Amiibo

Amiibo (stylized as amiibo) is an upcoming line of figurines compatible with the near field communicator built in to the Wii U GamePad that can store data and be scanned by placing the figure on the communicator under the d-pad. The line is set to launch during the 2014 holiday season, around the same time as Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, which will also be the first amiibo-compatible game. A peripheral for the Nintendo 3DS, a circular white platform, has also been stated to be released in 2015 that will wirelessly connect to the 3DS to send and receive data. The new Nintendo 3DS will feature a near-field communicator on the bottom touch-screen, so the player won't need the base they will need with a normal 3DS. amiibo will 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 Mario figure made for Super Smash Bros. can also be used with Mario Party 10 or Mario Kart 8 in addition to using a standard Mario figure.

Mario-related games compatible with amiibo

 * Super Smash Bros. for Wii U: Using these figures allows players to have the figure's character appear in the game and fight, either with or against the player or against each other. Every time an amiibo competes in battle, it increase its level and battle stats, the highest level being fifty. The amiibo grows more quickly when it faces other amiibo. Amiibos' moves are also customizable.

Figures confirmed
Wave 1
 * Mario (Super Smash Bros. artwork)
 * Donkey Kong
 * Peach
 * Yoshi
 * Link
 * Samus
 * Villager (male version)
 * Kirby
 * Fox
 * Pikachu
 * Marth
 * Wii Fit Trainer (female version)

Future Waves
 * Mario ("standard" artwork)
 * Bowser (Shown in presentation)
 * Zelda
 * Pit

Trivia

 * The "new" of the new Nintendo 3DS logo resembles greatly the logo of amiibo.