NEWSWORTHY
Toymaker Bandai Co. says it will enter China's growing baby toy market next March by offering a range of products featuring characters from a popular Japanese picture book series. While the Chinese baby toy market has been expanding following the abolition of its one-child policy, ...
At last, Japan gives nod to gaming as a profession
A skinny chain smoker with pale skin, Yota Kachi doesn't look much like a professional athlete. But this weekend, the 31-year-old will get a chance to become one by playing video games. Japan will begin the process of legalizing paid esports with a tournament near ...
Fun with zombies, kaiju and Mario in your living room
Hungry for a new PSVR experience? For those who haven't yet purchased the PlayStation VR, Sony is releasing an updated version, model number CUH-ZVR2. Unlike the original PSVR, the new one has a new processor unit, integrated stereo earphone cables and a slimmer connection lead. In ...
Haro, the cute robot mascot of the anime series "Mobile Suit Gundam," is about to get real.
Better games for serious hardware
Get the Playstation 4 revved "Gran Turismo Sport" is Sony's long-running "Gran Turismo" game's PlayStation 4 debut. The first "GT" was released in 1997 on the PlayStation 1, and 20 years later, "Gran Turismo" is still going strong, holding on to its title as "the ...
Gachapon: Tracing the evolution of Japan's colorful toy capsules
Where else but Japan could you buy a miniature version of Edvard Munch's "The Scream" figure crouching over a squat toilet, horror-struck? It's one of thousands of ingeniously designed trinkets you can buy for a pittance from toy machines across the nation. They're subversive, ...
Japan's first Gundam Base to woo model-building fans in Odaiba
Bandai Co. is looking to tap Japan's expanding tourism market by opening a Tokyo shop dedicated to selling, building and painting plastic models of robots from its popular Gundam franchise. Gundam Base Tokyo — set to open Saturday in the Odaiba district — will let ...
Technological fun for the home
Gadget maker Cerevo has taken advantage of the hype surrounding this month's release of the Hollywood version of "Ghost in the Shell" by producing a 1/8 scale robot model of the original anime's AI combat-vehicle Tachikoma.
Gadgets and apps to help get up in the morning and enjoy the sky at night
King Jim provides a useful buzz in the ear Dozing off on trains is a common phenomenon in Japan, but you can't really set a noisy alarm to wake you up before your stop. Stationery and electronic goods company King Jim has taken on that ...
Smart watches for tech-savvy kids; BotsNew virtual reality goggles; miniature iDoll robots
Smart watches for tech-savvy kids Apple Watches will be far too expensive for kids, but that won't stop them from wanting one when it comes out this month. Takara Tomy, however, is already prepared to meet that demand. The toy manufacturer is about to release ...
Your turn to shoot AKB47, alongside your BFFAKB
Zombie girls in uniform Proving anyone can become a zombie, members of popular idol group AKB48 have been turned into sailor-suited walking dead for a new arcade game "Sailor Zombie: AKB48 Arcade Edition." To end the plague, you must shoot antidote-loaded weapons at zomibified idols and ...
