When the Tamagotchi first launched all those decades ago, it took the world by storm. It was just a bunch of simple animations on a monochrome LCD, but it had heart, and people responded to that. Modern technology is capable of so much more, so [CiferTech] set out to build a virtual pet that can sniff out WiFi networks.
The build employs an ESP32-S3, perhaps the world’s favorite microcontroller that has WiFi baked right in from the factory. It’s paired with a 240×240 TFT LCD that delivers bright, vivid colors to show the digital pet living inside. Addressable WS2812B LEDs and a simple sound engine provide further feedback on the pet’s status.
The pet has various behaviors coded in, like hunting, exploring, and resting, and moods such as “happy,” “curious,” and “bored.” For a bit of environmental reactivity, [CiferTech] also made the local WiFi environment play a role. Nearby networks can influence the “hunger, happiness, and health” of the pet.
Incidentally, if you’ve ever wondered what made the Tamagotchi tick, we’ve explored that before, too.
My first reaction was that you leave this thing at home, and your phone connecting to your home wifi would let it know you were arriving, like a dog hearing your car coming down the street.
I wonder if a virtual pet could transfer around from your computer, to a set top tv box, to your phone, etc.
With home automation controlling things, your virtual dog could show up on the big screen to greet you when you get home.
Having said that, a guess a virtual cat would be easier to code. It doesn’t care that you’re home, so the coding and system configuration are done before they’re even started.🙂
I suspect this can be modded to make a budget pwnagotchi
This kind of reminds me a bit the Hashmonster, also for previous relatives in the ESP32 family
I still got a pwnagotchi somewhere, based on the raspberry pi w. It’s a funny thing to play around with.