Tamagotchi Hatches As A Smartwatch So You Will Finally Feed Your Pet On Time

By Mikelle Leow, 18 Jun 2021

Image via Bandai

The portability of Tamagotchi has evolved into the modern world of wearables. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the virtual pet toy, the nostalgic relic of the 90s has been redefined as a smartwatch.

Unlike most smartwatches, the egg-shaped Tamagotchi Smart isn’t designed for tracking your steps and heartbeat. Instead, the focus is on the health and wellbeing of your electronic pet, and you’ll give it physical affection through the device’s LCD touchscreen while keeping it engaged in conversation via voice recognition commands. No more excuses not to care for it now.

The watch, rechargeable by USB, offers up to 30 hours of battery life. It also introduces new characters and items to the Tamagotchi world.

Owners can pamper their virtual pets by installing sweet add-ons with ¥1,100 (US$10) “smart cards.” There’s a ‘Tamagotchi Sweet Friends’ card that serves up candy and desserts, along with a mini-game; as well as a ‘Tamagotchi Rainbow Friends’ card consisting of rainbow and unicorn skin with themed items and food.

The smartwatch is now available through a raffle, but most fans should be able to nab one when it officially goes on sale on November 23 at ¥7,480 (US$68). Currently, these plans are for to-be Tamagotchi pet parents in Japan; parent company Bandai hasn’t unveiled any release notes for the rest of the world yet.