Feb 252015
 

In entertaining recent news, it seems a (currently unknown) Japanese construction company has adopted Hatsune Miku as the (literal) poster girl for their “No Trespassing” posters. A recent photo by @raizinng on twitter revealed the poster for the world to see.

Located at the Toride City intersection in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, the poster shows Miku holding a shovel with a negi (green onion) handle. Hatsune Miku seems to be working many second jobs besides being a virtual idol.

Via Mikustream

Feb 242015
 


 
On the Japan side of things, SEGA has announced a Mikudayo-themed plushie accessory for your Nintendo 3DS console, to coincide with the release of Project Mirai DX (Deluxe). It is set to release at the same time as the game itself in Japan, May 28th, which is 2 days after the North American release.

The plushie doubles as a carry case for your 3DS, and can also fit the XL-sized console. Also bundled with the plushie is an “Ootoro” sushi-shaped screen cleaner. The MSRP for the plushie is set for 4212 Yen, but it can be found on Amiami for 3560 Yen. It is unknown if a Western release for the plushie is planned, but at least it’s still available to overseas fans: http://www.amiami.com/top/detail/detail?gcode=GAME-0013773

Feb 232015
 

7 years ago on February 24th, a software programmer by the name of Higuchi released a 3D choreography tool named MikuMikuDance, inspired of course by Hatsune Miku herself. The program was an instant success, and saw a release with an English interface less than a month later.

After working on the project for a few years, Higuchi felt satisfied enough with the program’s progress, and ended development in 2011 with version 7.39. Things were quiet for a while, with a new alternative program popping up by the name of MikuMikuMoving, which worked to improve upon MMD’s capabilities and add the features that MMD was lacking.

Higuchi made a surprise return in 2013 to begin development for the application once again, with the current version now on 9.26. There is also a 64bit version available. Downloads available here: [Link]

MMD also inspired the start of a bi-yearly animation competition known as the MikuMikuDance Cup, where animators submit their works to compete for the top rank under various genres. The 14th competition is currently underway.

Near the end of 2014, MMD was released on Steam through Sekai Project, with the help of community support, to help allow more potential creators to discover the tool.

One of MMD’s most impressive feats has been its adoption in the anime industry, with the anime “Straight Title Robot Anime” being fully animated with the tool.

MMD has been used to create nearly countless animations of all kinds by Vocaloid fans (and even non-Vocaloid fans) around the world, and continues to be the go-to-tool for most 3DPV animators in the Vocaloid community. Congratulations to MMD for celebrating its 7th anniversary, and still standing strong for creators!

Picture by 龍海さん from Nico Seiga.

 

Feb 182015
 


 
Writer edit: I’d like to apologize for translating and publishing what appears to be 2 month-old info. Famitsu posted this information as if it was “new”.

Another round of game updates has been released by Famitsu for the upcoming Project Mirai DX for the Nintendo 3DS. These announcements reveal new PVs, outfits, gameplay items and gameplay adjustment options. As a reminder, Project Mirai DX releases in North America on May 26th, Japan on May 28th, and Europe on May 29th, 2015.

PVs and Modules

Two newly announced PVs for the game include two songs: LOL -lots of laugh- featuring Hatsune Miku by the producer KeN, and Amatsu Kitsune featuring Kagamine Rin by Marasy. New modules for Miku and Rin also accompany these music stages. A third new module, Halloween Miku, has also been announced for inclusion in the game.

Gameplay Items and Options

Four new gameplay items to increase or decrease the gameplay difficulty have been added to the game.

Auto-Circle: Will complete the joystick spin for you during long hold notes.
Recovery: When your life reaches near zero, it will be fully replenished only once.
Sudden Death: Missing any note will result in a failure. However, success will double your rewards.
Special: Turns a random SP Marker into a “Super SP Marker”. Hit this marker to earn bonus Mirapo (money).
Role Model: Watch the computer play a perfect run. Scores and money will not be affected.

New adjustable game options make it possible to customize the appearance of the game to your personal comfort levels. You can now adjust the note circle size, note marker size, shrink or remove display objects (cool, hold bonus, etc), and adjust the color scheme of the lower touch panel.

New Playback Features

Similar to the previously announced music playlist function, you can now also create a video playlist to watch music PVs in a sequence. The “Audience Tempo Mode” for PV playback has gained two new modes as well. You now have the option to simulate live audience sounds, and a new keyboard function has also been added with basic timbre and humming sounds. It seems the selection of an alternate keyboard voice may be possible, allowing you to create your dream duets in PV mode.

Feb 162015
 

The latest Mikuture update brings user a new experience of control improvements, new UI look, and 5 new (and free) downloadable characters: Snow Miku, Sakura Miku, Tda Miku, Yuzuki Yukari, and vFlower.

Mikuture is an augmented reality photo mobile application developed by Sorasu, featuring Appearance Miku (more characters available in ver 2.0). The current version runs on devices running Android 4.0 and up and iOS 7.0 or later. New version for iOS is currently being worked on at the moment, and will be completed at a later date.

The app also recently celebrated 100,000 installs from the Google Play Store! Download/update here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sorasu.armiku