
‘Mecha Break' Is Finally Here, Get Ready For Some Epic Mecha Action
It's been a long while, but Mecha Break is finally here, and it delivers. With stunning visuals and fast-paced mecha combat, it's a blast to play.
With multiple open betas and a long, troubled development history, it's taken a good while for the game to find its feet, but Mecha Break is now finally available to play on general release.
It's also playable on Xbox Series X|S, and I've been giving it a proper go. It holds up surprisingly well on console with a pad, and it will be interesting to see how it does long-term.
This is because, with the styling of the mecha designs and general high-speed aerial gameplay, I think that Mecha Break will find its audience mostly in Asia.
So the choice of Xbox Series X|S to start with seems a bit strange, as the Xbox brand has never been popular in places like Japan, but a PlayStation 5 version is apparently still planned.
You can also pick up the game over on PC via Steam, which is where I assume the bulk of the initial players will be.
In any case, Mecha Break is a big and unashamed mecha game. Not a Gundam game trying to be an Overwatch clone, or a shooter with dudes cosplaying as mecha.
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
It's a proper mecha game, and hopefully one that will find its audience.
In the meantime, feel free to check out my recent interview with Kris Kwok of Amazing Seasun Games about Mecha Break.
Follow me on X, Facebook and YouTube. I also manage Mecha Damashii and am currently featured in the Giant Robots exhibition currently touring Japan.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Geek Tyrant
25 minutes ago
- Geek Tyrant
Bonkers Trailer for the Japanese Shark Attack B-Horror Movie HOT SPRING SHARK ATTACK — GeekTyrant
Here's a wild trailer for a Japanese shark attack b-horror movie titled Hot Spring Shark Attack . It looks like a bonkers good time! One of those so bad it's good kind of movies. The film is set in Atsumi City, 'where construction of a huge tourist complex led by the mayor, Mankan, is underway, a series of incidents have occurred in which the people while bathing in onsen have suddenly disappeared. 'What's more, the bodies of unidentified people who had been attacked by sharks in the sea were found. The police chief, Tsuka, and a marine biology doctor, Kose, who set out to investigate, discover the shocking truth that ferocious sharks that have been revived from ancient times are freely moving between the hot springs and attacking people...' The movie was directed by Morihito Inoue, who said: "Shark movies are popular in Japan as well, but the number of shark films produced here has not yet met the growing demand. 'My film was made domestically in Japan and received great acclaim, not only from regular shark movie enthusiasts but also from many viewers who were previously unfamiliar with the genre. I'm very excited to see how this work will be received outside of Japan." The movie stars Takuya Fujimura ( One Cut of the Dead ), Daniel Aguilar, Shôichirô Akaboshi, Masaki Naito, Koichi Makigami, Kiyobumi Kaneko, and Mio Takaki. Hot Spring Shark Attack will be released in select US theaters including special screenings at Alamo Drafthouse cinemas and on VOD starting July 11th, 2025.
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Japan Testing, Inspection & Certification Market to Worth Over US$ 21.35 Billion by 2033
Japan's testing, inspection & certification market gains momentum as regulations intensify. Digitalized remote audits and advanced battery, semiconductor, and biocompatibility labs address emerging risks. Global–local alliances now deliver continuous, lifecycle assurance to automotive, energy and food producers. Chicago, July 07, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Japan testing, inspection & certification market was valued at US$ 14.12 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach US$ 21.35 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 4.78% during the forecast period 2025–2033. Japan testing, inspection & certification market activity is ultimately shaped by Tokyo's ever-evolving rulebook. The 2024 update of the Industrial Standardization Act broadened JIS conformance labeling to cover consumer IoT appliances, while the revised Chemical Substances Control Law tightened pre-marketing tests for 1,200 additional formulations. At the same time, METI's Product Safety mark programs—PSE for electrical goods and PSC for specified consumer products—moved from sampling to one-hundred-percent lot testing for lithium battery packs, following a spike in fire incidents reported by the National Institute of Technology and Evaluation. Regulators are therefore pushing manufacturers to engage qualified third-party laboratories far earlier in their product development calendars, a dynamic directly highlighted by Technavio when it noted that 'stringent government regulations…boost the market'. Download Sample Pages: For service providers, the opportunity is not confined to compliance audits alone. The Consumer Affairs Agency's recall portal logged 2,934 product withdrawals in 2023, the highest tally since records began, illustrating how surveillance inspections now continue well into the post-sale phase. In response, TIC firms are rolling out subscription-based conformity maintenance packages that include quarterly factory inspections, e-label updates, and AI-assisted document version control. Clients appreciate the single-window approach because it prevents fragmented evidence chains when authorities demand traceability. Consequently, the Japan testing, inspection & certification market has evolved from a one-off certificate provider into a lifecycle risk-management partner, weaving continuous assurance into every engineering sprint and supply-chain milestone. Key Findings in Japan Testing, Inspection & Certification Market Market Forecast (2033) US$ 21.35 billion CAGR 4.78% By Service Type Testing Services (42.32%) By Application Quality and Safety (58.65%) By Solution Type In-house Services (58.48%) By End Users Consumer Goods & Retail (23.05%) Top Drivers Stringent safety and quality regulations across automotive, electronics, and healthcare sectors. Increasing complexity of products and supply chains in manufacturing industries. Rising demand for international certifications to access global export markets. Top Trends Integration of artificial intelligence and IoT in testing and inspection workflows. Growing emphasis on sustainability and green certification for industrial products. Expansion of TIC services in renewable energy and digital transformation sectors. Top Challenges Navigating Japan's complex and frequently updated regulatory landscape efficiently. High cost of compliance with Japanese Industrial Norms for smaller enterprises. Digital Transformation Accelerates Remote Inspection and Data-Driven Certification Workflows Nationwide Digitalization is rewriting field procedures across the Japan testing, inspection & certification market, bringing cloud platforms and augmented reality headsets onto shop floors that were once dominated by clipboards. Leading providers now deploy smart glasses compatible with the 5G Standalone networks rolled out by NTT DOCOMO, allowing an accredited inspector in Yokohama to supervise weld integrity checks at a Hokkaido shipyard without flying north. Technavio singles out 'digitalization of end-user industries' as a primary catalyst for TIC adoption, and 2024 field trials with Kobe Steel reduced inspection travel days by more than 7,400, according to the firm's internal sustainability report. Data pipelines are expanding in parallel. Instead of forwarding PDF reports, labs increasingly stream encrypted measurement data directly into manufacturers' product lifecycle management systems, enabling rule-based alerts whenever a critical parameter drifts outside tolerance. Such machine-readable certificates support rapid re-certification each time firmware updates hit connected devices—an essential feature now that the average consumer robot in Japan receives eight over-the-air updates annually. Furthermore, blockchain-anchored seals, championed by JQA's 'CertChain' pilot, are gaining traction because Customs can verify origin and compliance in seconds. By converting physical inspection events into digital twins, the Japan testing, inspection & certification market is turning compliance evidence into continuous, queryable datasets that both auditors and design engineers can exploit for faster remedial action. Automotive Electrification Creates New High-Voltage and Cybersecurity Testing Requirements Landscape Japan's accelerating shift toward battery-electric mobility is forcing automakers to confront unfamiliar verification regimes. The 2024 amendment to the Road Transport Vehicle Act obliges every new zero-emission model to undergo high-voltage safety tests that simulate crush, submersion, and thermal-runaway events. Consequently, UL Solutions invested in an additional 13 battery abuse chambers at its Ise plant, doubling throughput for nail-penetration and salt-spray protocols. Meanwhile, the UN-R155 and R156 regulations on vehicle cybersecurity and software updates became mandatory for all new type approvals issued after July 2024, pushing OEMs to seek third-party penetration testing and secure-coding assessments. Technavio specifically names 'automotive industry adoption' as a growth lever for the Japan testing, inspection & certification market. Tier-one suppliers are also feeling the heat. Inverters, on-board chargers, and even pedestrian warning speakers must now meet electromagnetic compatibility thresholds tailored for densely populated urban corridors, where electromagnetic interference can disrupt railway signaling. Toyota's 2023 recall of nearly 22,000 BZ4X units due to hub-bolt issues demonstrated how electrification's novel stresses can create cascading mechanical failures; post-mortem analysis revealed that more rigorous fatigue testing under regenerative-braking loads might have pre-empted the problem. As a result, market demand has shifted toward scenario-based durability rigs that replicate high-torque oscillations unique to electric drivetrains. Through such specialized capability build-outs, the Japan testing, inspection & certification market is reinforcing the nation's ambition to maintain its global reputation for road-safety excellence even as propulsion architectures evolve. Semiconductor Resurgence Drives Cleanroom Metrology and Reliability Certification Boom Demand Japan's semiconductor renaissance—propelled by the new fab clusters in Kumamoto and Hokkaido—is reverberating through the Japan testing, inspection & certification market. Rapidus, Sony, and TSMC jointly plan to employ more than 1,500 EUV steppers by 2029, a scale that multiplies cleanroom qualification demands. Airborne molecular contamination now has to be kept below one part per trillion for lithography bays, and third-party labs equipped with dynamic surface-acoustic-wave sensors offer the independent verification needed for project-finance drawdowns. Technavio observes that TIC providers are benefitting from 'increasing capital expenditure in high-tech manufacturing. Beyond pristine environments, chip makers face reliability hurdles as line widths approach two nanometers. JEDEC's JESD-47 stress tests still form the baseline, yet automotive customers increasingly request up to three thousand hours of high-temperature operating life testing, double the former norm. In 2023, Renesas documented a fifty percent jump in accelerated-aging lot submissions, driving labs to extend burn-in ovens and implement real-time, AI-driven anomaly detection that flags drift within minutes. Additionally, geopolitical scrutiny around advanced node exports has given rise to export-control attestation services, where auditors verify that process recipes can't be repurposed for dual-use applications. Collectively, those forces are turning the Japan testing, inspection & certification market into an indispensable enabler of the archipelago's ambitions to regain forefront status in semiconductor innovation. Renewable Energy Expansion Underpins Turbine Blade Inspection And Grid Conformity The rush to quadruple offshore wind capacity by 2030 adds fresh momentum to the Japan testing, inspection & certification market. Japan's first commercial-scale project at Akita-Noshiro experienced stress-corrosion cracks on two twenty-three-ton blades after only six months at sea, prompting METI to issue new fatigue-test guidelines anchored in North-Sea exposure data. SGS immediately upgraded its Yokohama facility with a 110-meter blade fatigue rig that can simulate two decades of cyclic loading within one calendar year. Technavio attributes part of the market's growth to 'increased focus on renewable energy assets'. Grid-side certification needs are rising too. DER penetration above seven gigawatts has intensified harmonic distortion, and the Organization for Cross-regional Coordination of Transmission Operators now obliges photovoltaic inverters larger than ten kilowatts to undergo third-party electromagnetic compatibility testing before grid connection. TIC firms answer with mobile Power Hardware-in-the-Loop platforms that validate control algorithms under real-time fault conditions. Moreover, hydrogen electrolyzer pilots in Fukushima require material testing for hydrogen-induced cracking, spawning collaborations between domestic universities and global TIC majors. These specialized services broaden the Japan testing, inspection & certification market beyond conventional sectors, ensuring that the nation's decarbonization roadmap is underpinned by verifiable safety and performance evidence. Food Safety Culture Intensifies Traceability Audits From Farm To Convenience Konbini chains restock shelves every four hours, compressing the farm-to-fork timeline and elevating contamination risks. After the 2023 norovirus outbreak traced to pre-cut lettuce affected 4,500 consumers, the Ministry of Health imposed lot-based QR traceability for all ready-to-eat produce, a move immediately cited by Technavio as driving demand for testing services. Laboratories now receive approximately 18,000 leafy-green samples weekly during peak harvest, deploying next-generation sequencing that can profile entire microbial communities within six hours. Beyond pathogens, residue limits on neonicotinoids were tightened in April 2024, compelling growers to adopt rapid liquid chromatography protocols before shipment. Convenience-store operators then verify incoming loads through surprise audits that scan pesticide certificates against cloud registries maintained by JFRL and BML Food Science. The layered approach creates a continuous audit chain that the Japan testing, inspection & certification market is uniquely positioned to orchestrate. Service providers package ISO 22000 assessments, cold-chain data-logger calibration, and allergen-label validation into unified contracts, ensuring smallholder farms without in-house labs avoid compliance gaps. As Japanese consumers increasingly equate QR transparency with brand trust, granular verification services are evolving from regulatory necessity into competitive differentiators. Medical Device Innovation Introduces Biocompatibility And AI Software Validation Challenges Japan's medical-device pipeline filed 3,218 Shonin approvals in 2023, the highest count on record. Surgically implanted polymers utilizing bio-resorbable magnesium alloys now require extended hemocompatibility assays, stretching beyond ISO 10993-4's standard twenty-four-hour window to one-week perfusion studies. The Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency added a 'materials with absorbable intent' category in its July 2024 guidance, directly increasing laboratory throughput. Technavio references 'high complexity in medical device testing' as a contributor to market momentum. Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) adds an additional layer. Algorithms that screen diabetic retinopathy captured nearly 2.6 million Japanese eyes last year, but the PMDA's new AI reliability framework mandates continuous learning controls and post-market model drift audits. TIC providers respond with MLOps-for-compliance platforms that freeze training datasets, document hyperparameter tuning, and replay inference scenarios. Cybersecurity norms, synchronized with IEC 81001-5-1, further compel penetration testing every time a patch is released. By integrating wet-lab biocompatibility, software validation, and cybersecurity audits, the Japan testing, inspection & certification market supplies a holistic gatekeeper function that prevents innovative healthcare solutions from stalling under regulatory complexity. Want to validate these findings with an industry expert? Request a free expert call or a detailed walkthrough with our analyst : Competitive Landscape Evolves With Localized Labs And Strategic Global Alliances Escalating technical demands are reshaping vendor strategies within the Japan testing, inspection & certification market. Global majors—SGS, TÜV SÜD, and Bureau Veritas—have shifted from representative offices to majority-owned laboratories, investing in equipment aligned with domestic standards such as JISC C 8714 for large-format batteries. Concurrently, Japanese incumbents like JQA and JET form cross-licensing pacts so that a certificate issued in Kitakyushu is recognized in Düsseldorf, compressing export lead times for clients. Technavio confirms that 'intense competitive rivalry' characterizes the market today. Amid that rivalry, specialization remains the differentiator. DEKRA's newly inaugurated Yokohama e-mobility center focuses solely on functional safety for ISO 26262 parts, whereas KHK's Nagoya hub certifies only pressure vessels above one hundred liters. Start-ups join the fray as well: Kyoto-based PicarroSense applies cavity ring-down spectroscopy to methane-leak audits for LNG terminals, reducing detection thresholds fivefold. By co-locating niche expertise near manufacturing hotspots, participants lower sample logistics costs and respond faster to unplanned retests. Looking forward, expect more joint ventures where foreign players supply proprietary test protocols while domestic firms contribute regulatory fluency. Such synergies ensure the Japan testing, inspection & certification market remains agile, comprehensive, and responsive to the nation's fast-moving industrial transformation. Japan Testing, Inspection & Certification Market Major Players: SGS SA Bureau Veritas SA Intertek Group plc DEKRA SE DNV TÜV SÜD TUV Rheinland AG Cotecna Inspection Japan Co., Ltd. AmSpec Group Apave Japan Co.,Ltd American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) UL LLC Japan Quality Assurance Organization (JQA) Japan Testing Laboratory Co., Ltd. (JTL) Japan Inspection Co. Ltd. Other Prominent players Key Segmentation: By Service Type Testing Services Inspection Services Certification Services Training Consultancy By Solution Type In-house Services Outsource Services By Application Quality and Safety Production Evaluation Industrial Inspection System Certification Others By End User Consumer Goods & Retail Food & Agriculture Oil & Gas Construction & Engineering Water and Wastewater Education Energy & Chemistry Industrial Product Manufacturing Transportation (Rail & Aerospace) and Tourism Automotive Other Need More Info? Ask Before You Buy: About Astute Analytica Astute Analytica is a global market research and advisory firm providing data-driven insights across industries such as technology, healthcare, chemicals, semiconductors, FMCG, and more. We publish multiple reports daily, equipping businesses with the intelligence they need to navigate market trends, emerging opportunities, competitive landscapes, and technological advancements. With a team of experienced business analysts, economists, and industry experts, we deliver accurate, in-depth, and actionable research tailored to meet the strategic needs of our clients. At Astute Analytica, our clients come first, and we are committed to delivering cost-effective, high-value research solutions that drive success in an evolving marketplace. Contact Us:Astute AnalyticaPhone: +1-888 429 6757 (US Toll Free); +91-0120- 4483891 (Rest of the World)For Sales Enquiries: sales@ Follow us on: LinkedIn | Twitter | YouTube CONTACT: Contact Us: Astute Analytica Phone: +1-888 429 6757 (US Toll Free); +91-0120- 4483891 (Rest of the World) For Sales Enquiries: sales@ Website: in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
AI power demand poses global supply risks, says Hitachi Energy
The increasing electricity consumption by tech companies for AI training poses risks to global power supply stability, according to Hitachi Energy CEO Andreas Schierenbeck. In an interview with the Financial Times, Schierenbeck emphasised the need for government intervention to regulate the volatile power usage characteristic of AI operations. Schierenbeck highlighted that AI data centres exhibit significant fluctuations in power demand, unlike traditional office data centres. 'AI data centres are very, very different from these office data centres because they really spike up,' he told FT. 'If you start your AI algorithm to learn and give them data to digest, they're peaking in seconds and going up to 10 times what they have normally used.' He advocated for regulatory measures similar to those applied to other industries, such as notifying utilities before initiating high power-consuming operations. The International Energy Agency forecasts that data centre electricity usage will double to 945 terawatt-hours (TWh) by 2030, surpassing the current consumption of countries such as Japan. Countries such as Ireland and the Netherlands have already imposed restrictions on new data centre developments due to concerns over their impact on electricity networks. A US Department of Energy (DOE)-backed report, released in December last year, indicated that data centre power demand is projected to double or triple by 2028. The report, produced by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, noted that total electricity usage by data centres jumped from 58TWh in 2014 to 176 TWh in 2023. Projections estimate this could rise further to between 325TWh and 580TWh by 2028. Analysts at consultancy company Rystad Energy told FT that AI's power demands could potentially stabilise electricity grids if tech companies set maximum power limits and align AI model training with periods of abundant renewable energy. Hitachi Energy is currently dealing with a global shortage of power transformers. Schierenbeck noted that addressing this shortage could take up to three years. "AI power demand poses global supply risks, says Hitachi Energy" was originally created and published by Verdict, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.