New version of Vocaloid software is arriving with a new Miku design.

As a virtual idol, Hatsune Miku doesn’t age. However, that doesn’t mean she looks the same as she did when she made her debut 19 years ago, or even the same as she did last month, as the Vocaloid’s visuals have just been redesigned.

Miku’s makeover comes in preparation for the upcoming launch of Hatsune Miku V6, the newest version of her associated Vocaloid voicebank software package. Illustrator LAM was tapped for the official artwork and package portrait, and deftly hits both the targets for a visual redesign, in that it’s still instantly recognizable as being the same character, but with enough subtle changes to give a fresh and distinct feeling to the new version.

▼ The V6 Miku design

Compared to the preceding Hatsune Miku V4X design (there was no V5 version, in case you were wondering), the V6 Miku has thicker, more voluminous twintails in a bolder color that hang in unified cascades. Her hair accessories have gone from square to angularly heart-shaped, and her shirt is back to the gray color not seen since her V2 design in 2007, but now with a contrasting white collar. Her sleeves/arm covers now flare at the wrists and have a more prominent control panel motif, and the aqua accent color in her skirt has been moved from the hem to alternating pleats, with a similarly shaded belt for extra contrast. The virtual idol’s footwear has also switched from sneakers to heeled boots. Arguably the biggest change, though, is Miku’s eyes, which in the new design have sharper lines, longer eyelashes, larger pupils, and a greater sense of depth, giving her a more pensively yearning air.

▼ V4X Miku

▼ And while we’re taking a trip down memory lane, here’s the V4X predecessor, V3 Miku, who debuted in 2013.

▼ The V6 Miku design sheet

Of course, there’s more to Hatsune Miku V6 than just a new look, as developer Crypton Future Media promising better sound too, with new parameters and optimization for even more natural-sounding vocal performances. The company is especially proud of the improvements to Miku’s English singing capabilities, which should help continue to expand her overseas fanbase.

▼ A demonstration of the V6 Miku singing American songwriter Crusher’s “Like a Shooting Star”

▼ How the performance looks through the Vocaloid user interface

Hatsune Miku V6 releases on April 14, with pre-orders open now through the Sonicwire online store here.

Source: PR Times, Sonicwire
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times, Sonicwire (1, 2)
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