For years the story of Tamagotchi has been one of shrinking. The original egg was already small; the Nano got smaller; this year's Ring wraps a color-screen pet around your finger. So it is a pleasant surprise that the newest member of the family goes the other way.
Tamagotchi Paradise - My Lab Tamagotchi is a desk-sized "Home Deka Tamagotchi," meaning a big device built for your living room instead of your pocket. Bandai revealed it early in October, and it ships in Japan on Saturday, November 7, priced at ¥9,900 (about $70). No lab coat required, just a set of AAA batteries.
A Store Unit Comes Home
The concept might feel familiar, and that is because you have probably seen it already. For a while Bandai has parked large Lab Tama units in stores and at events so people could play with the Tamagotchi Paradise lineup. My Lab takes that experience indoors, built to team up with the handheld Paradise devices, and later this month with the new Neon Planets model releasing November 21.
Collect, Lure, Log
The core loop turns you into a field researcher. You play mini-games in the Egg Hunt to gather food, then set out on a Field Work expedition with that food in hand. The twist is discovery-driven: the characters you meet change depending on which food you bring and which field you explore. So you are not just raising one pet. You are trying to encounter as many of the 150-plus Tamagotchi as you can, filling out your research record along the way.
Climbing your researcher level unlocks the Lab's favorite tool, a docking simulation. Pick three characters from your encyclopedia and combine them to see what kind of child they might produce. Bandai says there are more than 300,000 possible combinations, which turns the device from a toy into a "what if" generator you can run as often as you like.
Build, Decorate, Send
Between expeditions you earn Gotchi Points by playing part-time job mini-games. Those points buy crafting materials, which you combine into play equipment and planet decorations. Set them in your own garden and the Tamagotchi you have encountered will come by to use them.
The fun does not stop on the big screen. Through the tsūshin (wireless) connection, items you craft on My Lab can be sent over to your handheld Tamagotchi Paradise devices, including Pink Land, Blue Water, Purple Sky, Jade Forest, Orange Tropics, and White Glacier. Your laboratory work has a real payoff in the game you already own.
A Big Answer to a Small Question
My Lab lands at a fitting moment. While the spotlight has been on tiny, wearable, collectible Tamagotchis, this device argues the opposite: there is room for one that lives on your desk and turns caring into discovering. It is social in a quieter way, less about one egg's daily chores and more about cataloging a whole species and tinkering with the strange combinations the lab cooks up.
North American collectors will need some patience; the fan wiki lists a December 2026 release across the pond, with pricing still to be confirmed. Japanese fans do not have to wait. If you have ever wanted to run a Tamagotchi research station without leaving home, November 7 is the day the lab opens.