InsideJapan News Network

One of the most hotly anticipated events in Japan's technology calendar has finally arrived - the Tokyo Game Show.

The four-day event began on Thursday September 15th at the Makuhari Messe convention hall and will see thousands of gaming enthusiasts convene to keep abreast of the latest cutting-edge innovations within the world of games consoles.

A wide range of new games designed specifically for smartphones and tablets will be on show at the event, which is commonly hailed as the biggest annual video game industry event in Asia.

Some 200 software and hardware manufacturers will showcase their wares at the event, which will allow consumers to sample some of the newest products to enter the commercial market, such as Sony's next-generation Vita console, which will not be released in stores across Japan until December 17th later this year.

The Vita consists of a five-inch (12.7cm) multi-touch organic light emitting diode screen with a pad on the back designed for a range of various finger motions, as well as front and rear-facing cameras.

Among the games available on the console is Reality Fighters, which enables users to map their face using one of the Vita console's two cameras in order to create digital versions of themselves as characters within the verisimilitude of the game.

Gamers will also be able to choose from a selection of body types, weapon designs and select their real surroundings as the backdrop to the game.

The exhibition has also showcased a Japanese social networking service known as Gree, which offers games designed for mobile phones.

Gree was founded in 2004 and is becoming rapidly popular across Japan, with international consumers starting to show interest in the platform. Gree is embarking on a campaign to expand its operations across the world and is building offices in major cities such as London and San Francisco.

Yoshikazu Tanaka, the founder and chief executive officer of Gree, told AFP: "Our vision is to create services that can be used by one billion people [within the next three to five years].
"Smartphones are offering the opportunity. We should get the chance to please one billion people and change their lives."

Blockbuster franchises such as Metal Gear Solid and Monster Hunter were also featured in the event.

Posted by Graham McPherson  


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