[Gamasutra rounds up recent reports on the Japanese games industry from local news site Andriasang.com, a leading destination for English-language news on Japan's game industry.]
In our latest round-up of Japanese game industry news not previously reported on Gamasutra, we look at PS Vita's media management app receiving Mac support, January's top software sellers, a pachinko game for Capcom's Monster Hunter, and more.
PS Vita 1.6 update adds video, map and Mac support
Sony will put out its first major firmware update in Japan for PS Vita on February 8, adding a GPS-enabled Map application, which can pull up directions and location details; and a photo app that will be able to eventually record videos.
This 1.6 update will also support the release of a Mac version for PS Vita's Content Management Assistant software, which is used for transferring data between a PC and the system. The program was previously available as a Windows-only app.
The release of a Mac version this early in PS Vita's life is notable considering the PSP's equivalent PC application, Media Go, still hasn't received a non-Windows release after several years.
The next Monster Hunter is... Monster Hunter pachinko
Along with releasing social games and mobile adaptations for its phenomenally popular (in Japan) Monster Hunter series, Capcom has licensed out a pachinko gambling machine for the franchise, according to a report from pachinko newx site Jii no Diary.
Sammy subsidiary Rodeo is working with a company called Field to release Pachislot Monster Hunter Rodeo (pictured) in March.
Social Final Fantasy membership tops one million
A month after its launch -- and two weeks after crossing the 500,000 mark -- the free-to-play title based on Square Enix's flagship franchise, Final Fantasy Brigade, has reached a million registered users on Japanese mobile social gaming network Mobage.
Nintendo 3DS holiday triple punch topped the charts in January
The 3DS's big three holiday titles -- Nintendo's Mario Kart 7 and Super Mario 3D Land, and Capcom's Monster Hunter 3G -- dominated software sales in Japan for the last four-week period (December 26 to January 29), according to Famitsu publisher Enterbrain.
Other big sellers last month include From Software's Armored Core V (PS3), Capcom's Resident Evil: Revelations (3DS), Square Enix's Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3), and the Nintendo-published Just Dance (Wii). January's top-ten software sales list follows:
01. [3DS] Mario Kart 7 (Nintendo, 12.01.2011): 388,760 (1,471,151)
02. [3DS] Monster Hunter 3G (Capcom, 12.10.2011): 319,037 (1,128,359)
03. [3DS] Super Mario 3D Land (Nintendo, 11.03.2011): 298,529 (1,341,040)
04. [PS3] Amored Core V (From Software, 01.26.2012): 170,237
05. [3DS] Resident Evil Revelations (Capcom, 01.26.2012): 160,575
06. [PS3] Musou Orochi 2 (Tecmo Koei, 12.22.2011): 158,775 (369,328)
07. [3DS] Inazuma Eleven Go (Level-5, 12.15.2011): 145,436 (377,488)
08. [WII] Just Dance (Nintendo, 10.13.2011): 97,848 (525,722)
09. [PS3] Final Fantasy XIII-2 (Square Enix, 12.15.2011): 97,359 (794,505)
10. [PSP] Super Robot Taisen OG Saga Masou Kishin II (Namco Bandai, 01.12.2012): 95,621
[This story was written with permission using material from Andriasang.com, a leading destination for English-language news on Japan's game industry.]
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