Takara Hatches Virtual Pets

Known in the States for its Toshinden games, Takara is also a major toy manufacturer in Japan. Not to be outdone by Bandai's Tamagotchi, the company has announced that it has teamed up with Ado Electronic Industrial Co. to market virtual pets of its own. The new pets will be released in early September in Japan, and the companies hope that it will be a hit.

Selling for about US$20, the new pets will be manufactured by Ado, and sold at retail by Takara. To outdo the other virtual pets on the market, these will be able to reproduce, and players can take photographs of their pets and print them out using a special printer.