Over 20 years ago, a handheld device that many Pokémon fans, including myself, didn’t know existed hit store shelves – the Pokémon Mini. This Tamagotchi-esque device from 2001 featured a range of simple green and black pixel minigames that, according to Serebii’s Joe Merrick, belong on NSO, and I have to say that I agree.
The most recent Nintendo Switch Online trailer specifically highlights which Pokémon games you can play on the platform, once again igniting my passionate desire for ports of the original Game Boy and Game Boy Advance Pokémon titles to hit the virtual console. Instead, Game Freak and Nintendo seem to only want to give us access to spin-off titles like the Pokémon TCG Game Boy game, Pokémon Stadium, and Pokémon Snap.
If this trend continues, I think it makes perfect sense to immortalize these rare, forgotten retro handhelds via the Nintendo Switch Online service. As the Pokémon Mini came out in 2001, I had no idea what these devices were until I saw Serebii’s post. I was four years old in 2001 and wouldn’t get into Pokémon until around 2004, but as an avid Pokémon fan and virtual pet enjoyer, I want to give the Pokémon Mini a try for myself.
Videogame preservation is so important in this day and age, especially for niche handhelds like the Pokémon Mini which are prone to damage from wear and tear over the years. According to the Video Game History Foundation’s 2023 study, just over 95% of all Game Boy titles ever released are no longer in print and a huge number were lost in Nintendo’s closure of the Wii U and 3DS eShops. It only seems fair that Nintendo put more forgotten gems from the retro era onto the NSO service to help combat this problem.
So that’s why I and many others online hope that the Pokémon Mini and games like it come to Nintendo Switch Online soon. If you need a refresher on the long history of Pokémon, check out our guide to all the Pokémon games in order next. We’ve also got a great list of games like Pokémon to satisfy your creature-collecting needs.