History of video games/Platforms/Pokémon Mini

History edit

 
Pokémon Mini logotype.

Background edit

The Pokémon Mini was proceeded by the Pokémon Pikachu handheld, which was not cartridge based.

Launch edit

The Pokemon Mini was launched in 2001 at a cost of $40, with games costing $20.[1] The system came in Wooper Blue, Smoochum Purple, and Chikorita Green, and included a AAA battery, wrist strap, and the game Pokemon Party Mini.[2]

Legacy edit

Development for the system ceased in 2002, though an official emulator was later developed for it for use in the 2003 GameCube game Pokemon Channel.[1]

A potential port of the game Silver Falls to the Pokémon Mini was announced in May of 2022.[3]

Technology edit

Compute edit

The Pokémon Mini is powered by an 8-bit Nintendo Minx CPU (A version of the Seiko S1C88 CPU) clocked at 4 megahertz, has 4 kilobytes (4096 bytes) of shared RAM, and 4 kilobytes of ROM.[4][5]

Hardware edit

The system had a monochrome screen with a resolution of 96 pixels by 64 pixels.[4]

Further specs include an inferred communications port, a real time clock, a shock sensor, rumble feedback.[1][2]

The system can run off of a single AAA battery for up to 60 hours[1][2], which was very good battery life for the time, and suggests that the system is able to operate quite efficiently compared to other contemporary handheld game consoles.

Games edit

10 Pokemon branded games were released for the system.[1][6]

2001 edit

  • Pokémon Party mini[7] - Minigame collection
  • Pokémon Pinball mini[7] - Pinball game
  • Pokémon Puzzle Collection[7] - Puzzle game
  • Pokémon Zany Cards[7] - Card game compilation

2002 edit

  • Pokémon Tetris[7] - Version of Tetris
  • Pokémon Puzzle Collection vol. 2[7]
  • Pokémon Race mini[7] - Platformer racer
  • Pichu Bros. mini[7] - Minigame collection
  • Togepi's Great Adventure[7] - Adventure game
  • Pokémon Breeder mini[7] - Caretaking game

External Resources edit

References edit

  1. a b c d e "Hardware Classics: Pokémon Mini". Nintendo Life. 30 June 2016. https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/06/hardware_classics_pokemon_mini. Retrieved 25 October 2020. 
  2. a b c "Nintendo - Customer Service Other Systems - Pokémon Mini". www.nintendo.com. Retrieved 25 October 2020.
  3. Hagues, Alana (16 May 2022). "Random: Indie Horror Dev Launches Kickstarter To Create A Game For Pokémon Mini". Nintendo Life. https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2022/05/random-indie-horror-dev-launches-kickstarter-to-create-a-game-for-pokemon-mini. 
  4. a b "Chris Covell's Epoch Game Pocket Computer page". web.archive.org. 11 October 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  5. "Pokémon Mini by Nintendo – The Video Game Kraken". Retrieved 8 December 2020.
  6. "Rediscovering Nintendo’s Forgotten Console, the Pokémon Mini" (in en). www.vice.com. https://www.vice.com/en/article/mvx9qy/nintendos-other-forgotten-console-the-pokmon-mini-231. Retrieved 25 October 2020. 
  7. a b c d e f g h i j "Pokémon Mini". Wikipedia. 17 February 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2021.