A portable virtual pet, featuring the famous Pokémon, Pikachu. You play with a Pikachu on the small screen, becoming its friend over time.

Unlike other virtual pets where you need to constantly feed or clean the pet, Pikachu goes about his own business. The Pokémon Pikachu features a built-in pedometer, which counts each step you take as a "watt". You have to befriend Pikachu by using the watts you have earned to play a slot machine game and buy him presents.

As you befriend Pikachu he moves closer to the screen, and you can play more games and give him more gifts. If you neglect Pikachu, he will move further away and ignore you.

At the time, Pokémon Pikachu was credited by Guinness World Records as the most popular fitness toy of its time.

Nintendo released a second version of the game exclusively in Japan, this time featuring the popular children's character Hello Kitty. The system was created to appeal to a more female audience.

The basic game is the same as the original.

Following the massive success of the first Pokémon Pikachu, Nintendo created a sequel to coincide with the release of the Game Boy Color and Pokémon: Gold/Silver Versions.

This game came with a colour display and featured more animations for Pikachu. You can also use the watts you earn by walking to play more games and buy more presents.

The Pokémon Pikachu 2 has a new feature: an infra-red port on the top can be used to transfer data either to another Pokémon Pikachu 2, or the infra-red port on the Game Boy Color to send gifts and items to Pokémon: Gold/Silver and Crystal.