Older Nintendo 3DS Systems Getting an External NFC Support This Summer in Japan
Nintendo will roll out an external NFC reader/writer for older Nintendo 3DS systems in Japan in summer this year, the company revealed during its investor meeting today.
"Even though only Wii U has been compatible with Amiibo so far, we are making steady progress on compatibility with the Nintendo 3DS platform," Nintendo president and CEO Satoru Iwata said during the meeting. "New Nintendo 3DS is equipped with NFC as a standard feature. For existing Nintendo 3DS systems, we will release an external NFC reader/writer in summer this year."
The New 3DS and New 3DS XL already features built-in NFC technology for the collectible figurines that unlocks with software updates. Nintendo issued a new Super Smash Bros. for 3DS update that added Amiibo support to the title earlier this month. The patch coincided with the launch of the New 3DS in the U.S. and the New 3DS and New 3DS XL in Europe.
We have reached out to Nintendo to confirm when the external solution will be available in other regions. Jenna Pitcher is a freelance journalist writing for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter.