Latest news with #Sega
SoraNews24
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- SoraNews24
Landmark Akihabara arcade, opened by Sega over 30 years ago, announces sudden closure
Tokyo is about to lose another site of game otaku history. It's been a tumultuous couple of years for the arcade industry in Japan. Not even the otaku mecca of the Akihabara neighborhood is completely buffered, as it's been announced that one of the Tokyo neighborhood's oldest 'game centers,' as arcades are called in Japanese, will be closing and very soon. Back in the early '90s, Sega was riding high, as a developer of not just video game software, but hardware too, producing home consoles, handheld systems, and arcade machines. In 1992, it opened High-tech Land Sega Shintoku on a corner of Chuo-dori, the main street of Akihabara. The entire multi-story building was one huge arcade, eventually changing its name to Club Sega Akihabara and then Sega Akihabara Building 1. Sega's fortunes later faded and the company made the decision to pare back its operations and focus on software production and publishing, stepping out of the home hardware arena in 2001 and finally selling off its arcade management business at the end of 2021. That didn't result in the shuttering of all of its arcades, however, as new owner Genda has continued operating many of them under its GiGO brand, including the former Sega Akihabara Building 1, now called GiGO Akihabara Building 1, which had the distinction of being Sega's longest-operating whole-building sized arcade at the time of its sale. ▼ GiGO Akihabara Building 1 But now the end is coming for GiGO Akihabara Building 1, and it's coming very quickly. On Tuesday, Genda announced that the landmark arcade will be closing down permanently at the end of the summer. In its press release, Genda says the reason for the arcade's closure is that its lease is expiring. No details have been given over whether negotiating for a new lease was an option or not, but the company says that after GiGO vacates the building the company Matahari Entertainment will be coming in to set up an 'amusement facility.' Matahari is also involved in arcade management, but its chain, called Silk Hat, closed one of its most well-known arcades not too long ago. Taking that into consideration, Matahari might be moving in with its Baa@se brand of karaoke/darts bar/Internet cafe facilities instead, or perhaps is developing a new concept specifically for the Akihabara location. Regardless of what comes next, though, GiGO Akihabara Building 1's last day will be August 31. Source: PR Times, Matahari Entertainment Top image: PR Times ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sony wouldn't have "delivered the power" of the PS2 without "the specter of the Dreamcast," says former Sega and Microsoft exec: "Every incumbent needs a challenger to punch them in the face"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. It's no secret that Sega's beloved Dreamcast console paved the way for some of the best retro games of all time, but that's not all it did – it also set the stage for console behemoths like the iconic PlayStation 2 from Sony. Speaking in a recent interview with The Game Business, Peter Moore, former Sega president and Xbox executive at Microsoft, explains as much. First describing how "the Dreamcast passed the baton to the Xbox 360, which, with Microsoft's resources, was able to take the Sega Dreamcast and build upon it," Moore goes on to say that the 1998 console from Sega laid the groundwork for another system, too – the PlayStation 2. When asked about the looming threat of the PlayStation 2 over the Dreamcast, a threat that other consoles like the original Xbox and Nintendo's GameCube would go on to face, Moore openly admits that it was "not going to be able to survive against the juggernaut that was the PlayStation 2" – but that doesn't mean it didn't help usher in the new device from Sony or an era of online gaming that hadn't yet been touched before the Dreamcast. "Every incumbent needs a challenger to punch them in the face, right? And you know, from the perspective of what Sega was, it was keeping PlayStation honest – they would not have delivered the power of the PlayStation 2 without the specter of the Dreamcast," details the former company lead. "They needed to step up their game."It seems Sega's console, while not as long-lived as the PlayStation 2, was the push Sony needed to succeed. Online gaming has changed quite a bit since the late 90s and early 2000s, of course, but Sega and its influence on the industry remain timeless – as Moore puts it, the Dreamcast was a true "trailblazer" thanks to its capacity to support online you a fan of the 1998 console yourself? Here are some of the best Sega Dreamcast games ever to explore.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
ST180: 180 years of covering Japan, from isolationism to Westernisation to war and peace
Since 1982, correspondents have shed light on a country Singaporeans admire but also share a painful wartime past with. The Straits Times has chronicled Japan's transformation over the years. By the 1910s, features introduced readers to its rich traditions, including sumo wrestling (above). Today, the country remains a compelling, evolving story, says the writer. – When I joined The Straits Times in June 2012 as a rookie journalist, I had no aspirations or illusions of becoming a foreign correspondent, let alone in a country I barely knew or felt any special connection to. I grew up with Sega arcade games, Tamagotchi digital pets, Nintendo Game Boys and Sony Walkman players, and have fond memories of the now-defunct Sogo department store near my childhood home in Tampines. But I did not understand the Japanese language or fully appreciate the country's deep cultural influence. Japan seemed like a nation past its prime, its economy overtaken by China, its pop culture eclipsed by South Korea. Then six months into my job, I visited Japan on a holiday for the first time. I went to Tokyo, where I was enamoured of the sights, sounds and buzz of the world's most populous region. I signed up for weekly language classes and, four years later, when I was offered a posting as The Straits Times' Japan correspondent, I didn't hesitate. More than three decades earlier, in May 1982, the paper had launched its Tokyo bureau. Announcing this on Page 1, it described Japan as 'the world's most efficient industrial power'. It was opening an office there to monitor the nation's growing economic influence and to cover 'the controversial question of whether Japan will play a greater role in maintaining the security of Asia'. This purpose remains relevant today. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore HSA intensifies crackdown on vapes; young suspected Kpod peddlers nabbed in Bishan, Yishun Singapore Man charged over distributing nearly 3 tonnes of vapes in one day in Bishan, Ubi Avenue 3 Singapore Public healthcare institutions to record all Kpod cases, confiscate vapes: MOH, HSA Singapore Man allegedly attacks woman with knife at Kallang Wave Mall, to be charged with attempted murder Singapore Singapore boosts support for Timor-Leste as it prepares to join Asean Singapore UN aviation and maritime agencies pledge to collaborate to boost safety, tackle challenges Singapore High Court dismisses appeal of drink driver who killed one after treating Tampines road like racetrack Singapore 18 years' jail for woman who hacked adoptive father to death after tussle over Sengkang flat Since taking up the role, I've reported from disaster zones and diplomatic summits, and interviewed people across the length of the Japanese archipelago, from Shiretoko Peninsula in the north-east of Hokkaido to Yonaguni in the south-west of Okinawa. The Japanese frame time by imperial eras, and I witnessed the dawn of the Reiwa era in 2019 when Emperor Akihito abdicated the Chrysanthemum Throne and was succeeded by his son Naruhito. The new era has been marked by a more confident Japan on the global stage, eager to champion a rules-based international order. Domestically, Japan is slowly shaking off the deflationary mindset of the Heisei era (1989 to 2019). Social issues like overwork and sexual harassment are now seen as relics of the past, and vices like smoking and binge-drinking are on the decline as the Japanese become more health conscious. Japan has also become a top global travel destination, hitting a record 36.87 million visitors in 2024. The population continues to age, beset by one of the lowest birth rates in the world, even as immigration rises. All this has sparked difficult but necessary conversations in a society that still sees itself as largely homogeneous. Meanwhile, Japan's entertainment industry is enjoying a renaissance as its dramas, anime and music captivate global audiences via streaming platforms. Amid all this change, history remains a constant, and I am vividly struck by how my work covering this rich and complex country adds to the living historical record of the world that is The Straits Times. Foreign correspondence 'For Sale. A few boxes of fresh Japan rice.' 'Japan-ware.' The first issue of The Straits Times on Tuesday, July 15, 1845, saw two mentions of the country in advertisements on the front page. It is a quaint glimpse into a time when Japan, still under the sakoku isolationist policy of the shogunate, remained a distant and exotic marketplace to much of the world. Yet even then, the paper recognised the West's growing commercial interest in Japan. An article in 1846 predicted that it 'cannot long be left out of the commercial union of civilised countries'. The paper's colonial attitudes were also evident, with reports – either taken from wire dispatches or written by nomadic contributors – describing Japan as a 'ruined nation through pride and obstinacy'. Japan correspondent Walter Sim at Arakurayama Sengen Park in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi prefecture, in November 2020, with Mount Fuji in the background. PHOTO: COURTESY OF WALTER SIM As the country began to open up, the paper chronicled Japan's rapid transformation during the Meiji Restoration of 1868 as it embraced industrialisation and adopted Western ideas. The Emperor traded his royal regalia for a suit and tie. Baseball was introduced, and remains Japan's national sport. Japan quickly adopted Western technology and industrialised practices to build its first railway in 1872, connecting Tokyo's Shimbashi business district to the port city of Yokohama. 'The Japanese are an active impressionable people, and contact with the outer world, the introduction of railways, and the spread of Western science have worked great changes during the last two decades,' a report said in 1890. The curiosity extended beyond politics, and column inches were devoted to travel features. A first-person account of a hike up Mount Fuji in 1892 recounted the fatigue but also beauty – 'Below were white clouds drifting in a blue sea bathed in golden light'. Interest grew in all things Japanese. The deaths of leading kabuki actors Onoe Kikugoro V and Ichikawa Danjuro IX in 1903 were recorded in obituaries. By the 1910s, features introduced readers to the thriving, rich traditions of sumo wrestling and ama free-divers. Incidentally, I have written about these topics , although in the context of the challenges they face in an age of depopulation and dwindling interest. Many topics about pre-war Japan still resonate today. Take a 1900 report about the abuse of authority (now dubbed 'power harassment') that led to the suicide of a soldier. Or a 1906 story that cited tourism mismanagement (now dubbed 'overtourism'), or a 1907 piece that blamed a crime wave on rising costs of living (now manifesting in shady part-time jobs, or yamibaito). And a 1918 piece about the rice riots, an event that I referenced in a June 2025 opinion piece on Japan's soaring rice prices today. Another 1906 report that contemplated the role of women in politics is anachronistic today – 'the association of women with politics, it is felt, will tend to cultivate unwomanly habits' – but belies the hard truths that Japan continues to struggle with regarding gender equality both in politics and corporate boardrooms. Japanese resilience, too, is a timeless trait, evident in a 1923 story after the Great Kanto earthquake, which levelled Tokyo and killed more than 100,000 people. The author says: 'They will raise again the cities that have fallen, and they will not do it as if they feared tomorrow but in the spirit of hope and of courage.' Male ama free-diver Yushi Ikeda on his boat in 2022. Traditionally women, ama divers go into the water without oxygen tanks – relying on a single breath as they harvest abalone, turban shells and seaweed from the seabed. ST PHOTO: WALTER SIM War and peace On Feb 15, 1942, Singapore fell to Japanese forces during World War II after a week of fierce fighting. This marked one of the most significant defeats for the British Empire, even as that same morning, before the surrender, the paper's Page 1 headline struck a note of defiance: 'Singapore must stand; it SHALL stand'. The Straits Times was shut, but resumed publication on Feb 20, 1942, under a new name: The Syonan Times, later renamed The Syonan Shimbun, reflecting Singapore's new name under occupation – Syonan-to, or 'Brilliant Southern Island'. The newspaper became a mouthpiece for Japanese propaganda, with content strictly censored and controlled by the Japanese military administration. The Syonan Shimbun printed its last issue on Sept 4, 1945, two days after Japan signed surrender documents aboard an American battleship. The Straits Times resumed publication under its original name on Sept 7, 1945, with the triumphant front-page headline: 'Singapore is British again!'. In the aftermath of World War II, stories in The Straits Times reflected Singapore's complex sentiments towards Japan. There was deep resentment over wartime atrocities, like those recounted by survivors of the Changi massacre, but also a degree of sympathy for the immense suffering Japan endured in the atomic bombings. A 1946 report said the devastation in Hiroshima was 'something out of an Edgar Allan Poe horror story. Except that Poe's imagination could never have conceived anything like Hiroshima'. Another editorial described the atomic bomb as 'the greatest triumph, or the greatest atrocity, or perhaps both at the same time, of WWII', but said that Singapore should not be quick to pass judgment as 'most of us owe our lives' to a weapon that forced Japan's surrender. As Japan shifted from wartime aggressor to a nation focused on rebuilding, the paper documented its post-war recovery. It reported on Japan's settlement of war reparations, the roll-out of foreign aid through development programmes, and efforts to re-establish goodwill through cultural and humanitarian exchanges. Despite growing diplomatic ties, wartime memories endured. In 1967, during a visit by Japan's then Prime Minister Eisaku Sato, Singapore's then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew said that the war was a 'chapter closed but not forgotten'. He added: 'It has left Asians with no illusions as to the nature of hegemony. The nearness of colour and affinity of ethnic origins do not make hegemony any the better.' The paper chronicled post-war Japan's economic and diplomatic rise, but also highlighted regional discomfort as Japan sought access to South-east Asia's raw materials and markets. This perception of exploitation led to boycotts and protests across cities like Bangkok and Jakarta. It also reported Mr Lee's advice to Japan to proactively export skills and machines to South-east Asia, which should be treated 'more as a partner and less as a hewer of wood and drawer of water'. As Japan's influence expanded, so did unease over its military potential. A 1979 report described the country's Self-Defence Forces as a 'euphemism', warning of its capacity to become a formidable force in Asia. While modern Japan now views South-east Asia as equal partners, its evolving security role continues to invite close regional scrutiny. Today, as The Straits Times' fourth Japan correspondent, I have had the honour of following in the footsteps of my distinguished predecessors. The first was Peter Hazelhurst, a veteran of The Times of London who joined the newspaper in 1982 and left a lasting legacy in Tokyo. The impact of his journalistic career was so profound that upon his death in 2021 at the age of 84 – having relocated to South Africa after his retirement in 1989 – the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan devoted five pages to remembering him in its in-house magazine. He was succeeded in 1989 by Kwan Weng Kin, a former Singapore diplomat who reported from Japan for 26 years until his retirement in 2015, and who was a respected voice on Japan in the paper. Hau Boon Lai did two stints in the bureau, from 1999 to 2003 and again from 2013 to 2014, and continues to serve as a copy-editor in the newsroom. Today, the digital era has expanded The Straits Times' reach beyond Singapore, allowing its unique geopolitical insights to resonate globally. Japan remains a compelling, evolving story, and I'm privileged to help tell it as the next chapter unfolds.
Fast Company
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fast Company
How Sega's surprise Saturn launch backfired—and changed gaming forever
In May of 1995, the video game industry hosted its first major trade show. Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) was designed to shine a spotlight on games, and every major player wanted to stand in it. Sega believed it had figured out how to command that spotlight. Riding high on the success of the Sega Genesis, the company unveiled the Sega Saturn at its press conference. After a quirky segment that resembled one of Sega's off-the-wall commercials, Tom Kalinske, CEO of Sega of America, delivered a bombshell announcement. 'Since I began my remarks with an announcement, I might as well finish with another: We started our rollout of the Sega Saturn yesterday,' he said. 'We're at retail today in 1,800 Toys 'R' Us, Software Etc., and Electronics Boutique stores around the U.S. and Canada.' Sega hoped it would be a mic drop moment. Instead, it marked the beginning of the end for the company's hardware business. What the press conference audience didn't know was that Kalinske had strongly opposed the early launch. He had argued fiercely with Sega's Japanese leadership, pointing to his past success with the Genesis in the U.S. and warning that a surprise launch without a proper marketing ramp-up wouldn't work. But his objections were overruled. This story is part of 1995 Week, where we'll revisit some of the most interesting, unexpected, and confounding developments in tech 30 years ago. '[I] didn't understand why this was occurring,' he told TimeExtension in 2022. 'I was forced to introduce it. We didn't have enough hardware. We didn't have enough software. And then, to make matters worse, we were forced to introduce it five months earlier than we wanted.' Sega's announcement turned heads—but they quickly turned again when Sony held its own press conference later that day. After showcasing the PlayStation and a long list of development partners, Olaf Olafsson, head of Sony America, invited Steve Race (formerly Sega's own marketing chief) to the stage. Race approached the podium, put down his notes, and simply said: '299,' then walked away. That one number undercut the Saturn and every other console on the market by $100. By the time Sega abandoned the Saturn just three years later, it had sold fewer than 2 million units in the U.S. The company would release one final system—the Dreamcast —in 1998 in Japan and 1999 in the U.S. But the Saturn's mishandled launch had already altered Sega's trajectory forever. A Doomed Launch 'The Saturn was dead before it came out because of the poor decision-making Sega had made,' says Chris Kohler, a video game historian and editorial director at Digital Eclipse Entertainment Partners. 'When it came out in Japan, Sega was also launching 32X, an add-on for the Sega Genesis. . . . All it ended up doing was completely confusing consumers. They had no idea what to buy.' Despite that confusion, the Saturn had a decent launch in Japan. Its game lineup appealed to local tastes, especially with a home version of Virtua Fighter, a massive arcade hit. But American gamers were harder to win over. While titles like Panzer Dragoon and Clockwork Knight have dedicated fanbases today, they weren't enough to justify a $399 console (about $842 in today's dollars). 'I tried and tried to get the launch pushed back so that we had some actual software to support it,' Kalinske told TimeExtension. 'I was not successful. I had four glorious years where Sega Japan pretty much let me do whatever I felt was right, and then that stopped.' One of the Saturn's most glaring missteps was the lack of a Sonic the Hedgehog game—not just at launch, but throughout its entire lifespan. At the time, Sonic was at the height of his popularity. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 had sold 4 million copies the year prior. He also starred in a Saturday morning cartoon and the CGI-animated series Sonic Boom on Cartoon Network. Launching a Sega console without Sonic was like launching a Nintendo console without Mario. The surprise launch strategy also backfired on Sega in another way. 'Essentially, they kneecapped themselves,' says Kohler. 'They can only ship it to certain retailers, so the retailers that don't get those early shipments get burned and they don't want to stock Sega products anymore. . . . Consumers didn't have the ability to get excited or put down preorders. It hit the market without any buildup.' An Unexpected Fight Sega knew Sony would bring the PlayStation to the U.S., but didn't initially view it as a serious threat. By the mid-1990s, lots of big, non-gaming focused companies had tried to step into the videogame world. Magnavox had released several versions of the Odyssey in the 1970s. Philips had released the CD-i a few years prior to the Saturn's introduction. The Neo Geo was already on the market and the TurboGrafx-16 had just been discontinued. But Sony was different. Aggressive and well-prepared, its $299 price point stunned the industry. 'We didn't know they were going to do it, and when they did, we were like: 'We are screwed here,'' said Kalinske. 'We weren't making money at $399, so we had a problem.' Consumers responded immediately. Retailers increased orders, and developers rushed to work with the PlayStation. 'All of these big hardware makers were coming into the video game industry and falling on their face,' says Kohler. 'Sony, of all of them, comes in and is not only successful but outrageously successful.' Executive Departures Kalinske's frustrations continued after the Saturn launch, and in July of the following year, he resigned—though he remained on the board. Bernard Stolar, who had been instrumental in launching the PlayStation, took over at Sega. His first move was to abandon the Saturn. 'When I got to Sega I immediately said, 'We have to kill Saturn. We have to stop Saturn and start building the new technology.' That's what I did. I brought in a new team of people and cleaned house. . . . I took the company down to 90 employees to start rebuilding,' Stolar, who died in 2022, once told GamesBeat. That team created the Dreamcast, which performed well in the U.S. but not well enough to restore Sega's dominance—especially as Microsoft prepared to enter the market. Lacking the resources to compete with Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo, Sega exited the hardware business. Today, Sega is part of Sammy Corp. and focuses solely on software, with franchises ranging from Angry Birds to Total War —and of course, Sonic, who now stars in a successful film series. Still, it's hard not to ask, 'What if?' What if Sega had waited until September to launch the Saturn, as originally planned? What if it had a stronger launch lineup for the U.S. market? There are no answers, only the reality that the Saturn's missteps reshaped the industry. 'In a lot of ways, it was Sega's to lose and they just fumbled it,' says Kohler.
Forbes
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Retro Fighters Controllers Make Me Love Playing Retro Games Again
Brawler64 Controllers for Nintendo 64 I have a large physical collection of over 800 video games, most of which are retro games for older consoles such as the Sega Dreamcast, Sega Genesis, Nintendo 64, PlayStation 2, and so on. To me personally, there is nothing better than cracking open an old video game, flipping through the manual, putting it in the system it was designed to run on, and kicking back to enjoy some highly-concentrated bursts of nostalgia. Or, in many cases, appreciating a game I missed out on back in the day. However, some of the biggest bottlenecks to enjoying retro video games in the modern age are older controllers. That's where Retro Fighters comes in. Now that controller designs have mostly standardized between the Xbox controller, PlayStation controller, and Nintendo Switch Pro controller, anything that deviates feels strange—including older controllers that were still trying to be unique. For example, I absolutely love the Sega Dreamcast, but that controller is just not a pleasant thing to hold and use for me. I could write an entire article about my issues with that controller, but suffice it to say I'm not alone. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder And even for controllers I have a soft spot in my heart for, such as the Nintendo 64 and Nintendo GameCube controllers, they don't exactly feel natural and intuitive anymore. Plus, if you ever want to play games together with your kids, significant other, or friends that may not have grown up on those consoles, weird controller designs can be an immediate and swift turn off. Not to mention almost none of the original controllers were ever wireless back in the day. Old controller wires were not designed for modern living rooms with couches several feet away from entertainment centers. The Retro Fighters Controller Lineup For nearly every retro game console you might have, Retro Fighters probably has a controller for you. I've personally purchased their controllers for Nintendo 64, Nintendo GameCube, Sega Dreamcast (x3), and PlayStation. Additionally, they sent me one of their newest small six-button Dreamcast controllers, an improved GameCube controller, and their original Xbox controller. Furthermore, almost all of them work flawlessly on PC with the included USB dongle or via Bluetooth with devices like the Nintendo Switch. And yes, their GameCube controllers like the BattlerGC Pro which works with PC and original GameCube / Wii hardware, already has a firmware update so it can work with Switch 2 as well. As a result, I have a pretty big collection of controllers these days to go alongside my game collection. It's now gotten to the point that, unless I have a Retro Fighters controller for that system, I almost never turn it on. That probably makes my Super Nintendo quite sad, but it is what it is. The controllers that have made the biggest impact for me are definitely the wireless Dreamcast StrikerDC and the original Xbox Hunter controllers. I'm a big fan of the Nintendo 64 styled Brawler64 controller. For Dreamcast and N64, those dongles have slots in them for the VMU or memory card, respectively, since the original designs had those plugged into the back of the controllers directly. Since I have such a large collection, I naturally dabble across genres and platforms quite frequently. I'm far from an expert on any particular type of game, so I can't really speak to how well the D6 Dreamcast controller performs for fighting games, but it definitely feels good from what I've tried. It's their newest offering I've gotten the chance to try. Since the XYZ buttons don't exist on Dreamcast, they're mapped to L and R out of the box, which makes fighting games immediately more playable. It always felt awkward pulling triggers for punches and kicks on the Dreamcast controller. It's also a great for 2D games like shoot 'em ups with its responsive and clicky d-pad. Final Verdict—Retro Fighters Controllers Are Essential When I first discovered the Retro Fighters brand years ago, it really opened my eyes. These controllers are designed with such love and care that they make your consoles feel new again. I can hook my Dreamcast up to my Retrotink HDMI upscaler in the living room and sit back on the couch with a wireless controller and play all my favorite games on original hardware. Or I can pop in The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King on PS2 and play local co-op with a friend without the wires getting tangled. Retro Fighters controllers feel like magic and they seriously breathe new life into old game consoles. Disclosure: Retro Fighters sent me some of their newest controllers to help facilitate this coverage and I was a Kickstarter backer of their very first Dreamcast controller years ago. However, I have purchased the majority of their controllers for myself.
