Remember Pocket Pikachu?

[ashm]

In anticipation of Poké Ball Plus, Famitsu published an article on past dedicated Pokémon devices the other day, and it really helps you appreciate how far we've come. Pocket Pikachu was essentially a Nintendo digital pet device akin to Tamagotchi, first released in 1998 in Japan.

First one was pretty simple and self-contained, but its successor actually had IR communication features that allowed it to interact with Pokémon GSC via Mystery Gift, as well as other Pocket Pikachu Color devices. Interestingly, Nintendo's Pocket platform wasn't restrained to Pokémon. There was one more device based on Hello Kitty.

Obviously, more complex self-contained devices have released since, like PokéWalker, which improved and expanded the Pocket Pikachu concept, and now Pokémon GO with its accompanying devices. Not even getting into Pokémon mini, which is a beast of its own. But I think there's something special about the Pocket devices. They released on a very primitive stage of the franchise's history but had a profound influence on it that wouldn't fully develop until years later.

It would have be fun to see those (and even Hello Kitty) emulated on 3DS as they are technically Nintendo portables not unlike Game & Watch. Given 3DS's pedometer and the accompanying VC games which at least the Color version interacted with, it was a good opportunity that we're probably not gonna get again. Still, who knows.

Did you have those back in the day?

 

[Bamboo]

Never had one, but a friend did. I love the form factor of these, like two miniature egg-shaped gameboys. Now I'm tempted to try and hunt down the color Pikachu - the translucent case is just so appealing!

 

[Glitchesarecool]

Got both still working, great little devices.

 

[apathetic]

I remember taking advantage of how I could never just keep my leg still to get "steps" in for it while just sitting and working on stuff. The little clacking it made became background white noise.

 

[Rotobit]

Don't forget that it was practically immortalized thanks to Animal Crossing on the GameCube

(Pocket Camp made it incredibly hard to google image search)

But yeah it was a very cute idea. The Pokémon Mini was wild too and probably even more obscure at this point, but I still have my Smoochum Purple one.

 

[DjDeathCool]

Yes! I had both growing up and I loved them. I've always had this weird obsessions with the miniaturization of tech and have a mini Gameboy that let me get money and items for my Gold and Silver was the COOLEST idea back then.

 

[Kouriozan]

I got both and I loved it.

 

[Carassius Auratus]

I had the second one. It's really cute and I used it a lot to get easy pokedollars in Crystal.

 

[Forkball]

I miss mini peripherals like this. I though the Pokeball controller would be a glorious return to this type of stuff but it's too expensive for what it does.

 

[PlayBee]

I had the GS one. Never got that into it.

Emulating it on 3DS is a cool idea but it's a pipe dream considering this is the company that passed up putting Virtual Boy games on the 3DS.

 

[Orochinagis]

I got the first one, the giant pikachu when he have his happines maxed was awesome

 

[Marufuku]

A bit off-topic, but there was also this Japan-only Pokémon toy made by Nintendo called "Pokémotion":


https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n09/p_motion/index.html

It's store display was later used to test the Wii Motion Plus during development:


http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wii/wiimotionplus/0/2

Wakitani: That's right. So at that point we looked to investigate further by trying to reproduce this temporary disconnection by twisting and turning the Wii MotionPlus accessory. But it wasn't something we could do by only twisting it slightly.​

Takamoto: Without shaking the Wii Remote tens of thousands of times, this temporary disconnection wouldn't reoccur.​

Iwata: But you weren't really going to shake it thousands of times to test this, were you? (laughs)​

Takamoto: Well, at the start I gave it a go, but after a while my hand got so weary that I had a hard time holding it.​

Wakitani: And that's when the gloves went on.

Iwata: You really went that far? (laughs)

Wakitani: But doing it that way would have been far too time-consuming. So it was at that point that we decided to borrow storefront display models for Pokémotion4. (laughter)

4. Released by the Pokémon Company in Japan in August 2003, Pokémotion was a
"communication tool" shaped like a glow stick. By utilising flashing LEDs, it left images
on the eye allowing users to see various Pokémon and words when it was waved rapidly.

Takamoto: That's the shore display where the Pokémotion is swung like a metronome.

Iwata: Ah yes, I remember that.

Wakitani: We scraped together all the models we could, from our Okayama office and various departments within the company, and then used them to carry out tests.​

 

[-shadow-]

I remember this, we had one but lost it during one of the moves when I was younger.

 

[Yossarian]

Oh shit, I haven't fed my Pikachu in years!

 

[Pancakes R Us]

Don't forget that it was practically immortalized thanks to Animal Crossing on the GameCube

(Pocket Camp made it incredibly hard to google image search)

But yeah it was a very cute idea. The Pokémon Mini was wild too and probably even more obscure at this point, but I still have my Smoochum Purple one.

Click to shrink...

Oh yes, I remember this. Sometimes I had to go on a wild goose chase to get this back in AC. I want to know why these animals were lending something that wasn't theirs to other animals? Surely this is against lending etiquette?

 

[Alfredo]

I remember I got one as a kid and ended up getting bored with it. I was expecting it to be like a Tamagotchi, with taking care of Pikachu and stuff, but it wasn't. It was more of an exercise toy, if I remember correctly.

 

[Tidalwaves]

Don't forget that it was practically immortalized thanks to Animal Crossing on the GameCube

(Pocket Camp made it incredibly hard to google image search)

But yeah it was a very cute idea. The Pokémon Mini was wild too and probably even more obscure at this point, but I still have my Smoochum Purple one.

Click to shrink...

I have never seen anyone give me a pocket pikachu in GCN Animal Crossing....

 

[HiroTSK5]

I just found my PokeWalker from Heartgold yesterday, put a new battery in it and apparently 8 years later my Jirachi is still chilling waiting to come home.

 

[Cybersai]

A bit off-topic, but there was also this Japan-only Pokémon toy made by Nintendo called "Pokémotion":


https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n09/p_motion/index.html

It's store display was later used to test the Wii Motion Plus during development:


http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/wii/wiimotionplus/0/2

Wakitani: That's right. So at that point we looked to investigate further by trying to reproduce this temporary disconnection by twisting and turning the Wii MotionPlus accessory. But it wasn't something we could do by only twisting it slightly.​

Takamoto: Without shaking the Wii Remote tens of thousands of times, this temporary disconnection wouldn't reoccur.​

Iwata: But you weren't really going to shake it thousands of times to test this, were you? (laughs)​

Takamoto: Well, at the start I gave it a go, but after a while my hand got so weary that I had a hard time holding it.​

Wakitani: And that's when the gloves went on.

Iwata: You really went that far? (laughs)

Wakitani: But doing it that way would have been far too time-consuming. So it was at that point that we decided to borrow storefront display models for Pokémotion4. (laughter)

4. Released by the Pokémon Company in Japan in August 2003, Pokémotion was a
"communication tool" shaped like a glow stick. By utilising flashing LEDs, it left images
on the eye allowing users to see various Pokémon and words when it was waved rapidly.

Takamoto: That's the shore display where the Pokémotion is swung like a metronome.

Iwata: Ah yes, I remember that.

Wakitani: We scraped together all the models we could, from our Okayama office and various departments within the company, and then used them to carry out tests.​

Click to shrink...

Never seen this before. Always interesting to see early Hoenn era merch.

 

[Deranged Hermit]

I had one, although it was it impossible to be a kid in those days and not have a Tamagotchi-like device.

 

[Hero of Legend]

Don't forget that it was practically immortalized thanks to Animal Crossing on the GameCube

(Pocket Camp made it incredibly hard to google image search)

But yeah it was a very cute idea. The Pokémon Mini was wild too and probably even more obscure at this point, but I still have my Smoochum Purple one.

Click to shrink...

Here's the icon which sadly no-one's bother to rip in any of the Resource sites.

Found it here BTW (at 14:23):

 

[Spaggy]

My friend had one of the yellow ones. I had a Digimon though, which was pretty dope.

 

[Porco Rosso]

I had the 2nd one as a kid and loved it. I wish I could find it!

 

[Yasumi]

Still have mine sitting in a drawer, with my old Pokedex, Tamagachi, Digimon, and Digivice.

 

[Cipher Peon]

I've always wanted one ;;

Should buy one now hehehehe

 

[Dizagaox]

I have one lying around somewhere. I think I imported it with Gold when I was 11/12 years old. Never really played with it, mind.

 

[JCal]

I had the first one when I was a kid. I remember it being very underwhelming compared to similar products, like the Digimon one. The Digimon were able to evolve and even cooler, poop all over the screen.

 

[Gulgan Shulgan]

Don't forget that it was practically immortalized thanks to Animal Crossing on the GameCube

(Pocket Camp made it incredibly hard to google image search)

But yeah it was a very cute idea. The Pokémon Mini was wild too and probably even more obscure at this point, but I still have my Smoochum Purple one.

Click to shrink...

Animal Crossing was the first thing that popped in my head when I read that title! Had to check to see if I wasn't the only one

 

[Chakoo]

Yep I remember those. It keeps reminding me that I still need to pick up a Pokemon Mini some day.

 

[ASaiyan]

Don't forget that it was practically immortalized thanks to Animal Crossing on the GameCube

Click to shrink...

I know and remember this device solely from its inclusion in the original Animal Crossing. I was like, what on earth is a Pokémon Pikachu, and why do all the animals keep losing theirs. Lol.

Iirc, every game on the Pokemon Mini game is playable in Pokemon Channel for GameCube as an extra.

 

[Subconian Dreamer]

I had the original one. I remember reading about them on the internet before they came out here, I was so excited at the idea of it that I actually dreamt about it once lmao. I think I was ultimately a little disappointed that there weren't more actual virtual pet elements to it but it was still really cute.

 

[Harken Raiser]

Technical, all Pikachus are pocket Pickachus.

 

[Cynn]

Still have mine. The D-Pad on these was way better than it had any right to be.

 

[udivision]

I got one for a birthday...

The Digivices were so much better though.

 

[Chakoo]

Iirc, every game on the Pokemon Mini game is playable in Pokemon Channel for GameCube as an extra.

Click to shrink...

Yep. I just want one because I like that it's a little system with mini carts. =)

 

[Lukar]

I remember having the GS one and being saddened by the fact that I couldn't figure out how to connect it to my copy of Crystal as a kid. It was fun on its own though.

 

[Poimandres]

I had the first one... it sucked compared to a Tamagotchi, basically. Needed more to actually do.

 

[Ultima_5]

I had the first one when I was a kid. I remember it being very underwhelming compared to similar products, like the Digimon one. The Digimon were able to evolve and even cooler, poop all over the screen.

Click to shrink...

Ohhh now one these I️ had. Couldn't you battle with two of em

 

[Jotakori]

Oh I had one of those! Funny story, I gave it to my mom to wear at work to get steps in for me since she was a restaurant manager and on her feet a ton, and came to be nicknamed Pikachu at her work because of it lol.

 

[JCal]

Ohhh now one these I️ had. Couldn't you battle with two of em

Click to shrink...

LOL! You're right.

Too bad I didn't know anyone else who had one. I just remember my Digimon dying on me when I'd stop playing with it and having a Digi Egg waiting to hatch. This is a Digi Tamagotchi thread now. =)

 

[lvl 99 Pixel]

I remember wanting one but got Pokemon yellow because it looked like a similar concept.
I was greeted with ear destroying low quality voice clips.

 

[Ryouji Gunblade]

I used to always carry them. Even in backpacks.

 

[Koppai]

I never got it because the games seemed to be exclusive to Pokemon Center online.