Pikachu Jumps Into Pockets

Wednesday, Nintendo Co. Ltd. announced that it is entering the market for virtual pets with its first, Pocket Pikachu. Players can feed and pamper their very own Pikachu, who incidentally is the most popular character in the Pocket Monsters line of Game Boy titles.

But don't mistake Pocket Pikachu for your standard virtual pet - this thing's all high-tech. Aside from the usual feeding and taking care of Pikachu, he'll also grow according to the distance that you walk. Yes, walk - Pocket Pikachu has a built-in pedometer, which will make Pikachu walk on screen with his user. Pikachu also brushes his teeth in the morning and takes a bath at night.

It will be released in Japan on March 27 for 2,500 yen (about US$19). The company says it has no plans to sell the game outside Japan.