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A long time ago, when I lived with a friend in an apartment in San Francisco, we had a hamster. It was the first time I’d ever had a furry little animal on my own. My roommate and I were smitten. We thought to ourselves, let’s give this little rodent the kind of love and freedom we would give to a cat or dog. We bought the hamster a ball enclosure so she could roam free around the apartment. We had a whole day of giggles and cuteness as the ball worked around our two-bedroom apartment. “Look at her go!” we exclaimed to one another. We felt like a happy little family.
The next day, the hamster did not wake up. I’m still not sure what happened to this day. (It’s not like anyone performed an autopsy.) One theory is that the hamster was already too sick to exist when she was brought home from the pet store and that the ball run was her final ride into the dawn. The other theory is that she suffered head trauma from rolling around the apartment in that ball and running into the walls. Whatever happened, it was devastating to both of us. I’ve never wanted to bring a rodent into my home to love ever again, fearing the heartbreak that would inevitably befall me.
Fortunately, we live in an era dominated by electronic pets, which effectively do not die. A new toy coming this fall is the Bitzee Hamster Ball. It’s from Spin Master, the same toy maker making the Bitzee Cube, which features a fluttering, projected virtual pet you could physically pet to interact with. The Hamster Ball is a slightly different experience. It’s an electronic hamster that never leaves its ball. You can roll it around to make the hamster walk like you would in real life. The hamster reacts to touch and movement through its four cap sensors, one on each side of the ball, and it knows when you tilt, roll, shake, or lift the unit.
There are 20 different hamsters to collect, each of which you’ll have to evolve from a baby to a “super”—an adult. Five mini-games are included, and a customization mode lets you dress up your hamster. You can collect items to play with, make friends, and feed your hamster food and treats, all through the interactive interface embedded into the ball. Each set of three AA batteries lasts between three and five hours of playtime, though the Bitzee Hamster Ball takes about 14 hours to play through its entirety.
The hamsters do not croak in this virtual pet, not in the way that Bandai’s Tamagotchi does. Instead, if you ignore the hamsters, they will block you, and you’ll have to roll the ball around to win them back. Each hamster has a phone, too, and if you ignore the hamster friends when they call your hamster, they’ll ghost you until you look for them again. The point is not to forget your hamster, or you’ll have to start back from the beginning.
Bitzee is showing off the Hamster Ball at this weekend’s Toy Fair in New York City. The toy will cost $40 and will be on sale this fall, just in time for the holiday shopping season.
