Introduction

The Tamagotchi 4U is a Japan-exclusive color screen Tamagotchi that originally released in 2014. Its upgraded model, the 4U+, released in 2015. There are few differences between the two models, few enough that they are elaborated upon on the Shells page.

The most notable thing about its gameplay is that it is perhaps the most discipline-centric color model. While discipline was an important mechanic in the monochrome models, it was largely eschewed starting with the Plus Color. However, in the 4U series, one can use praise and discipline to teach the Tamagotchi basic life skills, most crucially potty training.

Another gimmick of the device is that it is very customizable---not only did Bandai release a great number of straps, lanyards, charms, and cases for the device, but the faceplate can be popped out of the front and easily swapped for other plates that Bandai produced at that time. However, please note that these faceplates are often scalped far beyond MSRP, and thus it's probably not worth it to indulge in this device gimmick unless you find a good deal.

Finally, it must be noted that the 4U series uses a different connectivity mode than other color models. While all other color models use infrared to connect to other Tamagotchis and peripheral devices, the 4U series uses NFC technology to do so, and thus it has no backwards or forwards compatibility with any devices outside of its series. (As far as I am aware, one cannot connect a 4U or 4U+ to a Tamagotchi Friends.)

While some amount of this information has been sourced from the Tamagotchi Fandom Wikia (see Special Thanks), I intend to write a good portion of this guide from my own experience playing with the device, as the wikia primarily discusses meta info as opposed to play strategies. (Also, while the Tamagotchi wikia is actually good, Fandom is not an ideal host for any info.) While I am not fluent in Japanese by any means, I can read hiragana and katakana, so I can, at the very least, provide a 4U+ menu translation since that device has no menu patch.