GigapetsARe back?

[Eggiweg]

https://www.facebook.com/GigaPetsAreBack/

https://gigapetsar.com/

https://gigapetsar.com/design-contest/

 

[Berryitchi]

OOH COOL!! Idk much about them... They gonna be in stores? If so perhaps I could get one...!

 

[Knighttchi's Ballad]

Yeah! Or, a reserved-for-later yeah as they seem to be US only. No doubt if they get popular enough they'll bring them to Canada although, at the moment they seem to be online only. I found this review on the page for the puppy:

Just like the originals but better! The design of the case and the pixel graphics are exactly like I remember from the original pets. I was worried that this would be similar to the 20th anniversary tamagotchi and only offer minimal gameplay, but I was pleasantly surprised to see all the features of the original (and then some!) The AR feature isn’t required to care for your GigaPetsAR but it does add a fun element of seeing your pet in 3D on your smartphone.

From my experience with the GigaPet monkey and GigaPet Yoda, GigaPets run like a basic virtual pet and do not have evolutions but sprite changes (not the case with Yoda though). Unlike the original Tamagotchi, GigaPets have no predetermined lifespan and can live indefinitely if given a certain quality of care - which my monkey would have done had not my clay back cover cracked. Comparing Tamagotchis to GigaPets, GigaPets had bigger and nicer sprites but mundane gameplay as once it has been run once - and in particular lived past 25-30 - there is nothing more to see. If they actually had a lifespan then the experience would be much better as it wouldn't exhaust its appeal on the first run because the process would start again from where there are actual changes. Their long life may have not been a case in the early days as I read a guide for GigaPets which gave me a few things to avoid, and probably that alone caused their long life.

To sum it up, GigaPets are decent virtual pets but ones that should only be run every once in while. No doubt some of mines I'll start up again but probably leave alone for a few months after I've finished running them. I feel GigaPets would be a more realistic alternative to Tamagotchis judging by the real life animal options available - cats, dogs, dinosaurs, monkeys, koalas, etc. - and how they often don't do anything too human-like, but I've only run the monkey. Having said that, the current options of a puppy, T-rex, and unicorn are very much in-line with the options given in the previous wave of GigaPets (there were also other kinds of GigaPet spin-offs such as Star Wars characters and also monsters like Frankenstein who weren't really raised).

 

[Berryitchi]

I WANT A GIGA PET CAT *sobs* Please come to the UK...! They can be muted, right? xD

 

[Penguin-keeper]

Firstly, let me just say that it's great to see that Giga Pets have returned. The fact that other companies outside of Bandai are doing this proves that there still is a market for this toy-category. The more the merrier!

Secondly, though, I have to say that I never liked the original Giga Pets because they were unreasonably needy and weren't very fun! They were a late response to the success of the Tamagotchi from the leading name in LCD-games at the time, who'd been caught off-guard by Bandai's products, and the fact that they were hastily-created always showed. If these new Giga Pets are anything like the old ones, I'm afraid that I'll have to pass.

Now for some thoughts;

1: THERE'S A PENGUIN! To the best of my knowledge, this is the first dedicated penguin virtual pet that's been released since the late 1990s.

2: I think that the example of the AR graphics shown on the website looks a bit creepy. But it looks like this feature is optional, which is just as well, since I have no interest in using it.

3: I like the animal options that are shown, but it looks like only three are available right now.

4: It's a major shame that these are US-only. That counts me out by default, even if how these play turns out to be improved over the originals.

I'll be watching this with cautious interest.

 

[Knighttchi's Ballad]

I WANT A GIGA PET CAT *sobs* Please come to the UK...! They can be muted, right? xD

Don't we all I LOVE cats - my avatar is probably a dead giveaway - and I suppose it would be really funny going nuts over a cat pet while there sits Mr. Wubbers, my real cat. I only have a dog Vpet, my Petogotchi, but I think having an actual kitty Vpet would have a very special charm. Yep, GigaPets can be muted and this is advertised in the instructions - in fact some instructions are even available online. It is a good thing too since they can be noisy as my monkey - which I'm assuming is like a regular GigaPet - would chirp ever so often (it has the wave 1 speakers which lacked animal noises).

I hope they come to Canada too, although that raises and interesting point. Even though I am mixed on GigaPets, I would not hesitate to buy one because it is a virtual pet. Yet, I would like to save up for the rerelease of the Original Tamagotchis and JapanYouWant makes buying other obscure virtual pets much easier. And I know things can continue their availability in the second-hand market. With all that, I could be persuaded to pass on GigaPets or at least ignore them for awhile. Not to mention the fluctuating aspect of money. That makes me realize that even if I had lived during the virtual pet boom back in the 90's and had been a full-blown virtual pet fanatic, I might not have accumulated a vast collection.

the fact that they were hastily-created always showed.

That makes an awful lot of sense from what I've observed. It is a good idea having a realistic Vpet but having this big long gap of nothing new till it is finally neglected to death seems pretty brainless. Yet, I think most people may have not had that problem if the natural function of giving it a time out to raise its discipline may really kill it. I guess some parts of its programming are also sloppy if functions that are not intuitively harmful are actually harmful. I suppose also that there are things that could be done with the concept to make each outcome more unique then the animal grows up and looks like all the other animals, even if that naturally happens.

2: I think that the example of the AR graphics shown on the website looks a bit creepy. But it looks like this feature is optional, which is just as well, since I have no interest in using it.

As someone who has never had a phone in her life, the AR feature being just an extra is a plus. I notice that allot of things have app tie-ins which is great for people who always have phones but for me felt like the physical product was probably less developed. Virtual reality games that use real life as a background are cool in concept but often turn out rather gimmicky.

 

[Berryitchi]

Aw, I have a bad history with cats but I thought the Giga Pet cat was cute. ;-; Well, I want one. xD Pleaaaseee come to the UK! x'D How much do you think they'll sell for? Ooh, I'll check Amazon, see if there are any on there x'D

Edit: £500.01! x'D Nice! Ooh, but there was another v-pet... but that's offtopic. xP

Psst... ref=sr_1_4

 

[Knighttchi's Ballad]

Psst... a classic knockoff tama from around the early connection days. One them has a really creepy spidery thing on a float that is pure nightmare fuel.

 

[Berryitchi]

Psst... a classic knockoff tama from around the early connection days. One them has a really creepy spidery thing on a float that is pure nightmare fuel.

Psst... thanks. x'D A spidery thing?! I have really bad arachnophobia! If that's the case, I'm NOT asking for it. xD

 

[Hapihapitchi]

This is all exciting! Anyone have details on when they're released in US stores and which ones?

I do drawback at the though after hearing the criticism but am still interested... also that contest looks AWESOME.

Anyone else notice the pun in the title? Just me? Was that intended or not? (GigaPets AR back vs. GigaPets are back)

 

[Hoky]

Pre-ordered a T-rex off their site. I don't really care about the AR aspect, but if the pet's fun, I don't mind paying that much for it.

 

[Jhud]

The good thing is that it looks like the AR thing is really not needed to enjoy the pet (you literally just use the packaging for it, not the actual pet itself, I think), guess they just made that app quickly to try to get to market the toy to toyday's kids a bit better, since AR is currently popular.

 

[Penguin-keeper]

Pre-ordered a T-rex off their site. I don't really care about the AR aspect, but if the pet's fun, I don't mind paying that much for it.

I'm looking forward to hearing your verdict on it!

 

[Hoky]

Yeah their official site almost seems sketchy, but I paid through PayPal and at worst I'm out $13. XD

I actually watched a few reviews on YouTube about the dog, and I gotta say, even though I don't think I'd ever get a dog or a cat or anything (WEIRD STUFF FOR ME THANKS), the animations look really good for simple pixel LCD graphics. It really shows you what craziness Tamagotchi could do if they went a simpler route. I think a lot of people would be fine with monochrome tamas if they had cool animations, especially considering even modern color tama animations are janky as all heck (but I still love 'em). I guess the puppy is actually like OUT out, according to their site.

:EDIT: Oh also, it looks like the app can scan the actual pet screen for the AR, not just the package, and you have to 'unlock' stuff on the pet to get it on the app. STILL DON'T REALLY CARE ABOUT THE APP. XD

 

[Berryitchi]

Allow me to scream. COME TO THE UK FOR CHRISTMAS, OR 6 MONTHS LATER FOR MY BIRTHDAYYYYY!!! *coughs* Think they heard me? xD I want the puppy... REALLY BAD. Or the cat. But preferably the puppy.

 

[Knighttchi's Ballad]

I feel a special kind of happiness knowing we all don't care about the app. I've already explained why, so just three cheers for quality physical products!

 

[Berryitchi]

CHEER 1 xDDD somebody take cheer 2 next xDD JK.

 

[Penguin-keeper]

Allow me to scream. COME TO THE UK FOR CHRISTMAS, OR 6 MONTHS LATER FOR MY BIRTHDAYYYYY!!! *coughs* Think they heard me? xD I want the puppy... REALLY BAD. Or the cat. But preferably the puppy.

I actually dropped them an e-mail to ask whether their online-store will offer shipping to the UK at some point, and they replied to say that they plan to offer shipping to the UK as soon as possible.

I was really glad to hear this, because I absolutely want to buy the penguin one, once it's available.

I feel a special kind of happiness knowing we all don't care about the app. I've already explained why, so just three cheers for quality physical products!

Haha, me too.

Still, I'm sure that these guys know their target-market, and I strongly suspect that the app is only there to try to catch the eye of some modern youngsters, in addition to the nostalgia market. It wouldn't be optional and as detached as it is, otherwise, I'm sure.

CHEER 1 xDDD somebody take cheer 2 next xDD JK.

Cheer 2!

 

[Berryitchi]

Yay! Actually, idk if I want the kitten now cuz it's pinkkkkkk x'DD

 

[Einfari]

Has anyone purchased one yet? They are cheap and I checked out the app for it on my phone. Definitely something I'm considering buying at this time.