Pikachu Talk Smart Device App Lets Users Chat With Pikachu
Just in time for the celebration of Pokemon Day, the Pikachu Talk has finally been released for Google Home and Amazon Alexa last Feb. 27.
"Celebrate #PokemonDay by chatting with Pikachu! With the Pikachu Talk skill for Amazon Alexa and Google Home devices, you can have all kinds of conversations with this familiar yellow Pokémon! #PikachuTalk," Pokemon posted on Twitter yesterday.
Upon using the free Pikachu Talk app, regular features of Alexa and Google Home are temporarily disabled in place of Pikachu's voice. According to the Japanese media franchise, Pikachu responds to various requests — from requests as specific as "use Thunderbolt," to requests as generic as "tell me a funny story."
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"You can talk to Pikachu about anything, and you're sure to hear all sorts of wonderful and charming response," Pokemon Company International, Inc. wrote in a blog post.
But, the well-known Pokemon species does not speak English. As with its Pokemon language, Pikachu can only respond with words like "Pika" or "Pika Pi."
To enable Pikachu Talk, users only need to say "Open Pikachu Talk" to their Google Home speakers or Alexa-enabled devices. For Alexa users, Pikachu Talk is available worldwide. But, unfortunately for Google Home users, the feature is only available on the platform in the US.
According to Nintendo, Pokemon Day celebrates all things Pokemon every Feb. 27. This holiday dates back to 1996 when the very first Pokemon games launched in Japan. Aside from the release of Pikachu Talk, the Pokemon Company managed to provide even more services to commemorate the event.
Snapchat included a new line of lenses that turned users into starter Pokemon like Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle. The location-based augmented reality game "Pokemon Go" also participated in the company's birthday as it put a birthday hat on Pikachu.
Further, the Pokemon TV website and app are also screening "Pokemon the Movie: I Choose You" in celebration of Pokemon Day.
