Nintendo to show off new NFC platform at E3 2014

The new hardware was announced today during an investor briefing. The briefing text is available in Japanese, but various Twitter users have translated details, including reliable analyst David Gibson. According to these reports, a new series of games and figures codenamed Nintendo Figurine Platform is in the works. For 3DS, there’s a reader that uses infra red communication, while the Wii U will use the Game Pad’s in-built NFC abilities. The NFC reader will be used with figurines, and will be capable of both reading and writing data, so that you can customise characters to your own tastes. Rather than being confined to one game like the Skylanders or Disney Infinity add-ons, the figurine will be compatible with a range of titles – giving publishers an interesting way to sell add-on content, perhaps. Only one figurine was shown during the briefing – Mario, of course.