Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Japan. Show all posts
Mar 11, 2017
Jun 9, 2016
Jul 13, 2015
Nintendo's Satoru Iwata dies at 55
Bbc.com - Japanese video game maker Nintendo has said its chief executive Satoru Iwata has died of cancer at the age of 55.
Mr Iwata underwent surgery last year and had resumed his duties after a brief period of recovery.
A highly revered figure in the Japanese gaming scene, he was considered the leading figure behind some of Nintendo's most popular devices since he joined the company in 2000.
Most recently, he led Nintendo into the rapidly growing mobile gaming sector.
Growing up in Japan in the 1980s, Super Mario was a gaming character that you couldn't avoid. But as the gaming population started to decline in the late 90s, Mr Iwata knew that he needed to make products that were more appealing to non-gamers.
And he succeeded. Nintendo DS quickly became the world's best-selling handheld game console when it was released in 2004.
Two years later, there came another successful launch of Wii which was dubbed the computer game that even your grandma can play. Together, they switched on millions of new converts to computer games.
But the rise of mobile phone games has posed a serious threat to Nintendo and some investors questioned his decision not to enter the market sooner.
As he put it himself, Mr Iwata was a chief executive who had the brain of a games developer and the heart of a gamer.
The iconic game maker has been losing market share to top competitors like Sony's PlayStation and Microsoft's XBox, with its latest Wii U console third in line.
Nintendo made its first annual operating profit in four years to the year that ended in March.
Mr Iwata underwent surgery last year and had resumed his duties after a brief period of recovery.
A highly revered figure in the Japanese gaming scene, he was considered the leading figure behind some of Nintendo's most popular devices since he joined the company in 2000.
Most recently, he led Nintendo into the rapidly growing mobile gaming sector.
Growing up in Japan in the 1980s, Super Mario was a gaming character that you couldn't avoid. But as the gaming population started to decline in the late 90s, Mr Iwata knew that he needed to make products that were more appealing to non-gamers.
And he succeeded. Nintendo DS quickly became the world's best-selling handheld game console when it was released in 2004.
Two years later, there came another successful launch of Wii which was dubbed the computer game that even your grandma can play. Together, they switched on millions of new converts to computer games.
But the rise of mobile phone games has posed a serious threat to Nintendo and some investors questioned his decision not to enter the market sooner.
As he put it himself, Mr Iwata was a chief executive who had the brain of a games developer and the heart of a gamer.
The iconic game maker has been losing market share to top competitors like Sony's PlayStation and Microsoft's XBox, with its latest Wii U console third in line.
Nintendo made its first annual operating profit in four years to the year that ended in March.
'A titan'
Mr Iwata started out as a programmer in a Nintendo subsidiary in the 1980s and became president of Nintendo in 2002.
Under his leadership, the company launched its hugely successful Wii and Nintendo DS consoles and he was considered the crucial driver behind the focus on easy-to-use consoles, a move that allowed the company to tap into a much wider audience beyond the traditional gaming community.
"Mr Iwata was a titan - he certainly will be missed," Marc Einstein, head of digital media at Frost & Sullivan in Tokyo, told the BBC.
"He was very much known for being a gamer first and a [chief executive] second - a game changing figure."
Tributes have been coming in on social media with the team at PlayStation tweeting: "Thank you for everything, Mr. Iwata."
One user @BrandonNobbs tweeted: "Nintendo might not be the most profitable company, but it's always made games with a heart. #ThankYouIwata #Nintendo."
His death comes as Nintendo expects to double its annual operating profit based on the long-awaited entry in the rapidly growing smartphone gaming sector to counter weakening sales of its traditional consoles.
"Nintendo is really at a cross roads," Mr Einstein told the BBC. "They were the last company that for a very long time were clinging to the hardware business model of their consoles."
In March this year, Nintendo announced a deal with mobile gaming company DeNA to start their foray into mobile gaming.
"The successor will most likely be someone internal and it will be crucial whether it will be someone who is serious about that step into mobile gaming."
Mr Iwata started out as a programmer in a Nintendo subsidiary in the 1980s and became president of Nintendo in 2002.
Under his leadership, the company launched its hugely successful Wii and Nintendo DS consoles and he was considered the crucial driver behind the focus on easy-to-use consoles, a move that allowed the company to tap into a much wider audience beyond the traditional gaming community.
"Mr Iwata was a titan - he certainly will be missed," Marc Einstein, head of digital media at Frost & Sullivan in Tokyo, told the BBC.
"He was very much known for being a gamer first and a [chief executive] second - a game changing figure."
Tributes have been coming in on social media with the team at PlayStation tweeting: "Thank you for everything, Mr. Iwata."
One user @BrandonNobbs tweeted: "Nintendo might not be the most profitable company, but it's always made games with a heart. #ThankYouIwata #Nintendo."
His death comes as Nintendo expects to double its annual operating profit based on the long-awaited entry in the rapidly growing smartphone gaming sector to counter weakening sales of its traditional consoles.
"Nintendo is really at a cross roads," Mr Einstein told the BBC. "They were the last company that for a very long time were clinging to the hardware business model of their consoles."
In March this year, Nintendo announced a deal with mobile gaming company DeNA to start their foray into mobile gaming.
"The successor will most likely be someone internal and it will be crucial whether it will be someone who is serious about that step into mobile gaming."
Jul 10, 2015
Feb 23, 2015
Jan 9, 2015
Million Dollar Rideable Robot Up for Sale Again, But Sells Out in Hours
Animenewsnetwork.com - Suidobashi Heavy Industry's rideable Kuratas was listed on Amazon on Tuesday, but deep-pocketed enthusiasts appear to have snatched them all up before the day was out. It's not confirmed if the 120 million yen (about US$1,004,402) robot starter kit actually sold, or if the item was pulled. Regardless, the Kuratas as proven immense popular with thousands of orders placed each time sale slots open up. It's worth noting that the Kuratas dropped in price since 2013, and is now 20 million yen cheaper.
Like the last time the robot showed up for sale in 2013, the starter kit doesn't include the arms. When fully assembled, the diesel-powered machine moves around on four-wheels and is big enough to fit an adult human in its cockpit. The mechas recently served as a Labor robots in Mamoru Oshii's live-action The Next Generation -Patlabor- series and film project.
This version's specs are a little larger. The Amazon listing measures the robot as weighing five tons (instead of four tons)and 3.8 meters (12.5') tall. Amazon notes that the height and weight are optional and can be changed. The new red paint job isn't bad either.
Like the last time the robot showed up for sale in 2013, the starter kit doesn't include the arms. When fully assembled, the diesel-powered machine moves around on four-wheels and is big enough to fit an adult human in its cockpit. The mechas recently served as a Labor robots in Mamoru Oshii's live-action The Next Generation -Patlabor- series and film project.
This version's specs are a little larger. The Amazon listing measures the robot as weighing five tons (instead of four tons)and 3.8 meters (12.5') tall. Amazon notes that the height and weight are optional and can be changed. The new red paint job isn't bad either.
Dec 30, 2014
Jul 31, 2014
McDonald’s rolls out tofu McNuggets amid meat controversy
Foxnews.com - McDonald’s Japan is rolling out a brand new chicken-free nugget amid the recent controversy surrounding a U.S. owned Chinese food supplier charged with selling expired meat.
Introducing the Tofu Shinjo Nugget- a deep fried patty made with onions, soybeans, and carrots, according to the Wall Street Journal. These protein packed patties also contain fish paste so they are not free of animal byproducts.
Since ketchup and tofu aren’t exactly a proven pairing, the new nuggets will be served with a ginger-flavored sauce.
“Because it isn’t meat, it tastes a bit different. It’s a bit softer,” the spokeswoman from McDonald’s Japan told the Journal. “Calorie-wise, it is a bit lower than chicken as well.”
If these veggie-patty nuggets seem like your thing, get to a McDonald’s Japan soon- they will only be in restaurants from now until September. A box of four nuggets retails for ¥249 ($2.44).
Tainted nuggets aren’t the only new issue facing McDonald’s overseas.
In Russia, the American burger chain has been slapped with a lawsuit by food regulators in the city of Novgorod, where inspectors alleged that the company misrepresented the fat content and nutritional values of various menu items including its cheeseburgers and shakes, reports the LA Times.
On Monday, a national investigation was launched by food safety agency Rosselkhoznadzor into the possibility of illegal antibiotic-tainted cheese products being used at any of the 430 Russian franchises.
Should any restaurant location be found in violation, they would face the possibility of immediate closure.
Despite allegations, McDonald's said that is has not received any complaints about the quality of its food, and that all nutritional information had been calculated according to standards set by the government.
The Russian problems come amid strained U.S.-Kremlin relations that have seen a ban on American adoptions of Russian children last year, and a decision by fast food chain Wendy’s to leave the Russian market altogether, according to the LA Times.
Introducing the Tofu Shinjo Nugget- a deep fried patty made with onions, soybeans, and carrots, according to the Wall Street Journal. These protein packed patties also contain fish paste so they are not free of animal byproducts.
Since ketchup and tofu aren’t exactly a proven pairing, the new nuggets will be served with a ginger-flavored sauce.
“Because it isn’t meat, it tastes a bit different. It’s a bit softer,” the spokeswoman from McDonald’s Japan told the Journal. “Calorie-wise, it is a bit lower than chicken as well.”
If these veggie-patty nuggets seem like your thing, get to a McDonald’s Japan soon- they will only be in restaurants from now until September. A box of four nuggets retails for ¥249 ($2.44).
Tainted nuggets aren’t the only new issue facing McDonald’s overseas.
In Russia, the American burger chain has been slapped with a lawsuit by food regulators in the city of Novgorod, where inspectors alleged that the company misrepresented the fat content and nutritional values of various menu items including its cheeseburgers and shakes, reports the LA Times.
On Monday, a national investigation was launched by food safety agency Rosselkhoznadzor into the possibility of illegal antibiotic-tainted cheese products being used at any of the 430 Russian franchises.
Should any restaurant location be found in violation, they would face the possibility of immediate closure.
Despite allegations, McDonald's said that is has not received any complaints about the quality of its food, and that all nutritional information had been calculated according to standards set by the government.
The Russian problems come amid strained U.S.-Kremlin relations that have seen a ban on American adoptions of Russian children last year, and a decision by fast food chain Wendy’s to leave the Russian market altogether, according to the LA Times.
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