Tag Archives: fitness

digimon seekers, digimon tcg, video game reviews

I’ve had the Vital Bracelet BE for a couple of months and still love it!

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I’ve had the for a couple of months now and think it is time for an update. Make sure you check out my initial post and my first update because I won’t be repeating some of the valuable information included in those.  

Since I started using the Vital Bracelet, I have lost 10 lbs. I have also started watching what I eat, kicked a few habits, and have become more active, but staying active has been easier because I want to train Digimon. I want to make it clear that the Vital Bracelet alone isn’t responsible for my weight loss, but collecting and training my Digimon has made it easier to stay motivated. Unless you like Digimon and enjoy collecting digital Vpets, this won’t work for you. 

If you are going to embark on this hobby, the first thing you should do is bookmark this Evolution guide. It has every Dim and their evolution track neatly displayed in an easy-to-read format. This will ensure that you are always working towards the Digimon you want.  

Two more things I’ve learned since the last time I posted: 

  1. If you use the bracelet like a keychain, having it in your pocket for bike rides tracks your vitals best 
  2. If you have a job where you aren’t very active, you can switch your Digimon out with the default watch adventurer (the green person) and bring them out when you are ready to train. 

My first serious partner in this whole adventure has been Angoramon. I have done the squats, and crunches, and walked the miles to almost complete the track. While I am not happy with who I will end up with, it is a great feeling to almost be done. I’ve made a few mistakes that I will improve on next time around, but I can’t wait to finally throw him into the app and send him on adventures.

If you are getting the Vital Bracelet, know that you are only going to be collecting and training vpets. The battle minigame is effectively dead. On a very rare occasion, when all the planets align on a Tuesday, you might find someone to battle, but I wouldn’t buy the bracelet if you want to battle others. This may change in future updates, but there will need some valuable incentives to get players to queue up to battle. 

Despite the lack of battles, I don’t regret buying the vital bracelet. I enjoy training my Digimon and appreciate that it gets me out of the house. The gameplay is simple a little simple, but I enjoy collecting enough where it doesn’t matter. I can’t wait for my trip to Japan when I can buy a bunch more Dims to train. 

If you want to buy your own Vital Bracelet, make sure you get the BE version. You can get it in white or black without the Dim if you are just looking to upgrade, or one that includes the dims imported from Japan. The Vital Bracelet VV is also a great option if want a watch with a dim included, and don’t mind the loud color. Don’t forget to get a screen protector! As careful as you might be, its going to get scratched. Make sure to shop around before you commit. You might be able to get them imported from a different retailer for cheaper. I am only linking to Amazon because it is easy. Until next time, thanks for reading! 

Tech Reviews, video game reviews

I’ve had Digimon Vital Bracelet BE for a Couple Weeks now…

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I’ve been using the Digimon Vital Bracelet for a couple of weeks, and I’ve got some things to say about the experience. Make sure you check out my initial impressions for some context that I won’t be repeating in this update.

If you buy the Vital Bracelet, get a screen protector. I was incredibly careful and still managed to get some notable scratches after the first few days. I didn’t expect to get gorilla glass with this toy, but I did expect something a bit sturdier for something meant to encourage fitness. You can get reasonably priced screen protectors on Amazon, but I’ve been using tape. It won’t protect the face from serious impacts, but it will help mitigate the scratches. If you want this device to last you a while, I recommend investing in some added protection.

I have a smartwatch that I use to track vitals, so I wore two watches for about a week before I was told I couldn’t. You are going to notice how cheap the bands feel, but that feeling goes away after a bit of use. They work well enough, and you don’t have to worry about them coming randomly undone. You can buy nicer sturdier bands on eBay, but I can’t vouch for the quality. As a fitness tracker, it’s not accurate. The watch does a good enough job to track your vitals for the game, but I wouldn’t rely on it for an accurate assessment. There is a specific market for this game, and if you like vpets and enjoy the IPs, it’s a fine watch with a cute little character you can interact with. The design is subtle and won’t look out of place if you decide to take it around people.

After a week, I removed the bands and carried them around like a key chain. I put a piece of clear tape over the sensor to trick the device into thinking it was still reading my vitals. This setup isn’t as accurate as wearing it as a watch, but the difference is negligible. If you have the means and want to spend a bit extra, you can find special cases online that do the same and provide a bit more protection. I haven’t looked into these options too deeply, but I’ve seen some cool stuff. Always make sure you read the reviews and buy from reputable sources.

I love most of the experience with the Vital Bracelet so far. It might be a symptom of the novelty, but I’ve found it easier to convince myself to be more active. I understand this alone won’t make me fit, but I have been a lot more active since. This only works for me because I love Digimon, and there is a meaningful incentive. If you aren’t a fan of Digimon or any of the available IPs, you won’t get the same kind of drive from something like this.

The worst part of this whole experience is the official companion app. The app is slow, clunky, and buggy. I was able to upload my first Digimon to test things out, but I haven’t been able to get her back. I know there are workarounds and an update I’ll need to look into, but it is frustrating to have a portion of this game not work out of the box. Before getting the Vital Bracelet, I saw a lot of user frustration online surrounding the app’s performance. I brushed it off as gamers being resistant to change, but there is some truth to how terrible this app is. It doesn’t work, and when it does, it is frustratingly slow. If Bandai wants the Vital Bracelet to be successful, they need to work on making this app more seamless and smooth. At the moment, the app is the biggest barrier to entry, and I find it hard to recommend it to people who aren’t that invested in Digimon.

That said, I am still hopeful about the Vital Bracelet’s future. There seems to be a healthy population of people who play the game regularly despite the app’s flaws. Bandai recently dropped an update that people seem to be happy about, and there are some workarounds I need to look into to set Jellymon free. That said, it is hard to recommend a game that isn’t exactly polished. I don’t mean to say that to discourage you from buying a Vital Bracelet. If you like Digimon or any of the supported IPs, it’s a cute thing to collect. There are enough forums and discords out there to make this product usable, but it is frustrating to buy something that isn’t perfectly usable out of the box.

If you want to buy the watch, the BE is the latest edition. You can get them on Amazon without a Dim in Black and White. The VV version does include a dim if you don’t mind the red. Your other option is to have them imported from Japan through either eBay or a trusted online retailer. I’ve seen Zenintcg thrown around a bit, but I haven’t bought from them. Always make your own research.

digimon seekers

So I got a Vital Bracelet BE

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Bandai has come out with the web novel Digimon Seekers to sell their latest fitness toy, the Vital Bracelet BE. I’ve written my first impressions of the project in a previous post and am currently revising the story to fix some of the awkward translations. Because of how invested I am in this series now, I broke down and bought one for myself. I’d like to say that I got the watch to have hands-on experience to help me with my writing, but honestly, the advertising probably got me first. 

The Vital Bracelet is a fitness tracker that lets you carry your favorite Digimon wherever you go. You train your Digimon by being active and completing exercises. If you want to buy a Vital Bracelet, I think the best place to start is with the Vital Bracelet VV. It sells for a decent price and comes with one of the newer dims. The only difference between the VV and BE version is that the VV is themed after the Ghost Game anime. The BE is functionally the same but has no Dim included. The BE come are available in black and white. I believe the idea was to have the BE available for those who needed the upgrade but already had Dims to play with.  

「Strong! Strong! Strong!」
Aurola

I got the Vital Bracelet Be because I wanted it sooner. I went with the Angoramon Jellymon dims because they were cheap. Keep in mind these older dims won’t have as good stats as those from the BE dims, but they are nice for collecting. I am rocking Jellymon at the moment because she reminds me of Splatoon.  

Out of the box you get the Vital Bracelet BE, a micros usb cable, and instructions manual. The manual is in Japanese only, but someone translated the instructions online. The watch looks like a Fitbit, but the straps do feel a bit flimsy. I found the fit to be perfect despite my thick arms. There are longer straps available if you need them, but I can’t speak about the quality of those. You can also find replacements on eBay.

As a fitness tracker, it’s good enough. Keep in mind that it isn’t as accurate as a Fitbit. I assume you aren’t buying this for fitness tracking but rather for the game included. I will be wearing this in addition to my smartwatch because I need the tracking, but I understand I will be looking like a crazy person. There are methods of carrying the device without having to use it as a watch, but I wanted to test it as intended for a bit.   

I haven’t had the watch long enough to try out the app yet, but I do intend to do so as soon as possible. I understand the Digimon I have at the moment won’t be competitive, and it’s fine. I’ve only had the watch for a day, and I like it. I will return with an update once I’ve had it a bit longer. If you like Digimon vpets and want a fitness tracker without all the extra features, it might be worth looking into.