Hey You, Pikachu!

You talked. It (sort of) listened. The Voice Recognition Unit was janky magic — the first time a Pokémon felt alive in your living room.

Hey You, Pikachu! shipped in 2000 with a microphone peripheral called the Voice Recognition Unit. You spoke commands — "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" — and Pikachu would (sometimes) obey. It misunderstood constantly, which made it funnier. This was years before voice assistants existed. Nintendo was doing voice-controlled gaming on the N64 while everyone else was still figuring out analog sticks.