Tamagotchi is reborn as a tiny playable ring for its 30th birthday
Japanese toy company Bandai has reimagined its cult video game Tamagotchi as a miniature wearable so fans can always have their digital pet to hand.
Designed to mark the product's 30th anniversary, the playable ring is only 28 millimetres long – nearly half the size of the original Tamagotchi from 1996.
The company's smallest virtual pet to date is kitted out with a tiny 0.56-inch screen and an egg-shaped case rendered in one of three metallic colours – gold, silver or pearlescent pink – befitting its dual role as a piece of jewellery.
The gadget's display is rendered in full colour, but its design was simplified over two years of development to use only 64 components, compared to the 116 used in last year's Tamagotchi Paradise game.
The game's diminutive size has, however, come at the expense of an integrated USB port for charging. Instead, the ring is now charged via an accompanying case.
Instead of the pinprick-sized buttons in the front, the game is operated via two buttons on the side, allowing users to hatch, raise, feed and clean up after their digital pet.
Its clear plastic strap is available in ring sizes 10 and 14, with a spacer included to allow users to adjust the fit.
The ring, available exclusively in Japan, will bring back 30 Tamagotchi characters from the last 30 years, plus a secret bonus egg.
Virtual pets are among a slew of nostalgic 90s gadgets, like digital cameras and CDs, that have experienced a renaissance in recent years.
Elsewhere on Dezeen, we recently showed off a Tamagotchi-style reading companion designed to make books more fun for children and the world's "first emotionally intelligent" pocket-sized pet powered by AI.
The post Tamagotchi is reborn as a tiny playable ring for its 30th birthday appeared first on Dezeen.
