Tamagotchi returns: Electronic pet reborn as app

Sync Beatz, which has licensed Tamagotchi from Bandai, is calling the app "Tamagotchi L.i.f.e." — with "L.i.f.e" standing for "love is fun everywhere." Much like the original doodad, the app tasks users with taking care of a virtual pet by pressing buttons that simulate feeding, disciplining and playing with the critter on screen. If a Tamagotchi is neglected, it dies.

"The idea was to base the gameplay on the original Tamagotchi that everyone knows and loves," said Shin Ueno, chief marketing officer at Sync Beatz. "As we move along, every two months, we'll refresh the app, and it will evolve."

The colorful app, which Ueno said will later be available for Apple devices, features unlockable characters, backgrounds and shells. It's split between two modes: an old-school one that works like the original — right down to three buttons on the shell — and an app mode that utilizes the touchscreen and allows users to play rock, paper, scissors with their pets.

The "Tamagotchi L.i.f.e." app is free, and a version without ads costs 99 cents. While there have been a few Tamagotchi clones available for mobile devices, this marks the first official Tamagotchi app to come from Bandai, which has released updated versions of the toy since the first Tamagotchi hatched 16 years ago.