Technology in News: Tamagotchi Plus

Bandai has announced that more than 10,000,000 "Tamagotchi Plus" will have been sold by the end of July. Are these things really that popular still? Guess so...

Bandai announced on the 21st that they worldwide sales of the portable digital pet game, "Tamagotchi Plus," to break 10 million before the end of July.

The figure represents combined sales from the "They're back! Tamagotchi Plus" released in March of last year, and "Yuwai Keitai Kaitsu-! Tamagotchi Plus," released in November of last year.

Of these, 6 million units have been sold overseas. English versions of Tamagotchi Plus were introduced in 44 countries throughout Europe and Asia in May of last year.

The company indicates the reason for the device's popularity is its ability to use an infrared communication function. They stated that in a recent survey of 500 elementary school children, it was found that what they enjoy the most is communication games and exchanging gifts with their friends.

The first generation of Tamagotchi was released in November of 1996. Sales of this unit broke 40 million worldwide, to the point that counterfeit units started appearing. After the boom, Bandai's management faced pressure because of gross overstocking of the product. To bring about the revival of the Tamagotchi, the company elected a CTO ("Chief Tamagotchi Officer"), in charge unifying a development and sales strategy. The company thus was able to product another hit.