Bandai is reviving its Tamagotchi virtual pet to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the brand.
Created by Akihiro Yokoi, the pebble-shaped toy launched in Japan in 1996 and North America a year later, and sold millions. Each was equipped with a crude LCD screen, and the objective was to hatch a virtual pet and look after it. These pets would evolve depending on how well you performed that task.
Bandai is launching a new model in North America this November for around $15 (around £11).
Several revisions of the original toy have appeared over the years (we even got a host of video games on Nintendo systems), but this model sports a more basic design in order to appeal to those who grew up with Tamagotchi back in the '90s. It's smaller than the original, but doesn't have a backlight. Retro.
Were you one of those kids? Will you be buying one of these?
[source eurogamer.net]
Comments 56
I get the nostalgia vibe. But the source said "no backlight". Really ?
I remember when they were banned in my secondary school because everyone was bringing them in. Good times.
@neufel Well the original ones didn't have that so... Yeah. At least they are being faithful.
Bring it to EU !!!
They were banned in my school and mine died/was filled with waste within a week. Nice to see I'm old enough to see the popular cycle make a rotation. What was old is new again.
I was born on 1984, so yeah.
These things were impossible to keep alive. But I was doing something wrong, but I spent days giving the thing my exclusive attention, and it still died on me.
WANT
@Kalmaro True... but back then the only electronic screens that made light were those red LED clock radios !
I remember them and hatching and raising them. I wouldn't be bothered now.
These things featured one of the two things I hate most in games and that is actual end-of-lifespan death (rather than as a result of defeat), so I never jumped on this train.
(The other thing I hate is an internal clock that effectively nags you to play every day, but I suppose in a way these sort of have that too).
Never had the real one. My parent's got some knockoff. It still was cool, and I didn't care at the time. I remember finding it underneath the couch of my childhood home when were moving about a year after getting it. Poor thing.
I really loved my Tamagotchi for the lifespan of the first creature. Then after that died and a new egg appeared, it just didn't feel like my one any more.
It's slightly unrelated, but it instantly reminded me of the PocktStation Chocobo Mini Game, for FF8 I think it was. Played if for hours, despite being really simple. Hard- and software followed in the wake of Tamagotchi, I think... The PocketStation didn't officially release outside Japan I think, so the hardware wasn't commonly used elsewhere (in games I had access to). Anyone else remember that?
Eh, pass. No backlight?
Release an android and iOS app to celebrate.
Unless, I read it wrong and that's what they are doing or have done?
If I can find one, Imma grab one. I couldn't afford the name brand ones as a kid so this will be sorta like fulfilling a childhood dream. Now they just need to bring bag those old digivices.
I will purchase three one for me, my sister, and niece.
@readyletsgo idk if it's still up but i had a tamagotchi app on iOS a few years ago
I had a couple of these growing up. They were either V3, 4, or 5, not sure. I really loved them at the time and they kept my attention longer than most games did back then. I even have a distinct memory of when one died. I had forgot to bring it to a piano recital (Which would have been fine since the versions I had had the ability to be muted) and realized after getting there that it might not make it. After getting home though, I completely forgot about it and when straight to my computer. After about minute, I heard it. It died right after I got home, and if I hadn't forgotten about it I might have actually been able save it!
This is neat, although there is absolutely no nostalgia for me here, because I was born right when Tamagotchi's were dying out.
I loved my Tamagotchi ... I had 3 over the years, I remember I had a white one with a Dino in, I loved it kids now wouldn't get it lol
I had a few as a kid, they sucked then they look like they will suck now...
Ahhh memories, good memories! Good move from Bandai To bring them back.
I thought Tamagotchi was so dumb in '97 when they came out. But when I borrowed my little sister's, I was completely hooked. I got obsessed over raising it perfectly to get the alien , which I accomplished to the jealousy of the whole neighborhood. LOL. Great memories, but I'm too old to fuss over a digital pet these days. I've got 4 kids and a wife to take care of.
I'd rather boot up miitomo
90's kid here.
Tamagotchi was lame.
@thesilverbrick
it needs attention AND food
I remember feeling really bad when mine died after several weeks of caring for it, while I was at the movies. I think I might get one for my daughter now.
@foodmetaphors interesting, I'll have a look on the store. Thanks
I remember having one and using it for quite awhile as I got curious about it, but I was also not a kid exactly either then too.
I wouldn't be against owning one again, but I'd rather it be a phone app at this point as a choice too.
This'll fail. Back then, Tamagotchi's were popular because kids wanted pets or something mundane to sink all their time into. It was either that, television or going outside to play with whatever the latest activity fad happened to be. But now? We have video games. Some portable, most not. But the point is that they're available, they're everywhere and Switch alone eclipses anything the Tamagotchi aspires to be. There is literally no profit to be had in bringing these back.
I was confused as to why this news was reported on this site, but then I realized that it is “technically” a video game lolol
I thought they were dumb when they came out.....still think they're dumb.
I'm also not sure how it applies to this site???
Never got into these things back in the day. It's cool the are coming back but I'm not getting though. If I let my PokeWalker from HeartGold died on me, and thats POKEMON, there is no way I'm gonna get this. XD
@FragRed we also weren't allowed to have them at my school either
I got into a sort of spinoff of this craze with the Digivices back in the day. I had Digivices from Season 1 (Agumon), Season 2 blue (Davis's Veemon), and Season 4 Red/Black (Takuya/Agunimon). I could never find the Season 3 series where I live....
Unfortunately, all of them have been lost to time.
It was fun back in the day.
They could of used a "timex" style backlight even in the 90's.
@ThatNyteDaez Erm I'm pretty sure we had video games back in 1997, unless I just imagined playing the NES, SNES, N64, PS1, Sega Genesis, Game Boy and Game Gear
Tamagotchis were pretty cool at the time. I only ever got knockoff ones however, the first one that I got being Rakuraku Dinokun (Giga Pets we're a reputable substitute too) - still have all of mine hanging in a cluster in my room. Just like the Furby though they were a fad - they might make a comeback but if they do it'd be short term.
Oh cool. it's been a few years since I had one.
Still got my original one and the battery is still good too.
I liked the Digimon Tamagotchi series.
@ThatNyteDaez We had video games back then too. Tamagotchi was a fad that that caught on because it was portable in a way that wouldn't get you caught (until schools started banning them) and they were smart enough to market the thing to everybody. Girls' Toy? Boys' Toy? Nope everybody had one. Didn't hurt that it tweaked people that fall into maintenance time-sinks like caring for a digital pet.
Now, if only VMUs would make a comeback...
I would be surprised if there wasn't a Tamagotchi type thing on smartphones already, which seems like the most convenient way to play it if you really still want a virtual pet.
I remember when the battery died on my Digimon and I was super upset because back then when the battery died you lost all the game's memory.
No. I have little kids now. I don't need another mouth to feed, even if it is a digital one.
Funny. I've been thinking about these recently. I was addicted to them back in the nineties. Although, I was more of a Virtual Pet kid. Had A LOT of them! I wouldn't mind buying one of these.
The only one I had was Salem, the cat from Sabrina the Teenaged Witch. I guess I got super lucky as taking care of an immortal cat meant I didn't have to deal with him dieing on me for no reason.
Never could stay above 2 pounds in weight though, pretty much anything but eating took him right back to it... and eating only brought him up to 3 or 4. I think I got to 10 once by only eating for awhile but 1 exercise session brought him to 2 pounds again.
I can hear the endless beeping and constant requirements now. If I were going to put up with that, I would much rather have an old-school Digimon v-pet.
Didn't have one back then and didn't care. Part of me wants to give it a chance though...ugh, why?
@DarkKirby There was on Game Boy.
I'm a little too old for these have been interesting to me back then, but when they die, does that mean the device was bricked or something? like you couldn't bring it back to life? I'm confused by the entire thing. Is it similar to games like NintendoDogs on the DS? I tried that game for about minute and never went back, and I <3 dogs, but I wasn't sure what the point was? Obviously i was missing it.
Yeah. I'm old enough to enjoy this fad coming back again. Although I had an awesome pikachu version that doubled as a pedometer. Used to take it raving at Fabric. Ah. Back then, it was all fields....etc....
No backlight is gonna hurt abit. Hmm, that is if it even reaches EU.
Um, why would that be a good thing? Those stupid things should've stayed in the 90's where they belong.
If anyone really needs a virtual pet (although I don't get why), they can just use their smartphone...
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