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Bandai unleashes beauty tool to detect the condition, mood of your skin

by Laura June posted Nov 4th 2009 at 9:02PM

This is the kind of gadget we'd assume was a joke -- if we didn't know that it wasn't. Bandai -- makers of such useful time wasters as the Tamagotchi and the little doohickey that helps women "understand" men -- has just unveiled a new device which should make you feel even less comfortable inside your own skin. Partnering up with Japanese cosmetics company FANCL, Bandai's Skin Expert is a tiny device which you apparently hold up to your face to receive detailed information on its 'quality' and health. Now, all of the information we can find about this little guy is in Japanese, so excuse us for our mystification on how the doodad works, but we'll tell you this: we're definitely buying it if it shows up on Sephora. The Bandai Skin Expert will be unleashed in Japan on November 30th for ¥3,750 (about $40). There's one more super informative shot after the break.

[Via Hobby Blog]

Continue reading Bandai unleashes beauty tool to detect the condition, mood of your skin

Easy Piano title lets DS Lite users tickle the ivory

by Darren Murph posted Jul 31st 2009 at 9:07AM

We know that DSi of yours is all the rage, but you did hang on to that DS / DS Lite, didn't you? Phew. Starting this November in Europe and other PAL regions, you'll have a remarkably good excuse to bust that unit back out, as this new peripheral looks to require that all-but-forgotten GBA slot. At any rate, the title (which goes by Easy Piano in case you glossed over the headline) will allow players to bang out masterpieces such as Bittersweet Symphony, Every Breath You Take and Pachelbel's Canon on the 8-note, full-octave keyboard accessory. All told, 40 songs will be made available, and there's even a "creation mode" that enables owners to record up to four 3-minute-long jams. Now, if only we had a North American price and release date to pencil in, we'd be all set.

[Via Joystiq]

Robot Doraemon travels back in time to shame Japanese children to success

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Jul 20th 2009 at 11:21AM

If you're one of those nerds, you're probably quite stoked at the prospect of a real, honest-to-goodness Doraemon in your living room. And even if not, surely we can all agree that this guy is pretty damn cute, right? This ear-less, time travelin' cat features motion, light, heat, and sound sensors that let it react to its environment with a whole slew of facial features and vocal mannerisms that mean nothing to us, seeing as how it's communicating in Japanese. This guy is available from Bandai, starting September 3rd -- in the meantime, check out a few pics snapped at the Tokyo Toy Show below.

Gallery: Robot Doraemon travels back in time to shame Japanese children to success

[Via Tokyo Mango]

Bandai RilakKuma netbook suffers from serious supercuteitis

by Vladislav Savov posted Jul 13th 2009 at 8:55AM

The RilakKuma is what's known in the business as a money-printing device. It might have the same spec -- Atom N270, 1GB memory and 160GB storage -- as every netbook since the time of Moses, but its killer feature is a set of eyes and whiskers painted on the lid. Having once already cashed in on popular children's characters, Bandai is clearly not shy about exploiting its intellectual assets in peddling outdated 8.9-inch 1024x600 displays to the undemanding youth. Only 500 units will be produced, making this a pretty exclusive item and the price is unsurprisingly steep: ¥79,800 ($862). Integrated WiFi and a 1Seg tuner go some way toward rationalizing the cost, but let's be frank, rationality doesn't play a huge role in a purchase like this.

Hori's Tekken 6 Xbox 360 / PS3 joystick ain't a bad way to burn $150

by Darren Murph posted Jun 23rd 2009 at 8:42AM

Got a knack for fighting titles? Have a particular fondness for Tekken? If so, you definitely shouldn't be playing with a stock controller, and that's exactly why Hori has crafted the beauty you're inevitably peering at above. The stick, which will ship as part of a Tekken 6 Wireless Fight Stick Bundle bundle, will be made available soon for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (shown after the break), and according to our pals over at Joystiq, it'll be on sale at a variety of respected retailers for $150. Said MSRP also includes a collectible art book and a pinch of pride, which totally justifies the somewhat steep asking price. Right? Right.

Continue reading Hori's Tekken 6 Xbox 360 / PS3 joystick ain't a bad way to burn $150

Bandai's Project A.i.R. is a $525 blue grid that blows up

by Tim Stevens posted Apr 11th 2009 at 6:03AM

Okay Bandai, we get it. After over 50 years of making cheap toys and video games you want to show the world you can make overpriced stuff too. As if your $2,200 Ginza diorama wasn't enough of a statement, now you're producing a $525 box that lights up and blinks like a miniaturized monochrome disco floor. It's called Project A.i.R., or Art In the Room, and it's basically a 5 x 5 grid with blue LEDs covered by some sort of translucent fabric. Inside each square in the grid is a fan that makes the cloth billow, slightly increasing the brightness of that section of the grid. It's an interesting effect for sure, but as you can see in the video below its functionality is somewhat... limited. But is it art?

[Via CrunchGear]

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Kohjinsha livens up netbook game with shockingly green Gachapin edition

by Darren Murph posted Feb 8th 2009 at 9:03PM

Generally speaking, Kohjinsha is better known for its dabbling in the UMPC / convertible tablet arenas than netbooks, but there's nothing like a retina-searing lime green shell to bring attention to your latest. Reportedly, the outfit has teamed up with famed toy maker Bandai in order to create a Gachapin and Mukku netbook aimed at kids with no sense of style and a simple desire to smile at all times during the day. As for specs, everything's pretty much par for the course, with a 1.6GHz Atom N270 CPU, 160GB HDD, 8.9-inch display (1,024 x 600 resolution), WiFi, a 3-in-1 card reader, a 1.3 megapixel webcam and 1GB of RAM. We must say, the inclusion of a 1Seg digital TV tuner is a nice touch, and one we're sure your TV-loving youngsters will greatly appreciate. The bad news is that this rig is selling for a whopping ¥79,800 ($866), so you can be certain those fuzzy cartoon characters are getting some serious royalties.

[Via PortableMonkey]

Video: The $2,230 Ginza diorama speaker from Bandai

by Thomas Ricker posted Feb 6th 2009 at 4:31AM

You're not the only ones wondering how a diorama speaker of Tokyo's Ginza district (circa 1955) could possibly cost more than $2,000. But after watching the video, somehow, it almost seems worth it. Almost. Hey, was that Lady Elaine?

Bandai's Diorama Ginza speaker recreates a place you've never been, at a price you can't afford

by Joseph L. Flatley posted Jan 27th 2009 at 1:35PM

Well, it won't help you gals understand men any better, but if you're in the market for an obscure Japanese toy -- and have a couple thou to spare -- this one should be right up your alley. Bandai's Diorama Ginza speaker recreates this happenin' Tokyo district, circa 1955. We don't have any tech specs for this work of art, but we can tell you that it goes on sale in Japan on April 10th for ¥198,000 (that's just over $2,200) and that it's being produced in a limited edition of 200. Personally, we're holding out for "Ginza Street: 2009" featuring the new Vertu store.

Bandai's latest handheld helps women "understand" men

by Darren Murph posted Jan 25th 2009 at 10:04AM

For the longest time now, we were under the impression that it was men looking for miraculous ways of understanding woman. Clearly, we've had the whole thing backwards. Bandai has apparently polled thousands of opinionated males in order to fill its latest handheld with data that woman aged 20 to 30 will pay ¥2,499 ($28) to know. In all seriousness, we can't imagine this thing having a very good search mechanism, so its actual usefulness is definitely questionable. One thing's for sure, though -- handing one of these to your SO / ex-lover with a smirk is guaranteed to get a rise.

[Via ShinyShiny]

Bandai rolls out new Tamagotchi Music Star designs, earplugs not included

by Laura June posted Dec 17th 2008 at 8:32PM

Bandai's been busy in their genius labs brewing up some "high tech" amusement, and they have the newly announced Tamagotchi Music Stars to show for it. You've probably been dying to create a digital diva or virtuoso all your own, and now you can, with six different options such as Glam Rock, Techno Sound, and Rising Star to choose from. Your character gets to join a band, go through hours of practice, auditions and rehearsals before making it big. Sound exhausting? Well fame comes at a price, kid. No word yet on price or availability, but you can check out their site for lots of info and a few shots of the designs. Oh: and rock on.

Update: We just got word from the company that the Music Stars will retail for $14.99

Tuttuki Bako "poking box" lets you torment low-res creatures

by Donald Melanson posted Nov 20th 2008 at 2:17PM

While we don't expect it to be the type of interface that'll replace touch screens anytime soon, Bandai is certainly forging some interesting new ground with its so-called Tuttuki Bako device, or "poking box," which actually lets you stick your finger right into the device to control the on-screen finger. That's apparently done with the aid of some motion sensors which, as you can see in the video after the break, seem to work at least reasonably well. In addition to boasting various "games" like poking a panda, poking a face, or poking a stick figure, the device also doubles a desk clock, and it's available your choice of red, black or lime green. As you might have guessed, however, it's not available 'round these parts just yet, though you can apparently pick one up in Japan now for the rough local equivalent of $30.

[Via Today and Tomorrow, thanks Lennart]

Continue reading Tuttuki Bako "poking box" lets you torment low-res creatures

Bandai's Gun O'clock: shoot the target or you'll never snooze again

by Darren Murph posted Oct 21st 2008 at 9:02PM

We've seen no shortage of unorthodox alarm clocks, but Bandai's latest creation is nothing short of spectacular. Rather than making users defuse a bomb or catch a runaway helicopter, the appropriately named Gun O'clock actually forces heavy sleepers to aim a gun and successfully strike the bullseye to shut the undoubtedly obnoxious alarm up. Best of all, those who enjoy challenges can set it to "Hard" mode, requiring them to blast the center target no fewer than five times in order to hush it; after you're satisfactorily awake, you can utilize the game mode to work on your aim. This magnificent wonder is all set to launch in Japan next month for ¥4,095 ($41), but we don't see any obvious signs of it ever coming Stateside. Anyone feeling an online petition? We hear those work really well.

[Via UberReview]

Bandai's Net Tansor Web bot steals blogger jobs from filthy humans

by Paul Miller posted Oct 14th 2008 at 4:23PM

We always figured this day would come, but so soon? We're obsolete, ladies and gentlemen. It's been a great ride, and we're glad we got to do just one more Stevenote with y'all before we fade into the night, but the robots have arrived, and they're going to blog harder, better, faster and stronger. We cannot compete. Bandai just announced the Net Tansor Web, a WiFi-equipped robot with a built-in camera for snapping his soon-to-be-award-winning exposés and posting them to the web at regular intervals alongside witty commentary. The bot can react to reader comments like "a little to the right," or "you suck, why don't you just call it Applegadget?" and adjust accordingly. Net Tansor also can handle live video, reads RSS feeds out loud and knows no fatigue. Bandai's going to be selling this for 50,000 Yen (about $490 US) whenever it's ready.

Bandai's Peri Peri keychain lets you rip open shipping envelopes continually

by Darren Murph posted Oct 12th 2008 at 10:03PM

Look, you don't have to explain to us how weird this thing is. Trust us, we fully understand. But as gadget editors, we have a certain love for receiving surprise packages and ripping 'em open as quickly as possible to discover what goodies reside within. Bandai's so-very-Japanese Peri Peri keychain is apt to appeal to the unboxers among us, as it recreates the unmistakable feeling of tearing open a rushed FedEx envelope. If there's a downside, it's that there's no new wares to be found after each opening, but on the other hand, at least there's no big dent on your credit card each time you "open" something new. Expect this gem to hit your keyring for just under $10 next month. Bonus video hosted up after the break.

[Via BoingBoing]

Continue reading Bandai's Peri Peri keychain lets you rip open shipping envelopes continually