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Flipnote Studio moving to Europe this Friday [Update: it's out in North America right now!]
[Baffling update: Hatena announced that the site and the software are available in the US and Canada today, which is totally not a Monday!]One of the DSi's killer apps will finally be available outside of Japan. Nintendo announced that Flipnote Studio, the DSiWare animation tool, will be released in Europe this Friday, for the price of zero DSi Points. The app, called Ugoku Memo-chou in Japan, allows users to draw "flip-book"-style animations, add sound, and share them via a special site, "Ugomemo Hatena," run by Japanese blog service Hatena.Delightfully, the site has already been relaunched as "Flipnote Hatena" for European users -- we were a bit worried that not all aspects of the service would make it, but you'll be able to upload your animations and watch and rate others' right away!For more on the development of the game and the Hatena connection, check out the "Iwata Asks" interview with staff from both Nintendo and Hatena, and a special Iwata Asks with animator Yoichi Kotabe. And after the break, see a Flipnote animation based on Rhythm Heaven's DJ School.
Preview the Flipnote Studio site
The Japanese version of Flipnote Studio, called Ugoku Memo-Chou, integrates with a special version of Japan's Hatena blog site, allowing users to upload, share, and view videos made using the DSiWare animation app. Soon after the launch of the Japanese site, Hatena put up a partially translated version of the Ugomemo Hatena site as a preview of the eventual North American version.The site has been somewhat of a work-in-progress since then, with some extra pages translated, including the explanation of the premium Ugomemo Hatena Plus service, and some content remaining in Japanese. It's a sign that we'll be able to share our insane sprite sheet flip books and cute Mario animations immediately after the service launches, whenever that happens.[Via GoNintendo]
Japan DSiWare: Do more with your pictures with Print Club and new Moving Memo
Nintendo of Japan added four new DSiWare apps to the shop today, two of which are a bit too Japanese for us to expect to see. It's not like we can't grasp the idea of putting sparkly graphics on top of a picture -- we are just less likely to automatically thrill at the idea. Chotto Magic Taizen: Date Uranai (200 Points): This trick from Master of Illusion asks questions to determine where someone wants to go on a date. Atsumeru Egao-chou (Smile Collection Book) (500 Points): This app is an album for smiling pictures of friends, with compatibility tests and other activities. Itsudemo Puri-Kura Kira Deco Premium! (Anytime Print Club Sparkling Deco Premium) (500 Points): Based on the popular Print Club photo booth machines, this app allows you to decorate photos, trade with friends, and then, of course, transfer them to your phone via an SD card. Chotto Brain Training: Sudoku-hen (500 Points): 200 new sudoku puzzles! In addition, Ugoku Memo-Chou (Moving Memo Pad) has been upgraded to version 2, which now includes the ability to rate videos from the DSi, draw comments, and upload to different "channels." Maybe this upgrade is the reason we haven't gotten the service yet!
DS Daily: Moved by Moving Memo Pad?
Of all the games and minigames released as part of Nintendo's early DSiWare lineup in Japan, the star is an unlikely little program called Ugoku Memo-chou, or Moving Memo Pad. The cute drawing program allows users to create animations and add sound -- and, most importantly, to put those animations on the Internet to share with their friends and the community at large.Does the idea of (basically) a hand-drawn YouTube appeal to you? We've sort of gauged your relative interest in the DSi hardware previously, but what do you think about this program? Useless fluff or a genuine killer app? Or just fun?%Gallery-33263%
Nintendo to let users upload DSi animations
When Nintendo launches the Japanese DSiWare store on December 24, Ugoku Memo Chou (Moving Memo Pad) will be available for the price of free. We've already posted a trailer of the software in action, but now we have more examples of what can be done with the program, courtesy of Nintendo and web company Hatena.The two have combined to create Ugoku Memo Hatena, a site where budding DSi animators can upload their creations to be watched by others the world over. Users will also be able to view uploaded content within Moving Memo Pad itself, and edit and repost videos. Nintendo says it is discussing the possibility of bringing a version of the site to other regions.We've posted half a dozen of the (Nintendo-made) videos that are currently on the site past the break (they autoplay, so we advise not viewing these anywhere you'll be disturbing the peace). They're only a few seconds long each, but we find some of these to be quite charming and quirky, even if they're not hugely sophisticated.%Gallery-39579%
