gits
Latest
Designers dream of electric dresses at Paris Fashion Week
In the middle of Paris Fashion Week, Ghost in the Shell "Prototype" (hosted by Paramount Pictures and Tumblr) aimed to show off cutting-edge fashion that makes use of technology. Weirdly, the event actually didn't have much to do with the movie at all, other than trying to demonstrate how humans can enhance themselves via smart clothing, much like in Ghost in the Shell's fictional near future. Rather, it gave us an up-close look at the future of couture, including Intel's Adrenaline dress that gets "upset" when you do, a "smart coat" that warms you up with infrared tech and fabrics that can sense the amount of air pollution. The showcase was provocative, and designers were excited to work with the new creative formats offered by wearable tech, but it also demonstrated why wired-up clothes aren't quite ready for prime time.
'Ghost in the Shell' anime will return to US & UK theaters
Before the live-action version of Ghost in the Shell hits theaters in March, the original animated movie will return for a limited theater run. In the UK, that means a one-night-only appearance January 25th, while in the US Funimation is backing a two-night stand where the movie will play subtitled one night and then with English-dubbed audio the next, on February 7th & 8th. Afterwards, Lionsgate is re-releasing the movie on Blu-ray and Digital HD March 7th in a Deluxe Collector's Edition with Steelbook packaging and Mondo artwork.
'Ghost In The Shell' wants you! (..for Japan's cybersecurity)
Ghost In the Shell questions what it is to be human (or not), but they also usually nab the bad guys in Tokyo's fictional near-future, filled with cybercriminals. Now Japan's legit, real NISC (National Center of Incident readiness and Strategy for Cybersecurity) and the JNSA (Japan Network Security Association) are teaming up with the anime series for a new month-long awareness campaign. The titular Major Kusanagi asks Japan's cyber security talent to "protect the internet with us" in the promo poster for the NISC. Drone-capturing drone not pictured.
Of course 'Ghost In The Shell' is getting its own VR movie
Ghost In the Shell's protagonist often looks like she's wearing a VR headset, so why not give the Major her own feature? Tying into a free-to-play first-person shooter and a new movie, Production I.G also setup a spherical theater to project a short teaser movie. With a 3D effect delivered through red-and-green glasses, it meant we could get some degree of immersion without a headset -- and the line to see it wasn't an utter nightmare. What you can see above was our wide-eyed view without the 3D effect. The full feature, which will arrive this winter, will play in 360-degrees, with a demo version set to go out on Oculus Share before it his retail on both Android and iOS for 480 yen (roughly four dollars) -- although there's no indication as to how long the animation will run for. While half the appeal is in the panoramic view of existential musings, digital brains and fights with tanks, we're hoping the studio will offer up a teaser trailer in ole-fashioned flat 2D soon and we'll embed it when we can.
Surface RT launches today in Japan, gets a cameo in Ghost In the Shell anime
It's taken its sweet time to leap over that Rising Sun, but Microsoft's Surface RT tablet has finally arrived in Japan. Priced at 57,800 yen ($600), it's launching today in collaboration with Ghost In the Shell series, Arise, where the Surface RT will apparently be making some cameo appearances, with a view to referencing its touch interface. If you're interested in seeing how Microsoft's lightweight tablet might look in the robotic future, we've added a concept sketch after the break.
Nexon launching free-to-play Ghost in the Shell FPS in first half of 2014
Nexon has announced that it will release an online PC FPS called Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex in the first half of 2014, in partnership with Kodansha Ltd., the comic book publisher behind the long-running Ghost in the Shell series.Stand Alone Complex will be based on the Japanese animated series of the same name and will offer up a cooperative battle mode, as well as other ways to battle with and against cyborgs. Considering the game is coming from Nexon (the maker of games like Maple Story, Combat Arms, and Dragon Nest), it probably comes as no surprise to learn the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex will be free-to-play and supported by microtransactions.We've got almost a year to wait for this one, but Nexon also points out that it is only the first of a few different games it will be making with Kodansha as part of a deal announced in December 2012.
Kinect dives into anime cyberspace, dares you to catch cute robot tanks (video)
If your foremost dream is to jack into a dystopian cyberpunk reality where hackers play with human brains (and you also happen to love Japanese anime), you'd best book your flight to Tokyo right now -- a Shibuya department store has set up a basic cyberspace simulator straight out of Ghost in the Shell. That's the film Ghost in the Shell: S.A.C. Solid State Society, to be precise, which just got a stereoscopic 3D re-release in Japan this week, and in its honor creative services company Kayac set about constructing a high-quality Kinect hack. Microsoft's depth camera tracks the lean of your body, while the honeyed virtual reality is projected onto a pair of nearby walls, and it's your objective to slap the Tachikoma tank silly without falling over yourself. Get a peek at what it's like to play with in the video above.
