14 DAY TRIAL // Nintendo might be going through a dark period at the moment, as shown in its financial report released recently, but the company has big plans for the future and at E3 2014, it plans to reveal new hardware and a figurine range that can be used with both the Wii U home console and the 3DS handheld.
VG247 quotes a Japanese language briefing for investors as stating that the big reveal will be the Nintendo Figurine Platform, which will use Ingra red communications and the NFC capabilities that are already part of the GamePad.
The new physical toys are designed to work across a range of video games, although none have been officially named, and the devices associated with them can both write and read data, which means that gamers will have the ability to customize them in various ways.
The system looks somewhat similar to that used by Activision for its expansive Skylanders system and by Disney for its own Disney Infinity title.
Both video games and toy ranges have been very successful since they were introduced and Nintendo might aim to make its hardware more attractive by delivering a similar experience.
At the moment, Nintendo is only ready to show the main figurine that can be used with the Wii U and the 3DS, Mario, but more will be produced using the extensive character line-up of the company’s titles.
At E3 2014, gamers will be able to see the games that use the Nintendo Figurine Platform and get more details on their exact features and the entire system seems to have been in development for more than one year.
The initiative is clearly designed to create an integrated set of experiences that involve both the Wii U, which has disappointed in terms of sales, and the more successful 3DS.
It will be interesting to see how fans of the characters react to the launch of the Nintendo Figurine Platform and the way they are priced on launch.
The company will also have to make sure that the toys that it creates can deliver the same quality as those from Disney and Activision.
Nintendo has posted another loss, mainly because of the Wii U home console, but the company says that it is ramping up sales, including for Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart 8, and that it has plans to return to profitability before the end of the current fiscal year.