|
|
|
History
After the success of the Tamagotchi in 1996–1997, Nintendo decided to enter the virtual-pet market and released Pokémon Pikachu in 1998. Although the goal was the same as the Bandai Tamagotchi (taking care of a virtual pet), the method was different. Instead of feeding, cleaning, and giving water, Pokémon Pikachu required the player to use the device as a pedometer. Steps taken by the player were converted into in-game currency that could be used to buy gifts for the Pokémon. The success was immediate, and the device was even featured in the Guinness World Records as the most popular exercise toy of its time. Following this success, Nintendo released Pokémon Pikachu Color in 1999, which added features such as connectivity with Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal.
The success of the Pokémon Pikachu series convinced Nintendo that there was a market for a miniature handheld. In 2001 the company released the Pokémon Mini.
Release
The Pokémon Mini launched at a price of ¥3,990 (or ¥4,800 in a bundle with Pokémon Party mini). It received a world-premiere release in New York to coincide with the opening of the New York Pokémon Center, followed by a Japanese release one month later. The system was available in three colors: Wooper Blue, Chikorita Green, and Smoochum Purple and was the smallest cartridge-based console Nintendo ever produced.
It performed poorly in the United States but sold reasonably well in Japan. Around 1 million units were sold in Japan. Nintendo opened the European market on March 15, 
2002.
Demise
Similar to the North American launch, the European release was not very successful. Outside of the games available at launch, no additional titles were released for those regions. Japanese players appreciated the small form factor, which was ideal for train commuting, so additional games continued to be produced for the Japanese market for several months. The final game for the system was released exactly one year after the Japanese launch.
The Pokémon Mini’s legacy continued in the GameCube title Pokémon Channel, which featured miniature versions of several Pokémon Mini games as well as its own exclusive mini-game, Snorlax’s Lunchtime.
Players later reverse-engineered the Pokémon Mini with the help of the emulator included in Pokémon Channel. This led to the creation of homebrew games and allowed official titles to be played on other platforms such as PC, Dreamcast, and various others.
Technical details
- CPU 8-bit, 4 MHz Seiko (now Epson) S1C88
- 96 x 64 pixel monochrome LCD
- Game Pak (512KiB cartridge)
- Internal BIOS of 4kB
- Internal ram 4kB (shared with video subsystem)
- 21-bit cartridge bus
- 256 hardware register; in most cases Open-Bus registers
- Dimensions: 74mm x 58mm x 23mm (2.91in x 2.28in x 0.91in)[5]
- Weight: 70 grams (2.5 oz) with Game Pak and AAA battery inserted[5]
- Power: 1 AAA battery (lasting circa 60 hours)
- Built-in infrared communication (for multiplayer and data transfer, range ~1 meter)
- Shock/motion sensor
- Built-in vibration motor
- Real-time clock
Although the games are stored on cartridges, save data is kept on the Pokémon Mini console itself. There are only five save slots on the system; if all slots are full, games can still be played without saving.
Games
 |
 |
 |
| Pokémon Party mini (US, JP, EU) ポケモンパーティミニ |
Pokémon Pinball mini (US, JP, EU) ポケモンピンボールミニ |
Pokémon Puzzle Collection (US, JP, EU) ポケモンパズルコレクション |
 |
 |
 |
| Pokémon Zany Cards (US, JP, EU) ポケモンアニメカード大作戦 |
Pichu Bros. mini (JP) ピチューブラザーズミニ ¥1,200 August 2002 |
Pokémon Breeder mini (JP) ポケモンそだてやさんミニ ¥1,200 December 2002 |
 |
 |
 |
| Pokémon Puzzle Collection vol. 2 (JP) ポケモンパズルコレクション vol.2 April 2002 |
Pokémon Race mini (JP) ポケモンレースミニ ¥1,200 July 2002 |
Pokémon Tetris (JP, EU) ポケモンショックテトリス March 2002 (JP) /2002 (EU) |
 |
||
| Togepi’s Great Adventure (JP) トゲピーのだいぼうけん ¥1,200 October 2002 |