Robotic pets have come a long way since the Tomagatchi. Forget 2-D bouncing blobs; modern technology now offers everything from bunnies that boogie to seals that soothe.

Don’t expect your high-tech pet to be low-priced because it turns out you can put a price on friendship. But while modern science may come with a pricey sticker, even the most cash-strapped pet-lovers can get themselves a computerized companion.

And given the jaw-dropping capabilities of these electric animals—including organizing your life and playing your music—you’ll find they can be well worth the investment.  Here are four of the most impressive products on the market in four different price categories:

Paro ($5,912)

Insert baby seal joke here. Whether you love or love to hate these adorable little mammals, here’s one that can’t help but love you.

Developed by leading Japanese industrial automation pioneer AIST to serve as a therapeutic robot in hospitals and extended care facilities (just like real-live animal therapy), this snuggly, toddler-size seal has five sensors to detect touch, light, sound, temperature, and posture.

These handmade critters can learn a new name and respond to greetings and praise with life-like movement and baby harp seal sounds. If that doesn’t convince you he’s worth the price, just try to say no to those deep, baleful eyes.

Pleo ($349)

Popular Science magazine has dubbed Pleo the “smartest robot pet yet,” and they’re probably right.

Through a series of touch and infrared sensors, this accurately-sized baby Camarasaurus (a late-Jurassic North American herbivore…duh) is capable of a range of emotions from happy and curious to sad and vexed. He responds to touch, sound, and light through binaural microphones and a color camera with white light sensor, even communicating by stomping his foot and “singing.” With your love and attention, he matures from hatchling to juvenile (anti-climactic, I know).

The Pleo website even offers tutorial videos and downloads so your robotic reptile never has to stop learning. Plus, it cuddles!

Nabaztag ($100-$200)

Purported as a new breed of “smart objects,” this streamlined bunny is the most learned Lepus you’ve ever seen. Nabaztag (yep, the Japanese have done it again) connects to your home’s wi-fi and becomes instantly knowledgeable about everything on the Internet.

To list everything he’s capable of is nearly impossible (as the site says, “He’s the first rabbit connected to the Internet. You can do a lot of stuff with the Internet. So you can do a lot of stuff with a rabbit.”), but here’s a quick run-down: After you go online to name and set up your Nabaztag account (the site offer the example name of “Nabazooka”…of course), this brilliant bunny can read you any website, blog, podcast or weather report either out loud or simply alert you with a pretty lightshow and coy wiggle of his ears.

To help you keep up with friends and loved ones, anyone can go online and send you choreographed musical lightshows via your robo-rabbit—because text messaging is so passé. If that wasn’t e-dorable enough, you can even marry your pet off to another Nabaztag. Bunnies in love!

I-Dog (and friends) ($15-$43)

Depending on how much you’re willing to shell out (although, considering the going rates on robots, this is a steal), your I-Dog (or Cat, I don’t discriminate) can do everything from sync with your MP3 player to produce loud, stereo-quality sound (the I-Dog AMP’D) to simply get down with a series of playful ear swivels and excited, multi-color light flashes (the I-Pup).

The more advanced computerized canine acts as a dock for your mp2 player, while the low-tech tail-wagger simply needs to be within earshot of some upbeat music to start his digital get down. You’ll never dance alone again.