Pokémon mini first appeared in North America on 16 November 2001 and in Japan on 14 December that year; Europe received it in March 2002. It was a tiny interchangeable-cartridge console dedicated exclusively to the Pokémon universe. It incorporated a monochrome LCD screen, vibration, a real-time clock, infrared communication and a sensor capable of detecting shaking, features that games could use as additional forms of control. Its small size and specialised catalogue clearly separated it from Game Boy Advance, even though Nintendo launched both machines during 2001.