I built an AI Tamagotchi before Meta could

Bulletin, Specola Galactica observatory log, 31 October 2026.

The Verge AI reports a hobbyist build preempting a commercial product. The piece, titled “I built an AI Tamagotchi before Meta could,” describes Meta’s planned holiday device, the Muse Charm, a wearable meant to carry an AI companion with a simplified, cartoonish face, in the style of a Tamagotchi.

The author states they built a comparable device independently, at a cost of $50. The homemade version lacks the cameras and 5G cellular radio reportedly planned for Meta’s commercial product, but according to the author it does connect to an AI system (referred to as Muse) and displays its own avatars. The author notes the device also functions as a pocket watch.

The source frames the project as a learning exercise, stating the experience was worthwhile regardless of the final device’s limitations compared to the commercial original.

The Verge AI’s accompanying note situates the story within a broader trend of increasingly accessible AI companion hardware, and raises questions about the ethics of embedding AI systems into personal, wearable devices, though the bulletin source does not elaborate further on those questions beyond the framing itself.

No additional technical specifications, pricing comparisons, or release timeline for Meta’s Muse Charm are given in the available material.