For decades, Japanese firm Nintendo has proven itself as one of the world's most formidable gaming companies, dominating the video game markets with its popular franchises like "Super Mario Bros." and "Pokemon" and the console industry with its Wii back in 2006. This coming week, however, Nintendo will venture in an industry that it is yet to breach - the smartphone world.
After years of focusing on the console gaming industry, Nintendo has decided to launch its first-ever smartphone app in Japan on March 17. Dubbed "Miitomo," the company's debut app is a game/social media hybrid that includes a number of features that are sure to make its users smile.
The Miitomo app has been highly anticipated since it was announced by the gaming giant. Though the actual intricacies of the app have not been released by Nintendo, the details that have been unveiled about Miitomo show an interactive and fun application that users would surely love.
Miitomo users are required to create their own avatar, called a Mii. Once a user's Mii has been created, the user could interact with a number of Miis in the network. Answers and interactions with other Miis could be shared with friends.
Perhaps the app's most fun feature, however, is its photo editing feature called "Miifotos." The feature allows users to superimpose their Miis in images from a smartphone's Camera Roll.
Of course, being an app from Nintendo, Miitomo involves a certain degree of gameplay as well. In order to buy items for their respective Miis, users will need to purchase clothes and other accessories using Miitomo coins. These coins could be purchased using real money, or, to make the experience more worthwhile, users could simply earn coins via gameplay.
Though the release date for Nintendo's Miitomo app has been announced for Japan, the app's international release date has yet to be unveiled.
Nintendo's first smartphone app is produced in collaboration with DeNA and is the first of five smartphone games that the gaming giant is set to release by 2017. All of the games are expected to be free and are produced under the supervision of Hideki Konno, who is known as the producer of the classic game "Mario Kart."
