Hey You, Pikachu!
Hey You, Pikachu! — frequently asked questions
- What platforms is Hey You, Pikachu! on?
- Hey You, Pikachu! was released on Nintendo 64.
- When did Hey You, Pikachu! release?
- Hey You, Pikachu! was first released on December 12, 1998.
About Hey You, Pikachu!
Hey you, Pokémon fanatic! Have you ever wanted to control your very own Pokémon? Now you can with HEY YOU, PIKACHU! for the Nintendo 64. It's as simple as speaking into the microphone that connects to your controller. If Pikachu understands you, he'll respond. The little yellow pocket monster has a vocabulary of approximately 200 words, and Professor Oak is even on hand to train you in the ways of creature communication. Wake up Pikachu each day by shouting "Good Morning!" and decide what games to play and activities to engage in. You can play Pokémon trivia on the in-game TV, gather food, hunt for treasure, collect seemingly endless goodies, go fishing, baby-sit Caterpie, and much more. You'll also play a variety of mini-games while guiding Pikachu along with friendly commands. As you bond and converse with your cartoon pal you'll investigate the Ochre Woods, head for the campground, check out Bulbasaur's picnic, and even solve clever puzzles. HEY YOU, PIKACHU! is an interactive romp that gives the younger set a chance to get up close and personal with their favorite Pokémon character.
Summary via IGDB.
Hey You, Pikachu! on Wikipedia
Hey You, Pikachu! is a virtual pet video game developed by Ambrella and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. A spin-off in the Pokémon franchise, it was released in Japan on December 12, 1998, and in North America on November 6, 2000. The player is asked to help Professor Oak test the PokéHelper, a device that lets humans communicate with Pokémon. The game is set in the Kanto region between Pewter City and Viridian City, where the player is introduced to a wild Pikachu. The player is able to communicate with a 256-word database through the Voice Recognition Unit (VRU), a Nintendo 64 hardware accessory that, when paired with a microphone, can comprehend and analyze human speech. Along with speaking with Pikachu, the VRU allows the player to move around and gather items.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA 4.0).
Game details
- Platforms
- Nintendo 64
- Developer
- Ambrella
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Game modes
- Single player
- Themes
- Kids
- Series
- Pokémon
Details via IGDB.
Reception
Collector value & authenticity
Nintendo 64 · PriceCharting sold data · Verified 2026-10-22
Other releases and variants
| Release | Loose | Complete | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|
| With microphone (VRU) | $51 | $147 | $302 |
| Japanese release | $6 | $25 | $148 |
| Japanese release: With microphone (VRU) | $34 | $58 | $69 |
What it needs to play
- RequiredVoice Recognition Unit (microphone) — the game is played by talking to Pikachu, so it needs the microphone it was sold with (game manual).
How often it sells
- Loose: about 3 times a week
- Complete: about 2 times a week
- Sealed: about once a month
Sales frequency from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, as of 2026-10-22.
Price over time
- Loose
- Complete
A loose copy sold for about $3.00 in Jan 2007, $7.51 five years ago, and $15.00 as of Oct 2026.
Show as table
| Month | Loose | Complete |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 2007 | $3.00 | — |
| Jan 2008 | $2.35 | — |
| Jan 2009 | $3.90 | — |
| Jan 2010 | $0.99 | — |
| Jan 2011 | $0.96 | — |
| Jan 2012 | $0.98 | — |
| Jan 2013 | $0.87 | — |
| Jan 2014 | $5.29 | $39 |
| Jan 2015 | $7.50 | $40 |
| Jan 2016 | $4.95 | $35 |
| Jan 2017 | $6.12 | $46 |
| Jan 2018 | $7.13 | $39 |
| Jan 2019 | $5.96 | $42 |
| Jan 2020 | $6.29 | $60 |
| Jan 2021 | $14.82 | $89 |
| Jan 2022 | $8.67 | $120 |
| Jan 2023 | $5.17 | $117 |
| Jan 2024 | $9.03 | $92 |
| Jan 2025 | $9.50 | $154 |
| Jan 2026 | $10.06 | $125 |
| Oct 2026 | $15.00 | $150 |
Monthly price estimates from PriceCharting's completed-sale records, sampled quarterly, through Oct 2026.
Release record
| Territory | Date | Cartridge serial | Known board |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | 6 November 2000 | NUS-NPGE-USA | NUS-01A-03 |
| Japan | 12 December 1998 | NUS-NPGJ-JPN | NUS-01A-01 |
- Region
- JP+NA
- Released
- 2000
- Authenticity
- Low
A talk-to-your-Pikachu virtual pet that only works with the microphone, which makes the bundle the real buy.
Hey You, Pikachu! is a virtual pet game from Ambrella, published by Nintendo, in which you help Professor Oak test a device called the PokéHelper, and meet a wild Pikachu in the Kanto region between Pewter City and Viridian City. You communicate with Pikachu by voice, through a database of 256 words recognized by the Voice Recognition Unit and a microphone.
It was released in Japan in December 1998 and in North America in November 2000. It was not released in PAL regions.
What the press said at the time
| Metacritic (aggregate) | 57/100 | |
| AllGame | 3.5/5 | |
| CNET Gamecenter | 5/10 | |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 4.67/10 | |
| The Electric Playground | 7.5/10 | |
| Famitsu | 30/40 | |
| Game Informer | 4/10 | |
| GameFan | 84% | |
| GameRevolution | D+ | |
| GameSpot | 8.3/10 | |
| IGN | 6/10 | |
| N64 Magazine | (JP) 75% / (US) 56% | |
| Next Generation | 3/5 | |
| Nintendo Power | 7/10 |
“The programming is intelligent too — if you want him to play with his N64, for instance, you can just say”
“Fair play for trying, but this really is pretty dismal. Only pre-schoolers need apply — if they can afford it.”
Undated scores are from the review table in the game's Wikipedia article, limited to reviews of the Nintendo 64 version.
Before you buy
The game is played by talking to Pikachu, so it needs the Voice Recognition Unit and the microphone it was sold with. A loose cartridge on its own is well under half the price of a loose cartridge sold with the microphone, so check what a listing includes. Japanese copies cost much less than North American ones. A complete copy costs many times the loose cart, and fake risk is listed as low.
Hey You, Pikachu! screenshots
Watch on YouTube
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