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i-SODOG robot unveiled, dares you to resist its LED-puppy dog eyes
Takara Tomy's i-SODOG might not be as intimidating as other robotic quadrupeds, but it sure is a charmer. Freshly unveiled at the Tokyo International Toy Show, the puppy comes laden with touch sensors, 15 custom servos and a microphone, letting its master command it with up to 50 unique voice cues. The mechanical mutt's mind packs some basic artificial intelligence as well, allowing it to learn and modify its behavior based on the user's commands. If the pup flunks out of digital dog training, however, its owner can always assume control directly with the i-SODOG iOS / Android app or from a dedicated controller. Fido's chasing a Spring 2013 release for 31,500 yen ($400), but there's no word on a release outside of Japan. In the meantime, a video of the plastic pooch in action awaits you after the break.
Twimal the Twitter reader reads your tweets, looks adorable while doing so (video)
If you fancy using Twitter as much as we do, you'll probably scream like a pre-teen when you lay your eyeballs on what toy maker Takara Tomy has conjured up in Japan. Dubbed Twimal, this loveable Pokemon-esque desk companion plugs into your Windows machine via USB and has one reason for its existence -- to read your tweets. Available in blue or white (male or female voice, respectively), these little bots are able to read all sorts of tweets (replies, lists, user-specific, etc.), in what appears to be Japanese only. If you're interested in getting your 140-character messages read in the cutest way possible, look for these toys on digital shelves in Japan on March 31 for ¥2,480 (around 30 bucks). And do yourself a favor; watch the video after the break. You'll thank us later.
Takara Tomy's Ningen Gakki musical toy lets you smack your friends to the beat (video)
If you want to get your conductive body orchestra going, you no longer need 15 bikini models and a bunch of conductive paint. You just need a Ningen Gakki, coming this summer from Takara Tomy. It has four conductive patches on the limbs of its vaguely anthropomorphized shape. If two people each touch one of the patches and then touch each other a circuit is created and a note is played. Up to four people can play songs or drums by clapping hands or, as you can see in the video below, generally slapping each other about. The notes don't appear to get louder the harder the hit, but perhaps that's for the best.
i-SOBOT goes haywire with stash of weapons, instills fear in mere mortals
We've seen these miniature robots dance and wrestle aplenty, so it's only a matter of time before they pick up weapons and murder us all for crafting their bulky looks and squeaky servos. Fortunately for now, this Takara Tomy i-SOBOT seems to be content enough with demolishing just balloons and polystyrene foam blocks, courtesy of its owner who blessed the bot with a range of "handmade" firearms and edged weapons. Don't be so quick to laugh, though -- that mini mini Gatling gun may be pointed squarely at your face one day. Until then, keep smiling and enjoy the video after the break.
Remember self-deception with this Toshinden Wii trailer
For gamers who bore witness to the advent of the PlayStation, Toshinden likely brings back memories. You'll remember how you forced yourself to believe it was incredibly awesome at the time (It's like Street Fighter ... in 3D!). And you'll remember going back to the game a few years later and wondering just what you were thinking. Relive all that self-deceptive awe all over again with this trailer for Toshinden on the Wii! Check it out after the break. Question: Where the hell is Fo Fai? He was totally the best character. [Via Siliconera]
XROAD V4050 GPS coming stateside
The cool kids might cruise in their cars on Friday nights, but you know we kick it old-school and troll the FCC database for hot new gadgets -- which is how this Capoint XROAD V4050 GPS turned up in our sights. The 4.3-inch touchscreen PND -- a rebrand of the Takara GP43, according to Navigadget -- comes with a 2GB SD card preloaded with US and Canadian map data and features the oh-so-popular SiRFStar III chip, a 400MHz Samsung CPU, Bluetooth, and MP3 and AVI support. No word on pricing or availability, but that Takara unit sold in Europe for €500 ($719).[Via NaviGadget]
Choro-Q takes a road trip to Wiiville
Nintendo 64 racing fans will recognize Takara's Choro Q series as Penny Racers. Conspiracy Games localized a few other games in the series under the Road Trip banner, which somebody might have seen at some point. But everyone, no doubt, will recognize the cars: squatty caricatures of real vehicles with a slot in the back for an exciting penny, which causes the cars to freak out and spin around.There aren't so many pennies or freakouts in the video game version, just driving tiny cars around in everyday environments. We hate to call forth the angry "GRAPHICS DON'T MATTER" comments, but without playing the new Wii game, all we have to go on is graphics, and it doesn't really look like much has changed since 1998. We're not saying the game won't be fun-- just putting our two cents in.
New Naruto video is ninja-fortified
So have you guys heard about this Naruto thing? Apparently there's this show about a bunch of ninjas, and they like hang out together but also totally fight and there's headbands and stuff. The absolute coolest thing about Naruto is that it's the basis for a series of side-scrolling brawlers, known as the Ninja Council series in the US.This officially makes the Naruto license awesome, because all side-scrolling brawlers are at least slightly awesome by default. Of course, it is already well-established that ninjas are cool (and by cool we mean totally sweet.) Jeux-France has a substantial gameplay video of the latest Ninja Council game, Naruto Shippuden Saikyo Ninja Daikesshu 5, as well as some magazine scans. We suggest checking them out even if you're not a fan of the series, because it is always life-affirming, in our opinion, to see a good old-fashioned beat-em-up.
Takara Tomy's Transformers earphones
The same folks that brought you the Optimus Prime iPod speaker dock are lobbying for your head-earned dollars once more, as Takara Tomy is betting that you just can't resist yet another Transformers gizmo to stack in your collection. This time it's throwing down a nifty set of morphing earphones, dubbed the Music Label Frenzy & Rumble, which boast a clip-on design coupled with a fold-out robot. Of course, we have sincere doubts about the sheer sound quality of these things, but let's be honest, you'll be listening a lot more intently to geeky comments as you stroll by than the LCD Soundsystem track quietly playing in the background. Start saving those pennies, fanboys and girls, as this treasure should land in the July timeframe for just ¥3,950 ($33).[Via TokyoMango]
TakaraTomy's Issho Ni Nenne puts baby to sleep, forever
TakaraTomy won't be happy until their robots can raze raise our children. Their latest is the ¥5,229 ($45) Issho Ni Nenne (pictured on the left) manufactured in collaboration with Disney. The plush toy features a digital audio player loaded with womb sounds. That's right, apparently an internal microphone was stuffed into a living womb while music played in the room. Just put baby on a bender of sloshing fluids, heartbeat, and muffled music and he'll be out faster than you can say "pass the Thunderbird." And what happens when baby wakes to find he's been duped by a giant mouse? No worries, a "baby mood switch" will sense the babies cries and generate an audible "curiosity trigger" to make baby forget why he was crying in the first place. Another cocktail of womb music and he's back to sleep. Feed, cuddle, repeat. Magic. [Via Digital World Tokyo]
Takara kicks out Transformers Optimus Prime iPod speaker dock
While Takara's no stranger to offering up unusual (albeit very tempting) goods, the firm is now pumping out one of the most unique (and trust us, that's saying something) iPod docks to ever hit shelves. Not too long after seeing a life-sized Gundam construction, our cartoonish fantasies are becoming ever more realized, as now we have the ability to pre-order the Optimus Prime Convoy iPod docking bay. As expected, the machine is coated in white, touts a (presumably weak) stereo speaker system, and even rocks a questionable "licensed by Apple" claim, but we'd be surprised if these guys have paid their 10-percent yet. Regardless, this guy transforms from big rig (pictured after the jump) to terrorizer in seconds flat, and can wheel your iPod around while blasting tunes from the trailer when not conquering villages and eliciting smiles. So if you need no more introduction, you can reserve one of these for yourself for $144, but we'd highly recommend the $2 upgrade for "collector's grade," whatever that means.[Via Plastic Bamboo]
NEC and Takara unveil Duke Nukem-approved notebook: the TYPE-N01
What better to control a ginormous army of robot overlords than a notebook ripped straight from the confines of a science fiction control lab? To get those 'bots a-marchin', just boot up the NEC TYPE-NO1, load the commands (stored on your USB Pocket Rocket, of course), and unleash your best impression of an evil dictator's laugh. NEC has teamed up with Takara to create the presumably mad scientist-approved machine, which sports all the token stickers, labels, and even wallpapers that make this device so similar to those seen laying around Duke Nukem laboratories. Beneath the facade is a LaVie G type L laptop, sporting a 15.4-inch WXGA display, 1.6GHz AMD Mobile Sempron 3200+ processor (Turion 64 X2 TL-50), 1GB of DDR2 RAM, 80-100GB hard drive, dual-layer DVD burner, 802.11a/b/g, and the likely dangerous "FeliCa" port. Flanked on the side is the very necessary "Emergency Button," which apparently shuts down the machine in case of unexpected intruders. The highly secretive TYPE-NO1 can be reserved starting today, and considering that they'll be limited to 300 units, you should probably make haste if you plan on throwing down your ¥145,530 ($1,231) to ¥174,510 ($1,476).[Via Akihabara News]
More info on TakaraTomy's luxe nano channel audio player
TakaraTomy is forging ahead with production of the nano channel, the merged company's high-end, super-deluxe digital audio player. The flash unit, due out in Japan this July, comes in sizes ranging from a capacious 128MB to an absolutely massive 1GB, and features a groundbreaking 1.2-inch display that can actually be used to display video! Not only that, but you can actually play your music on this gadget for six full hours on a single battery charge. It even comes in red, blue and silver. This marvel of modern technology, not surprisingly, goes for a premium price: ¥9,800 ($82) for the 128MB version. Okay, we're done. Oh, one other thing worth mentioning: TakaraTomy is launching a web site where customers can download animations to play on that 1.2-inch screen. We assume they'll be able to squeeze all of 30 seconds worth of vid onto the 128MB version.
