This is an example of a P1 Tamagotchi. This was the
very first Tamagotchi released. It was originally geared at high school girls, but even Japanese businessmen were carrying
around the little pets, taking care of them in between meetings or whenever they had a free moment. Some of them probably
even took care of them during the meetings ;)
Here is a quote directly from the package:
"Tamagotchi
is a tiny pet from cyberspace who needs your love to survive and grow. If you take good care of your Tamagotchi pet,
it will slowly grow bigger, healthier, and more beautiful every day. But if you neglect your cyber creature, your Tamagotchi
may grow up to be mean or ugly. How old will your Tamagotchi be when it returns to its home planet? What kind of virtual
caretaker will you be?"
This Tamagotchi had six adult characters that your Tamagotchi could ultimately
become. Here is a growth chart:
I currently have two P1's. You can look at them on
the page that shows my collection.
Generation 2 (P2)
In reality, the P2 is hardly different from the P1 when it comes to strategy
and caretaking methods. But aside from the colors, the biggest difference between P1 and P2 is the characters. The growth
chart, however, does have a similar structure. Here it is:
I had one of these when they first came out. Unfortunately,
it got sold in a garage sale :( But I would really like it back!
Tamagotchi Connection V1
Not only is this Tamagotchi bigger, but it has far
more features than the originals did. Perhaps the most popular one is the ability to use infra red connection to connect with
other Tamagotchi's, hence the name "Tamagotchi Connection". I personally prefer the older ones, but the Connection's
are fun, too. The Connection has a greater quantity of and a bigger variety of characters. Here is a growth chart:
Another very important feature is the concepts of
mating and generations. In this version, when a Tamagotchi becomes an adult, you can use the infra red connection to mate
two Tama's, or you can wait for the Matchmaker to come and arrange a marriage. Either way, you can make a big Tamagotchi family
tree.
I have two Tamagotchi Connection's, which you can view at my Collection page.
I debugged one of them, or, in other words, I screwed around with the circuit board, and one of them functions normally. I
strongly advise against debugging.
Tamagotchi Connection V2
The V2 may appear the same as the V1, but it's not.
It has new characters and new features. Other than the characters, the main difference is the new implementation of Gotchi
points, which the owner earns through playing games. The points are used to buy things with the shop feature. Also, you can
enter passwords at the shop screen. This particular version of the Tamagotchi came in a very vast variety of colors. I
used to have one, but I lost that, too.
Tamagotchi Connection V3
You might think that antenna makes a difference,
but it's not. That's not what does it. The features are basically the same, only you can choose from four meals and snacks,
there are new games, and there is a password feature that allows you to enter passwords to get special items. You can get
special but non-usable items though passwords given to you at the TamaTown website. You can even donate some of your points
to "The King", but I'm not sure what that does yet.
