Hatsune Miku and Ricoh Theta
Ricoh Theta is a series of 360-degree cameras by Japanese manufacturer Ricoh. The cameras feature Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and USB connectivity, and are designed to work with a smartphone to allow for live previewing and uploading of captured media.
Magical Mirai 2017 Booth
During the Hatsune Miku Magical Mirai 2017 event, a special booth was set up by Ricoh showcasing the 360-degree camera. It was there that the company announced that they would release the "RICOH THETA SC Type HATSUNE MIKU" and opened up pre-orders. Visitors to the event were able to handle the device and take pictures, and assistants would then show them the photos they had taken. The booth drew a massive crowd for its innovative use of camera technology combined with Hatsune Miku. During the event, Ricoh sold 39 units per day at the venue as a tribute to Hatsune Miku (the Japanese words for 3 = mi, 9 = ku) Buyers were given a deluxe tote bag with artwork by famed artist fuzichoco printed on it. To further advertise the product, Ricoh gave away thousands of free stickers.
Product Information
The camera was a collaboration with Hatsune Miku to celebrate the virtual diva's 10th anniversary. The box illustration was completed by fuzichoco. fuzichoco says that he gave Miku "a pose which makes use of perspective to construct a dynamic space like the images that the THETA captures! Her hair pins (sic) and other accessories are based on the THETA's logo." He also states that he wanted to convey a sense of glittering transparency to the illustration.
The camera weighs 102 grams and can create 1080p resolution videos. Its camera is rated at 12 megapixels.
The company also announced that only the first 3,939 units to be sold would come with a blue-green colored body, the theme color for Hatsune Miku. A special keyholder with a dog tag that had a unique serial number would be given as a gift for those who purchased the camera. Any purchases after the first 3,939 units would be plain colored and without the dog tag. Additionally, the shutter sound for taking photographs used a sound produced by Hatsune Miku, in collaboration with Crypton Future Media.
The product went on sale for 33,939 yen and was only available on their special website and was available in Japan and the United States. It was unavailable from camera stores and the Ricoh Imaging Square stores in Ginza and Shinjuku, Tokyo.
A dedicated smartphone app was developed for the camera and was available in both English and Japanese. Additionally, it was available on both iTunes and Google Play stores. For iOS, it was recommended for iOS9 - iOS 11.12, with support from iPhone 6, while for Android, it could only be run with Android OS 5.0 - 9.0. It was not compatible with any other Ricoh Theta cameras as the editing modes in the Miku app were tailor-made for the RICOH THETA Type HATSUNE MIKU model of cameras.
On May 31, 2019, Ricoh announced via their website that support for the RICOH THETA Type HATSUNE MIKU app would be concluded at the end of August 2019.
Usage
After turning on the device, the user simply has to point the camera and with a single press of the shutter button, an image is taken. Using the smartphone app, the user can browse, edit, and share images. Browse the image by swiping the screen to scroll in that direction, and pinch the screen to zoom in or out of the 360-degree image. The image can also be seen using any commercially available virtual reality (VR) headset to add an additional level of realism when browsing images.
Besides the 55 different poses that Miku can perform in the app, users can also affix Hachune Miku stamps for decorations or to hide unexpected items or faces. Users can also change the direction of her shadow and hair, and rotate her to place her to ensure that she seems naturally included.
Sharing the image is as simple as clicking the share button inside the app. The image is then uploaded to Theta's website and a link is given inside the app, which can then be shared with friends or via Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, and Twitter.
Additionally, the app allows users to take images remotely, in cases such as when the user wants to participate in a group photo themselves.