Bandai is to bring back Tamagotchi - the digitised pet you used to keep in your pocket - in the form of an app for iPhone and Android.

Coming soon to iTunes and Google Play, Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. (Love is fun everywhere) is an updated version of the original, in which you had to feed and keep a virtual pet amused as it went from the start of its life to its eventual demise. If Pocket-lint's old Tamagotchis are anything to go by, that won't be long. It's amazing what a glass of water can do to technology.

There's a retro mode on the app that allows you to play the game as was originally intended back in the 1990s, but now you will be able to save your Tamagotchis in the mobile device, rather than have to restart each and everytime you forget to feed it for a few days.

There are also mini-games to play with your Tamagotchi, wallpapers to unlock, and more.

At present, Bandai hasn't revealed when the app will become available, listing it as simply "soon". It does, however, have a truly bonkers dedicated website to Tamagotchi L.i.f.e. that it describes as a "whole new experience that’s part fashion, part friendship, part community and all fun!".

Visit it at tamagotchilife.com if you dare.

Pic: (cc) Lisa Ann