The Tamagotchi brand has made a resurgence in recent years. From new mobile apps to special Evangelion and Demon Slayer-themed Tamagotchi, the nostalgia of your former years is back in full force. Now, with November 2021 being the date of Tamagotchi’s 25th anniversary, Bandai is kicking off the festivities with a brand new way to play.
Introducing Tamagotchi Smart, a clear play on today’s smartwatches. While the watches contain a basic clock and all the main functions for raising your new friend/pet, the newest twist on the series allows for both a touchscreen and microphone function. Talking to your Tamagotchi will allow you to bond with it, and help it to grow.
Also in the spirit of making old things new again, downloadable content will be available for the Tamagotchi Smart through TamaSmart Cards, which can be plugged into the watch to access additional content.
Two TamaSmart Cards will be available for purchase alongside the base models when the watches release in late November. Also releasing alongside the base models is a limited-edition 25th anniversary white Tamagotchi Smart, along with an edition-specific TamaSmart card.
While the default Tamagotchi Smarts come with a heavy price tag of 6,380 (~60 US Dollars), the limited-edition 25th-anniversary version puts the limited in limited-edition. Not only is the base price for this version higher, at 7,480 yen (~70 US Dollars), but in order to even get the chance to purchase it you have to enter a lottery on Bandai Namco’s Japanese website. The lottery itself will run from June 17th until July 2nd, which doesn’t give avid collectors a lot of time to try their luck at getting one.
At any rate, fans may not have to miss out on the limited-edition “1996 Friends” TamaSmart Card, as the Premium Bandai website indicates that the card may potentially be released to the general public at some point in the future. The West may also be getting the default Tamagotchi Smart models as well, if the rollout for the previous special editions is any indication.
While the Tamagotchi Smart moves the franchise in a new direction, there’s still no word on whether or not your Tamagotchi can die. This was arguably the most irritating part of owning an original Tamagotchi, along with the incessant beeping of the egg once it did happen. This usually prompted users to reset the egg with the help of a sharp object or shove it back into the depths of toy boxes and dresser drawers to let the toy die in muffled silence. Hopefully, the Tamagotchi Smart will allow for the watch to either be shut off or used as a watch, with the game paused.
Source: SoraNews 24
