You’ve heard of wearable tech, now get ready for wearable pets: Tamagotchi makers Bandai have reinvented the device in honour of its 25th anniversary, in pastel pink or teal smartwatch form.
In our Making It Up As You Go Along episode with Doja Cat, she called Tamagotchis a “total headache”, and she’s not wrong. Back in the day, you’d forget to feed, bathe or water your pixelated pet, with ultimately devastating consequences.
Now, the wrist-strapped Tamagotchi Smart means you’ll never neglect your digital friend. New touch and voice controls mean you can wake up your pet by speaking – or yelling – at them, and physically (sort of) stroke or tickle them. There’s also voice recognition for chatting, a step counter, and, obviously, the ability to tell the time.
The watch also comes with brand new characters to care for, and owners will also be able to buy separate cards which will enable them to add the characters and items to the device.
The Tamagotchi Smart launches in Japan on November 23, but there’s no word on an international release just yet.