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Walk Hard to Win With the Masochistic Jinsei Game of Life Pedometer

Put simply, the Jinsei Game of Life won’t let you play the simple game contained inside it unless you exercise. It’s part pedometer, part Tamagotchi, part Lap Around Japan, and a little bit of masochism mixed in for good measure. To complete the “stages,” you must take 300 steps, at which point you’ll be granted … Continued

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All You Need is Love from Talking, Romantic “Handsome Men” Piggy Bank

Things’d have to be pretty desperate in your love life if you needed one of these Ikemenbank, or “handsome men banks” from Bandai. For each 500 yen coin you drop in the heart-shaped gadget, you’re rewarded with the next step of a virtual love affair with a Tamagotchi-like digital chap inside. He speaks to you … Continued

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What the Hell Is a Moshi Monster?

Michael Smith, creator of the Perplex City puzzle game may be a little slow to deliver that second season, but it doesn’t mean that he’s been sitting around doing nothing. His next brainchild is Moshi Monsters, a mash of Tamagotchi, Pokemon and NintenDogs, with heaping helpings of MySpace and LeapFrog ladeled over it for good … Continued

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Tamagotchi Mobile: No No No No NO NO NO. NO

Are you stuck in a 1996 timewarp? Perhaps you have kiddie issues. Fear not, for Bandai and Playphones have gotten together and come up with the Tamagotchi prepaid cellphone. Like all the best ideas, it is a simple concept… Your phone rings. Blah. When your conversation is finished, hatch your virtual pet. Take another call. … Continued

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Bandai’s Ant’s Life Studio Virtual Ant Farm

Bandai is set to release Ant’s Life Studio this November in Japan, a virtual ant farm simulator that could very well become the next Tamagotchi. It’s apparently being aimed at the hordes of Japanese men who do nothing but slave away at a tiny desk all day, working until their eyes fall out. Maybe Bandai’s … Continued

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Virtual Doggy in a Console: vMigo

In the relentless quest for the shitless dog, here’s a new one, the vMigo, a plug-and-play TV-connected console that includes a carry-around Tamagotchi-like handheld pod with a 16-bit screen and a pedometer inside. If you want your pet to stay happy, you’ll have to take it out for a walk, and that pedometer keeps you … Continued

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frog Design Mind

Tamagotchi to Xbox: Why The World Can t Resist Phatic Technologies By Laura Richardson Phatic communication, a term first coined by anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski, is the international linguistic phenomenon of small talk; that is, exchanges meant to provide a social connection rather than transmit information. Think about your last ride in an elevator: did everyone … Continued

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Tamagotchi Returns Strong

Easily the worst fad of the 90 s was the Tamagotchi. These little devices managed to annoy every single person on the planet except for the 8-14 age group and they have returned to do the same to a new generation. Over six million foreign units have been shipped already, meaning Tamagotchi Fever sung by … Continued