I always wanted a working PokéDex as a kid. Something about having a portable computer in your pocket that you could open up and scan things with a moment's notice was really magical to me. Of course, I never actually considered what exactly I would scan with a PokéDex in a world with zero Pokémon in it, but it was the thought that counted. Plus, these days I can whip out my phone and identify stuff using Google Gemini, so I guess I got what I really wanted in the end.

Fortunately, it seems that there are people out there who shared my dream and are skilled enough with SBCs and microcontrollers to get the job done. Someone combined the magic of a Raspberry Pi, an ESP32, and Google reverse image search to create a PokéDex that can identify any Pokémon plush or image you place in front of it. And yes, it does 'the voice' too.

This fully-functional PokéDex would have sold millions in the 90s

As spotted by Hackster, this cool feat was performed by BigRig Creates. It's a PokéDex that houses a Raspberry Pi and an ESP32 within, and can display information about the Pokémon sitting in front of you. It shows the image on the left screen and the description on the right, and it can detect a Pokémon regardless of whether it's a real-life model or an in-game sprite. It'll then read out the description in an AI voice not too unlike the one from the TV show.

You may think that BigRig Creates uses AI image recognition to identify the Pokémon, and honestly, I thought so too. However, as they explain in the video, the most reliable way to determine a Pokémon is to grab the image, send it through a Google reverse image search, identify the Pokémon name that appears the most in the results, and run with that. It doesn't sound ideal, but if it truly outperforms an AI image recognition tool, then I can't complain.

It's also a great way to look up Pokémon's stats in-game, too. Just search for them using the built-in search tool, select the game you're playing, and it'll tell you where to find it and what kind of moves it'll have. You can even use the microphone to ask the PokéDex a Pokémon-related question, and it'll tell you.

Unfortunately, there aren't any details published right now on how to make your own, but hopefully, it should inspire some millennial tinkerers out there to make something really cool. If you do want something you can make, be sure to check out how to turn a Raspberry Pi into a retro gaming machine you can take anywhere.