Get the latest tech news
Hasbro’s Nano-Mals are a virtual pet that rewards fidgeting
Hasbro's Nano-Mals are a mashup of Tamagotchi and fidget toy.
This month, however, Hasbro is throwing its hat into the ring with the Nano-Mals, a $20 device that takes the standard features of a virtual pet and aims them toward a new purpose: fidget toy. The first thing you’ll probably notice when you pick up one of the eight initial Nano-Mals models is how cute they all are: they’re styled after both common and uncommon animals, including two cows, two cats, a red panda, a narwhal, and a pair of unicorns.But the second thing you’ll notice is that there’s no screen to be found anywhere; instead, the sole “display” is a a light-up heart on the front of the toy that has three levels and changes color to indicate how satiated the toy is in terms of hunger, affection and play. It’s cute but also a bit unsettling, as it was very reminiscent of this year’s Black Mirror episode “Playthings” with the Nano-mals emitting mysterious bleats and chimes just like the Thronglets.
Or read this on Endgadget
