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World's fastest Internet arrives in Tokyo: 2Gbps for $50/mo
- So-net, a Sony-owned Internet service provider, is busy rolling out 2 Gbps fiber-based Internet to Japan's Tokyo-area residents. Named "Nuro", the company's blazingly fast service is double the speed of Google Fiber and claims to be the fastest in the…
Google shares Street View imagery from Fukushima disaster area
- The Great East Japan Earthquake and resulting tsunami that devastated parts of Japan in 2011 was one of the worst natural disasters in recent memory. It was further complicated by damage to the Fukushima nuclear plant which ultimately forced residents…
Apple releases iOS 6.1.3, finally fixes lock screen bug
- Apple today released iOS 6.1.3, an update to its mobile OS which contains "improvements and bug fixes". Perhaps the most importantly though, Apple has finally fixed the lock screen (aka. passcode) bug which allowed potential miscreants to bypass lock screens…
Sony slashes PS Vita prices in Japan, Final Fantasy X HD previewed
- Sony today announced plans to slash the price of their handheld PlayStation Vita by as much as 33 percent in Japan. The move comes as Sony is feeling increased competition from free or cheap games sold on smartphones and tablets.
Sega inks deal with online retailer to bring themed laptops to Japan
- Many moons have passed since Sega last produced any gaming hardware. The company has instead been content with their role as a third-party software developer, much to the dismay of Sega diehards worldwide. Those looking to get one last fix,…
Japan to broadcast 4K UHDTV in 2014, 8K as early as 2016
- If CES was any indication, Ultra-High Definition televisions will soon be all the rage. While increasing pixel counts are always proportionately more awesome, there's a minor snag: 4K UHD content is nearly non-existent. Japan is aiming to wrestle this problem…
Culture Smash: Why Is PC Gaming in Japan So Niche?
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Cold rain drizzles outside. Inside, everything is pink, round, and frilly. The first floor of this otaku (geek) retailer is plastered with release info for new PC games—adult PC games. The shop is located in Den-Den Town, Osaka's geek and gaming district, on a street known as "Ota Road", short for "otaku road". It's easy to stumble into shops like this and find an array of dating games, some of which are erotic.
The vast majority of these games are not exactly mainstream in Japan, but their presence is palpable in a geek neighborhood like this. But what Western gamers think of PC games—the games from developers like Valve and Blizzard—aren't. It's not that those Western PC games don't exist; they just don't smack you in the face.
Sony stops shipping the PlayStation 2 in Japan after nearly 13 years
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According to Japanese publication Famitsu, Sony has halted shipments of the PlayStation 2 in Japan this week, leaving local retailers with their final quantities of the iconic console. It's unclear whether Sony has immediate plans to stop shipments in other regions as well...
Pricey 55-inch OLED TVs from LG, Samsung delayed until 2H 2013
- Remember those astonishingly thin, bright and feature-packed 55-inch OLED televisions slated to cost between $8,000 and $9,000? It appears those inordinately priced TVs are now inordinately delayed. The revised ETA is now a very distant "late next year", according to…
Micron to buy Elpida, DRAM market left with 3 competitors
- Bloomberg brings news from Japan that U.S-based chipmaker Micron Technology will purchase Japanese rival Elpida. This falls in line with a statement made last month by CEO Mark Durcan that Micron would make the purchase, but only if it could…
IBM supercomputer overtakes Japan's Fujitsu as world's fastest
- IBM's latest supercomputer, Sequoia, has taken the crown as the world’s fastest supercomputer in the TOP500 List after achieving 16.32 petaflops. That was enough to beat Japan's Fujitsu built supercomputer and marks the first time in over two years the US has…
Sony posts record high $5.7 billion annual loss, worst in company history
- Sony has posted a record annual net loss of $5.7 billion, or $5.55 per share, marking its fourth straight year in the red highlighted by declining sales company-wide. The loss is the largest in the company’s 66-year history and close…
Google's Autocomplete may violate individual rights, says Japan court
- A Tokyo court has issued a provisional order requesting Google to remove specific search terms from its "Autocomplete" feature. This request follows a petition launched by an unnamed Japanese man. Although his name is currently unknown, the individual's attorney claims…
NetLED: Japan's cloud-based, smartphone-controlled lighting system
- Japanese citizens who are conscious about the environment and have more money than reason can look forward to the latest in lighting technology: the cloud-based NetLED system. Launching this upcoming February in the land of the rising sun, the system…
Google archives Japan tsunami damage through Street View
- Google has made good on an initiative announced earlier this year to archive areas of Northeastern Japan that were affected by the earthquake and resulting tsunami in March. 360-degree imagery of devastated areas is now available through Street View in…
Japan's defence industry hit by its first reported cyber attack
- One of Japan's biggest defence contractors, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries said today that it had been the victim of a cyber attack, the first publicly known attack targeting the country's defence industry.
Virtual Reality: This beautiful Japanese girl does not exist
- Eguchi Aimi is the latest member of the Japanese pop band AKB 48. The only problem is that she, unlike the other six members, doesn't actually exist. Aimi was first featured in a 15 second advertisement for some new candy…
3D TV service arrives for Nintendo 3DS in Japan
- As previously announced, Nintendo's Itsu no Ma ni Terebi (or "SpotPass TV") has launched today in Japan. The 3D TV service gives 3DS owners the ability to automatically wirelessly download 3D TV shows to their portable gaming device 3DS every…
Nintendo 3DS passes 1 million units sold in Japan, finally
- After 13 weeks on the market, the Nintendo 3DS has passed the 1 million sales mark in Japan. This isn't a very good start: the DS hit that mark in four weeks, while the DS Lite and DSi took eight…
Samsung Galaxy S outsold Apple iPhone in Japan during Q1 2011
- The Samsung Galaxy S outsold the Apple iPhone in Japan during Q1 2011, and helped place Samsung in the ranks of the top four handset vendors of Japan for the first time. This is part of a bigger trend: Android…
PSN restart not allowed in Japan until Sony proves it's safe
- Sony started to re-launch its PlayStation Network service over the weekend in the U.S. and other parts of the globe, following a three-week outage resulting from the hacking of the network by unknown individuals. Although the company didn't say when…
AT&T, Sprint, Verizon waive fees for calling Japan
- AT&T has announced that it has implemented international calling and texting support efforts for US residential wireless and wireline consumers trying to connect with loved ones in Japan, following last week's tragic earthquake and tsunami. AT&T customers will either see…
Internet Explorer 9 delayed in Japan
- Microsoft Japan has announced that the Japanese version of Internet Explorer 9 will be delayed. The Japanese side of the company did not give a new future date to look forward to, but it did say that the recent earthquake…
Nintendo 3DS sold out in Japan, already hacked
- Nintendo's much-anticipated 3DS gaming handheld had a stellar debut in Japan this weekend, selling close to 400,000 units in just two days while the top selling launch title Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle moved around 120,000 copies during…
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