Pokémon Mini

The Pokémon Mini is a handheld console made by Nintendo and released in North America in November 2001, in Japan the following month and in Europe in 2002. It remains the smallest cartridge-based console Nintendo has made, and it was sold only for Pokémon games.

Despite its size, the Pokémon Mini packed in several features. It had a built-in rumble motor, a shock sensor that could tell when the console was tapped or shaken, an infrared port for multiplayer and a real-time clock. The screen was a small monochrome LCD with a resolution of just 96 by 64 pixels.

Only ten games were released, and several of them never left Japan. Titles included Pokémon Party Mini, which came with the console, Pokémon Pinball Mini, Pokémon Puzzle Collection and Pokémon Zany Cards.

The console was mainly sold through Pokémon Center shops and never became widely available, so it was discontinued quickly. It has since gained a small homebrew scene, helped by its simple hardware and the flash cartridges made by fans.

PokeMini is the emulator to use today. It is accurate enough to run all the released games and most homebrew, and it is also available as a libretro core for RetroArch. MAME emulates the Pokémon Mini too.