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amiibo
amiibo are a line of "toys-to-life" product created by Nintendo and comprable to produces like Skylanders or Disney Infinity, using near-field communication technology to communicate with compatible systems and be used for or unlock content in compatible games. amiibo have data written on them, which can be read and recognized by software to be used in various ways in games. Certain games can also write data onto amiibo via the hardware. Although originally launched as figures, amiibo cards were later released starting with Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer.
Although launched for use with Wii U software, Nintendo 3DS support was later added. To use an amiibo with a Wii U console, the amiibo must be placed on the NFC sensor built-in to the Wii U GamePad; the console must be updated to at least version 5.3.0 before amiibo can be used. For Nintendo 3DS systems, the system must be updated to at least version 9.6.0; Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS XL, and Nintendo 2DS require the Nintendo 3DS NFC Reader/Writer to use amiibo, while New Nintendo 3DS systems, feature an NFC sensor built in to the bottom screen.
Although multiple games can read the data on an amiibo, the amiibo can only hold data from one game at a time; to have data from another game written on it, the existing data must be deleted. In addition, the amiibo line has been designed so that a single amiibo can be compatible with multiple games.
Contents
Development
A concept similar to amiibo was first attempted by Nintendo in 2001 with the e-Reader, a peripheral device compatible with the Game Boy Advance that could scan special cards to unlock content in games. The e-Reader, however, was a financial failure.
Nintendo was approached by Toys for Bob and its parent Activision, who wanted to make a deal with Nintendo to be a partner their in-development Skylanders franchise, though Nintendo would turn the deal down.[1]
In 2013, Nintendo would first experiment with making use of the Wii U GamePad's NFC features in games with Pokemon Rumble U, which was released alongside a series of Pokémon figurines in a similar method to other games using this style of figure.
During their financial briefing in March 2014, Nintendo revealed their in-development NFC figurine platform, codenamed "NFP" ("Nintendo Figure Platform" or "NFC Featured Platform"), stating that the figures would be compatible with multiple games and that they would feature data that would tell the system what the figure is, as well as that more information would be revealed at E3 2014. During their Nintendo Digital Event that year, Nintendo fully unveiled the product line, now called "amiibo".
Nintendo-produced amiibo series
Super Smash Bros.
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This section is a short summary of the Super Smash Bros. amiibo. SmashWiki features a more in-depth article. |
The Super Smash Bros. line is the first line of amiibo to be released, based upon Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U and released alongside Super Smash Bros. for Wii U on November 21, 2014. Four waves have been released (six in the PAL region since waves three and four were split in two) consisting of 39 figures total, while two additional waves have been confirmed that will bring the total up to 49 figures, the entirety of the base roster. It has also been confirmed that the downloadable content characters will also receive amiibo.[2]
Wave 1 | Wave 2 | Wave 3 | Wave 4 | Wave 5 | Wave 6 | Wave 7 |
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* - Released individually in other regions.
Super Mario
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This section is a short summary of the Super Mario amiibo. Super Mario Wiki features a more in-depth section. |
The Super Mario series is the second series of amiibo to be released. The series released alongside Mario Party 10, on March 20, 2015, and consists of six main amiibo. The Super Mario line is also the first line to feature limited edition amiibo; Mario - Gold Edition was released alongside the other amiibo (exclusively at Wal-Mart in North America), while Mario - Silver Edition was released later, on May 29, 2015.
Standard figures | Special figures | |
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Splatoon
The Splatoon amiibo series consists of three amiibo released alongside the game in May 2015. While the Inkling Boy and Inkling Girl amiibo are both available individually, the Inkling Squid amiibo is available only in the Splatoon three-pack set.
Figures
- Inkling Boy
- Inkling Girl
- Inkling Squid
Yoshi's Woolly World
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This section is a short summary of the Yoshi's Woolly World amiibo. Super Mario Wiki features a more in-depth section. |
The Yoshi's Wooly World amiibo are unique in that they are made out of yarn rather than plastic, and have the chip built in to the bottom of the figure itself rather than having a base. Three amiibo ware released alongside the game, based upon three colors of Yoshi (green, pink, and light-blue). A "Mega Yarn Yoshi", a larger variant of the standard Green Yarn Yoshi, has also been announced, which will be released in November[3] exclusively at Toys "R" Us.[4]
Figures
- Green Yarn Yoshi
- Light Blue Yarn Yoshi
- Pink Yarn Yoshi
- Mega Yarn Yoshi
Super Mario Bros. 30th Anniversary
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This section is a short summary of the Mario 30th Anniversary amiibo. Super Mario Wiki features a more in-depth section. |
Two special amiibo have been released for the thirtieth anniversary of Super Mario Bros., both depicting an 8-bit Mario in both his classic and modern color schemes.[5]
Figures
- 30th Anniversary Mario - Classic Color
- 30th Anniversary Mario - Modern Color
Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash
Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash was released alongside a single amiibo of the Chibi Robo character. In North America the amiibo has been released exclusively in a bundle pack with the game.[6]
Animal Crossing
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This section is a short summary of the Animal Crossing amiibo. Nookipedia features a more in-depth article. |
amiibo Cards
Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer was to be released alongside the first series of amiibo Cards, released in series rather than waves, and the first line of amiibo to not be released as figures.[7] Each pack contains six cards, while copies of the game all come with one. The first wave has been released with the launch of the game in each region with 100 total cards, with a second series initially confirmed to be printed in September in Japan but postponed to a later date.
Figures
In addition to the amiibo Cards, a set of Animal Crossing amiibo figures will be released alongside Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival.
Figures
- Blathers
- Celeste
- Cyrus
- Digby
- Isabelle
- K.K. Slider
- Kicks
- Lottie
- Mr. Resetti
- Mabel
- Reese
- Tom Nook
amiibo-compatible software
Nintendo 3DS
Game | Compatibility | amiibo features |
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Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer | Read | Scanning cards allows the character to visit the home the player is designing. |
Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash | Read/Write | Tapping the Chibi Robo amiibo turns Chibi Robo into "Super Chibi Robo", enhancing his battery life, speed, and power. When a stage is beaten the player's score can be saved to the amiibo to level it up.[8] |
N/A | Tapping any other amiibo gives the player in-game coins. | |
Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. | Read | Tapping the Fire Emblem characters allows them to be added into the game. |
Fire Emblem Fates | Read | Tapping the Fire Emblem characters adds them into the game; they can be faced as opponents and join the party when defeated. |
New Style Boutique 2: Fashion Forward | Read | Unlocks clothing based upon the character scanned. |
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam | Read/Write | Scanning the amiibo of Mario characters makes available cards that give various effects in battle. |
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games | N/A | |
Katachi Shinhakken! Rittai Picross 2 | Read | Scanning compatible amiibo unlocks puzzles based around that character.[9] |
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS | Read/Write | The character is inserted into the game as a "Figure Player" (FP). Players can train the figure by battling against or with it, allowing it to level up and learn. Data is shared between both this game and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. |
Xenoblade Chronicles 3D | Read | Tapping Shulk gives the player tokens to unlock bonus features. |
Wii U
Game | Compatibility | amiibo features |
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amiibo tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits | Read | Tapping any amiibo unlocks a demo of one of several NES and SNES games at random. |
Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival | N/A | Scanning the Animal Crossing amiibo figures allows players to play as that character. |
Read | The Animal Crossing amiibo cards can be used in minigames. | |
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker | Read | Scanning the Toad amiibo allows the player to access a hide-and-seek game in which they must find "Pixel Toad" in a given level. Scanning any other amiibo gives the player 1-Up Mushrooms. |
Hyrule Warriors | Read | Scanning Link unlocks the Spinner weapon. Scanning the other The Legend of Zelda characters unlocks a random weapon for that character. Scanning any other amiibo unlocks random items. |
Kirby and the Rainbow Curse | Read | Scanning Kirby lets the player use the Star Dash indefinitely. Scanning King Dedede increases Kirby's health. Scanning Meta Knight increases Kirby's attack power. |
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games | N/A | |
Mario Kart 8 | Read | Scanning a compatible amiibo unlocks a costume for Miis based upon the character. |
Mario Party 10 | Read/Write | Allows access to amiibo Party mode; compatible amiibo are used as game pieces and unlock a board based on the character. |
Read | Unlocks a scratch ticket to win Mario Party Points. | |
Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash | Read/Write | Scanning compatible amiibo inserts the character into the game as a trainable CPU. |
Splatoon | Read | The Splatoon amiibo unlock twenty extra missions for each amiibo which can give the player exclusive equipment. |
Star Fox Zero | N/A | N/A |
Super Mario Maker | Read | Scanning the 8-bit Mario amiibo adds a "Big Mushroom" which makes Mario giant. Scanning other characters adds them into the game as a "Mystery Mushroom" power-up, which when collected turns Mario into that character. |
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U | Read/Write | The character is inserted into the game as a "Figure Player" (FP). Players can train the figure by battling against or with it, allowing it to level up and learn. Data is shared between both this game and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. |
Yoshi's Woolly World | Read/Write | The Yarn Yoshi amiibo unlock "Double Yoshi" mode, in which the player controls two Yoshi characters. |
Read | Scanning most other amiibo unlocks a Yoshi pattern based upon the character scanned. |
Reception
Amiibo have been received well by critics and in sales. As of March 12, 2015, over 3.5 million amiibo have been sold worldwide[10]. By the end of 2014, over 5.7 million amiibo were shipped worldwide, and as of May 8, Nintendo have reported to have shipped over 10.5 million worldwide.[11]
External links
References
- ↑ Toys for Bob and the story behind Skylanders. Polygon (April 16, 2014). Retrieved October 17, 2015.
- ↑ Super Smash Bros. - New Content Incoming 6.14.15. Nintendo of America (YouTube). Retrieved June 17, 2015.
- ↑ Star Fox Zero, Mario Maker Wii U Bundle Release Dates Announced. GameSpot (August 24, 2015). Retrieved August 24, 2015.
- ↑ Mega Yarn Yoshi, Exclusive To Toys "R" Us in North America, Given Release Date. Nintendo Life (October 15, 2015). Retrieved October 17, 2015.
- ↑ Line-up on the official amiibo website. Nintendo of Europe. Retrieved June 20, 2015.
- ↑ Nintendo Direct Micro 6.1.2015. Nintendo of America (YouTube). (June 1, 2015.) Retrieved June 6, 2015.
- ↑ Nintendo Direct 4.1.2015. Nintendo of America (YouTube). (April 1, 2015.) Retrieved June 6, 2015.
- ↑ Chibi Robo: Zip Lash - Mini-Nintendo Direct Trailer. YouTube (June 1, 2015.) Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ↑ [http://nintendoeverything.com/how-amiibo-works-in-picross-3d-2/ How amiibo works in Picross 3D 2]. Nintendo Everything (August 19, 2015). Retrieved September 7, 2015.
- ↑ Nintendo Reports over 3.5 Million Amiibo Sales. TechnologyTell. (March 14, 2015.) Retrieved June 9, 2015.
- ↑ Nintendo ships 10.5M amiibo worldwide, still not sure how to fix supply problem. Polygon. (May 8, 2015.) Retrieved June 9, 2015.