Digital | ON: TECH May 20, 2018
The new faces of today's technology
by Chiho Komoriya
Drastic and subtle ways to give your face a virtual makeover, and a life-size anime service robot — what more could you need?
NEWSWORTHY
Business Feb 25, 2018
Sports expo spotlights high-tech ways to better train athletes ahead of 2020
by Sakura Murakami
With Japan riding high after its best showing ever in a Winter Olympics, a recent trade show drew attention to state-of-the-art technologies that could one day help train future Olympians. Sports Business Expo Tokyo attracted 630 companies and an estimated 30,000 visitors to Makuhari Messe ...
Digital | ON: GAMES Dec 24, 2017
by Brian Ashcraft
The gods are back "Okami" is one of the most beautiful and imaginative games ever made. It first came out in 2006 on the PlayStation 2 and was dubbed the best game of that year. Over a decade later it is still wonderful. "Okami" is a ...
National Dec 7, 2017
Japanese planetariums and art museums tap VR craze to offer immersive experiences
With virtual reality technology becoming all the rage, planetariums and museums are cashing in on the trend to give visitors a closer view of the stars and artworks. Precision equipment maker Konica Minolta Inc. is offering VirtuaLink, a VR facility in Tokyo's Koto Ward, as ...
Digital | ON: GAMES Aug 27, 2017
Game industry vamps up classics
by Brian Ashcraft
The 'Sonic' boom Among video game fans, there's something called the Sonic Cycle — when a new "Sonic" game is announced and players get incredibly excited, and then the game comes out — with both good and bad results. With the game's uneven track record ...
Business / Tech Jul 19, 2017
NHK develops new VR experience with 8K video projection and hemisphere-shaped screen
by Kazuaki Nagata
The virtually reality experience is no longer limited to bulky head gear with the advent of a new headset-free 8K high-resolution video projection system. Some Japanese firms have come up with a headset-free VR entertainment experience that projects ultra-clear imagery, and they are trying to ...
Business / Tech Jun 13, 2017
Bandai Namco to open virtual reality arcades in Japan and overseas
by Kazuaki Nagata
With an eye on bringing lifelike quality to the world of anime and popular video games, Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. said Tuesday it will launch a flagship arcade featuring virtual reality gaming in Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, next month. The two-story flagship, to be called VR ...
Business / Tech Jun 6, 2017
Apple unveils HomePod speaker, its first new product in years, and adds VR elements
Apple is giving a nod to several up-and-coming technology trends, unveiling a new "smart" home speaker and device features touching on virtual reality, online privacy and a form of artificial intelligence called machine learning. The HomePod speaker unveiled Monday is similar to devices from rivals, ...
National Jun 4, 2017
Hiroshima students working to re-create Yamato for virtual battleship tour
High school students in Hiroshima are using virtual reality technology to create lifelike tours of the sunken battleship Yamato this summer.
Digital May 28, 2017
Unusual controllers preside at BitSummit
by Jason Coskrey
A man wearing a blue shirt and box over his head wandered the floor at Kyoto's Miyako Messe exhibition hall. As passersby stopped to look, he handed them empty lotion pump bottles and invited them to try squirting them. It was a quirky moment, and ...
Digital | ON: GAMES May 21, 2017
Summer releases: bring your A-game
by Brian Ashcraft
Stuff they don't teach at school It's May and it's virtually summer — the perfect time to play "Summer Lesson: The Hikari Miyamoto Collection," in which you tutor and hang out with schoolgirl Hikari Miyamoto. This game was released as a download last October, but ...
Business / Tech Apr 19, 2017
Zuckerberg says augmented reality strategy to start with smartphones
Facebook Inc. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg laid out his strategy for augmented reality, saying the social network will use smartphone cameras to overlay virtual items on the real world rather than waiting for AR glasses to be technically possible. People will be able to ...