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Google's new Assistant speaks a second language: Japanese
When Google launched its new Assistant for the Pixel 4, the voice AI could only speak and understand one language: English. The tech giant rolled out support for other English variants (UK, Canada, Ireland, Singapore and Australia) in December, but it's only now that the company is giving it the ability to speak and understand another language entirely. Google has announced that the new Assistant now supports Japanese for Pixel 4 devices. It made the revelation in the same post notifying users that Motion Sense, which makes it possible to control the phone without touching it, is also finally out in Japan.
'World of Horror' brings MS Paint terror to Steam on February 20th
World of Horror, the "unsettling cosmic horror retro RPG" created by a dentist using MS Paint arrives on Steam Early Access February 20th. A full launch date for Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4 and Steam for PC and Mac OS X will be announced in late 2020, says publisher Ysbryd Games.
Google Assistant will speak in four more languages this summer
Google Assistant is getting all the attention so far at the company's annual I/O keynote. It can see, it can (finally) work on your iPhone and, starting this summer, Google Assistant will be able to detect and respond in French, German, Brazilian-Portuguese and Japanese. And that's not all. By the end of the year, the Assistant will also be able to speak Italian, Spanish and Korean.
Microsoft Translator turns your words into spoken Japanese
You may want to install Microsoft Translator if you're going to Japan and your vocabulary is limited to "Konnichiwa," "Ohayou" and "Notice me senpai." The app can now turn your spoken words into Nihongo to help you get around the country. Translator can recognize a bevy of languages, but Japanese is only the 10th language its speech translation feature supports. That's right -- it now reads the resulting Japanese words or phrases out loud to make it possible to hold almost real-time conversations with native speakers. The other nine languages in the list are Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish.
Google expands mission to make automated translations suck less
What started with Mandarin Chinese is expanding to English; French; German; Japanese; Korean; Portuguese and Turkish, as Google has increased the languages its Neural Machine Translation (NMT) handle. "These represent the native languages of around one-third of the world's population, covering more than 35 percent of all Google Translate queries," according to The Keyword blog. The promise here is that because NMT uses the context of the entire sentence, rather than translating individual words on their own, the results will be more accurate, especially as time goes on, thanks to machine learning. For a comparison of the two methods, check out the GIF embedded below.
Server capacity delayed Japanese 'Pokémon Go' launch
Pokémon Go may be a smash hit in the US, Canada, UK, New Zealand and about 20 other countries -- but did you know that nobody is playing the game in the Japan? It's not for want of trying. Despite being the franchise's homeland, Pokémon Go still isn't available to Japanese users. What's the deal? According to Niantic's CEO, Japan's servers just aren't good enough to handle the game.
I tried to live with a high-end feature phone. I can't.
The feature phone. Still big in Japan. Still being sold in the millions. Still relevant, though? And does it even matter what a 30-something tech writer at a Western tech site thinks? Japan's large elderly population -- people who haven't even heard of Angry Birds, Gmail or Uber -- they're the ones sticking to their flip phones. Hardy, easy to use and cheaper than an iPhone. (If you need a primer on the phenomenon of gara-kei, you should probably read up on that here, but in short, it's how Japan's mobile phone market sped ahead with early technologies, then faltered when smartphone competition arrived.) So let's try using one. The best and newest feature phone available in Japan, no less. It's pitched as bringing the best smartphone features to the flip form factor. Is it better than a plain, old smartphone? Good lord, no.
IBM's Watson taking crash course in Japanese for SoftBank
IBM's publicity-loving supercomputer Watson has a new job in Japan for wireless carrier SoftBank doing... something? Its job description is vague so far, but first it'll need to learn Japanese, no small feat for a machine that has remained mostly occidental so far. Watson is first and foremost a cognitive computer designed to parse language and find relationships between huge amounts of data. That means in order to help SoftBank -- which has divisions around the world, including Sprint Nextel in the US -- it'll need to get a better grasp of the language and culture in Japan.
Mighty No. 9 seeking $100K more to add Japanese voice acting
Comcept revealed additional stretch goals for Mighty No. 9 a few short days ago, giving fans the opportunity to bolster the game's development with funding via PayPal on its official site. The $100,000 stretch goal was introduced to fund English voice acting for the game, which the original game's funding support won't cover. Mighty No. 9's funding page has since changed, however, upping the developer's goal to $200,000 and adding Japanese voice acting to its list of ambitions. Additionally, a Japan-only Makuake crowdfunding project from Comcept popped up with a 10 million yen (roughly $98,296) goal, specifically geared toward providing Japanese voices for Mighty No. 9. We've reached out to Comcept to clarify the two funding avenues and whether the two goals for Japanese voice acting overlap. The game, a project by Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune, earned over $4 million combined from Kickstarter and PayPal in October 2013. It was by far the biggest earner in the crowdfunding space in the past year, which saw a total of $35 million spread across 341 gaming projects. Mighty No. 9 is expected to launch in spring 2015 for many platforms: Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, PC, Mac, Linux, 3DS, Wii U and Vita. [Image: Comcept]
Pocket's read-it-later service adds international flavor with six new languages
Despite how far the internet has come, it hasn't quite conquered the language barrier. The devs behind Pocket know this and have added new languages to hopefully make the delayed-reading app a bit easier to use if English isn't your native tongue. To wit, the application is now available in French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian and Spanish. Those languages account for some 22 percent of what its users speak and, according to the company, this is just the beginning of its expansion to a broader audience. Only time will tell if that'll include Klingons, though.
Lightning Returns with Japanese voice overs and Moogle costume DLC
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13 received a few new pieces of downloadable content today, one of which is the previously-revealed Japanese voice pack. Announced in November 2013, the voice pack costs $3.99 (£3.19/3.99 euros) and adds lip-syncing adjustments to match the game's Japanese voice overs. Additionally, players can pick up three new sets of costumes and equipment, each set available for $3.99 (£3.19/3.99 euros). The three pieces of DLC – dubbed Ultimate Savior, Moogle Lover and Divine Wear – include a weapon, shield, adornment and garb. Players can buy all three in the premium collection pack for $9.99 (£7.99/9.99 euros), and can also pick up five new Lightning Returns themes on PS3 for $1.99 (£1.19/1.49 euros) and avatar items on Xbox 360 for $3.99 (£3.19/3.99 euros). [Image: Square Enix]
15 Minutes of Fame: Japanese players build their own community in World of Warcraft
What does World of Warcraft sound like from an entirely different cultural perspective? Jump to about 8:30 in the above video and listen to the last moments of this heroic boss kill -- the point at which terse expletives usually bristle from from even the most disciplined, well-oiled raiders, the whole thing followed by a deafening avalanche of shouts and cheers when the boss finally falls. Contrast those expectations with the understated pleasure here of CAVAG, a guild of Japanese players on Proudmoore (US-Horde), and you'll gain a sense of just one of the more outward cultural differences between this group and the typical American raiding guild. Welcome to the world of #wowjp, a network of Japanese WoW players who've learned English primarily through playing the game. You can find localized versions of World of Warcraft in Korea, mainland China and Taiwan, but Japanese players are left to their own devices -- no dedicated servers, no language localization. To solve those challenges, Japanese players have banded together to create their own Japanese game guides, share addons and tips for typing in Japanese within the game, and form a network of Japanese-language guilds across several North American realms. Bringing us this interview with two Japanese WoW players is the Sha of Happiness, herself a native Japanese speaker and a member of the #wowjp community. But before we begin, a simple and heartfelt message from the Japanese players: The wowjp community wished to tell the readers/Blizzard: "Thank you for providing the Hippogryph Hatchling for the tsunami relief efforts. Thank you for all of your donations."
The Behemoth co-sponsoring Japanese indie festival BitSummit
Castle Crashers and Battleblock Theater developer The Behemoth is co-sponsoring the BitSummit festival this year. Set to to take place in Kyoto, Japan, the event offers a venue for independent developers to show off their games. It typically has the primary mission of bolstering the presence of Japanese indie game developers, though the event is open for developers outside of Japan to attend and showcase their work. In the case of The Behemoth, it believes that through events like this year's BitSummit MMXIV, "independent Japanese developers can build a healthy counterpoint to the industrial strength AAA video game industry in Japan." The event will be held March 7 through March 9; developers hoping to attend must register before February 7. [Image: BitSummit Organization Committee]
Gigantic Army paying homage to 16-bit mech shooters in February
Side-scrolling mech shooter Gigantic Army will launch February 5 on PC for $5.99. Developed by three-man Japanese indie studio and Satazius creator Astro Port, the side-scroller is described as an homage to mech shooters of the 16-bit era, such as Cybernator and Mech Warrior. Gigantic Army has players taking control of a manned combat robot known as "GMR-34 SALADIN," customizing a set of explosive, projectile and plasma weapons across six stages. The game includes four difficulty modes and 12 "mid and end level" bosses. The developer is working to bring the game to Linux, and is currently vying for a spot on Steam via Greenlight. The game is published by Nyu Media, which announced its localization plans for Gigantic Army in addition to other Japanese indie games like the crowdfunded Yatagarasu: Attack on Cataclysm in October 2013.
Japanese Resident Evil Outbreak, File No. 2 playable online again
Capcom's online multiplayer adaptations of the Resident Evil series, Resident Evil Outbreak and Resident Evil Outbreak File No. 2, are online again thanks to an effort on the Outbreak Server forum led by "the_fog." Unfortunately, you'll need a Japanese copy of the game to join up with a band of survivors. When asked about the odds of the NTSC version of either game getting back online, the_fog said they were "nearly 100% sure that this will not happen." Citing a difference of middleware used for the Japanese and NTSC verisons as well as a lack of data packet captures from the NTSC games, the_fog estimated the process of bringing the NTSC version online would take "a half year or so." Aside from the time and money it would cost, the_fog also discarded the idea by saying the difference in language wasn't a good enough reason to do it. The forum's FAQ lists "functional online lobbies and games" as options for players, as well as support for "different game modes in File [No.] 2 (such as boys only, girls only, and nightmare)." It might be difficult to navigate the involved Japanese text, but this is a great chance for Outbreak fans to relive their glory days, unless Capcom were to make a third entry. [Thanks, CJ!]
Google voice search on Android and iOS now speaks French, German and Japanese
To date, Google's mobile voice search has been limited to English speakers -- not very convenient if you're looking for coffee in Cologne. Thankfully, its vocabulary is expanding today. The Google Search apps on both Android and iOS now recognize voice commands in French, German and Japanese, and they'll respond in kind. There's no mention of when other languages will be available, but those speaking in supported tongues just have to run Google's latest software to get started.
World of Tanks welcomes Japan to the fight
One might think that World of Tanks is starting to run out of countries to introduce to the game if it's diving into Japan, a country not exactly known for tank dominance in World War II. However, maybe the alternate history of the game will vindicate these tanks when they show up with Update 8.10. The upcoming content addition will add 14 Japanese tanks to the game and a revamped lighting and shadow system. The Japanese tanks will be split between four light and nine medium war machines. The crown jewel of the new tank line is the Type 3 Chi-Nu Kai premium medium tank. [Source: Wargaming press release]
Hands-on with Darkfall's Japanese open beta
I'm not very good at aiming. I prefer third person to first person view. Nintendo consoles and games are my drug of choice when I'm not on a PC. I hate duels and arenas. I tend to spend my time gathering resources or crafting and want to kill only mobs or players if I must. On the Bartle test of gamer psychology, I'm 60% Explorer/Socializer and 40% Achiever/Killer. And I loved Darkfall Online. Aside from Aventurine's little, ah, "delays," Darkfall was always a lot of fun for me, even though the guild I joined was established years before I met its members. However, when I moved to Japan, I was region-locked out of the game and unable to check out the revamped Dark Fall: Unholy Wars until recently when the Asian open beta began. I've done my best to keep up to date on the game, but reading information and playing the game are two different things. This was not so much a welcome home for me as it was a returning to my hometown after a few years to find that the buildings and local language have changed. That may sound negative to some people, and it could be, but for me, it was an adventure, which has always been something DF offers me that other games struggle to match.
Japanese iOS game lets you beat up perverts, because why not?
Japanese culture is sometimes a bit confusing for Westerners, and a new iOS game from the Land of the Rising Sun is a perfect example of that. It's called Punishment Punch Girl, and there's a good chance you've never seen anything like it on your own regional App Store -- unless you're reading this from Japan, in which case you obviously have. The game takes place in a future filled with creepy dudes with an even creepier hobby: Being assaulted by young women. Each stage features a new freaky fella who is begging for a beating and you, as the young "Momiji." It's your job to levy enough damage against each man before your timer runs out. As utterly absurd as this concept sounds, the gameplay shown in the brief trailer actually looks like a good bit of frantic fun. At the moment, there doesn't appear to be any plans to move the game west, but you could change your App Store country and download it, as we taught you with a certain Star Wars game recently... [via Siliconera]
Wii discontinued in Japan
To put this situation into parrot terms, the Japanese SKU of the Wii is pining for the fjords. Nintendo of Japan's official site lists the console as "discontinued," according to Engadget's translation. Earlier this month we learned that Nintendo planned to halt production of the console, though it was unclear whether the company intended to shut down all manufacturing processes, or only those concerning the Japanese Wii. There's still no indication that supply lines in North America or Europe have been altered, but we've reached out to Nintendo to find out precisely what the dealio, yo. In any event, this means that there are now a finite number of Japanese Wii units in existence. We anticipate that the remaining new Wii units will undoubtedly be pitted against each other in a ruthless battle to the death – or a lot more people will be buying used Wiis, whatever.
