Tamagotchi digital pets to return, and this time they breed
 |
The Tamagotchi Plus is beefed up with communication skills for dating, falling in love and having babies.
Story Tools
|
TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- Tamagotchi, the popular digital pet from the 90s, is coming back, and this time it will be able to date, fall in love, and even have babies.
Discontinued in 1998, Tamagotchi was an egg-shaped, pocket-sized gadget with a cartoon pet that appeared on a screen. Owners then reared it by punching buttons.
The new, souped-up version -- which goes on sale in Japan on March 20 -- will be able to communicate with other pets through infrared, said Bandai Co., the Japanese toy maker that produces Tamagotchi, on Wednesday. Owners can have their pets compete in eating contests or give flowers and other presents.
Tamagotchi Plus is also programmed to cultivate intimacy. The virtual pets can move from friendship to love to marriage. In some cases, a child pops up on the owners' displays.
On Wednesday, Bandai spokesman Masashi Umeda acknowledged matching the device's initial popularity was a challenge.
Tamagotchi, which first went on sale in 1996, recorded 40 million in global sales and helped set off an explosion of handheld virtual pets. Tamagotchi Plus is expected to be introduced overseas this summer.
Copyright 2004 The
Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
