I hate how badly I want the Tamagotchi Ring

Bandai sent Tamagotchi fans spiraling this week when it announced an upcoming Tamagotchi ring — not just an accessory designed to look like the beloved toy, as we've seen before, but a functional, playable tiny Tamagotchi that you wear on your finger. In a teaser video, it showed off three colorways: iridescent white/pink, silver/black and gold/blue. Pre-orders opened on August 27 and go through October 6. But for now, the device is only available in Japan, with no word on whether it will be officially released in the US and other countries. Naturally, pre-orders through all the resellers that ship internationally sold out immediately.

The ring costs 7,700 yen, or about $48. Expect the simplest form of gameplay, as this is the smallest working Tamagotchi yet, being tinier even than the Mini and Nano devices. And unlike those models, this one features a color screen.

There are over 30 Tamagotchi characters to raise on the ring. A demonstration video released alongside the announcement shows that the three main buttons on the front of the egg are actually just there for decoration, and the toy is instead controlled by pressing the two buttons on its sides. It comes with a cute charging cradle that the ring slots into so you can keep playing while it's plugged in. Sure it just about screams, "gimmick," but this thing is so damn cute. Needless to say, I must have it. It's expected to be released in February 2027.

Now if only Bandai would release a watch-style Tamagotchi that isn't absolutely massive. If it can make a color Tamagotchi this small, surely it can find the middle ground between the ring and the Uni to make a wrist-worn version that won't look quite so dorky. (Not that that ever stopped me from rocking it).