This Pokemon trainer just turned his car into a shiny hunting machine
A Pokemon fan has found a way to play the Gen 3 games on a car display, making for an ingenious method of reliving those old titles. Just not when the vehicle is in motion.
It’s now possible to play the old Pokemon games on a car dashboard, as revealed by one player online, who can revisit the Kanto region while in a vehicle. This means the Pokemon games can be enjoyed while driving, though it’s not recommended.
Nintendo might like to endlessly rerelease its old games, as with the retro titles on Switch Online service, but The Pokemon Company is more likely to remake games than rerelease them. To date, only the Gen 1 games have seen a fresh port, and that was on the Nintendo 3DS eShop, which is set to close in 2024.
The Gen 3 titles on the Game Boy Advance have never seen a rerelease, which means they either need to own an original copy or rely on illegal means to play these classic titles. To date, Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, & Emerald, and Pokemon FireRed & LeafGreen are locked to one system, though fans hope that Pokemon games will come to the Nintendo Switch Online service in the future.
A Pokemon fan got FireRed & LeafGreen running on a car
Who needs Nintendo Switch Online when a car can run a Pokemon game? A user of the official Pokemon Reddit posted a screenshot of them running Pokemon FireRed or LeafGreen on their car, allowing them to catch Pokemon while on the go.
Users quickly pointed out that this is likely a result of Android emulation, as some cars have that operating system on their dashboard console. Whoever uploaded the screenshot likely found a way to sideload the game and an emulator onto the system.
While people might constantly marvel at the weird computers that can run Doom, running an old Pokemon game is less impressive. The first three generations of Pokemon games are extremely primitive in terms of technical needs, to the point where many modern smart devices could run them without issue.
Still, it’s funny to think that car systems can run Pokemon games. It’s less funny to think of someone crashing their car while trying desperately to overcome Whitney and her Miltank in Pokemon Gold & Silver, so anyone who wants to try installing Pokemon games in their vehicle should only play it when it’s stationary.