After having their pre-registration campaign open for a couple of months, Nintendo have finally announced that their Miitomo service for smart devices will officially launch in Australia on March 31st. Miitomo will be available for download via the iOS App Store (iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad devices supported) and the Android Google Play store at launch.
This new milestone follows the service’s inaugural launch in Japan, which has already seen more than a million downloads. While time will tell if this Mii-oriented service will take off or plummet, Nintendo hope this free-to-start social app will allow users to “spark one-of-a-kind conversations with friends” using their Mii characters.
Users will be able to create their own Mii character and customise facial features like eyes and hair, as well as their voice and personality. Users can also use the camera on their smart devices to snap a photo of themselves, which can be used to create a Mii, or they can simply import their Mii from their Wii U or Nintendo 3DS family system using a QR Code. In a way it sounds like they are adopting many of the Mii systems featured in Tomodachi Life on the Nintendo 3DS – including the ability to customise their Mii with a range of outfits as shown above.
Once their Mii is ready, users can add friends who already have the app in person, or by linking the app with their existing Facebook or Twitter accounts. Following this, users will be asked a number of questions, which will then be utilised by Miitomo to create conversations and (according to them) turn ” discussions into a form of play by prompting users to answer all kinds of fun questions”. Some sample questions provided by Nintendo include:
- How would you define your fashion style?
- What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?
- If you were given ten grand to spend in one day, what would you do?
It will be interesting to see if this questionnaire approach to manages to stimulate a lot of discussion.
Following the closure of Nintendo’s previous reward system, Miitomo will also feature a new rewards point system. Known as “My Nintendo”, this service will reward users for interacting with Nintendo products and services in a number of ways. Platinum Points can be earned by interacting with Nintendo apps and services, including Miitomo. Gold Points are earned when purchasing digital versions of games from the official Nintendo website or Nintendo eShop on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. Both Platinum and Gold Points can be redeemed for rewards like digital content and discount coupons. Those who preregister for Miitomo will be eligible for a Premium Point boost from the start.
As an added bonus, those who sign up for a Nintendo Account before the end of April will be able to download Flipnote Studio 3D to their Nintendo 3DS system for free.
Are you interested in preregistering for this service? Click HERE for more information.
