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What are Nintendo amiibo? The gaming figurines explained
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Other than being highly coveted collectable items, what exactly do Nintendo amiibo toys bring to the Nintendo experience?
If you want to learn everything there is to know about Nintendo amiibo, make sure you keep reading.
What are Nintendo amiibo?
Nintendo amiibo are a range of collectable interactive figurines and cards that can be paired up with select Nintendo games to unlock new features. Amiibo also come in some other variants, but the figures and cards are the most well-known.
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Amiibo are true-to-life replicas of some of Nintendo’s most popular characters, with843 released amiibo figures and 614 released cards. It’s worth noting that these statistics are not from Nintendo directly, but they give a good indication of how many figurines and cards are currently in rotation.
Amiibo figures can be used across various Nintendo platforms, including theNintendo 3DS,Wii UandNintendo Switch series. Amiibo can be found and purchased on the official Nintendo website as well as from a vast array of third-party sellers.
How does Nintendo amiibo work?
Each amiibo – whether that be a card or a sculpted figurine – contains a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip that can be scanned using compatible Nintendo devices. Once the amiibo has been scanned, the system can recognise the character being used and then load in specific features that relate to them.
Each title reacts to amiibo differently, with a majority of games working on a read-only capacity. This means that no changes are made to the amiibo itself, only to the game it’s paired with.
Examples of amiibo features include unlocking special outfits for Link inBreath of the WildandTears of the Kingdom, while inAnimal Crossing: New Horizonsyou can trigger a specific character to visit your island.
Not all games are compatible with amiibo and no games require an amiibo to be played, although some titles are enhanced by the use of an amiibo.
Which games support Nintendo amiibo?
There are a multitude of games that support amiibo. Here is a selection of some recent Nintendo titles that come with support for the software:
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Gemma joined Trusted Reviews as a staff writer after graduating from Leeds Beckett University with a Journalism degree. She’s worked with national outlets, covering breaking news stories to reviews fo…
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Founded in 2003, Trusted Reviews exists to give our readers thorough, unbiased and independent advice on what to buy.
Today, we have millions of users a month from around the world, and assess more than 1,000 products a year.
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
