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English-subtitled Blue Dragon released in Asia
Microsoft has released a version of Blue Dragon with English subtitles ... in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and Singapore. That's not exactly helpful for US and European Xbox 360 owners who are yearning for the role-playing game from Mistwalker.According to Siliconera, this release of the game features Japanese and Korean voice acting alongside English and Chinese subtitles. And though you might be thinking of importing the title, we should warn you that it's region locked, requiring a console from the area. We're not quite sure how Microsoft has defined (and subsequently locked) the regions, but Siliconera suggests that a Japanese Xbox 360 would work.If you can wait, Blue Dragon will arrive in August for the US and September for Europe.%Gallery-1935%
EA invests in The9
Electronic Arts has acquired a stake in Chinese publisher The9, Gamasutra reports. The US-based publishing powerhouse will have 15% of the The9's common stock, which amounts to US $167 million. The two companies also announced a licensing agreement that makes The9 the sole publisher of FIFA Online in mainland China.EA had previously half-denied reports of an investment, saying that at the time there was "no signed agreement with The9." Rumors of an investment date back to at least September 2006. EA Asia Online president Hubert Larenaudie stated that he believes this is "another significant step" in building EA's presence in Asia. It is unclear how this arrangement might affect The9's relationship with EA rival Vivendi, who licenses the massively popular World of Warcraft to the publisher.
LG Prada sees Asian debut
After what was apparently a tremendously successful launch in Europe, LG's KE850 Prada phone is heading east to grace some Asian territories with its pricey, high-fashion wiles. Specifically, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan were tapped as KE850 destinations at a launch event at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong hotel last week, with LG confidently spouting that it "would be as popular" there as it was in Europe. The phone and its nifty touch interface are about as trick as anything on the market right now, but with a frightening price point -- not to mention Prada's retail police making the rounds -- we're stopping short of sharing LG's optimism for the moment. [Warning: subscription required]
Dopod branding to give way to HTC
So wait, why did Dopod just announce two Dopod-branded devices yesterday? Strange timing indeed, but HTC and Dopod have now let it be known that Dopod's name -- well-known only in Asia -- will be phased out in favor of that of its corporate parent. Ultimately, the move makes a lot of sense, allowing HTC to standardize on device self-branding for the entire world (it already sells devices under its own name in Europe and North America). Was just a matter of time, we reckon.[Via the::unwired]
$500 million underwater fiber network to link Asia, America
Unfortunately for most, traversing back and forth to Asia from America on a regular basis isn't exactly in the cards, but thanks to a $500 million project agreed upon by a 17-member telecommunications consortium, visiting via fiber will soon be a whole lot snappier. Telekom Malaysia, along with 16 other firms, have awarded a half billion dollar contract to Alcatel-Lucent and NEC to construct a 12,428-mile link between the west coast of America and Southeast Asia. The aptly-dubbed Asia-America Gateway will connect the western US with Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Guam, and Hawaii, while also offering "seamless interconnection" with Europe, Africa, and Australia. Moreover, the project is being designed to provide a "more secure link for traffic" across the seas, as it avoids the hazardous Pacific Ring in hopes of dodging massive internet outages due to unexpected earthquakes. Best of all, the wait time for the undersea cabling to make an impact is fairly reasonable, as users should see "faster and more reliable service" when it becomes operational in December of next year.[Via Physorg]
Omnipotence's "Micky" with free trademark infringement
We don't really know the back story on China's "Omnipotence" brand, but seeing how it's apparently going after the luxury phone segment with a vaguely Vertu-esque logo and resides in a country with a particularly freewheeling attitude toward patent and trademark law, we're already a bit skeptical about the legitimacy of the licensing agreements (or lack thereof) that led to the phone's Disney and BMW (yes, BMW) branding. Nonetheless, there'll only be 130 of the 10 millimeter thick candybars produced, each bearing Disney-themed software goodies (never mind the company's misspelling of "Mickey") and a dubious "Design by BMW in Munich" inscription on the back -- so get yours while the gettin's good. Features include a 1.3 megapixel cam, Bluetooth 2.0, microSD expansion, touch sensitive nav buttons, and some sort of alleged certificate of authenticity from BMW. One point three frickin' megapixels, though? In a so-called luxury phone?[Via electro^plankton]
MS asks Asian gamers "WhatsWrongWithU?"
Are you an Asian gamer? Are you completely uninterested in the Xbox 360? Then Microsoft wants to know what's wrong with you. More specifically, Microsoft wants you to visit WhatsWrongWithU.com and tell them why you're uninterested in the Xbox 360. In the interest of journalistic inquiry, we visited the site and took the survey. Upon entering, you're greeted with a question, "What more are you looking for?" We chose the "Great Japanese Games" option, and were then asked to offer an email address and check off what consoles we own and what consoles we plan to buy. Having finished the survey, the site shows off multiple 360 accessories, a PGR3 bundle, and other 360 goodies. After all that, we received an email informing us of all the great Japanese games available for the 360. We're assuming that MS has a stock email for each answer in the survey. In other words, had we chosen "Ability to Play with Friends," we would have received an email detailing the wonders of Xbox Live.The question is whether or not WhatsWrongWithU.com (perhaps accompanied with a similar PR campaign) can win over Asian gamers. We've chronicled Microsoft's trials in Japan before, but we haven't really touched on its standing in other Asian regions. Can Microsoft gain a foothold in these regions, or will it struggle as it does in Japan?Are there any Asian gamers out there that would like to comment?[Thanks, Zeke]
LG's CDMA LC-3200 slider touts electronic dictionary
While there's been no shortage of standalone electronic dictionaries of late, LG is looking to put the words you need right on your mobile with its LC-3200. Featuring a slider design, this sleek handset comes in at 3.89- x 1.91- x 0.67-inches and rocks a two-inch external LCD, CDMA connectivity, USB, IrDA, MP3 playback, an elusive "sports game," and of course, a presumably non-English dictionary. Additionally, you'll find a 1.3-megapixel camera where you can snap pics in all six nations (including China and Taiwan) where this thing will reportedly work. Per usual, there's no word on price just yet, but we're not counting on this one hitting the US anytime soon anyway.[Via AkihabaraNews]
Guangzhou crime dog "trained" to swipe cellphones
Alright, so we're taking this one at face value, but according to an admittedly weird report in Asia, Guangzhou residents should be on the lookout for a clever pup who looks mighty innocent, but is reportedly a "hardened criminal." After locating the dog in a Panyu District home, the owner was surprised to see the mysterious creature cease playing with his daughter, dart over to his cellphone, and make a break for the exit. According to local police, it's becoming somewhat common to see "thieves training canines" to sneak into homes and swipe cellphones for crooks to resell. While it would certainly be easy to brush this off as completely ludicrous, the idea actually isn't that far-fetched, as an English Springer Spaniel is already on patrol in UK prisons sniffing out and retrieving mobiles that were brought into the jails without consent. So if you're strolling through Guangzhou, make sure that cellie is well covered, cool?[Via Textually]
3 nixes foreign roaming charges
Although providers around the globe have been doing away with those pesky roaming charges for some time now, not everyone has the luxury of yapping anywhere without a care in the world, but at least those loyal 3 customers out there can now. The newly-unveiled "3 Like Home" plan allows 3 customers to travel abroad and not face roaming charges when dialing out or receiving a call in a nation that 3 covers, which includes Hong Kong, Australia, Ireland, Sweden, the UK, Austria, Denmark, and Italy. Furthermore, SMS, video calling, and data services will be filed under the same principle, meaning no roaming fees altogether when using your mobile in a coverage area. Notably, the company states that users will still "face higher charges if they roam onto a non-3 network," but hopes that "the European Commission will be successful in reducing these wholesale charges, which will allow price reductions for customers roaming between different operators within Europe." We wonder if they can take a hint?[Via MobileBurn]
Aigo E235 hard drive-based PMP plays VOB, gets reviewed
While Aigo's no stranger to the DAP / PMP universe, the firm typically focuses on flash-based players, but as with its 50-hour A215, F209 wristwatch, and Linux-based units, the E235 sports something that differentiates it from the host of other alternatives. Boasting a 3.5-inch LCD screen, 320 x 240 resolution, black enclosure, and a rather simplified "joystick-based" control mechanism, the E235 comes in 40GB, 60GB, 80GB, 100GB, 120GB, and 160GB flavors, all designed to hold quite a vast library of music and media files. The standout feature here, however, is its native ability to play VOB files, which should probably send notorious DVD rippers into fits of elation, but before we all get too excited, it was noted that content laced in Macrovision may not play back at all, and unoptimized (read: not downsized) files may not display properly on the monitor. Regardless, the device handles AVI, DAT, and MPEG files with ease, and also plays nice with MP3, WMA, and WAV on the audio front. Additionally, you'll find an FM tuner for when your own library gets stale, and while the paltry 2.5 hours of battery life proved less than impressive, reviewers suggested that the sheer ability to playback VOB could be a fair tradeoff to many. Overall, the unit ran about par for the course, with nothing in particular garnering major criticism, and if you're a diehard VOB lover in need of a PMP / PVP, Aigo's got you covered.[Thanks, Oracle]
CG cutscenes and gaming culture
In an interview with Lost Planet Community's Brian Dunn, Cutscene Director Yoshiyuki Tonoe and Director Kenji Oguro discussed the differences between how cutscenes are used in Western and Eastern gaming worlds. Their decision to use real-time cutscenes in Lost Planet stems from their research into how Western developers tended to tell the story within the game engine, whereas Japanese developers typically rely on CG graphics for the cinematic storytelling.Tonoe dates the Eastern obsession with CG cutscenes to the original Biohazard (released March 1996), though arguably Square Enix had already begun to look into CG before the horror title's release with Final Fantasy VII, whose long development process began in 1995. "The latest CG movies found in games are stunning and really help sell the game," said Tonoe, "but when I think about how they are used to tie the story to the gameplay, I wonder if they are effective at making the games any better."Pictured are some of the games used as reference material during Lost Planet's development. Tonoe cites The Lord of the Rings games, whose cutscenes were amalgamations of movie footage and in-game footage, as "above what Japanese developers were doing at the time."Specific to their game, Tonoe remarks that there are 33 cutscenes in Lost Planet, totaling 73 minutes, averaging just under three minutes with the longest cutscene at around six minutes in length. What's your preference -- explosive CG eye candy or more immersive real-time storytelling?[Via 1UP]
Quake hits Asia with huge internet blackouts
If you've been wondering what's up with your Asia-based guild members on WoW, here's what: a nasty earthquake near Taiwan disrupted all six major undersea fiber optic cables on Wednesday, and knocked out internet for nearly all of Asia, with victims including China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and even Australia. Luckily, most services were restored quickly to backup systems, but exclusive business lines are still out, and could be hurting for weeks. According to Chunghwa Telecom of Taiwan, Taiwan's internet capacity is at "about 40 percent now," and the resultant loss of bandwidth is creating traffic jams aplenty in that series of tubes we know as the internet. Phone service, especially to the US, has also been disrupted, but luckily stock trading volumes were low over the holidays, so the financial impact of the outage shouldn't be too terrible. The damage to last night's 40-player raid, however, could prove irreparable.[Thanks, Nevins]
Nintendo makes another small step in Korea
After years of letting disreputable third-party vendors take care of their South Korean business, Nintendo led us to believe in July that they would hold the reins by opening up its own branch in the company. So far, we've been misled. According to Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, Nintendo will take control of the South Korean operations and release the DS Lite on January 18, followed by the Wii in late 2007. Noting that selling their products to a predominantly MMO market will be like "selling women's cosmetics to men," Iwata repeated the company's modus operandi in that they will focus on creating a "new entertainment culture" that they undoubtedly hope will appeal to gamers and non-gamers alike. We've heard all this before, so don't hold your breath until Nintendo makes good on its so far empty promises to the region. The official Nintendo of Korea website is live and features local celebrity Jang Dong-gun playing his DS.
Prada teams with LG to develop "new iconic phone"
While many of us might be satisfied with the low-end cellies that just handle the basics, there's apparently a hefty chunk of consumers on the other extreme, too. Joining D&G, Hulger, and Gresso (just to name a few) in the avant-garde phone realm, Prada is teaming up with LG Electronics to unveil a brand new (read: not rebranded) mobile in 2007. Although neither firm has leaked any prototype snapshots of the presumably pricey handset, we do know to expect a "unique, sophisticated and elegant phone" that'll sport an "advanced touch interface" to eliminate the traditional keypad. Moreover, the Prada touch doesn't end at the outside motif, as we'll see a dash of luxury in the packaging, software, user interface, music functionality, and overall design. As expected, this gem is slated to launch in Europe first ("early 2007"), while Asia / Korea should expect it shortly thereafter; unfortunately, there's no set date for an American release, but even we know it can't resist Hollywood for too long.[Via Textually]
Nokia unveils low-end 1325 / 1265 handsets for international markets
Nokia seems to be on its own campaign trail, releasing a few new phones each time it makes a stop in a new country. Not too long after taking the wraps off four new handsets over in Amsterdam, the firm is unveiling two new low-end handsets that are getting ready to hit the international front. At the 3G World Congress in Hong Kong, Nokia announced the forthcoming availability of two new candybar-styled CDMA mobiles, stripped down and ready to rock. The 2.5-ounce 1325 features a 64k color screen, wallpaper / ringtone customization, speakerphone, 90-second voice recorder, 3.5 hours of talk time, and up to 6.5 days of standby time. The 1265 goes way back, by offering up a monochrome screen, 60-second voice recorder, predictive text software, speakerphone, alarm clock, and the same battery life on both fronts as the slightly more luxurious 1325. Both of this units are slated to hit "select markets" within China, Asia-Pacific, Middle-East Africa and Latin America during "Q1 2007," but the presumably low prices still remain a mystery.[Via I4U]
Lenovo announces Y-series notebooks and flashy Q / H-series desktop systems
Lenovo is busting out a bevy of new notebooks and desktops today in the Asia Pacific realm. Its Y-series laptops and Q / H-series desktops were unveiled, each diverting from the traditional paths previously taken on (the admittedly bland) IBM-branded counterparts. The yet-to-be-priced 13-inch widescreen Y300 touts discrete NVIDIA GeForce Go 7300 graphics, a built-in webcam that automatically recognizes its owners face to log them in, and weights just 4.85 pounds. The Y400 maintains the "same design theme" on the Y300, but packs a 14-inch LCD, a "flush-mounted" touchpad, and swaps in a two-watt "subwoofer" for the uber-snazzy webcam. On the desktop side, the Q lineup starts at $1,017 and offers a stylish, trendy design, detachable swivel webcam, multimedia jog dial, tower speakers, ATi Radeon X1300 graphics card, VGA / S-Video outputs, Sonic Gear HS555 headset, and an optional 19- or 20-inch LCD. If you're scouting a design-focused PC on the cheap, the H series hits at just $699, offers an optional 17- or 19-inch widescreen display, touts an "anti-bacterial keyboard," and boasts its ability to be a "basic, family-friendly computing system." While Levovo certainly spruced up its latest offerings, warranty lengths were slashed right along with prices (just 30 days of free phone support and one-year of coverage), and while the desktop systems will begin shipping anytime, the fancy new notebooks won't hit shelves until mid-December.Read - Lenovo Y Series notebooksRead - Lenovo Q / H Series desktops
PS3 to hit Taiwan, Hong Kong Nov. 17
The websites for Sony Hong Kong and Taiwan confirm that the Playstation 3 will launch in both territories on Nov. 17, the same day the system hits North America and six days after it hits Japan. Only the 60GB version will be available initially for NT$17,980 and HK$3,780 respectively, with the 20GB version coming in December for NT$14,980 and HK$3,180.Non-Japanese Asian markets tend to get systems much later than their brethren in the land of the rising sun -- both the Xbox 360 and DS Lite launched in Taiwan months after their Japanese counterparts. The quick launch is made more quixotic because of Sony's well-reported supply problems, which recently led the console-maker to scale back launch shipment projections in Japan to 80,000 units. Taiwan tech site DigiTimes quotes Sony Computer Entertainment Asia Managing Director Tetsuhiko Yasuda as targeting a million buyers in the region, but didn't indicate how long it might take to reach that number. [Thanks D123]
OSIM's iGoGo MP3 player / personal massager reviewed
Since you can't take your iJoy ZipConnect chair everywhere you go, OSIM has a portable solution to your "musical therapy" needs. Boasting a stylish enclosure and a pair of massage modules, the iGoGo DAP performed its therapeutic magic surprisingly well -- once the kinks were worked out, that is. Reviewers at CNET were quick to praise the uniqueness of the device, but didn't hesitate to knock the "disappointing monochromatic interface, meager 128MB of internal storage," and the complete inability to play back any format besides MP3. While you can add a few more playlists via the MMC slot, they would've preferred a more expansion SD / CF option; furthermore, the player only mustered about 7 hours of battery life with massage mode in full effect. The crew noted that the "massagers suffered from frequent connection drops," but when things went smoothly, they provided a "truly blissful and relaxing massage experience." Still, for over $400 the iGoGo sports too many archaic features to be considered a true contender, and if relieving stress is your primary concern, you may be better off spending that coin in a day spa. [Thanks, Ficky Rick]
Japanese game copyright: attack of the clones
Go to the Canadian Broadcast Company's website, and play X Attack -- seem familiar? The game is a nearly pixel-for-pixel recreation of Space Invaders, the classic top-down shooter from Taito. The infringement is illegal, yet many companies outside of Japan show a lack of concern in copying Japanese games for commercial use. John Andersen, a market consultant and frequent contributor to Gamasutra, outlines the problem and provides examples of some of the large companies infringing on the rights of Japanese developers.Andersen suggests that Japanese developers should legally document their games at the U.S. Copyright and Patent and Trademark offices, since it has an online database that is accessible anywhere and gives the name and contact information for who has ownership to the idea.[The image above shows two games: PopCap's Zuma (left) and Mitchell Corporation's Puzz Loop (right), which came out six years prior to Zuma and whose developer receives no credit or pay for what appears to be an obvious idea theft.]
