Late this November, Japanese women will be the first to try out the new Nintendo DS game, Project Beauty, which offers them make-over advice.
The software was developed by Sega, the gaming company and Shiseido, the cosmetics giant. Users feed scanned images of their faces into the DS. The software then assigns each face based on shape and position of features to one of four categories, cool, active, cute or feminine.
The software next displays the user's face next to a suggested make-over face. The users can select different social circumstances such as work, dating, informal in order to see the recommended makeup tips. Women who are confident of what they wish to apply can use the software to “try†on different cosmetic colours. Instructions on how to apply foundation, blusher, eyeshadow and so on are also given. The software will cost 6,090 yen or $55.
Beauty will now be in the hand of the beholder.
Virtual Image Consultants
Nintendo DS Project Beauty
Trend Themes
1. Virtual Makeover Gaming - Opportunity to develop virtual makeover games that offer personalized beauty advice through image scanning and categorization.
2. Augmented Reality Cosmetics - Potential for creating augmented reality platforms that allow users to virtually try on different cosmetic colors and receive application instructions.
3. Personalized Beauty Tech - Growing market for beauty technology that analyzes individual facial features and provides tailored makeup tips and recommendations.
Industry Implications
1. Gaming - Disruptive innovation opportunity for gaming companies to partner with cosmetics brands and develop virtual makeover games.
2. Cosmetics - Opportunity to explore augmented reality technologies and develop virtual try-on platforms for customers to virtually test cosmetics.
3. Beauty Technology - Potential for companies to create innovative beauty tech solutions that analyze facial features and provide personalized makeup advice.