Amiibo

amiibo is a brand of "Toys to Life" products consisting of near field communication-based figurines that can have data read and written on them, used as add-ons to games with amiibo compatibility. Originally referred to internally under the working title "Nintendo Figure Platform" ("NFP") in development, the first line of amiibo, based upon Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, launched on the same day as Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, the first amiibo-compatible game, and there are amiibo lines based upon various games and franchises , such as the Super Mario and Yoshi's Woolly World lines.

Features
With Wii U software, amiibo can be used by placing a figure on the near-field communicator built into the Wii U GamePad under the D-pad; the console must also be updated to at least version 5.3.0. A peripheral for the Nintendo 3DS has also been released in the fall of 2015 that wirelessly connects to the 3DS to send and receive data ; the New Nintendo 3DS, however, features a built in near-field communicator on the bottom touch-screen. They can also be used on the Nintendo Switch by holding them to the joystick on a Joy-Con (R) or the logo on a Pro Controller. The figures come with data already on them, but data can also be written on them by the hardware. Several figures will be compatible with multiple games; for example, the Super Smash Bros. line Mario figure can also be used in Mario Party 10. Multiple games can read an amiibo's data, while only one game's data can be written to the figure at a time.

In addition to figurines, a card format is also available. Additionally, an app released for the Wii U, amiibo tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits, allows players to unlock demos of certain NES and SNES titles by scanning amiibo.

Non-Mario games compatible with Mario-related amiibo

 * Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy +: Unlocks plane designs based on amiibo scanned (compatible with Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Bowser).
 * Bayonetta 2 (Switch): The player can unlock Nintendo themed outfits for Bayonetta and Jeanne immediately (Peach and Daisy), or unlock the Chain Chomp weapon (Bowser, Bowser Jr., Goomba, Boo and Koopa Troopa)
 * Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash: If the player has also linked a Chibi-Robo amiibo to the game, figures of Chibi-Robo imitating the scanned amiibo's pose will be added for collection in the Toy Capsule Machine (compatible with Mario, Luigi, Peach, Yoshi, Bowser, Dr. Mario, Bowser Jr., Toad, Rosalina, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and Wario).
 * Conga Master Party!: Unlocks a costume for one of the 12 characters (compatible with all amiibo from the Super Mario line).
 * The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (Switch): Any non The Legend of Zelda-based amiibo will grant players a chest of random items. Each amiibo can be scanned once a day.
 * Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia: All non-Fire Emblem amiibo summon one or more generic illusory units that will assist the player's army for one turn. The illusory unit summoned depends on which character is scanned (some amiibo give the player much stronger summons than others); for example, Bowser will give players a White Dragon, while Daisy will give a Dread Fighter.
 * Hey! Pikmin: The amiibo based on the figure scanned appears in-game for Olimar to collect in a Secret Spot, and Olimar will record his thoughts on the figure on his log. It will grant 200 Sparklium to the player. Any Super Mario series amiibo with the exception of Goomba, Koopa Troopa, and wedding variants of Mario, Peach, and Bowser are compatible. Scanning other Mario-related amiibo (such as Smash Bros. Mario) once per day will grant 10 Sparklium.
 * Hyrule Warriors and Hyrule Warriors Legends: Any non-The Legend of Zelda-based amiibo gives the player a random material, weapon, or Rupees. Up to five amiibo can be scanned per day.
 * Kirby: Planet Robobot: Provides a copy ability to Kirby. Any amiibo of first-party playable characters from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U yield specific abilities reflecting a trait of the scanned character, such as Mario and Luigi giving Kirby the Fire ability (reflecting Fireball), Peach giving him the Parasol ability (reflecting Peach's parasol), or Yoshi giving him the Whip ability (reflecting Yoshi's tongue). Generic amiibo (such as Boo) doesn't give a specific ability, instead providing a random ability. All modes also provide a healing item to Kirby, or in some cases, Meta Knight.
 * Metroid Prime: Federation Force: Scanning the Mario, Luigi, Peach, Rosalina, Bowser and Bowser Jr. amiibo unlock paint jobs for the Mech Suit in the Blast Ball mode. Other amiibo unlock a Skull-themed paint job.
 * Miitopia: Unlocks costumes for a Mii to wear, based on the amiibo scanned (compatible with Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Bowser, Toad, Rosalina, Donkey Kong, and Dr. Mario).
 * One Piece: Super Grand Battle! X: Unlocks costumes based on amiibo scanned (compatible with Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, and Yoshi).
 * Picross 3D: Round 2: Unlocks a Picross puzzle based on the scanned character (compatible with Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Yoshi, Bowser, and Dr. Mario).
 * Pokkén Tournament: Unlocks various in-game items such as clothing items and money. Up to five can be scanned daily. The Deluxe version also includes amiibo exclusive outfits and titles.
 * Skylanders: SuperChargers: Allows use of the playable characters Donkey Kong and Bowser by scanning the Turbo Charge Donkey Kong and Hammer Slam Bowser figurines.
 * Style Savvy: Fashion Forward: Unlocks outfits and accessories that are designed by the respective character (compatible with Mario, Peach, Yoshi, and Rosalina).
 * Style Savvy: Star Stylist: Unlocks character based patterns and emblems are designed by the respective character (compatible with Mario, Luigi, Peach and Yoshi).
 * The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild: Any non-The Legend of Zelda-based amiibo gives the player a set amount of random items and materials. Each amiibo can only be scanned once a day.

Figure list
- The character is recognized as a generic amiibo.

Figure list
- The character is recognized as a generic amiibo.

Yoshi's Woolly World
Unlike other amiibo, the Yoshi's Woolly World amiibo are made of yarn rather than plastic, with an NFC chip and scan point in the underside rather than having a base with the chip in it. The Mega Yarn Yoshi, however, has the NFC chip underneath its left foot instead of its underside.

Figure list
- The character is recognized as a generic amiibo.

Figure list
- The character is recognized as a generic amiibo.

Skylanders: SuperChargers
While they are primarily meant to be Skylanders figures, the bases of these figures act as a switch that, when twisted, switches between the Skylander mode, and an amiibo mode which allows the figures to be used in amiibo-compatible games compatible with other versions of the figure. These figures are included with the Skylanders: SuperChargers starter packs for Nintendo consoles; Turbo Charge Donkey Kong comes with the Wii U version, while Hammer Slam Bowser comes with the Wii and Nintendo 3DS versions; each figure also comes with a personal vehicle. The standard versions were later released separately alongside their vehicles.

The figures are later compatible with the Wii U and Switch versions of Skylanders: Imaginators.

Figure list
- The character is recognized as a generic amiibo.

Card list
There are a total of 90 amiibo cards in this series. Each of the eighteen playable characters receive one card for each of the five sports. Unlike the Animal Crossing series cards, these are considered as separate characters and only supported specifically for Mario Sports Superstars, thus do not work or recognized as a generic amiibo in all other games.

Controversy
The availability of certain amiibo has been subject to criticism. For example, the Target-exclusive shipments of the Rosalina & Luma amiibo were stated to be ceased permanently, limiting the availability of the amiibo in the U.S. until a restock at Target.com came mid-July 2015. Immediately following the preorder release of the Wave 4 amiibo, GameStop servers experienced a major overload and shut down temporarily for nearly an hour. The incident was met with intense criticism and frustration by fans who wished to purchase the amiibo. John Vignocchi, the executive producer of Disney Infinity, another game that uses NFC figures, stated "[An intentional shortage] is irresponsible and rude to your hardcore fans," referring to the amiibo shortages. Satoru Iwata noticed the issue and apologized for it; he promised that more will be manufactured to meet the demand in the future. The amiibo cards were released with the intention to address the amiibo figurine shortages.

Trivia

 * The word "new" in the New Nintendo 3DS logo is stylized similarly to the amiibo logo.
 * In Mario Party: Star Rush, Bowser Jr. has a model of a Super Mario series amiibo in Mario Shuffle mode when being played (based on his artwork for Mario Party 9), though no physical version of it has been released yet.
 * Super Mario Maker 2 would have included amiibo support, as there are unused sounds and data for Mystery Mushrooms, Costume Mario, Weird Mushrooms, and Weird Mario, but the feature was scrapped.