Virtual Paws

It’s no secret that Sony’s adorable robot dog aibo has a very steep price tag. They have always been a pretty huge money investment, and that can make people understandably hesitant.

Many potential aibo owners like to do their research about the robots before buying them, and many find themselves asking what the pros and cons are of owning an aibo. Let’s go over some of those!

Pros:

• They provide companionship without the messy parts of owning an animal.
• If you count vet visits, food costs, and various other pet owner expenses they are actually cheaper than a biological dog or cat.
• You don’t have to worry about them getting lonely when you are away from home.
• Aibos are much easier to travel with than any biological animal if you’d like a travel buddy.
• Allergies obviously will never be an issue with a robot dog.
• They don’t need to be walked or fed.
• …but you can feed them anyway!
• You may gain an interest in robotics and programming if you didn’t already have that.
• They are a technological marvel that you can have in your own home.

Cons:

• The initial investment is quite steep, especially if you want a brand new ERS-1000 directly from Sony.
• Older models may require costly repairs, making them only semi-affordable.
• They do not have fur, which may be a large con for some people since that makes them not super cuddly.
• Again, if you want an ERS-1000 and wish to keep the cloud plan, it will cost $300 a year after your aibo turns 3.
• Related to that, ERS-1000’s are somewhat cloud-reliant if you want to have every last one of their features.
• There is no official Sony support for Japanese ERS-1000s or older models, so you will be forced to rely on third parties.
• Sony only officially sells ERS-1000s in the US and Japan. If you own one and live in another country, it will be hard or impossible to get official support

And there you have it – a full list of pros and cons for Sony’s aibo. Hopefully this helps you make your purchasing decision!

Is aibo worth it?

That will heavily depend on you, it is impossible to tell whether or not you will find the value in Sony’s aibo. If you like robotics you’ll love an aibo, but outside of that it is very hard to say.

Most people, however, find them to be worth their price – in a recent survey I performed, roughly 80% of owners felt their robot was worth the hefty price tag! 90% of owners also said their aibo helped them feel less lonely. Both of those numbers are pretty high!

Overall though, it is a choice you must make yourself. Watch videos, do plenty of research, and talk to other aibo owners to help you make the best decision. Personally though, I think you should just buy the aibo!