This article is about the peripheral itself. For information on the Animal Crossing amiibo cards, see amiibo.
Nintendo 3DS NFC Reader/Writer
Manufacturer
Nintendo
Release date(s)
July 30, 2015 [1] September 25, 2015 October 2, 2015 [2]
Media
NFC-enabled card
The Nintendo 3DS NFC Reader/Writer is a gaming peripheral developed by Nintendo. When paired with a Nintendo 3DS that lacks the NFC reader/writer in the system (these 3DS systems also lack a smaller circle pad alongside ZL and ZR buttons), it can be used to scan amiibo cards that contain a specially encoded NFC chip embedded within them to perform various functions such as uploading data or unlocking game features.
In Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, Nintendo 3DS NFC Reader/Writer is use to unlock villagers and items. To scan amiibo cards, the player must unlock amiibo phone. When the player holds the amiibo card to the Nintendo 3DS NFC Reader/Writer, they will be able to design a villager's house.
Use in Animal Crossing: New Leaf - Welcome amiibo
In Animal Crossing: New Leaf - Welcome amiibo, the player may find a magic lamp randomly in the town. If the player picks up the lamp, places it in their house, and interacts with it, Wisp will appear. Wisp can help with amiibo. The player uses a Nintendo 3DS NFC Reader/Writer to scan amiibo. When an amiibo is scanned, the player can invite that villager to move to their town, or obtain a random item. If a special character's amiibo is scanned, that character's RV will be at the campground.