Pokémon may be known for its cooperative gameplay, delicious spinoffs and making an intimidating genre accessible, but the franchise also has a long history of creative and interesting devices.
The series is packed with technology. The game’s original pokédex is clearly inspired by the first Palm Pilot-type devices, for example. And if you think about them, pokéballs are technological marvels: they somehow transform living creatures into particles that can be transported around the world (and on the TV show, pokéballs can even shrink). So it’s not so surprising that there have been many Pokémon– themed toys and hardware.
We’ve put together just a few of the many memorable Pokémon gadgets in honor of the 25th anniversary of the series. IRL devices range from gamified pedometers to custom video game consoles and real pokéball replicas (although they still can’t turn living things into particles). There are many pieces of equipment that you can take if you want to take them all.
A real Pokédex
Tiger Electronics and Hasbro launched a toy pokédex in the late 90s, and I still consider it one of my favorite toys of all time. It was modeled after Ash’s pokédex from the first season of the TV show, albeit with a few different features to allow it to actually function as a real-life toy. It had a keyboard and a numeric keypad to search for information, a small screen that showed the pokémon you were looking at and could show information about each pokémon such as its height, weight, type and some attacks that it could learn. It made me feel like I was a genuine Pokémon trainer, and I remember spending hours reading about different Pokémon with my Pokémon.
Pokémon Pikachu
My Pokémon Pikachu was a landmark of my childhood. Launched in 1998, it was a pocket-sized gadget that was like a Tamagotchi, except that you looked after a digital Pikachu. But it also had a built-in pedometer that you can activate just by flicking the device up and down. (Or, as in the embedded ads above, skip.)
This instability meant that I was constantly jumping the little device to earn a coin called watts. You can donate watts to Pikachu or, strangely, throw them on a slot machine. You can learn more about it on this delightful Nintendo Japan website that still exists.
Nintendo launched an updated model, the Pokémon Pikachu 2 GS, in 1999 in Japan and in 2000 in North America and Europe, according to Bulbapedia. It had a color screen and could connect to Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal through the Game Boy Color’s infrared port, allowing you to exchange watts for items.
A pokemon themed camera
Just look at this point-and-shoot camera. It has a giant Pikachu on one side, two poké balls hold the flash and the lens and a lovely Diglett is the shutter button. The camera filmed 35mm, and each photo would also have a pokemon-themed border, according to the manual. (You can see that border, which featured Pikachu, Meowth, Squirtle and Blastoise, on this album.) Some eBay listings mark their release date in 1999.
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Hey you, Pikachu’s “Voice Recognition Unit”
Hey you, Pikachu it was a game for the Nintendo 64 that allowed you to speak to Pikachu with the help of the Voice Recognition Unit, or VRU, that comes with the game. It was released in 1998 in Japan and in 2000 in North America.
You can see the VRU in the image above – users attached a large microphone to their controller, connecting it to a special module (which stored the Pikachu 256-word vocabulary, according to Popular science), and then connected what module on the Nintendo 64 itself.
And speaking of hardware with the Pikachu theme …
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The Nintendo 64 with Pikachu theme
The Nintendo 64 with the Pikachu theme, launched in 2000, gave a fun twist to the console design, making the on / off button a poké ball and Pikachu’s right foot the reset button. I love how giant Pikachu is – it dominates almost half of the console. And although I can’t remember ever having used one of these, I imagine it must have been very satisfying to press Pikachu’s foot to restart a game.
Pokémon mini
The Pokémon mini was a tiny handheld console designed specifically to play cartridge-themed Pokémon games. It was released in 2001 in North America and Japan and in 2002 in Europe. It was 74 mm x 58 mm x 23 mm – described on the still active Pokémon mini Nintendo UK website as “well less than half” of Nintendo’s iconic Game Boy Advance – and came in three colors. It even had motion sensor and built-in rumble.
Pokéwalker
The Pokémon Pikachu devices were succeeded by the Pokéwalker with the poké ball theme in 2009, which accompanied all copies of the Pokémon HeartGold and Silver Soul. Like the Pokémon Pikachu, the Pokéwalker was a pedometer, allowing you to accumulate watts and take care of the pokémon. But, unlike Pokémon Pikachu, you can transfer pokémon from one side to the other of the Pokéwalker, which means that you are not forced to care only for Pikachu. You can also find new wild Pokémon and items directly on your Pokéwalker, spending watts to play mini-games.
Nintendo uploaded the Pokéwalker manual online, if you want to know more about it.
Poké Ball Plus
Nintendo launched another poké ball-themed device in 2018 alongside Pokémon: Come on, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Come on, Eevee!: Poké Ball Plus, a real and functional game controller compatible with the Nintendo Switch. You can play both games with the controller and catch the pokémon using a throwing motion with your arm. Similar to the Pokéwalker, you can also store pokémon inside the Poké Ball Plus, and they’ll even cry from inside it if you shake it. The controller is also compatible with the great mobile success Pokémon Go.
This replica of the Poké Ball that “should never be played”
This hardly counts as a gadget, but I had to include it. Last November, The Pokémon Company International and The Wand Company announced this $ 99.99 die-cast replica of Poké Ball. As realistic as it may seem, don’t play your cat as a joke; weighs 10.5 ounces, which is twice the weight of a baseball. And, in fact, The Wand Company says it “should never be released” and that “playing the Poké Ball will damage it and could hurt someone”.
But if you’ve always really wanted to hold a poké ball, buying one of these may be as close as you can get. It even shines.