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Firebox)
Alas, the Tamagotchi is no longer the passive digital pet that made it famous. Bandai, its creator, has been forcing it grow up.
First it had to enter its terrible teens, then learn how to socialize and even party with the Wii. Now its learning how to be part of a family. The "Tamagotchi Familitchi" lets you raise three of the virtual charges on one screen, generating up to seven families. (We're not sure about their parentage, however, and we don't care to know.)
Learning more life lessons, they can then earn points that can be used to purchase goods in Tamagotchi Town, where they--and you--can meet others from around the world, according to Coolest-Gadgets. But better keep an eye on them: If they go down the wrong path, they might end up as robots.
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Japan Trend Shop)
Finally, an ant farm that even PETA wouldn't protest.
No ants were harmed in the making of the "Ants Life Studio" from Japan's Bandai for a good reason: They're not real. Instead it's a colony of virtual ants that presumably do all of the same slave labor and other functions of their living counterparts, allowing you to satisfy your entomological curiosities without risking any arthropodic karma in the afterlife.
The viewing takes place through an LCD that includes backlighting so it can be used as a night light too. As OhGizmo notes, it seems to be the latest expansion of Bandai's Tamagotchi concept, this time requiring the care and feeding of fake insects that even face such perils as virtual predators. If you get one of these, we hope that the ants' longevity stays true to reality so you won't have to deal with their adolescence.
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AudioCubes)
Shades of Silent Running. As USB mania has gotten out of hand, everything from coffee mugs to cigarette lighters has found a way to hook up to the ubiquitous port. That's fine for novelty items, but there's something kind of sick about living things attached to it like an artificial umbilical cord.
That's why we were disturbed to see this little chick in yet another USB bubble. OK, so it's not real, but it comes close: In the tradition of the Tamagotchi, Segatoys has created the "Dream Chick," an animated toy that's a dead ringer for a 3-day-old real version that "responds to your touch and makes sad sounds when you ignore it," according to Inventor Spot.
Judging by the photos, the chick can apparently leave its bubble to get much-needed physical attention. But we'd check first to make sure there's no chance of catching some virtual form of avian flu.
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AudioCubes)
Lest you think the Tamagotchi has suffered an untimely demise (or a timely one, depending on your view), witness the Japanese icon's latest incarnation--as a robot.
Well, sort of. The "Roboco" actually looks more like a wind-up toy with a Tamagotchi's guts. Takara Tomy's new brainchild, as it were, virtually eats, sleeps, gets sick and generally follows the same path as its needy predecessors, according to GeekSugar.
And why not? We've already seen the little Mr. T go enter its teens, go virtual and even get its own Wii game. Besides, morphing into a robot is the most natural evolution for a country that's destined for a human-free society.
Nothing delights the tortured teenage soul more...
...than using adorable keychain fobs to discover the title of their favorite Morrissey song.
It's a good thing teenagers are attracted to ironic fashion statements like a moth to light. MusicMarker, purveyor of the too-adorable Tamagotchi-like MusicMarker song-identifying keychain fob, will soon be selling their product at America's one-stop solution for disenchanted suburban youth--Hot Topic.
The MusicMarker helps people identify songs they hear by recording a short audio clip into its memory and then uploading that data to the MusicMarker Web site when it gets plugged into a computer USB port. The data then gets analyzed and (ideally) reveals the song information and where to buy it. A number of people have been using this technology for quite a while as either software (Tunatic is one example) or with a handful of MP3 players and cell phones.
To be fair, Hot Topic actually makes sense for this product. I mean, come on, teenage hipsters are unmatched in both their ravenous appetite for new music and their terrifying fear of not being able to name-drop cool bands. Plus, if they can get away with selling Rainbow Brite T-shirts and Hello Kitty seat covers, then a little egg-shaped USB toy should fit right in. Price should be around $15.
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GeekSugar)
Just when we thought the Tamagotchi was on the way out--it's in its teens, after all--they pull it back in. It's kind of the Michael Corleone of Japan's kawaii culture. And what better way to infuse the aging 'Chi with new life than with the Wii? (We suspect a "Chiimote" can't be far off.)
Atari is bringing its Tamagotchi Party On game to the Wii this summer, according to GeekSugar, a move that threatens to expose an entirely new generation to the once-addictive digital icon. We're surprised that someone didn't throw in Hello Kitty to bridge the age gap between the two pop phenoms.
For the sake of all involved, we just hope that no one on Tamagotchi Planet tries to dispense dating advice.
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Boys Toys)
This little Tamagotchi-like device, called the "Virtual Boyfriend," promises to help "practice your relationship skills." Okay, I'm not denying that my dating prowess might need a little bit of tweaking here and there, but this is just a bit much. Rather than raising a pet, you have to learn how to treat a boyfriend right--presents, dates, and, uh, "wild passion." (What?!?) Ooh, and there's a twist, since the Virtual Boyfriend can make "decisions" too (how novel!) so it can get unpredictable and exciting!
Thanks, but no thanks. I think I'd rather gain dating experience the real-life way, even if it does occasionally mean sitting through dinner with a guy who's dumber than a bag of hammers.
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Gearfuse)
As the Tamagotchi enters its teens, manufacturer Bandai seems to have finally realized that it needs to figure out the next step in its virtual life strategy. And it's decided to takes its concept to the people--literally.
Enter the "Human Player." Rather than focus on the creation and sustenance of make-believe pets, the Human Player's goal is to create an "on-screen mini-you" by administering a 50-question test that yields 22 personality traits, according to Gearfuse.
You can then interact with other virtual souls, going so far as to venture into other people's digital realms through the player's infrared beam. (Haven't these guys heard of Second Life? Or, for that matter, real life?) We have no idea what they're saying in the weird YouTube clip below, but it somehow seems perfect for this sad product.
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Akihabara News)
The Tamagotchi has barely gotten into its teens and it's already got next-generation competition.
Japan's Frepar Network is developing some kind of futuristic 3D persona "capable of replying when you talk to it and interact with you when you try to touch it or even blow on it," according to Akihabara News.
All that sounds well and good, but will it get you a date? We didn't think so.
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Uber-Review)
The Tamagotchi craze may have subsided years ago, but its concept survived intact. And recently, we've seen other products taking on similar tendencies, so it's not surprising that toymaker Bandai would come out with a new version.
The latest incarnation, according to Uber-Review, is worse than ever: "Now kids have to manage the thing's education, help it get a job and guide it through its career, all the while attempting to play mini-games to earn intellectual, beauty or social skill points--or risk ending up with a stupid, ugly, antisocial pet."
Sounds to us as if it's become more realistic than ever.
