You can now feel your waifu: Japan invents a vibrating ball

Watching an anime girl on a screen is sometimes not enough for true fans. This Thursday, from Japan, the company NTT Docomo officially presented a ball-shaped device that allows you to feel VTubers in real life. The idea behind this rare invention is to convert what you see on your monitor into physical sensations that you can hold in your own hands so you don't feel so far away from your favorite characters.

A magic ball to feel your waifu

Basically, the company created a technology called Feel Tech. Imagine you are watching a concert of your oshi, that is, your favorite virtual idol. While she sings and dances on the screen, you hold this luminous sphere. If the character jumps, gives a high-five, or starts breathing heavily from dancing, the ball vibrates, lights up, and gives small taps at exactly the same time and with the same force. It literally transmits her movements and even her heartbeat directly to your palms.

Hololive was the guinea pig

To ensure that this invention actually worked with otakus, the tech company partnered with Hololive, the largest VTuber agency in the world. They used the girls from the English branch to conduct the first tests with real fans. The lucky ones who tried the controller said the experience is super immersive, because the vibration is so well-crafted that you really feel like the waifu is standing right next to you, performing the concert just for you.

The future of being a true fan

In Japan, spending money and supporting your idols with all your soul is known as oshi-katsu. The creators of this ball know that fans are willing to do anything to feel closer to their virtual characters, and that's why they designed something that breaks the screen barrier. Although it is currently just a test prototype and we don't know how much it will cost, the company has already promised that in the future this could be used in many more ways:

• Live concerts: Feel the bass of the music and the jumps on stage from your room.
• Direct interaction: Perceive high-fives or your streamer's breathing rhythm during a live stream.
• More than just VTubers: Apply the technology so that hits in a video game or anime can be literally felt in your hands.

Seeing that technology is increasingly blurring the line between the screen and real life, how much money would you be willing to pay for a ball that lets you feel your favorite character's heartbeat?