A ticket to childhood: “Virtual Chicken” Tamagochi returns as a smartwatch

Those who have been crazy about raising virtual animals in their childhood will know the name Tamagotchi, also known as “virtual chicken”. This brand of virtual pet equipment is so popular that Bandai, a popular toy company, has sold more than 83 million devices as of March 2021. It’s not just about creating the virtual pet collecting movement by releasing With many variations, Tamagotchi has a strong fan base that has helped the brand endure through the decades. That’s why the company is constantly innovating its virtual pet device and the next version will come in the form of a smart wearable.

Those who have been crazy about raising virtual animals in their childhood will know the name Tamagotchi.

Bandai Namco, the parent company that owns Tamagotchi, has just announced the launch of the Tamagotchi Smart product. This is a super cute smartwatch, coated in pink or blue silicone. Tamagotchi Smart will have the basic functions of a smart watch, including step counting and voice control. In addition, the device also has a color touch screen instead of a black and white screen. You can show your love by stroking the virtual animal in your hand.

You can learn more about the functions of Tamagotchi Smart through this link. Tamagotchi Smart will not be able to interact with other virtual pet devices such as Tamagotchi Meets/On (using Bluetooth) or Tamagotchi Pix (using QR code). Tamagotchi Smart uses TamaSma cards, which will be sold separately by Bandai. They function like plastic “keys” with chips, providing strange and unique items and characters that you can load into your watch.

Tamagotchi Smart’s voice recognition is not too complicated. It allows you to call virtual animals and virtual animals will respond with a song. The list of frequently asked questions about the product has the note: “this function is not capable of recognizing voice content”. According to Vice, there will be a function called “Power Up”, which will allow users to record conversations with virtual animals to increase lasting relationships.

Like other virtual pet devices, of course this watch allows you to play mini games with friends.

The launch of Smart seems certain after the success of the Digimon Vital smart band, a pedometer smartwatch from another brand. This is also a product to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Tamagotchi brand.

The product will be available in domestic Japan in the short term, but there will certainly be many stores opening to sell to international customers. You can also order ships from Bandai Namco’s online store. Each device costs about $68, each TamaSma card costs $10. The expected launch date is November 23, and you will have to participate in the lottery from June 17 to July 2 to have a chance to buy this virtual animal.