Iaroslav Chuikov

Urso 1.0 — A Tamagotchi-bear that cares for your well-being

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Turn your daily routine into a fun game with Urso! Track your goals, build habits, and master self-care, one tap at a time. Earn rewards, collect cool outfits, decorate your cozy den together. Unwind and enjoy a mindful journey with your virtual self-care pal.

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Anton Shay
Hello, fellow makers! I’m Anton, the founder of Urso. About a year ago, we launched our very first beta, and you welcomed us with so much warmth. Thanks for being awesome! Today, we’re excited to share a huge update, bringing new mechanics, fresh visuals, and even deeper gamification to make self-care even more fun. Urso is still your friendly virtual self-care buddy, but now he’s less about teaching and more about helping you manage your goals and build habits. The app now features an improved 3D scene with a cozy new den that you can customize in so many ways to create a personal space for you and Urso. In so many words, we truly believe the app is more beautiful and even more suited for everyday use than before. We hope you’ll love it even more! TURN SELF-CARE INTO A FUN GAME 🕹️ Daily self-care can feel like a chore, but it’s way more fun with a friend by your side! Urso is a tamagotchi-like mindful game where you help your virtual pal grow and upgrade his cozy little home by doing simple things that boost your mental health and well-being. It’s a stress-free game where everyone wins! BUILD AWESOME NEW HABITS 🧠 The key to building new habits is doing small things every day. Urso makes it fun and rewarding — without ever pushing or overwhelming you. Whether it’s little chores like making your bed or doing the dishes, healthy habits like morning stretches or daily walks, or even small steps toward bigger goals, Urso’s here to cheer you on! PLAN YOUR DAY WITHOUT HASSLE 📆 Urso has a safe space for everything you want to do. Set up a list of your self-care routines, physical activities, life admin tasks and hobbies. Create your own custom goals or pick from ready-made mindful activities. Set things up to fit your schedule with flexible timing and repetition. Add reminders for the goals that matter most. LEVEL UP YOUR MENTAL-HEALTH 🫶 Urso knows plenty of science-backed ways to relieve stress, regain focus, improve sleep, and find balance. Learn new self-help techniques with our carefully designed step-by-step courses. Enjoy guided meditations, relax and unwind with breathing exercises and reflections. Master mindfulness and earn rewards along the way. PLAY WITH REAL FRIENDS 🤝 Invite your friends, visit other bears, trade items, and complete joint tasks — all of this is what we plan to launch in early 2025. And to make it happen, we're seeking investments. So drop me a line at anton@ursoapp.com, and let's discuss the details! Urso is free, so no need for promo codes. However, every Product Hunter who downloads the app this week and completes their first session will unlock an exclusive in-game t-shirt as a special reward. 🎁 Thank you for your support 💙
Helen Xiong
@anton_shayakhov Hey Anton, congrats on launching Urso! Turning daily routines into a fun game with a virtual self-care buddy is such a cool idea! Love it! Great work👍
Tony Tong
@anton_shayakhov Congrats on launching Urso 1.0! 🎉 As someone keen on gamification design, I’m curious how do you balance creating engaging mechanics while ensuring they foster intrinsic motivation for self-care rather than over-reliance on rewards?
Anton Shay
@helen9 Thank you for your support, Helen! :)
Anton Shay
@tonyabracadabra Yes, we also believe it’s crucial for the user not to become overly dependent on excessive gamification in the app. To address this, we introduced the travel mechanic. When Urso gathers enough energy (after completing several tasks), he goes on a journey. At this point, a cooldown begins—Urso is out exploring, and the user is encouraged to close the app and return after a few hours when the bear has had his fill of wandering and comes back home.
Business Marketing with Nika
I feel like 10 yo when I bought those eggy colourful things and tried to keep it alive. You brought a nostalgic era here. :D
Anton Shay
@busmark_w_nika Oh yeah! I feel the same way. I remember how my mom used to wake me up in the morning, and the first thing I’d do was rush to check on my pet—clean their room, feed them, and play together. It was amazing! So now, we want to bring those feelings back. 😊
Business Marketing with Nika
@anton_shayakhov The only unsuccessful thing for me was that I couldn't pair my Tamagochi with anybody cause nobody had it from my friends. I hope this time it will be easier :D
Anton Shay
@busmark_w_nika Oh yes, I totally agree with this! You know, right now in Urso, you can’t visit a friend and do something fun together. But! We’re planning to add this feature at the very beginning of 2025. You’ll be able to invite friends, exchange items, complete tasks together, and much more. It’s going to be amazing! 😊
Julia Zakharova
Launching soon!
Hi @anton_shayakhov and the Urso team! Congrats on the launch on PH! It's unexpected for me to see such a well-designed 3d world in the game, not a pixelated one! You must have good optimization for iOS and Android? P.s. special hello to hunter @je_suis_yaroslav!
Anton Shay
@je_suis_yaroslav @julia_zakharova2 Yes, we’re really proud of the graphics in the app. You know, it was quite challenging to make sure that Urso and his surroundings look great not only on high-end smartphones but also on budget Androids or older iPhones. And, of course, we had to ensure that the battery doesn’t drain immediately after launch. And it seems like we’ve managed to pull it off! Thank you so much for your support!
Anton Shay
@julia_zakharova2 Thanks again! :)
Dima Afonin
Big kudos to our team! It’s not AI-driven, but there’s something truly special about crafting things by people, for people 😊
Anton Shay
@shouldgo Maybe one day, we’ll add AI-related features too. 😊
Ivan Baidin
Urso is so cute and fun! 🐻 I love how it makes taking care of yourself feel like a fun adventure. It's perfect for when you're feeling a bit down or stressed. Urso is like a happy little buddy in your pocket, always there to cheer you up! Great job, Urso team! Can't wait to see what new things you add to make our bears even happier!
Anton Shay
@ivan_baidin Thank you so much for your warm support! I really appreciate how well you connect with Urso—that’s exactly the spirit we’re putting into it.
Alex Dulub
Hi Anton! Urso sounds like a delightful way to make self-care engaging and fun. I love the idea of customizing a cozy den and building habits with a virtual friend. How did you come up with the concept of a Tamagotchi-bear for self-care?
Anton Shay
@web3_antivirus That’s a great question! Five years ago, we created an app called Practico, which was a classic meditation app (similar to Calm or Headspace). However, we noticed that the retention rate wasn’t very good, so we came up with the idea of improving retention by adding a touch of gamification. Within our team, we brainstormed and decided on a concept—a creature that would explore the world around it while also tidying up its own den. We shared this idea of a bear with a few concept artists, and one of them created the design of a bear that we named Urso. Initially, the app only featured meditations and a bear that gained energy through meditation. But now, we’ve decided to add daily goals so users can not only meditate with us but also organize their day more effectively. And thank you for your support!
Anatoly Sharifulin
Tamagotchi is back, finally 👍👍👍
Anton Shay
@sharifulin Oh yeah! And now it won’t drive you crazy — it soothes instead.
Dmitriy (Dima) Solodukha
Love this app! Love approach and visual
Anton Shay
@dsolodukha We really put all our love into the visuals of this app. Thank you for your support!
Kate Prasniak
@anton_shayakhov Congrats on the major update! How do you balance making activities rewarding without turning them into a stressful "must complete" checklist?
Anton Shay
@kate_prasniak Thank you for your support and for the question! We want users to add simple and enjoyable tasks like “take a walk,” “read 10 pages of a book,” or “text a friend.” It shouldn’t end up turning into a to-do list of business tasks for the day. So, your daily goals in Urso are all about doing something nice for yourself. And we’re always ready to do something nice for ourselves, it seems!
Dan Pole
That looks awesome! Congratulations on the launch 🔥
Anton Shay
@danpole Thank you, Dan! :)
Samar Ali
Launching soon!
Love the concept! Have you considered incorporating a social aspect to connect with others on their self-care journeys?
Anton Shay
@samalyx Thank you for your support! Yes, that’s exactly what we plan to integrate at the beginning of 2025. Friend invitations, joint tasks, item exchanges, and much more.
Jorrel S
upvoting because I like the art!
Anton Shay
@jorrel_s Thank you so much, Jorrel! : )
Paul Shuteyev
Glad to see gamification & fun is used for something actually important and helpful :) great job guys!
Anton Shay
@paul_shuteyev Yes, exactly! We believe that gamification can make our lives more enjoyable. Thank you so much for your support! 😊
Sam @CRANQ
Sounds great - Glad to hear you've developed from the beta, only just came across Urso today! I love the idea behind it & could definitely do with more self-care for myself!! Best of luck with the launch!
Anton Shay
@cranqnow Thank you so much for your support! I truly believe Urso can help you take better care of yourself. So give it a try, and enjoy getting to know Urso.
Ashit from Draftly.so
Congrats on the launch @je_suis_yaroslav @anton_shayakhov @megadrone86 @shouldgo @lebiadzevich. I like how you gamified self-care 👍🏼️
Anton Shay
Uladzimir Lebiadzevich
This is an exciting update, and there has been significant work done over the year. This team is incredible, and it's wonderful to be a part of it!
Anton Shay
@lebiadzevich We really do have an awesome team! And there are even more amazing releases ahead!
Greg Uspensky
Omg looks so delightful! Can't wait to try! Congrats on the launch!
Anton Shay
@greguspensky25 Thank you so much, Greg!
Kostya Bolshukhin
The bear is adorable! Love your releases for the insanely good illustration quality!
Anton Shay
@kostyabolsh Thank you so much for your support! We absolutely love our bear too :)
Edith Christian
The new visual are so cozy and inviting. It really feels like a calm space to check in with my self each day.
Anton Shay
@edith_christian Yes, that’s exactly the feeling we were trying to create. Thank you for your support!
Feliciana
I absolutely love the concept of Urso! The way you’ve combined self-care with gamification is brilliant. The cozy virtual den and the ability to customize it really make the experience feel personal and enjoyable. How do you plan to ensure that the daily tasks and rewards don’t become a source of stress, rather than a source of motivation, especially for users who may already feel overwhelmed by their daily to-do lists?
Anton Shay
@feliciana_liu We also believe it’s crucial for the user not to become overly dependent on excessive gamification in the app. To address this, we introduced the travel mechanic. When Urso gathers enough energy (after completing several tasks), he goes on a journey. At this point, a cooldown begins—Urso is out exploring, and the user is encouraged to close the app and return after a few hours when the bear has had his fill of wandering and comes back home. And thank you for your support!