Bandai revives Tamagotchi, infused with new “features”

Oh how time really flies! I can’t believe that it’s been nearly two decades since the first version of keychain-sized virtual pet made its debut. And to celebrate its 17th birthday, the Japanese toy company is looking to release the Tamagotchi Friends for today’s youth and young-at-heart.

The Tamagotchi Friends doesn’t differ much from the older version; it still has that iconic egg-shaped design, a small 2D screen and a trio of buttons. On the new model, however, users are given the liberty to choose from “several” (exact count is uncertain) different pets.

Another feature that comes with the new Tamagotchi is the addition of short range communication (NFC perhaps) that allows your pet to interact with other Tamagotchis.

Availability of the Tamagotchi Friends is slated to begin next month with UK fans getting the first dibs followed by the US release on the third quarter of 2014. It’ll be retailed for USD20PHP 1,174INR 1,695EUR 19CNY 146.

{Source, Via}