Andrew Heinzman
It’s a lot harder to neglect a Tamagotchi when it’s strapped to your wrist. At least, that seems to be the idea behind Bandai’s newly-announced Tamagotchi Smart, a wearable that lets you raise virtual pets on the go.
The Tamagotchi Smart doesn’t connect to your phone for notifications or health monitoring, so it isn’t exactly a smartwatch. It’s really just an upgraded Tamagotchi with a wrist strap. Still, it has several unique features, like a touchscreen color display, a built-in pedometer, and voice recognition for chatting with virtual pets (although Bandai notes that the Tamagotchi can’t understand words, it just reacts to sounds based on its mood).
Wireless connectivity allows multiple Tamagotchi smartwatches to connect with one another, and Bandai plans to sell $10 expansion cards to unlock new in-game features. According to Bandai, the Tamagotchi Smart’s battery should last about 30 days if you only use it an hour a day. The smartwatch isn’t waterproof, and it doesn’t work with old Tamagotchi accessories.
Sales for the Tamagotchi Smart begin November 23rd for $70, though Bandai will offer advanced sales via a lottery in August. The company is also teaming up with Kpop group NiziU to promote the watch—a pretty big deal, as NiziU’s most popular song has over 261 million views on YouTube.
Bandai hasn’t announced if the Tamagotchi smartwatch will see an international release. That said, several other Tamagotchi products have come to the U.S. over the past few years, including the Tamagotchi Pix.
Source: Bandai Japan via Kotaku
