduce you to half health–and adding moves like the Devil Beam will undoubtedly make facing him much more challenging.

Kazumi, Kazuya’s mother and apparent matron of the Devil gene, is shown off briefly in the trailer.

In other Tekken 7 news, Bandai Namco also launched the game’s official Japanese website which reveals some tidbits here and there.

The site also has a loose roster of 20 characters which can be found below, but we’re very confident it’ll be updated with a ton of your favorite fighters. Tekken Tag Tournament 2, for example, had just about every character from the franchise to choose from.

The Tekken 7 is pretty threadbare, but Katsuhiro Harada affirms the team will add more characters as time goes by.

When will it be out, though?

Tekken Game Director Katsuhiro Harada says “it’s a secret“, but it’s been revealed that the fighter will be available in select Japanese arcades starting Feb. 15. Tekken 7 will also be playable at EVO 2015 from July 17-19 in Los Vegas.

For console? It's secret but Stay tuned!!! RT @shockvolt67 I'm so hype for tekken 7 when can we expect it to be released

— Katsuhiro Harada (@Harada_TEKKEN) February 7, 2015

Tekken 7 is currently in development for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles, and doesn’t have a finalized release date–although it’s believed to release sometime this year.

The post Kazuya And Heihachi Square Off In The New Tekken 7 Trailer appeared first on VR World.

Amid the sea of overhyped gameplay footage and misleading bullshots, the new Persona 5 trailer is a breath of fresh air that might just be the most stylish bit of preview footage I’ve ever seen.

And based on the wildly enthusiastic reception from most of the gaming world, I’d say I’m not alone in this verdict. In just three days the Persona 5 trailer has been consumed by almost 2 million people (the current YouTube stats total up to 1,986,744 hits).

Wow.

The trailer is a pure extension of the Persona series’ distinct stylish flair that seamlessly and effortlessly blends the worlds of gaming and anime together for 3 minutes of eye-popping wonder.

The merger of these two worlds often leads to superlative works of art that deliver a truly unique and original representation that carries viewers off to another world of fancy, whismy, and badass demon-slaying JRPG action.

Right from the start the footage whisks us away to an artistic rendition of Tokyo that enraptures our eyes. We’re carried off the main character’s Persona, a mask-clad thief known as the Phantom, as he takes on his latest heist.

Like the entire trailer, the Phantom has a kind of liquid grace that flows with the animations, capturing Persona 5‘s new protagonist in a memorable and stylish way.

Then the intro proper takes us across a beautifully rendered monochrome rendition of Tokyo contrasted by a blood red sky. The Phantom leaps like a daredevil in the sky, performing one death-defying stunt after another, his motions sure and quick and perfect.

Then everything just starts to flow, creating a pure visual treat that marries so many different mechanics–from comic-like tearaways during character intros to perfect frame-to-frame transitions. Every single scene is like a work of it in itself, and it plays altogether like a block of some fantastic radical lucid dream.

Throughout the footage our ears are treated to some jazzy bass-lines and guitar solos that bring have a decidedly Cowboy Bebop vibe, with upbeat orchestrations to match its funky licks.

And then there’s the menus. Oh those beautiful menus.

It’s almost as if everything about Persona 5 is going to stand out when compared to the backdrop of today’s humdrum AAA lineup.

Even the in-game menus are works of art, animated with such pizzazz and vitality that it’s hard not to be amazed and bewildered as to why this kind of thing isn’t in other games.

Likewise the in-game footage is presented with that same stylish flair, making even monotonous classroom lectures into entertaining expenditures.

Cast in the dazzling neon glow of Tokyo proper, Persona 5 also makes the everyday cityscape into something dazzlingly beautiful, turning a train ride home into a memorable occasion.

But things get truly interesting once Shujinko and his team cross over into the realms of Personas, showcasing combat sequences and hinting at some mechanics that quick-eyed viewers might be able to catch.

Persona 5 takes place over a year in the life of an everyday student who has a unique ability to summon Personas, that is facets of his personality that manifest in the real world, and eventually allies with others who have the ability.

Gameplay traditionally marries the “real” world with that of the “Persona” world to deliver fantasy-like interactions.

As this game focuses on the main characters being thieves, the party wears masks and takes on heists, but also traditionally battles demons along the way in turn-based JRPG combat.

Many of the characters have thief-like abilities to fit in with their roles. For example, we see Phantom teleport to cover in rapid succession, hinting that there might be an emphasis on stealth.

Also players will be fighting what look to be demons in knight armor rather than the swirling Shadow enemies.

And the quick look at combat revealed that characters have multiple weapon types for each Persona–it’s been known that Phantom will be able to use melee weapons as well as a gun

Persona 5’s cast from left to right: Ryuuji Sakamoto, Anzu Takamaki, Morgana the black cat, and Phantom, the player character protagonist.

Now let’s take a look at Persona 5‘s cast.

First we have the Phantom (aka Shujinko), the leader and protagonist/player character; Anzu Takamaki, a blonde-haired who’s Persona could give Catwoman a run for her money; Ryuji Sakamoto, another agile masked thief who is also Shujinko’s classmate; and then we have Morgana, a whimsical black cat.

All of the characters are presented with highlights of their own unique personalities and traits as part of the stylized footage, but we still don’t know much about them despite getting glimpses at their real-life and Persona depictions.

At the very end of the trailer things get pretty interesting.

From the looks of it Phantom, the main character, somehow transcends into a wicked demonic manifestation of himself. Could this be the a new evil Persona adaptation that’ll be featured in the game? How does this transformation link to the story?

Did Shujinko’s master thief Persona somehow “stick” to his real self?

No one knows for sure, but we do know one thing: everyone who’s seen the trailer can’t wait to find out.

Persona 5 is slated for a release in 2015 across North America, Europe and Japan for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3. For more information be sure to visit the game’s official website.

The post Persona 5 Might Be The Most Stylish Game I’ve Ever Seen appeared first on VR World.

Being a gamer in the West pretty much means we miss out on a lot.

Whether it’s overseas exclusives like Dragon’s Dogma Online, first crack at multi-region games, or incredibly detailed cover art, Japanese gamers often have it made.

And the new Xenoblade cover art just rubs it in even more.

A new listing on Amazon Japan shows the overseas box art for Xenoblade Chronicles X in all of its supra-sci-fi Gundam-y glory.

As far as epic covers go, this is yet another staple to add in Japan’s already ample library of amazing video game box art.

Could we see this titanic masterpiece make its way West this year? Or is this cover destined to be yet another expensive collector’s item?

Only time will tell, but Japan will get their hands on Monolith Soft’s sci-fantasy epic in April whereas the rest of the gaming world will have to wait for an official 2015 release date.

Also just in case you missed it, check out our glimpse at 25 minutes of Xenoblade Chronicles X gameplay footage below. It showcases battles, New Los Angeles, and much more.

And don’t forget to drop by our Xenoblade Chronicles X coverage for more info on the Wii U exclusive, including install size, peripheral support, and even the Japanese exclusive Wii U bundle.

The post Xenoblade Chronicles X Japanese Box Art Revealed appeared first on VR World.

Nintendo has released a new 25-minute block of glorious Xenoblade Chronicles X footage that is sure to tantalize and raise your hype factor for the Wii U exclusive a thousandfold.

As revealed by the developers at Monolith Soft, Xenoblade Chronicles X isn’t a direct sequel to its Wii predecessor, but rather a “spiritual successor” to Xenoblade Chronicles, and that the two games are unrelated in a direct way.

New info has also come to light regarding the game’s online component, which Monolith Software’s Tetsuya Takahashi describes as a “loosely connected” experience. Xenoblade Chronicle X‘s online features won’t be as dynamic as a traditional MMO, but despite the “feeling of solidarity” players can trade, interact and quest together.

Cheesemeister3k, a Twitter user well-known for his translation of many Japanese games, revealed that players will be able to team up in parties of four to tackle adventurous quests in the online mode.

Up to 32 players can be “passively” linked to chat, trade items and share information back and forth. The in-game city of New Los Angeles will serve as a multiplayer hub as well.

Cheesemeister3k also confirmed that Xenoblade Chronicles X has a massive 22.7 GB install size for downloads, and that the game supports Wii U Pro Controllers, GamePads and USB keyboards as far as peripherals.

#XenobladeX supports GamePad, #WiiU Pro Controller, USB keyboard. Miiverse support. Off-TV play. 720p. pic.twitter.com/doXkkkLoxj

— Cheesemeister (@Cheesemeister3k) February 6, 2015

#XenobladeX is 22.7GB to download. Better get an external HDD. pic.twitter.com/lc8BcfxDsw

— Cheesemeister (@Cheesemeister3k) February 6, 2015

Other staples like Miiverse support, off-TV play and full 720p resolution have been reported as well.

Destructoid reports that Xenoblade Chronicles X is set in a planet named Mira with five separate continents that will be featured in-game: Forgotten Canyon, White Tree Continent, Luminous Forest, Black Steel Continent and the Primal Wilderness.

Apart from its landmasses, Monolith Soft’s new Xeno game is truly massive in terms of content. To put its sheer scope into perspective, Takahasi confirmed that the most recent playtest check took over 300 hours to complete.

“But even [after 300 hours], there were still things in the game that weren’t played through to completion,” Takahashi adds.

If that wasn’t enough, Japan is getting a special limited-edition Xenoblade Chronicles X Wii U bundle priced at ¥ 35,000 (~$294) that includes the following:

• Black 32GB Wii U
• Matching Wii U GamePad
• Xenoblades Chronicles X physical copy
• Xenoblade Chronicles X art book
• Xenoblade Chronicles X special map
• ¥1,000 ($8) prepaid Nintendo card stylized in Xenoblade design

Last but not least we have a gallery of awesome concept art for you to feast your eyes on. I personally have these amazing pieces as mobile wallpapers, and every day I’ll change them up to revel in their beautiful brush strokes and fabulous colors.

Xenoblade Chronicles X is scheduled to release April 29, 2015 in Japan and sometime this year in North America and Europe. It will be exclusive to Nintendo’s Wii U console.

The post Watch 25 Minutes of New Xenoblade Chronicles X Footage appeared first on VR World.

More than two telecom operators, foreign and domestic, are interested in becoming the majority shareholder and the actual operator for the telecom company Taiwan Star, as the scandal-plagued food conglomerate Ting Hsin Group has been trying to sell its stakes.

Taiwan Star Chairman Wei Ying-chiao (魏應交), who also heads the Ting Hsin Group, confirmed on Feb. 2 that Ting Hsin will withdraw from Taiwan Star by selling its 52% stake in the telecom company.

Chunghwa Telecom (TPE: 2412) and Far EasTone Telecommunications (TPE: 4904) are the two potential buyers who have been confirmed for their contacting Ting Hsin for potential acquisition of its 52% stake of Taiwan Star. Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (TPE: 2317) is also a potential buyer although the long-term supplier for Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) has already owned the Asia Pacific Telecom (TPE: 3682). In addition, Ting Hsin also confirmed that Japan-based telecom operator KDDI (TYO: 9433) has been discussing the potential deal with them during the past few months.

When approached for responses, Taiwan Star declined to elaborate or reveal more details.

“It was inappropriate for my company to comment on a possible buyout o the stake owned by Ting Hsin at this moment,” said Cliff Lai (賴弦五) ,president for Taiwan Star.

In addition to Ting Hsin, Taiwan Star’s other shareholders are Cathay Financial Holding Co (TPE: 2882), which holds a 20% stake, Cheng Uei Precision Industry Co (TPE: 2392) and the Kingpo Group, which both have 10% stakes, and the CTBC Group (TPE: 2891), which has an 8% stake.

When approached, Cathay Financial Holdings President Lee Chang-ken (李長庚) said that the Taiwan Star stake it owns is part of its financial strategy and the company has no plan to make any change of it as of now.

Why is Ting Hsin selling its stake?

Ting Hsin was impacted by an edible oil scandal that was made front page stories last October, when its subsidiaries were discovered to be selling cooking oils containing ingredients unfit for human consumption. The scandal sparked outrage among local consumers, who launched a nationwide boycott of Ting Hsin’s products and services, including Taiwan Star.

The increasing condemnation of the conglomerate’s business practices have made it more difficult for the group to survive in Taiwan, while its cash flow was seriously affected at the same time. Ting Hsin then began to sell its shares of Taiwan Star, Taipei 101 and its flagship food unit Wei Chuan Foods Corp (TPE: 1201) because of its negative public image.

Wei Ying-chung (魏應充), Wei Ying-chiao’s brother and former chairman of Ting Hsin Oil and Fat Industrial Co, has been detained for the cooking oil scandal since last October but was released on US$3.22 million bail on Jan. 28. Changhua District Court decided to maintain its decision to grant bail to Wei and declined the appeal by prosecutors. The ruling came after the Taiwan High Court ordered the lower court to reconsider its decision to allow Wei to be released on the US$3.22 million. On Feb. 3, Changhua District Court again granted Wei’s bail but increased the amount to US$9.66 million.

In the meantime, the court also upheld its previous decision to release three other defendants in the case, including former Ting Hsin Oil and Fat President Chang Mei-fang (常梅峰), the company’s former acting chairman Chen Mao-chia (陳茂嘉), and Yang Chen-yi (楊振益), who owns the Vietnamese trading company Dai Hanh Phuc Co — on US$161,290 bail.

In November 2013, Wei Ying-chung was indicted on charges of fraud as part of an investigation into the 2013 Taiwan food scandal. In October 2014, prosecutors launched a separate investigation into the 2014 Taiwan food scandal, that alleged a unit of Ting Hsin International Group over sale of tainted cooking oil.

Investigators discovered that Cheng-I Food Co, a subsidiary company of Ting Hsin, was alleged for mixing animal feed oil with cooking oil and then selling it to the public.

Regarding Ting Hsin’s attempts to sell its 33.17% stakes of Taipei 101, no further decision or agreement was made as of press time, now that Ting Hsin has been trying to close the deal with Malaysia’s IOI Properties Group Bhd since last November, especially the case has been declined by the Taiwanese government, due to a policy that the major shareholder of the building should not be a foreign investment.

The real price of the deal was never confirmed but Taiwan’s Ministry of Finance estimated that Ting Hsin could have made profits of at least US$636 million but the group will only have to pay a tax amount of approximately US$33 million.

The Ting Hsin International Group, headquartered in Taipei and Tianjin, was established by Wei Ing-chou (魏應州), Wei Ying-jiao, Wei Ying-chung and Wei Ying-xin (魏應行) in 1958. As natives from Yungching Township, Changhua County, the Weis also own Wei Chuan, FamilyMart, and Master Kong instant noodles as subsidiary brand names under Ting Hsin.

Ting Hsin purchased 33.17% of Taipei 101’s shares and became the major shareholder for the building since 2009.

The post Local Telco Taiwan Star is Up For Grabs appeared first on VR World.

Playstation Vita sales have been steadily growing further ever since its release. On the other hand the Xbox One, even after the hype that preceded it, finds great difficulty in even catching up with its predecessor.

Wait, what?

Okay, that may have been an overstatement. But in Japan the numbers just cannot deny the truth. Even the PS Vita, which is supposed to be this generation’s flop console (along with the Wii U), still did significantly better in Japan during its release than the Xbox One. On its first week in Japan it sold over 321,000 units, as opposed to the abysmal 23,562 units sold by the Xbox One at the time of its release last year. In fact, the Xbox 360 did even better during its first Japanese release at more than 60,000 units sold.

So far, there have already been established opinions as to why the supposed best selling console in the world today is having trouble penetrating the Japanese gaming market. But the opposing parallels that the Xbox One have in Japan to the situation of the PS Vita in the west is all too blatant to ignore. In fact, the answer to its predicament is perhaps within the very gap of this particular locus.

The ‘niche’ niche market

With the exception of indie developed games (more on that later) and a few recent mainstream titles such as Minecraft, the western game library for the PS Vita has remained significantly scant. Not a word heard in months, and more or less still the exact same titles off every game store shelf. In Japan however, game releases for the Vita are very plentiful. True, one might argue that a considerable number of these titles are JRPGs, but there are also several other genres built for the country’s niche market. All of these games considerably drive PS Vita sales, maintaining adequate interest for the console even without the presence of big AAA titles in Japan.

Let’s take one step back to the previous generation. Though the Xbox 360 shared the same lukewarm welcome as the Xbox One, sales have somewhat gained stability through time, with the release of Xbox 360 exclusive titles that are catered exactly to Japan’s niche market. One of the most well known examples is Bandai Namco’s Tales of Vesperia. Released roughly three years after the Xbox 360 arrived in Japan, this JRPG gave not only a reason for Tales series enthusiasts to embrace the console, but it also made the Japanese realize its value, something that was also achieved by other well known titles such as Lost Odyssey and Infinite Undiscovery. The numbers are of course still not comparable to other consoles, but it at least gave the Xbox 360 a considerable presence in the country.

For the PS Vita, holding onto the home Japanese market sort of became its specialty, and diving into its niche market is something that the Xbox One could once again do. It would probably have helped if there were at least a few major release niche titles when it was launched last year (though Strider Hiryuu could have perhaps fit this role). But as of now, we’ve only got its most recent (and only) niche release in the form of Chaos;Child, with very few other niche titles trickling its way in the next months to come (sounds familiar?). Sure, AAA titles would still drive Xbox One sales in Japan significantly (as well as western imports of course), but if Microsoft wants better sales stability, developer support for niche games would have to be more robust, a lot more robust.

The great Eastern indies

Another notable driving force for PS Vita sales in Japan is its indie developer support, which is, believe it or not, actually what makes it an attractive console option for some gamers (given its relatively powerful hardware specs). In fact, some say that the PS Vita would ultimately continue to thrive in the international gaming market this way. Sony even touts the console nowadays as a portable indie game machine. All of these seemingly tell us that given enough support, the game library for the PS Vita would just keep growing, pushing it more and more into the gaming market.

The Xbox One might be able to take a similar approach for the Japanese market. There is of course the question of how Microsoft would get the needed support, and if it should be prioritized over importing western games. However, should the Xbox One be capable of planting the seeds for a Japanese indie market, then it could spur more interest to the console, making it more than just a “power machine”, or a “home console number two”. Better yet, the Xbox One can also support indie games developed specifically for the country’s niche market. The move might only work to maintain sales rates, but it could at least keep the Xbox One from being kicked out of the other gaming consoles’ home playing field.

Finally, there’s the general overwhelming support for portable gaming machines in Japan. This yet again makes the PS Vita a bit more popular in the country than it is internationally. Of course however, discussing it is out of the question for the Xbox One. Still, it is notable to point out because this might also be one of the indirect causes of its poor sales. This might already be out of Microsoft’s hands however, as this deals with more of Japan’s cultural and social differences.

The Vita playbook

In a land where gaming and technology grew in a manner of its own, it’s just but natural for us to expect some critical differences in how consoles are perceived and accepted. Maybe the PS Vita is really doomed to fail in the west from the beginning, and maybe the Xbox One just isn’t for Japanese gamers. But looking at how each other thrived (and failed) in their own playing fields allows us to see their relative similarities. Who knows? These ideas might just give us the insight to see a second chance in both consoles, in a way that would embrace the best of what each could possibly offer.

The post Xbox One Flops in Japan, But the PS Vita Can Save It appeared first on VR World.

For many the history of computers is a string of western events and discoveries, all attached to a single line that led to the development of modern PCs. But even as the IBM 5150 (NYSE: IBM) was being developed in the United States, Japan was already making history with its own personal computers and the PC-98 is perhaps the most important of them all.

A rising sun

The PC-98 started as project PCX-04, NEC’s (TYO: 6701)  first venture into the 16-bit computing era. The series’ first model, the PC-9801, was released in 1982. It came equipped 5Mhz processor running on Intel’s then new 8086 (NASDAQ: INTC) architecture. Much like the first IBM 5150 PC built during the same time period, it allowed easier use with its superior hardware specs, and consequently, improved graphical user interfaces as operating systems were maturing to the point of just beginning to offer robust GUIs.  As one may remember, the concept of the GUI is perhaps the most important breakthrough in computers, and this goes the same for Japanese computers for that era.

But more than just specs and usability, the PC-98 introduced several other specific breakthroughs, the most notable of which is the inclusion of a dedicated VRAM designed for fast Japanese text display. Though the Kanji letter database had the inconvenience of being in a separate, external ROM, the faster output processing power gave users the capacity to squeeze more time in using the unit, thus improving productivity. In addition, the hardware architecture was still largely based on NEC’s previous PC-8000/8800 series, which meant that businesses already familiar with its use could simply switch to the newer PC-98 models and enjoy its upgraded features. It vastly outclassed all of the other Japanese PCs that preceded it, and effectively rendered them obsolete business-wise.

The internal invasion

From a purely business standpoint, it is easy to point out that the best selling feature of the PC-98 was its enhanced number crunching and word processing capabilities. However, this was actually short lived, as other companies like Fujitsu (TYO: 6702) and Sharp (TYO:6753) eventually developed PCs that had better hardware specs. Its popularity was maintained largely by the increased number of software programs developed for the system.

This was especially the case with the release of the first games on the PC-98. Games developed for the system in time gained massive popularity (with Touhou Project as its most successful example). This then gave software companies the privilege to easily port well-known arcade games into the system, thus further increasing its demand. The significantly larger user base both from business and casual users then made software programs in general easier to distribute. The continued rotation of this positive cycle, along with the massive failure of NEC’s PC-88VA in 1987, finally established the PC-98 as one of the biggest selling PC model series of all time in Japanese computer history.

Towards modernity

The ubiquity of the PC-98 series in Japan stemmed from some of the fundamental aspects that we can commonly see in popular consumer tech today. First, it had hardware compatibility. The PC-98 was designed to be similar to its predecessors, and was built with more or less the same components that were used on IBMs PC/AT systems. Second, it featured a universal software program that makes it an attractive option for many users. It was the first system to use a dedicated VRAM for Japanese text input, and one of those that first adopted the DOS/V operating system. Lastly, it had software universality. Despite its rather steep price, the number of released software for the PC-98 is what kept its dominance in the market (sounds familiar?), staving off its competitors for at least one more decade before its decline by the end of the 20th century.

But the most important innovation that the PC-98 introduced that shaped Japan’s PC industry today was its popularization of the concept of a “hobby PC”. While the PC-8000/8800 series already introduced the concept of Japanese hobby PCs, it was the PC-98 series that finally fulfilled this idea. Long before today’s all-in-one PC systems and custom PC rigs, it demonstrated how PCs can be game software engines, showcasing faster gameplay and better graphics. It even introduced a few game genres (e.g. bishoujo games, bullet hell shooters, etc.) that are still quite popular in Japan’s PC software market today.

The PC-98 series went on to adapt further to the growing PC market in the 1990’s. By 1993, newer models had already switched to Windows 3.1, and by 1997, NEC finally introduced the Windows 95-powered PC-9821 series. However during last years of the decade, it suffered heavily from the distribution of cheaper PC models using the same DOS/V engine that it uses to display Japanese text. The era of the PC-98 finally ended in the year 2000, after NEC released the PC-9821 Ra43.

The PC-98 may be just part of history now, but its legacy goes on. As part of Japan’s technology culture, it essentially introduced the current development model for Japanese PCs today. We can even say that at least part of it still lives on to every PC in Japan.

The post How the PC-98 Shaped Japan’s PC Industry appeared first on VR World.

Dragon’s Dogma Online is indeed real, and it’s coming to PS3, PS4 and PC as an open-world online F2P title. But it’ll only be available in Japan.

Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu broke the news, revealing that Capcom’s new online take in the Dragon’s Dogma series will feature action-based gameplay in an open-world environment that “plays like the original” and can be enjoyed with friends.

The game will be getting the full-on online treatment, with a steady stream of status updates, seasonal events and other additions that add new depth to the in-game world. According to translators on NeoGAF, Capcom plans to roll out content updates that will increase the world size by threefold.

The translations continue to reveal that Dragon’s Dogma Online will feature a brand new storyline with fresh worlds and settings.

Here there be dragons.

As far as online logistics, DDO will have a 100-player lobby that can be use to find and recruit players as well as interact with online gamers. Along with the lobby system, there will apparently also be a quick-matching option to team up with other players on the fly.

Dragon’s Dogma Online has been confirmed to ship with microtransactions (it’s a F2P after all), but we’re not sure if Capcom is embracing full on “pay-to-win” or not. I would imagine that the publisher wouldn’t take this route, as DD is pretty popular in Japan, and this would water down the game quite a bit.

Parties will be 4-player max (Famitsu affirms the game will be just like the 2012 original), and gameplay will feature a host of traditional character jobs like fighter, hunter, priest, shield, sage and more. Players can recruit other active players for a party, or use “pawns”, which are much like bots, to fill in their ranks.

Additionally DDO will have expansive 8-player raid-like events to partake in. Also it appears that monsters now have an enrage timer, where they can get “angry” and become stronger after a period of time.

Franchise regulars like game director Kento Kinoshita and executive producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi are attached to the new project, and are joined by Capcom producer Minae Matsukawa (Pheonix Wright: Ace Attorney), so it looks as if Dragon’s Dogma Online is in more than safe hands.

Additionally a Capcom UK representative told Eurogamer that the publisher has “no plans to bring it to the West”, so it looks like it’ll be an exclusive game.

As for more specifics, Famitsu will have all the info in their 18-page exclusive, and we’ll be sure to update this post when more information (release date, etc) becomes available.

The post Dragon’s Dogma Online Revealed, Will Be Japanese Exclusive appeared first on VR World.

Earlier this week in Tokyo, musicians Keiji Yamagishi and director Mohammed Taher announced a project they have been working on for the past two years: The Retro-Active Experience. Produced under the Brave Wave label this project is a love child of Keiji Yamagishi, a veteran of Famicom-era responsible for music in many popular gaming franchises like Ninja Gaiden, Tecmo Bowl, Captain Tsubasa and Gitaroo Man.

The Retro-Active Experience is Keiji’s first solo project and will be released in three parts through the year. The first part of the musical anthology will be released in February and is inspired from his Famicom days. Yamagishi promises to send us into a “futuristic and emotional chiptunes world.”

“I’ve made many songs and sound effects for Famicom games in the late 80’s and I love Famicom sounds. With Retro-Active, I created an album with sounds that are inspired from various old soundchips,” Yamagishi said in a public statement. “I feel that my music is different from contemporary pop or game music. There might be some people who are unfamiliar with my songs, and I would be glad to invite them and let them hear for themselves the attraction of modern Famicom-inspired sounds from a Famicom composer.”

Retro Active Part 1 will see Yamagishi mix his early Famicom compositions with modern sounds. This will be achieved by collaboration with various audio and visual artists like Marco Guardia of Flutlicht, DJ Tatana and Monomirror as mixing engineer. Mega Man’s composer Manami Matsumae and guitarist Stemage of Metroid Metal will help Yamagishi with melodic and guitar driven compositions. Art will be supplied by David Hellman of Braid, Second Quest and Cory Schmitz of SoundShapes while. Director Mohammed Taher will combine audio and visual elements into the final product.

Retro-Active Pt. 1 is available to pre-order now, following a Polygon.com feature about Yamagishi and his Famicom work. The album contains 9 tracks and will release on February 5th, 2015 with remixes by Brave Wave’s Takahiro Izutani (of Metal Gear Solid 4, Bayonetta) and newcomer Smoke Thief, as well as Riki Arai.

Retroactive Part 1 will feature following compositions:

1. First Contact
2. Bounty Hunter
3. Starfish Cluster
4. Memories of T (feat. Stemage)
5. Kaleidoscope (feat. Manami Matsumae)
6. Drifting Love
7. First Contact (Takahiro Izutani Remix)
8. First Contact (Riki Arai Remix)
9. Bounty Hunter (Smoke Thief Remix)

The post Yamagishi’s Retro-Active Experience Gets a Release Date appeared first on VR World.

Japan loves robots. Well, sort of. At the very least, it’s a lot easier to stereotypically associate robots with Japan than any other country in the world. The idea is due to a number of different factors, most of which are attributed to the country’s religion and culture. Nowadays however, it’s more than just karakuri dolls and Tetsuwan Atomu, because robots may soon be Japan’s future elderly care workers.

Japan is the country with the highest number of elderly citizens. According to reports published a few years ago, it is estimated that at least more than 20% of the population in Japan comprise of elderly people aged 65 and above. Thus, there is more focus on elderly care in Japan than any other country. In fact so much, that the country is in constant need for caregivers and nurses who would look after their dankai no sedai (Japanese baby boomer) population.

You can probably guess now where this leads. One solution that has been constantly proposed is the development of a new generation of robots made to assist the elderly. The concept of assistant robots wasn’t fully explored before due to obvious technological limitations in the late 20th century. But today, the idea is now seriously being considered. Some research institutions are even predicting the eventuality of robots that can completely replace a human caregiver in the future.

For once, using a robot instead of a human caregiver can provide a number of different benefits, which primarily includes on the spot assistance, 24-hour monitoring and additional staffing. The third benefit is usually perceived as the most important, as many artificial caregivers are designed provide general physical assistance and not just elderly care. In addition, assistant robots can be generally convenient to use, and can provide additional comfort in the form of basic interaction.

So far, Japan has been doing pretty well in developing assistant robots. The variety and types of assistant robots have significantly increased during the past decade, from carrying robots, position assist robots, to more sophisticated ones such as monitoring and exoskeletal robots. There are also ongoing large scale initiatives in the country for the development of healthcare robots in general, such as the Robotic Devices for Nursing Care Project. In fact, the Japanese government has even openly expressed its plans last year to invest in the country’s robotics market, which is a daunting challenge to meet the nation’s ever growing elderly healthcare needs.

But most notably, more than just assistance, there is now a significant interest in the development of assistant robots that can interact deeply with its users. Palro, which was first introduced last 2010, was developed by Fujisoft to literally talk with its users, and was previously deployed in nursing homes as a preventive care unit. More recently, Softbank’s Pepper robot was designed to not only chat, but also to alter its reactions and speech by sensing and ‘feeling’ the emotion of its users.

It is interesting to note that most elderly care assistant robots are developed for only a number of specific functions. It makes perfect sense economically, if we consider the amount funds needed to research and develop a fully functional enterprise-level healthcare robot from scratch. But even with the high initial development cost, an advanced artificial caregiver would always be faster to deploy, easier to maintain and less expensive to ‘hire’ in the long run. This is especially true when we add into the equation Japan’s current population crisis, plus the looming manpower shortage in its local healthcare industry by 2025.

Ironically however, despite heavy investment in research and development of assistant robots in Japan, opinions about them within the elderly community are largely divided. Japan’s elderly population aren’t always particularly positive about the idea of being assisted or cared for by a non-human nurse. Though social interactivity (with the caregivers) seems to be the underlying problem, the main hurdle actually stems from deployment issues. Some argue that robots just aren’t advanced enough to completely replace a human caregiver. Others point out that they could be “off-putting” when placed on certain areas in medical establishments.

Regardless, the potential gains that assistant robots can offer to Japan’s ever growing elderly population, and vice versa, is already undeniable. Competition may spark development, but necessity can spur advancement as well. Japan’s elderly healthcare industry can be considered as a very important testbed that would help develop better robots in the future.

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In this current era of smartphones, tablets, and wearable tech, it’s easy to forget a time when PDA’s and other similar pocket devices were still a thing. However in Japan, electronic dictionaries have not only withstood time, but this iconic gadget has even evolved to a point that they are now generally considered as mini-notebook PC’s.

But why? How in the world does this otherwise antiquated gadget still manage to retain a considerable level of popularity in the country? Even netbooks met its rather early demise due to the prevalence of tablets in the years following the release of the first iPad. So really, what’s the reason? Well, let’s first see why it became so popular in Japan in the first place.

An essential aide

Electronic dictionaries have been around since the late 1970’s, at a time when the historical Apple-1 was just around a few years old. Sharp (TYO: 6753) was the very first company that developed and released the electronic dictionary in the form that we know today. The company’s first model, the IQ-3000, featured definitions and search options for at least 5,000 Japanese words and about 2,800 foreign words. While its specifications are relatively miniscule compared to electronic dictionaries today, its release was phenomenal, and it became immensely popular for students taking entrance exams and Japanese travelers overseas.

Over time, electronic dictionaries evolved to have more and more options suited for its very wide student user base. Sanyo (TYO: 8011) introduced digital Kanji letters with its cheaper 1987 model Denjirin, while Sony’s (TYO: 6758) 1990 model DD-1 was designed to be compatible with the time period’s external media. By the time the third generation models came out during the last years of the 20th century, the electronic dictionary already gained the status of a pocket computer. It became a common investment for students, who needed something that can function as a computer but at a significantly lowered cost, and with the convenience of portability. In essence, it became the netbook of Japan’s consumer electronics market.

In general electronic dictionaries have three basic advantages, which are: Easy and fast word searching, specific keyword searching, data storage equivalent to a large number of books.

Does any of these functions sound familiar? It should be, because the same functions can be found in most mobile devices today. But the funny thing is you’d still see electronic dictionaries being sold in Japan, even having their own section in certain local tech shops. Does this mean electronic dictionaries are still massively popular in Japan today?

Stranger in a smartphone land

One thing that needs to be clarified first is that electronic dictionaries are technically outdated, and it is indeed generally going out of vogue with some due to the ubiquity of smartphones and tablets.

However, even as we end the first month of 2015 some of the better known electronic dictionary developers in Japan today, such as Seiko Instruments, are still planning to launch newer line ups which further gives evidence that the electronic dictionary still has a following.

So, what makes the Japanese electronic dictionary market so resilient? Largely the industry has a captive market in students. This means that electronic dictionaries serve the most important straightforward need of providing education, much like a standard issue textbook. Remember: the electronic dictionary evolved with Japan’s education system, which technically means it is completely optimized to be used efficiently in study, as opposed to tablets which can more or less do just a mix of different things without specialization.

Also, as mentioned earlier, electronic dictionaries serve the important role of a communication tool. This is especially true for overseas Japanese businessmen as early as during the IQ-3000 era, which coincided with the peak of the ‘Japanese miracle’ as the rising sun of Japan’s big corporations expanded abroad to the United States. Call it, perhaps, an old habit.

There is also the issue of accuracy. Electronic dictionaries already have its dictionary software and lexical database built in, which is backed up and confirmed by approved academic institutions. Some Japanese believe that using a tablet might not be as effective or as efficient as using an electronic dictionary for the same purpose, especially considering that it is more than just a look-up-and-see device. Oh, and we also haven’t mentioned the simple fact that electronic dictionaries are a number of times cheaper than tablets (of the same size and specs of course).

In fact, ask around a few ex-pats in Japan about the electronic dictionary, and they would pretty much tell the same story of convenience that Japanese students would probably tell you. What’s more is that electronic dictionaries today have even evolved to provide the same functions as netbooks a few years back, with some models even using the Android OS, and providing capacitive touch input.

In a few more years, we might finally see the electronic dictionary hit the first wave of its obsolescence. However, as of this moment, the electronic dictionary is still the iconic pocket education device for students in Japan, more than tablets, and probably a bit more than smartphones. It has basically transcended its normal status as a mobile device, evolving into cultural tech icon. One might even say that the electronic dictionary is a symbol of the country’s ever busy society.

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Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Science and Technology (AIST) has just revealed through its latest research its discovery of the potentials of Bismuth Ferrite (BiFeO₃) in magnetic data storage technology, offering several critical advancements such as lowered energy consumption and data capacity that goes beyond limitations predicted by Moore’s Law.

The culminating research, which was made in cooperation with Fukuoka University, Sophia University, and Aoyama Gakuin University, shows further the promising capabilities of Bismuth Ferrite (also known as BFO) as a consumer tech-standard multiferroic material. Specifically, the study points out the multi-directional polarization properties of single-crystal bismuth ferrite, a property that is critically important in the field of data storage.

Bismuth ferrite has been known to magnetically order iron ions within itself in a spiral fashion. When the researchers attempted to change the direction of the ions, the particles produced vertical polarization. Using this observation, the researchers found out that this now 3-way magnetic structure can be rotated by 120 degrees at each point using an external magnetic source. Each of the states provided at each turn can then be designated as raw data, much as how transistors are able to store 1 and 0 values in a binary chain. What is even more notable is that even if the additional magnetic field is removed, the particles retain the same state, allowing for the possible development of a new non-volatile magnetic storage device using this basic concept.

Bismuth ferrite has been previously studied extensively by researchers around the world in many different forms. Its ability to exhibit retention of its polarization properties at room temperature opens its potential regular use in many different computer-based applications. Moreover its inherent state changing structure makes it relatively easier to develop, manufacture, and eventually maintain than current nanometer scale transistors.

The next challenge in the research is to use an electric field to achieve the same state changing effect. This way, it can be easily integrated into our current electronics systems, and may be introduced as a new material for future hard disk drives.

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Fujitsu Labs has announced its development of a ring-type wearable device that is designed to provide visual interface input to eyewear type wearable devices.

The concept of using head mounted displays, or at the very least eyewear tech for work related activity has been already discussed and proposed as early as when the devices are still being demonstrated a few years back. However, even though these devices remove the need to use a tablet or another handheld device for data access, the method for manipulating the data visually on these devices are currently limited. Even if there have been a handful of other smart rings that can provide convenient input, the function is usually just in the form of pre-set gestures.

Fujitsu Labs, aiming to solve this inherent problem, developed a new smart ring that can be used to make the user’s fingers ‘interact’ with the wearable device screen. This allows the user to view the information displayed on the device and write data as if it was actually in front of them.

Packed with an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and magnetic sensors, the wearable tracks the user’s hand and finger movements. It then follows a trail, which is promptly analyzed and interpreted as manual input for an eyewear device’s screen. The intuitive controls make the device easy to use, as it does not require special training. It can be especially useful in workplaces where calculations, inventory/item organization and manual number crunching are frequently required.

Additionally, when inputting letters and characters (currently in Japanese), Fujitsu Labs has also developed its own correction algorithm for the device. This would allow the device to properly display inputted letters without the need to worry about visual spacing, a previously common problem with apps having similar functions in tablets and smartphones.

The ring-type wearable device will have NFC tagging functionality, as well as Bluetooth LE (Low Energy) connectivity. Fujitsu Labs plans to test the device early this year, following its eventual implementation later during the same year.

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