Tamegotchi Tame-what-chi?

August 23, 2010 - 12:00 pm

Despite past predictions, digital pets have never replaced the real furry McCoy.  We take a look at the techno pet and wonder why not.

Since time began, humans have always been in search of man’s best friend…heck, even cavemen probably tamed a woolly mammoth or two, but will all our gadget know-how, why have we not embraced the hi-tech pet?

Okay, so most gizmos aren’t furry and have that unconditional love of a dog, cat, dare we say fish, but the virtual pet is not without its advantages.

Think of the vet bills, the emotional upset of a beloved animal meeting its maker, the incessant shedding of hair and resulting allergies, not to mention the drool and erm, well, necessary clean-up operations…interested now?

New furry friend?

Techno pets past

It’s no surprise there have been past techno-pet success stories.  Remember the Tamegotchi?  For those who missed out, the literally translated ‘egg watch’ toys were first sold by Bandai in 1996, with sales of a staggering 70 million by 2008.  Owners looked after their pixelated pet using buttons on the pocket-sized screen.  A constant burden or loyal pet, the idea has now evolved with more advanced versions being released and an online portal to play online.

Sony produced the first commercial robotic dog in 1999, called Aibo.  Costing a considerable amount of pennies at the time, the robot could ‘see’ its environment using a camera and recognise basic commands, learning new skills and reacting to their environment like a real dog. 

Designed as a pet for busy people living in urban high-rise apartment blocks, Aibo evolved into several ‘breeds’ and sold 1.5 million units.  Sadly Sony stopped making its dog in 2006 but there is still an annual convention in Japan at Sony Robotics Tower…barking mad? 

Not all robotic pets have been so high-end though.  I bet you had a Furby.  An owlish-hamster-like hybrid, the bizarre fur-clad robot was a ‘must have’ circa Christmas 1998.  It sold over 40 million units in its three years of original production and ‘spoke in 24 languages…which other pet can do that? 

In its time it spawned several special editions including a president as well as babies.  Amusingly the toy hit the headlines when America’s National Security Agency banned them from their premises suspecting they could be spies.

So apart from being eccentric toys, will virtual or robotic pets ever replace our real fury friends?

Nintendo is the latest company to tap into our love of all things animal, with its forthcoming launch of the iconic Catz and Dogz game.  Originally names Petz, the Japanese gaming wizard’s games date back to 1995 and let a player adopt, raise and play with their pet on their DS portable console.  So far the series has sold over 3 million copies with that number set to rise.

Nintendo has listed the game in a selection for its highly anticipated 3DS consoles so animal lovers will be able to nurture their pets in three dimensions…almost like a real pet, but significantly smaller!

Excited about the future of techno-pets or will they never replace our real fury friends?  Tell us what you think.