If you grew up in a time when almost every kid (and even adults) had or wanted a Tamagotchi, you’ve probably been keeping an eye on its parent company Bandai and what they’ll do next regarding this creature/device. We’ve seen it become an Android app and saw an anniversary edition released. Now they’re officially relaunching the egg for a new generation, hoping that both nostalgia and curiosity about this analog device will spur on sales despite its comparatively heftier price.
The Tamagotchi On still looks like and functions like your classic Tamagotchi, but with a few new changes and upgrades. First of all, you now get a colored digital screen as opposed to the black and white one, although it is still not a touch screen. You still have three unmarked buttons that you can use to navigate as you try to care for your “digital pet”. It’s still meant to work offline and to teach kids how to care for an inanimate object.
You still need to feed, change, bathe it, and play with it and basically make it survive and not die. But you can also now do other stuff with it like make friends with other Tamas, travel to different lands, play games, and interact with other Tamagotchi On users. But of course since this is meant for kids aged 6-12 years old, they cannot communicate with those that they, or their parents, don’t know. You can visit other Tamas, give them gifts, travel together, and even marry each other to build a family tree.
Another new thing that goes with Tamagotchi On is that there will be an Android app companion where you can play games and do other “more complicated” stuff that you can’t do on your analog digital egg. You will be able to earn Gotchi points but there will be no in-app purchases. You can also send it to a hotel or day care if you can’t take care of your Tamagotchi since you have to go to school or work.
The Tamagotchi On will now cost you $59.99 which is obviously more expensive than the original one which was just $17.99. There are two styles: Fairies and Magic. It’s still made from the same material and runs on AAA batteries. It is now available at Target, Amazon, GameStop, and Urban Outfitters. It will be available on mass retail in the US by July 28.
