Sony Aibo 2018 Released For Sale In USA: Robot Dog Returns

Sony released the aibo 2018, the "First Litter Edition" to the United States today for the first time. This robot dog was made available for order and shipping to every one of the 50 United States except for one: Illinois. We don't know why Illinois, just yet, but we're certainly aiming to find out. Everyone else can get their robotic puppy shipped to them by mid-December, 2018.

The Sony aibo First Litter Edition weighs in at 4.85 lbs and is a "limited, all in one aibo bundle specifically made for the US market." In the box is the aibo itself, one aibone, paw pads, a pink ball, an aibo charging station, and a certificate of adoption. Just like you're getting a Build A Bear, but much, much more expensive. This aibo comes with an individually numbered commemorative dog tag, too.

Included with this aibo is 3 years of AI cloud service, according to Sony. Sony suggested that "Your aibo robotic dog includes 3 years of Cloud and Wireless Services necessary to take advantage of aibo's full functionality and learning capabilities." At the end of that 3-year period, the owner of aibo "will be responsible for any periodic fees" that come from service with aibo. This is "pursuant to a separate agreement between you and a third-party service provider."

Credit cards are needed to order an aibo from Sony, but credit cards will not be charged until aibo is shipped. So it's sorta like this is a pre-order, but also sorta not. Sony suggested on the sale page for aibo that they might need to re-collect credit card information at the time of shipping "to complete your purchase."

This version of aibo is SKU ERS-1000 and will cost a cool $2,899.99 USD over at Sony direct. Sony limited purchases to 3 units per person at the start of the sale, and it'll be interesting to see if they sell out in quick fashion. Have a peek at the timeline below to learn more about this little monster.