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Play Virtual Games at Marapets |
Tamagotchi For GameboyStill storming its way across the Japanese toy market is Bandai's immensely popular "Tamagotchi," the line of virtual pet products. Though still not introduced in the US (yet), the Tamagotchi has appeared in two incarnations as a key chain LCD-based game. Today, Bandai announced that it was developing the game for Nintendo's systems. The Game Boy will be the first Nintendo system to receive a Tamagotchi game, and will include both versions of the key chain game, as well as giving players the chance to raise three of the virtual birdies at once. Bandai expects the Game Boy version to be released as early as this summer, with a retail price of 4,286 yen ($US35), and it will be sold only in Japan. For those wondering what the Tamagotchi is, it's a key chain shaped like an egg with an LCD screen set in the middle. The pet lives on the screen, and it must be fed and taken care of just like a normal pet. If neglected, the bird will eventually die. The game runs on the notion that humans have a motherly instinct, and if a real pet cannot be obtained, then a virtual pet is the next best thing. The name is a play on the Japanese word for 'egg', as the key chains are egg-shaped. In Japan, they are in such demand that they are known to sell for up to three times the retail price, which is normally 1,980 yen ($US16). |
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