bandai
Latest
R2-D2 is now a Tamagotchi you’ll forget about
You can play holochess with the Star Wars droid starting on November 11th.
My Tamagotchi Pix is drowning in poop and it's not my fault
The new Tamagotchi Pix has a camera but that's not the problem with it.
The Tamagotchi Pix lets you take digital pet selfies
The new Tamagotchi Pix has a camera for taking photos with your pet.
How Apple and Bandai tried selling dreams to kids and the internet to adults
The early 90s were pretty grim for Apple. Employees didn't feel great about then-CEO John Sculley's hands-off leadership, and lots of the company's cash -- too much, perhaps -- was tied up in R&D for projects that either wouldn't connect with the market, or failed to see the light of day. Meanwhile, 5,000 miles away, one of Japan's biggest toymakers was grappling with change of its own. To Bandai CEO Makoto Yamashina, his business was about being a "servant to children", and those children wanted to play video games. This is the story of how two strikingly different companies decided to work toward a common goal: building a home video game console.
The best tech toys and STEM kits
There once was a time when a toy section of the Engadget gift guide would have been a hodge-podge of toys that happened to take batteries, light up and make enough noise to annoy even the most patient of parents. (Yes, that means we probably would have been into the Hess truck.) But times have changed and now that everything is smart -- baby onesies, diapers -- our standards are higher. When it came time to curating our annual holiday toy list, the bar wasn't: Is this electronic? It's now: Is this thing fun? And most importantly, will this thing still be engaging after a kid has played with it for five minutes? We've had the better part of the year to answer this question. Some of the biggest toy makers have been teasing their wares since Toy Fair back in February. Since then, we've been keeping a running list of the things so clever, we might have wanted them ourselves if we were still school-age. From a lightsaber with built-in coaching to app-connected Hot Wheels, we homed in on the toys that don't just throw in tech for tech's sake, but that are actually better because of all the sensors inside.
Bandai Namco takes a cue from Nintendo in its new DIY kit for kids
Kids today are growing up with a lot of screens in their lives, despite the advice of pediatricians. One of the things they get a lot less of in playing with devices is the development of more tactile skills, which are usually learned by manipulating toys and other physical objects. Over the past few years we've seen companies try to remedy this by introducing products that marry the real and virtual worlds, where physical play is required as part of a video game. Now game developer Bandai Namco and art tech company Iskn are teaming up with their own take on the idea: Tori. Kids can pilot a spaceship or wave a wand in real life and see how it plays out in a fantasy world on their tablet.
Bandai Namco discounts its Switch library until October 21st
The holidays are nearly upon us. For some, that means a whole lot of traveling. Switch owners can stock up on cheap digital downloads during Bandai Namco's publisher sale to stay occupied during flights, long drives and restless nights in lumpy childhood beds. The company's 17 Switch games are discounted by up to 75 percent on Nintendo's eShop from now until October 21st at 11:58 ET.
Oppo made a Gundam edition of its fast-charging Reno Ace phone
As teased last month, Oppo's latest flagship phone, the Reno Ace, is unveiled today. We already knew about the device's 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 feature which charges its 4,000mAh battery in just 30 minutes, thus setting an impressive record in the industry. What's surprising is perhaps the Gundam 40th anniversary edition Reno Ace: only 30,000 of these special units will be available, and both the phone and packaging come in matching designs that pay homage to the RX-78-2. I mean, just look at that cute protection case.
'Dragon Ball Project Z' is now 'Kakarot,' arriving early 2020
If you've been jonesing for a Dragon Ball Z game that wasn't a straight-up 2D fighter, you're in luck. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot (formerly Dragon Ball Project Z) is coming to the Xbox One and PC sometime in early 2020. There aren't many details available in the initial trailer, but you can clearly see the cel-shaded look, a variety of combat, familiar characters and screaming... lots of screaming. In other words, it's probably what you were looking for if you were already a fan of Goku, Vegeta and crew.
Double Fine's post-apocalyptic adventure 'Rad' arrives August 20th
Rad, the latest game to come from the minds of indie game darlings Tim Schafer and Lee Petty at Double Fine Productions, officially has a release date. With the help of publisher Bandai Namco, the roleplaying adventure game will arrive on August 20th and will be available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC.
Tamagotchi On is connected, cute and cacophonous
Beep. Beep. Beep! The constant refrain of an unhappy Tamagotchi. Or any Tamagotchi, really. '90s kids learned to both love and dread that sound when the egg-shaped Japanese toy hit American shores over twenty years ago. And, while Tamagotchi never really went away, most people left it behind in favor of more robust smartphone simulations like Pokémon Go and Neko Atsume. Now Bandai has a new creature built for the smartphone era, one that stays true to its roots as a single serving device but also includes a boatload of connectivity, so you can get super social with your virtual pets.
'Dark Souls' and anime merge in 'Code Vein' on September 28th
If you've been aching for Dark Souls-style combat but want everything through an anime lens, Bandai Namco's action RPG Code Vein will arrive on PC and consoles on September 28th. The game was announced a year ago, and from the start, it clearly took a page out of From Software's book with slower combat, gothic settings and lots of blood. But with a new trailer, we've got a peek into the game's story, too.
The next weird 3DS game includes a tiny fishing reel
Japan's fondness for games with highly specialized controllers frequently produces wonderfully weird results. If you need proof, you just need to look at Bandai Namco's upcoming Baku Tsuri Bar Hunter for the 3DS. The manga-linked augmented reality fishing game revolves around an elaborate add-on case that scans barcodes to add sealife, and a tiny reel (plus the 3DS' own motion controls) to catch creatures. In essence, it's the lovechild of Bass Fishing and Barcode Battler. It absolutely sounds like it shouldn't work, but it looks like a blast in the promo video... at least, for gamers willing to scan their shopping.
The best toys and coding kits for kids
This is the first year that Engadget has included a toy section in its holiday gift guide, and it's already one of the biggest (and in our opinion, best) sections. Here you'll find both coding kits from Lego and others intended to teach little one basic programming skills, as well as toys that just happen to be electronic in nature. And yes, the re-released Tamagotchi pets made the list -- you know, for the nostalgic millennial on your list.
The 20th anniversary Tamagotchi is smaller but still easy to kill
It's been 20 years since the iconic virtual pet Tamagotchi hit US shores, becoming a must-have item for kids and teenagers and proving enough of a distraction that it was banned from many classrooms. Many of those youngsters now have offspring of their own, and Bandai is hoping to entice both generations by reintroducing the classic 1997 model with a special anniversary edition. But most adults and many children now carry a phone capable of doing so much more than that little plastic egg could. Why would they, or anyone, invest in a Tamagotchi? I spent the weekend with my own little simulated creature in my bag and spoiler alert: It died of neglect.
Gundam fans can bring home a lifelike Haro next year
Gundam fans will no doubt recognize this adorable Haro robot from the anime, as did I on the CEATEC show floor in Tokyo. As it turns out, Bandai, Bandai Namco, IBM and VAIO have joined forces to bring us a lifelike "Gundam Concierge Haro" aka "Gansheruju Haro" -- including a 19 cm-wide spherical body (pretty much the size featured in the original series), a variety of gentle movements (bobbing and spinning), glowing eyes and mouth, extendable arms and legs plus a pair of subtly flapping ears. Better yet, if you're fluent in Japanese, you'll be able to have Gundam-related conversations with Haro, courtesy of IBM's AI software.
The classic Tamagotchi toy is back
You've already seen Nintendo revive the NES and Nokia reintroduce the 3310, so why not resurrect more '90s tech? Bandai certainly doesn't see a problem with it. The company has relaunched the classic Tamagotchi toy in near-original form to mark its 20th anniversary (November 1996 in Japan, May 1997 elsewhere). After years of constant iterations, you're back to simple black-and-white displays and the six initial characters. About the only change is the size -- these eggs are about half as large as the models you might have owned as a kid.
Bandai taking motorcycles out for a Ride in spring 2015
Bandai Namco reminded us of a universal truth today: Motorcycles are awesome. Hence the reason the publisher announced that Ride, a "complete motorcycle racing simulator," will launch in spring 2015, a good time of year to break out super-cool motorcycles and take them for a spin. The game is in development for Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Ride will feature more than 100 bikes from real-life manufacturers usable in four different racing categories: Superbikes, Supersports, Naked and Historical bikes. The game will also allow players to customize their bikes and riders (we're hoping for some sweet leather jackets to wear in-game). Ride is being developed by Milestone Srl, an Italian studio credited with work on the MotoGP and MXGP motorcycle racing series. [Image: Bandai Namco]
Play Ms. Pac-Man on iOS in October and help fight breast cancer
Want to fight breast cancer using your iPhone or iPad? Bandai Namco is making it as easy as downloading a new in-game map for one of the company's many Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man titles from the App Store in the month of October. The new maze is priced at US$0.99 and all proceeds go directly to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. The download -- called "The Hope Maze" -- is shaped like the iconic pink ribbon of breast cancer awareness, and can be downloaded on any of the following Pac Man titles: Pac-Man Ms. Pac-Man Pac-Man Lite Ms. Pac-Man Lite Ms. Pac-Man for iPad Ms. Pac-Man for iPad Lite
Namco Bandai turns into Bandai Namco on April 1
Namco Bandai officially announced plans to change its name to Bandai Namco. The change, which spans the company's many regional subsidiaries, will go into effect on April 1. Yes, that's April Fool's Day. No, we're pretty sure Namco Ban – sorry, Bandai Namco is serious here. The publisher was the result of a merger between Namco and Bandai in September 2005. The umbrella company's logo, seen above, will be used for all of the publisher's products going forward. Up until this point, Namco Bandai used its traditional, individual Namco and Bandai logos on some of its games. For instance, Tales of Xillia sported a Namco logo, while Dark Souls featured the Namco Bandai one. [Image: Bandai Namco]
