Virtual dating games and services are very well-established in Japan, and YouTube is the next logical step in this evolution. One of the biggest virtual YouTuber idols at the moment is Shiro-chan, whose videos offer private dining experiences.
Now the Japanese virtual YouTuber Note Takehana has upped the stakes with a crowdfunding campaign to remake the titular VTuber with 3D computer graphics. To encourage fans to contribute, "she" is offering supporters a range of merchandise depending on how far their wallets stretch.
So what's the top perk? If you fork out ¥1 million ($9,000), you get ...
Sometimes, things are just too good to be true. Here's a case in point.
A Japanese model called imma has attracted a following on Instagram for her amazing looks and style. But imma is not a regular model or idol. She's not even human.
Like the schoolgirl Saya, the AKB48 member Aimi Eguchi, and the entirely AI-generated idol supergroup, imma is entirely digital. The CG virtual idol is the creation of ModelingCafe, a company that has produced digitally crafted characters and monsters for a range of media (check out its impressive portfolio). Well, imma (whose name is apparently a pun on ...
Feeling lonely as the autumn season begins? Don't worry. The VR Kareshi is a virtual Japanese boyfriend for ladies in need of some tender attention from a constant companion.
Virtual girlfriends (and boyfriends) are nothing new. Over the years, we've seeen plenty of dating sims apps and video games, from the relatively innocent to the outright erotic.
The twist here is that the technology for this otome romance game is now virtual reality.
But even this isn't actual new per se. Indeed, the same makers, IVR, have already released the VR Kanojo, which is far more explicit and, as ...
Forget music idols. Young people in Japan all want to be YouTubers these days.
In the short space of a few years, the YouTuber has risen to the status of near-god in the media world. As with any celebrity or star, then, many people also want to date YouTubers.
But not all YouTubers are real. Shiro is one of the latest virtual YouTubers to attract a following in Japan, the land that previously brought us 2D idols in such games as Love Plus or the digital music idol giant that is Hatsune Miku. Shiro-chan joined YouTube in June 2017, since when the busy lady has released new videos every day ...
Do you want a cute girlfriend but don't have the looks, social skills, money, time, or language ability to get one?
Fear not. As we know, there are lots of virtual dating and 2D character options in Japan, from Lovely x Cation to VR Kanojo and a virtual version of the gravure idol Ai Shinozaki. Recently this has become enhanced thanks to smartphone apps and virtual reality, though we remember sims and dating characters from back in the pre-iPhone days.
Here's another possibility: Ai Furuse is a virtual female being developed by the artificial intelligence smartphone app SELF. It now has ...
We previously wrote about schoolgirl-themed VR Kanojo ("virtual reality girlfriend") as one of the most impressive and realistic examples of adult virtual reality to have emerged in Japan.
We then got excited in January about VAQSO, a startup that was developing a virtual reality system that combined sight with smell. The headset pumps out a variety of scents in response to the game you play. The potential for adult games and experiences are obvious.
Well, we are very happy to report that the two developments have joined forces. The VR Kanojo game can now be played with the VAQSO ...
Marry your virtual girlfriend. Sounds tempting, right?
That's the concept behind a promotional event for the new virtual romance game Niizuma Lovely x Cation ("niizuma" or "niidzuma" means "new wife").
In a development that is unlikely to reverse Japan's declining birth rate any time soon, the game makers Hibiki Works has announced a virtual reality wedding ceremony on June 30th in Tokyo. Male fans can actually become grooms, wearing VR headsets so they experience the bliss of "marrying" their favorite character.
Formal dress is required, as befitting your special day, though ...
Forget the PlayStation VR, you can get even better virtual reality girlfriend experiences from adult game makers like Illusion.
Their VR Kanojo is a new Japanese eroge or dating game for Windows, Oculus Rift CV1 and HTC Vive, and it's currently making waves with netizens who have tried it.
The game places you in a bedroom with a nubile Japanese schoolgirl, which immediately recalls the controversial 2014 Project Morpheus demo, Summer Lesson. That game was criticized as "creepy" and ended up being withdrawn from the Tokyo Game Show. Illusion has no such qualms, it seems.
It's going on ...
When the PlayStation VR was previewed in 2014, it immediately generated controversy for its "creepy" schoolgirl demo content and ended up being cancelled from that year's Tokyo Game Show.
Now that the console is released this month, perhaps we can assume Sony has firmly put that unfortunate episode behind it?
Not necessarily, since the demo -- Bandai Namco's Summer Lesson -- was actually released as a commercial game, and that means players are going to find and advertise less savory ways to enjoy it.
Which is what this Japanese YouTuber, who made an instructive video to tell ...
Virtual dating has long been a big part of the adult industry or quasi-adult industry in Japan.
What with all the reports of sexless Japan and "parasite singles" still living with their parents well into their thirties, you might almost be forgiven for thinking that "virtual boyfriends" apps and digital idols were responsible for the downfall of the nation.
There were more examples at Tokyo Game Show 2016 that will surely not do much for Japan's reputation in this regard.
The show featured an array of otome romance apps for ladies to find that Prince Charming in 2D form.
One ...
