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Nintendo’s NFC Tech Is Called Amiibo [Update]
Nintendo teased Skylanders-style figures that would work with the NFC sensor in the Wii U gamepad and now we’ve got the first solid details.
The new system is called Amiibo and, like Skylanders, the plastic figures will hold character stat data. The first game to support Amiibo is Super Smash Bros. on Wii U, which releases this holiday season. Other games will feature these figures as well, including the already released Mario Kart 8.
Figures shown include Mario, Link, Wii Fit Trainer, Donkey Kong, Pikachu, Yoshi, an Animal Crossing villager, and more.
[Update]
In an additional video, Nintendo added that Amiibo characters in Super Smash Bros are playable, can team up and fight alongside you, and serve as opponents. The more they fight, the more their stats increase. You can choose which specials and abilities the characters take on as they develop. If you battle two Amiibo against each other, they’ll level up faster than any other configuration.
More games and figures are in the works and each game will incorporate them differently. Even though the 3DS doesn’t have an NFC reader, Amiibo will make it there eventually. A 3DS Amiibo reader peripheral will release sometime after the Wii U launch.
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