Uncharted heading to the small screen…in Japan (Digital Trends)

So we know that Sony is pushing for a big screen adaptation of the Uncharted franchise, and we know that they have tapped Neil Burger (Limitless, The Illusionist) to write and direct it with hopes of a 2012 release. That is common knowledge, and it seems that sooner or later Nathan Drake will make his big screen debut.

What we didn’t know is that Uncharted is also headed to the small screen. In Japan. For seven minutes. Yeah, we don’t get it either.

According to a Japanese TV listing (that has since changed) and spotted by 1up, the seven minute clip will feature “”The dramatization of the complete, action-packed story of the newest Uncharted game, Drake’s Deception.”

This is likely just a quick recap of the history of the franchise and the characters rather than a recap of the upcoming game as the blurb suggests. The Uncharted series hasn’t fared all that well in Japan. Together the first two Uncharted titles sold around 8.5 million worldwide, but only 260,000 in Japan, so it makes sense that Sony would try to hype the game there through any means possible.

For fans of the game living in Japan (or those with access to international channels), keep an eye out for the Uncharted special, which airs Monday, October 3 at 11:53 pm. Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception hits the PS3 exclusively on November 1.

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After a rocky start, the Nintendo 3DS is tops in Japan (Digital Trends)

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata must be breathing a sigh of relief. After a tough start for the Nintendo 3DS, the handheld hardware is showing steady growth, and is currently the most purchased piece of gaming hardware in Japan.

Following the release of the 3DS in Japan, the sales were encouraging. The device sold out 400,000 units, and despite slow software sales, things were looking good. Then the sales flatlined and it soon became apparent that longtime Nintendo fans were willing to try the new hardware, but it was not reaching the wider audiences that Nintendo had hoped for. So then came the price cuts.

Originally debuting at $249, the 3DS’ price was then cut 30-percent to $170, effective August 12. It attracted plenty of new fans, but also enraged those that paid the full price. Many felt that Nintendo was punishing them for their loyalty, something Iwata took very seriously. Iwata issued a personal apology to those fans, and offered them the Ambassador Program, featuring 20 Game Boy Advance and original NES games for free. The results were almost instant. 3DS sales exploded in Japan and Nintendo sold more than 215,000 units in a week—a steep increase from the 30,000 or so it was selling per week prior to that. The results were seen in North America too, where despite a major drop in industry sales in general, the 3DS saw a 260-percent increase.

A month later the sales seem to be remaining constantly strong, especially in Japan where the 3DS sold 58,837 units and led the week in hardware sales, according to figures compiled by Media Create and shared through Gamesindutry.biz. This isn’t the first time that the 3DS has been at the top, but it is the first time that it took the top spot without the benefit of having just launched, or the recent price drop. The sales appear to be steady, which is good news for Nintendo.

It is also somewhat telling that even with good hardware sales, the 3DS’ software sales are still suffering. With only one title in the top 10, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (which is a remake to begin with), Nintendo must be concerned.

But there is good news on the horizon. Several major titles are due soon for the 3DS, including Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7. With the 3DS’ internal software finally caught up (Netflix is active, the e-Store is finally ramping up, etc.), the price at a point that people are accepting it and a handful of major titles on the way, the 3DS might finally have found its groove.

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Japanese firm asks staff to get same energy-saving haircut (Digital Trends)

A construction company in Japan has asked its 2700 staff members to get the same haircut – in a bid to conserve energy.

As you’ll no doubt recall, the massive earthquake and tsunami that struck north-western Japan in March had the effect of knocking out the Fukushima nuclear plant. This has resulted in demand on electricity supplies in some parts of the country coming under severe pressure – especially during the hot and humid summer months when millions of people turn on air conditioners.

Adding to the strain on demand is the fact that many other nuclear plants across the nation have been shut down while they undergo safety checks. As a result, the Japanese government has requested that companies and homes do their best to cut down on their use of electricity.

A Daily Telegraph report said it is this drive to save energy that has led the Tokyo-based construction firm, Maeda Corp., to encourage staff members to get identical haircuts.

Explaining the move, Maeda spokesperson Chizuru Inoue said, “Our company is very keen on protecting the environment and we encourage our staff to adopt many environment-friendly actions.”

She continued: “We are not sure of the data yet, but we believe if people have short hair they do not need to use their hair driers for so long and they will use less water. If all our staff do this, then it may save a lot of power.”

Male employees are being encouraged to get a short back-and-sides “but slightly longer on top,” while the female workers should go for a bob “with a longer fringe that can be swept to one side.” A picture of the two recommended haircuts can be seen above.

While some companies have followed the government’s advice and moved production to weekends and evenings in order to lessen the burden on power stations, Maeda could well be the first company to recommend an energy-saving haircut.

[Top image courtesy of Levent Konuk / Shutterstock]

[Bottom image courtesy of Maeda Corporation's blog]

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Apple iOS 5 to include earthquake alerts for Japanese users (Digital Trends)

If you thought the most useful part of Apple’s upcoming iOS 5 mobile operating system was iMessage, then you might want to reconsider: According to 9to5Mac, Apple is incorporating early earthquake warning notifications directly into iOS 5.

The notification system will be directly connected to Japan’s highly-complex national earthquake early-alert system, which gained international attention for its sophistication after the devastating eathquakes and tsunamis that caused mass destruction to the Asian country during March of this year.

In fact, according to Time magazine, Japan’s earthquake early-warning system is the “most advanced” such system in the entire world. “[I]t detects tremors, calculates an earthquake’s epicenter and sends out brief warnings from its 1,000-plus seismographs scattered throughout the country, one of the most earthquake-prone nations on the planet,” writes Lucy Birmingham in Time.

As of now, the Japanese often rely upon third-party mobile applications like Yurekuru Call, which also sends alerts to users when an earthquake may be imminent. In iOS 5, users will be able to turn the notifications on and off, depending on preference. Why wouldn’t someone want to be warned if an earthquake is coming? Well, the system does quickly deplete the iPhone battery life, as it is constantly communicating with the national earthquake monitoring system to check for updates.

Matters of life and death aside, iOS 5 will be packed with a variety of awesome-looking features, including the aforementioned iMessage, which is an private messaging system between iOS device users, similar to BlackBerry Messenger. Another notable add-on is Twitter integration, which makes it easier for iPhone users to share everything from pictures and videos to contacts and maps.

We don’t yet have a release date for iOS 5, though it will likely become available with the release of Apple’s next iPhone (purportedly called iPhone 5), which is said to be set to hit stores in October.

Check out everything you need to know about iOS 5 here.

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Japanese retailers says sayonora to the Xbox 360 (Digital Trends)

The land of the rising sun has been a forbidding and inhospitable place for Microsoft’s gaming console. Despite solid sales elsewhere around the world, the Xbox 360 never really caught on in Japan, and both Sony and Nintendo crushed the gaijin console. To put it in perspective, the Wii has sold 11.74 million units in Japan and the PS3 has sold 6.85–compared to the American totals for each system, those numbers might seem low, but they are sold for Japan. By comparison, the 360 has sold a meager 1.52 million units since 2005.

Hardware sales in general are struggling in Japan, but none so much as the 360. According to Next-gen.biz, Japan’s largest gaming store, Geo, has announced that it is the latest Japanese retailer to phase out the majority of its Xbox 360 items. Beginning immediately, the majority of its stores will sell off all current stock of hardware and software at deeply discounted prices. Xbox 360 products will still be available in select locations and online, but the majority of stock will soon hit the bargain bin.

But don’t go crying for Microsoft just yet. Even with the dismal Japanese sales, the 360 has seen a great deal of success around the world. It is far ahead of the PS3 in sales in the Americas—32.67 million to 20.39 million—and only trails Sony in Europe by a few million, a relatively small figure—24.74 million to 21.18 million.

The bigger issue is what happens in the next few years. Microsoft has always struggled in Japan, and with new consoles due out from both Microsoft and Sony within the next few years, it may be difficult for Microsoft to convince Japanese retailers to stock the next gen Microsoft system.

Last month Microsoft Japan recently formed the Interactive Entertainment Business (IEB), which will focus exclusively on the Xbox 360 and its replacement. So despite losing the support of many Japanese retailers, Microsoft seems to have no plans to surrender the Japanese market just yet.

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