New to the world of Tamagotchi! Advice for first pet?

Hello! I'm ONLYUSEmeFEET and have recently gotten back into the world of virtual pets. I've had a few pets as a kid, including the unofficial MGM Godzilla pet and a Neopets Krawk Island device, but sadly I've not seen either for over 10 years. I've played with friends' Tamagotchis in the 90s but never had one of my own, unless the plastic Happy Meal toys count.

A few weeks ago, I bought a V1 Digimon and have been having a blast! Sadly, my first Champion Digimon was Numemon, but the journey of raising him was fun and I did manage to get Agumon as my Rookie my first time. I love Digimon but I can't help but feel I'm missing out on the experience of battling others, especially given that's the only way to get Ultimates. I could buy a second Digimon to battle with but I'd really only use it as a punching bag for my main Digimon so I'm not keen on doing that. Not to mention I don't want another V1 and V2-V5 pets cost more, which I can't justify buying.

I love collecting retro video games so my current plan is to buy Digimon Virtual Pet for my Bandai Wonderswan with the Prong connector accessory so I can have an awesome retro game with the added functionality of having up to 10 Digimon at once, one of which can be dedicated to being a punching bag for my V1. Unfortunately, complete copies of Digimon Wonderswan are hard to come by so I'm stuck waiting for one to appear online.

So why do I want a Tamagotchi? Well, as stated earlier, I don't like the connectivity aspect of Digimon (well, it's an awesome idea, just nobody to connect to is a bummer), so having a self-contained Tamagotchi seems better. I'm open to any suggestions on Tamagotchis but I'm looking at the ones that came out in the 90s, since that's what I grew up with. I'm not opposed to the later ones, I'm just honestly confused by their features and what they offer. They also seem focused on connectivity which, as stated above, I'm not crazy about. If you can sell me on a newer one, I may go that route. The smartphone connectivity does seem interesting.

Right now, I'm most interested in the original P1 Tamagotchi (I remember most of the characters from my childhood and Bill seems hilarious) and Mothra Tamagotchi (I love Godzilla and Digimon so this one seems catered to my interests). I'm also interested in the P2, Devilgotchi, and Ocean. I'm not too great at raising virtual pets (as seen by my Numemon experience) so I'm looking for one relatively easy to raise. The ones I listed seem to share most of the same functions (Devilgotchi seems different with how you raise it) but if one is "better" than the others, I'd love to know why. I'm also curious in general buying tips and if there's any hardware/software malfunctions I should be concerned about. Also any general tips and advice are welcome!

I should have known there would be a website dedicated to Tamagotchis. This is awesome to see, I've always had a curiousity for virtual pets. Thanks for having a great community!

Welcome to TamaTalk! I would recommend a Tamagotchi 4U, as it has a Babysitter feature, so the babysitter cares for the Tama for you (until 5 PM), but I also recommend finding a Menu translator and Guidebook translator, as the whole thing will be in Japanese.

Hello and welcome back to the world of virtual pets! ^_^

I can't really help much on the classic Tamagotchi/Digimon side of things, I'm afraid. I had a Connexion about ten years ago and a Digivice, but I've not run either in a very long time. However, I can give you my two pence on the colour Tamas.

I've run the iD L E, the 15th Anniversary iD L and the P's. Soon going to have a 4U+. Personally, my favourite model is the iD L; it does have a lot of features, but they're really fun! One of my favourites is planting seeds in the garden to grow new items.

I also ran my iD L E for two years before I bought a Tamagotchi it could connect to and don't feel I really missed out on anything. Personally, I think the download feature is more engaging than the connection feature (as you say, it's no fun on your own). You won't be able to get all 32 characters without connecting though, although it's possible to do with just one more model, which can be any Tama that will connect (so iD L, iD, P's, etc.). There's a few different versions of this model too, each with their own features; regular, English, Anniversary and Spacey. The Anniversary version has some of the old 90's characters on it (this was one of my primary reasons for buying it) and some of the background designs are very retro; it gives a feeling of nostalgia while still being a colour Tama.

However this model is in Japanese (unless you're lucky enough to get an iD L E), so if you're unsure of the slew of features this may not be the best one to go for/start with. I mean, it's simple enough to navigate in Japanese and there's plenty of guides about online, but I can see how it might get frustrating. As I said, this is my favourite model and I absolutely adore the Anniversary version (although not the price tag).

The P's probably has even more features than the iD L, but on the other hand it's cheaper and, if you have an irDa lead, possible to fully patch into English for free. The growth system is also less frustrating than that of the iD L in my opinion. Much like the iD L, I find the download feature more fun than the connection feature, so no worries about that. Connection isn't necessary unless you want to collect stamp items or all 32 characters (in which case you will need three P's; there's only one model of this, so you'd have to get duplicates, which is an annoyance when you don't have friends with Tamas.

The biggest selling point of the P's is the pierces, which are like mini expansion packs. I thought they'd be a bit gimmicky, but I'm actually loving them. Some are getting to be quite expensive now though. Non of the pierces really have retro characters though. However, if you have access to downloads, you can get 'virtual deco pierces' (VDPs), which are fan made 'pierces'. The aim of these is to try and bring back some of the old, retro Tamas to the colour screen. There's quite a few available now, so it may be worth having a browse to see if there's anyone you like.

Both the iD L and the P's also have an unofficial pause function, by setting the time and not leaving/completing the screen, which can help when life gets in the way of trying to care for your Tama!

From what I've heard about the 4U/4U+, it seems to be the most self contained. I don't think any of the characters require connections to obtain. There's also significantly less Tamas (ten/twelve, depending on model) and it's meant to be simpler than either the iD L or the P's. It seems very download reliant though as it has less built in features; this is fine for me as, as I've already mentioned, I really enjoy adding downloads to my Tamas. Currently this is only available in Japanese, although an English patch is being worked on. May be best to check that you can access the download features before you buy this version; the app has also been translated into English. There is a 'touch-card' available for this model that brings back some retro Tamas and makes everything black and white, which looks great fun, but it's not only expensive but difficult to find. You'd probably do better just buying a retro Tama.

I think from what you've said, of the modern Tamas I would recommend the P's as having it in English makes it easier to navigate and has the potential for retro characters. It's also the cheapest. Unfortunately, it is also the most connection reliant.

Hope this helps a little, even if it just solidifies the idea that modern Tamas are not for you! Good luck in finding your perfect Tamagotchi! =)

EDIT;; double post.

Thanks for the insight on the newer Tamagotchis! I've been up all night comparing their features and checking them out. None of them actually seem that complicated; I didn't realize how optional the connectivity aspect was. And navigating Japanese menus is nothing new to me, I import Japanese video games all the time! And actually, my v1 Digimon is the Japanese version.

From what I've researched, the 4U seems to be the best option for me. The fact it's the latest and my phone can work with the NFC functionality is awesome. I was considering going for a P's, but they're actually more expensive on ebay at the moment. Also, as a guy in his early 20s, the pierce designs are not for me. I'm also not a fan of physical DLC, even if I did have a year-long stint collecting amiibos. As for the iD, it's also more expensive than a 4U and more complicated. But I'm not getting a 4U yet. I'm considering waiting a bit longer and going for a 4U+.

So, I went ahead and bought a Mothra Tamagotchi. I really love Godzilla so even if I'm not a fan, it's still an awesome item for my Godzilla collection. I think I'll love it, though. I love how Mothra Larva looks and the fact it's possible to get Godzilla as a secret character seems really fun to shoot for. I'm going to try the Tamagotchi app on my Android phone again, which used to crash. If it works, it's a cheap way for me to play with the p1 and p2 Tamagotchis.

Thanks again for your posts. And if anyone else has additional advice on the Tamagotchis mentioned here, a 4U guide, or knowledge on the Mothra Tamagotchi I'm getting soon, I'd love to hear it.

~SkrillexGotchi~ said:

Welcome to TamaTalk! I would recommend a Tamagotchi 4U, as it has a Babysitter feature, so the babysitter cares for the Tama for you (until 5 PM), but I also recommend finding a Menu translator and Guidebook translator, as the whole thing will be in Japanese.

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I would not get the tamagotchi 4u if it was my first tamagotchi, and I have not been playing it for long. The tamagotchi 4u might get boring after a while if you can't use infrared to download stuff into the tama.

And a tamatalk moderator called tamamum has had a Mothra , and might be able to help you.

Hello!

I wanted to give some insight on Tamagotchi Connection v1 and v2. (Though this may not apply to your question anymore. I just wanted to give my opinion) I played with an original (I think... that version is referred to Tamagotchi P?) in the 90s as well. With that version there is no pause feature and that can be sort of a problem.

When Tamagotchi Connection came out in I believe 2004, there was the pause feature. This feature is perfect! If you are going to be gone for a long amount of time, press buttons A + B together, and the game is paused. When paused your clock will continue. Press the two again, and the game will continue. Though this new version does have the ability to connect, it is not all about the connection. The connection just lets you have a little extra fun and possible mating the two Tamagotchis. Tamagotchi Connection v1 introduces two new games.

However, in Tamagotchi Connection v.2 the shop has been added and your Tamagotchi can actually play with items like roller skates, action figures, etc. I think that's a really cool feature and you can do that for your Tamagotchi. Both instruction manuals you can find online too. And here is a list for the shop for connection version 2 https://tamagotchi.wikia.com/wiki/Tamagotchi_Connection_Version_2/List_of_Shop_Items

Welcome to Tamatalk! I recommend for a first timer (kind of) a V4.5, as its very straight forward, doesn't rely on gimmicks, not too expensive, a wide variety of characters, the inclusion of shops, ALOT of games, and just an awesome first experience! Ive had mine for a long time, and its still holding up! That, or a V4, which is a less, but still awesome, version! I would definately not recommend a color version as your first purchase, as they're a little bit.....complicated. But yeah, a V4.5 is my recommendation!