News Article

Flipnote Studio available for download in North America NOW!

Posted by Darren Calvert

Hatena launches Flipnote Studio website too...

Many of our readers have eagerly been anticipating the release of Flipnote Studio for DSiWare. For those not in the know this is a FREE application that allows you to create your own notepad style animations and upload them for others to see on the web.

The good news is for North American DSi owners is that is it available for download NOW! Go check the DSi Shop if you don’t believe us. Amazing scenes!

Europe will get this useful app on Friday, August 14th so we’ll all be sketching and sharing our artwork together very soon.

Why not share your creations with us below? Here are the embedding instructions.

Here is the full press release from Hatena:

Hatena launches North American website for use with Flipnote Studio application for the Nintendo DSi Hatena and Nintendo Cooperatively Develop User Generated Content Service for the Global Marketplace

Japan’s popular animation/video sharing online service now available for Nintendo DSi™.

Hatena Co., Ltd. (Head Office: Kyoto, Japan, President & CEO Junya Kondo) is one of Japan’s leading web service providers with over 1,000,000 users that developed one of Japan’s first online blogging services and operates Japan’s most popular social bookmarking service. Hatena is recognized as a cutting edge developer of the next generation of web services and for its unique ability to quickly develop new technologies, as well as for hiring many of Japan's most talented software engineers. In 2008, Hatena began working with Nintendo Co., Ltd., also based in Kyoto, Japan, to cooperatively develop the concept of Flipnote Hatena, the first Internet based user generated content service for Nintendo DSi (named Ugomemo Hatena for the Japanese market). Flipnote Hatena is an animation/video sharing website for users of the free application Flipnote Studio (called Ugoku Memocho in Japan) exclusively for Nintendo DSi. The Flipnote Hatena service is operated by Hatena and has been enjoying great popularity since its launch on December 24, 2008 in Japan, with over 1,000,000 uploads during the first 6 months of operation. At this time, Hatena and Nintendo are pleased to announce that the expanded and localized Flipnote Hatena service for North America is now available, and will be available for Europe and Australia/New Zealand on August 14, 2009. The website will be accessible in 6 languages including English, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish.

An online service that works together with Flipnote Studio

Flipnote Studio is an application for the Nintendo DSi that can be downloaded at no cost from the Nintendo DSi Shop (Broadband Internet connection required). Flipnote Studio provides users with simple tools that let them draw and save a series of images to create an animation reminiscent of flipping through a notepad called a Flipnote. Users can add sound to their Flipnotes using the built-in microphone of Nintendo DSi or by using sounds they previously recorded in the Nintendo DSi Sound application. Flipnotes can also be created using black and white images imported from user’s Nintendo DSi Camera album. After connecting to the Flipnote Hatena service from within the Flipnote Studio application, users can view and download other people’s Flipnotes, and modify them to create their own works. Once people become registered users of the Flipnote Hatena website (http://flipnote.hatena.com/), users can also upload and share their own completed animations for others to view and download.

Free, easy-to-use and family oriented: Flipnote Hatena

Flipnote Hatena is a free and easy-to-use online service that allows users to upload their clips to the Internet to share with friends, family and the whole world. Users of the website can easily flag content for removal which violate the community guidelines or are otherwise socially unacceptable in order to maintain a safe environment for users of all ages. Clips are divided into separate channels organized by themes for easy uploading and viewing, including a Beginner’s Channel. Animated clips uploaded to the service are ranked and listed by their popularity, and users can communicate interactively by adding handwritten comments to clips and “Stars” to show their appreciation of other users’ clips.

About Hatena Co., Ltd.

Hatena Co., Ltd. is based in Kyoto, Japan and offers a variety of services such as blogs, photo-sharing, and social bookmarking for the Japanese market. Hatena established a US subsidiary, Hatena Inc. (http://www.hatena.com/) in 2006, which is based in Los Altos, California and has localized their Hatena Haiku service for markets outside of Japan.

More Stories

Game Screenshots

Flipnote Studio Screenshot Flipnote Studio Screenshot Flipnote Studio Screenshot Flipnote Studio Screenshot
Flipnote Studio Screenshot Flipnote Studio Screenshot Flipnote Studio Screenshot Flipnote Studio Screenshot

User Comments (145)

Knux

#1

Knux said:

FINALLY! I do not know what the fuss is about Flipnote Studio, but I might download this!

Olimar_91

#2

Olimar_91 said:

Nice. Already downloaded.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

pixelman

#7

pixelman said:

Damnit. This, Mighty Flip Champs, and Asphalt 4 are worth getting a DSi for - and I'm out of cash. !@#$#&&*(!

ASDFGHJKL

#8

ASDFGHJKL said:

My first published one!
Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Token_Girl

#9

Token_Girl said:

Why is NOA so spazzy with its release schedule? Gonna try it out since it's free though.

ASDFGHJKL

#11

ASDFGHJKL said:

Wow, this is really well done considering its from nintendo, and Im talking about the online. Its not what youd expect from a nintendo app

Cheezy

#14

Cheezy said:

Made it to the library here in NH just in time to hear the news, this is fantastic :D But of course, my DSi battery dies so I have to come back later god dammit :( But Europe, sorry, but you just got owned while your BACKS were turned :D

Chunky_Droid

#15

Chunky_Droid said:

Downloading now, to see what the hubbub is all about :), that and it's free! I hope it's easy to animate :P I'm so crappy with the DSi screen as far as drawing goes

ASDFGHJKL

#16

ASDFGHJKL said:

Lol, sorry for Europe, you thought you finally got it first, but dont worry, you got civilization first :)

bboy2970

#18

bboy2970 said:

Ok, This is starting to irritate me. I have searched around the online section of Flipnote for a good 15 minutes and cannot for the life of me, find the option to post a Flipnote! Can someone please tell me how to do this!

Stuffgamer1

#21

Stuffgamer1 said:

Wow, I sure wasn't expecting THIS! Great timing, though, since I only just got my first taste of what this program can apparently do from that website. Gotta go try it out! :D

Twilight_Crow

#22

Twilight_Crow said:

Ooh! Big surprise, this is great, no more "where's Flipnote Studio" complains from NA :P, hopefully EU will join very soon ;).

SMEXIZELDAMAN

#23

SMEXIZELDAMAN said:

changes pants ahh thats better. now its all a matter of mooching off my friends internet and I got it! :D

Chunky_Droid

#24

Chunky_Droid said:

Wow, signing in for the Hatena website is really hard for some reason, first it says I'm a child, then it says my birth dates don't match up, which I checked and are fine, weird.

Bahamut_ZERO

#25

Bahamut_ZERO said:

Woah! It's the first non-Monday update ever! Freaky! Wow, I'm DLing right now*! Cause it's FREE!!!!! I still think there should be a "review" or something.

Chunky_Droid

#27

Chunky_Droid said:

ALright, I posted my flipnote, where do I find the giant number to embed the video?

EDIT: Success, you need to get on the webpage itself to find the number

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Soliloquy

#30

Soliloquy said:

Here is my first Flipnote. It is supposed to be drawings on a frosted window.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

DazzaAdmin

#31

Dazza said:

The Corbinator will have a review up soon enough. This might be a reason to buy a DSi for some! :-p

@Soliloquy - Don't forget the square brackets! lol

Cheezy

#34

Cheezy said:

I downloaded it, haven't used it yet, but I'm still just stunned that this happened. And finally, the complaining will end!

minial100

#35

minial100 said:

I almost cried when I read that title. THIS IS THE BEST DAY EVER!! First LKS, then this? :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

astarisborn94

#36

astarisborn94 said:

Shocking, isn't it? Downloading the game as we speak. And it's finished. Can't wait to try it, especially since it's free.

Wiiperson11

#37

Wiiperson11 said:

....
WHAT???
I feel nice for you guys but this is just SO shocking!
Lucky you guys. Do you guys like it?

warioswoods

#38

warioswoods said:

Wow, that's a surprise. And nice initial contributions from everyone above; it looks like it must be an efficient enough application to get something online in just a few minutes, so that's encouraging.

edhe

#39

edhe said:

So why won't Nintendo of Europe release Flipnote Studio to us Euros NOW - is it just a case of oneupmanship for NOA?

(give us mighty flip champs too, why don't you.)

Bahamut_ZERO

#42

Bahamut_ZERO said:

I must say, I'm loving it. I've always wanted to make flip books since I was a kid, but I always found it so hard. This is really easy, fun, and free! I wouldn't call it a reason to buy a DSi, but it is something I would have paid for.

bboy2970

#43

bboy2970 said:

Maybe the reason Nintendo released Flipnote Studio so quietly and off scheduel was because they didn't want their servers to crash on monday with so many people downloading at once.

KnucklesSonic8

#46

KnucklesSonic8 said:

NO WAY! Talk about a nice surprise!! Can't wait to get a DSi. :)
Just imagine if the next "surprise" was a long-awaited VC release... Hmmm...

bboy2970

#47

bboy2970 said:

@Bahamut ZERO: Refer to comment #19. EDIT: Never mind, I thought you wanted to know how to post to hatena. To post here, go to your animation on hatena, copy the code under "hatena notation" and paste it here between square brackets.
Does anyone have a good understanding of the stars system in place on the hatena site?

motang

#48

motang said:

Dammit...I didn't know it was out, and I have to say at work longer today as I am uploading a huge web site and it takes sometime (need to be careful not over overwrite any files that doesn't need to be overwritten)...and to put salt in my wounds I was suppose to get off early. :( Oh well.

I will be getting it once I get home...and it's FREE

Chunky_Droid

#49

Chunky_Droid said:

@bboy: I have no idea of the star system, except you can click on it as many times as you like on your own movies, destroying any credibility of the ratings system. Only 12 people have seen my movie but I have like 20 stars, lol.

EDIT: You've got quite a nice animation uploaded :). Also I think you can only give people one green star, which would be a better guage on how many people like your movie.

Chunky_Droid

#51

Chunky_Droid said:

@Bahamut: You'll find it on the actual page on the Hatena site your flipnote is on, it's to the right of your flipnote under "embed flipnote", you can copy and paste it

bboy2970

#54

bboy2970 said:

@Bahamut ZERO: Go to your animation. To the right of your animation should be 2 bars with a bunch of crap in them. The top one should be your animation's URL and the one underneath should be labeled "hatena notation". Copy this code. Paste the code between square brackets. ex. [......]

Bahamut_ZERO

#56

Bahamut_ZERO said:

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

EDIT: Yes! It works! Fear the bouncing ball of DEATH!!!!

Slapshot

#61

Slapshot said:

SWEET..... Finally something to use my DSi for again. Where the hell did I put the freakin thing? Aye, how do I post the actual video to this comment box when I make a video?

Odnetnin

#62

Odnetnin said:

"I only have one block after downloading Flipnote Studio."
Then you need to get rid of some of those clocks and calculators.

sirgrim

#64

sirgrim said:

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Odnetnin

#70

Odnetnin said:

@pixelman I made a super-simple Maxwell animation to cheer you up. Sadly, I don't have an account on Hatena, so I can't post it yet.

FATEM

#71

FATEM said:

If you are in Australia you may have just heard my scream of anger about this. MFC MvsDK and now FLIPNOTE!? Why does NA always get the good stuff first? At least it's coming out tommorow for Aus and Europe.

Philip_J_ReedStaff

#72

Philip_J_Reed said:

Awesome download, especially for free.

But jeez oh man do I suck at this.

Has anyone figured out how to "breath paint" or whatever yet? I've been blowing into this microphone until I'm blue in the face.

Stuffgamer1

#73

Stuffgamer1 said:

Am I the only one here who thinks Flipnote Studio is incredibly clunky? After fighting with it for about an hour, I had to give up. I don't even wanna THINK about how many hours some people must've wasted making their videos just perfect based on what I've seen thus far!
I DO want to know how some of them got continuous music to play on their videos, though. As far as I can tell, there's just no way! :(

GamerZack7

#77

GamerZack7 said:

I just realised something...

All those people in the US that said they'd complain if they didn't get Flipnote on Monday...technically you should be complaining, since you technically DIDN'T get it on Monday :D

...sorry...just thought I'd better point it out...congrats, by the way! Make sure there's loads of content on the website for us to view, whydontchanow?

ASDFGHJKL

#78

ASDFGHJKL said:

Go to a channel, then description, then post.

Heres my latest
Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Bahamut_ZERO

#81

Bahamut_ZERO said:

Best PSA EVER!!!

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

quickfingers

#82

quickfingers said:

Here is my first
Get the Flash Player to see this player.

quickfingers

#85

quickfingers said:

Here is a other creation of mine showing you can have a all black Background

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Metroid133

#86

Metroid133 said:

Test:
Get the Flash Player to see this player.

irken004

#87

irken004 said:

I'm only going to post a video when i make an IMPRESSIVE one. (stick figures people?)

Yamishi

#88

Yamishi said:

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Yeah, I don't know what the Hell I was thinking, either.

ReZon

#89

ReZon said:

What a great day. Flipnote is far exceeding my expectations.

Here's one of Inuyasha I goofed off on for a bit.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

lunchmeats101

#90

lunchmeats101 said:

My heart stopped when I saw this story. Who would have thought nintendo wouldn't release it on monday?

SSBFan_12

#91

SSBFan_12 said:

@uel: No, I mean that is the only clock/calculator app. I have a bunch of other games. My favorite game is M vs. DK then it has to be Asphalt and I have about 7 more. My most favorite app is Flipnote Studio.

ASDFGHJKL

#92

ASDFGHJKL said:

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

astarisborn94

#94

astarisborn94 said:

I'll join the bandwagon and post here too!

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

This just in: Sony and Microsoft will be jelous.

Pastry

#95

Pastry said:

OH YES!! Downloading!!

I bet that tomorrow Flipnote will be 1# on the Top 20 Downloads.

melvin2898

#97

melvin2898 said:

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Nintendork

#98

Nintendork said:

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

The duel, my very first flipnote! :) This thing RULES!!!!!!!!!!!

theblackdragonAdmin

#101

theblackdragon said:

it's what everyone who's already there was surely thinking :3
Get the Flash Player to see this player.

ASDFGHJKL

#104

ASDFGHJKL said:

HUST HAD TO DO THIS!

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

#108

said:

....so that's what flipnote studio is?!
....
I wish I have a DSi :-(

motang

#109

motang said:

Here is mine...my first attempt.
Get the Flash Player to see this player.

dcast1

#112

dcast1 said:

Super cool it's free so why not download right away and have some fun !
Get the Flash Player to see this player.

ASDFGHJKL

#113

ASDFGHJKL said:

My latest and most challenging attempt.
Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Buster13

#114

Buster13 said:

Well if everyone else is doing it, it HAS to be a good idea!

Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Get the Flash Player to see this player.

quickfingers

#115

quickfingers said:

Ok all here is a beast of a FlipNote 81 pages

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

ASDFGHJKL

#117

ASDFGHJKL said:

Hardest flipnote Ive done.
Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Stuffgamer1

#118

Stuffgamer1 said:

Umm...can somebody maybe explain to me how they're making all this stuff? I couldn't even make a piece of crap animation in an hour, but my first complaint got ignored. I want to like this, but I just don't get it! :(

LGamer

#119

LGamer said:

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Stuffgamer1

#121

Stuffgamer1 said:

Posting these things on NLife, I get. Making them not suck, I don't. And I REALLY want to know how to make the music play for so long like some people are doing! That ability would have a HUGE impact on what I make with Flipnote.

ballistikboy

#122

ballistikboy said:

Thanks, NOA!!!

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

emiru69

#123

emiru69 said:

Im registered but I cant find the option to post on the hatena homepage. Any help? Thanks

emiru69

#125

emiru69 said:

Thanks. I hope now works.
Get the Flash Player to see this player.

LEGEND_MARIOID

#127

LEGEND_MARIOID said:

Typical, as is usually the case, NA get it first! Congratulations though. Can we get an update of a long awaited release in the middle of the week too..... just one time? No? Didn't think so. ;-)

nkjones

#130

nkjones said:

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

elife989

#131

elife989 said:

I usually check gaming sites every hour.. and nothing happened.. yesterday I went out for 24 hours.. and this happened.. Sorry guys.. it was me - being online all the time - who was holding Nintendo from releasing Flipnote.. LoL :)

Machu

#132

Machu said:

I am stealing my sister-in-laws DSi tomorrow, omg that looks so cool!

warioswoods

#133

warioswoods said:

@Chicken Brutus

Not sure if you're still following these comments, but to answer your question about blowing to paint: all you have to do is select an area first, using the same selection tool you use to copy / paste. Once an area is selected of any shape, choose the paintbrush and the paint style you want, switch the drawing back to the bottom screen, and blow on the mic a little. It's really just a quick way to do a "paint-bucket" fill.

SMEXIZELDAMAN

#134

SMEXIZELDAMAN said:

@stuffgamer1 first of all did you listen to the uber annoying orange flavored frog?Second did you click help and learn all the extra stuff?
To get music have advanced tools enabledhit microphone and make your own musicc or sumthing. i remixed a tight song for mine all with my voice :D.

@Chunck_Droid and Gabegreeens i love yours :D

noname875

#136

noname875 said:

Here is my (Extremely Simple) first flipbook thingy
This should work now...
Get the Flash Player to see this player.

atl13falcons

#137

atl13falcons said:

Damn! This is te only time i'll ever regret buying a flash card stupid system update. smart move by nintendo though. making flipnote come out after the update just to tease the flash card owners.

atl13falcons

#141

atl13falcons said:

Ha! i can update my Acekard through my DS Phat so now i can update my DSi and get flipnote. Awesome

superfrogman

#142

superfrogman said:

ugh....... is this right...

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

World_1-1

#143

World_1-1 said:

This will probably be lost in the flood of comments and quality of the videos, but here's mine... (took me about three hours for this one...)

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Radixxs

#144

Radixxs said:

Heh, this is very fun. Get the Flash Player to see this player.

ItsTheSal

#145

ItsTheSal said:

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Leave A Comment

Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...