The Joy of Amiibo: A Collector's Obsession

As I sit here surrounded by my vast collection of amiibo figures, I have to admit that it's getting a little out of hand. With around 110-120 duplicates of some of my favorite characters, I've had to get creative with how I display them in my office. I've taken to using shelves alongside the top of all four walls to show off my beloved figurines, and I'm excited to say that this project is finally starting to come together.

But before we dive into the world of amiibo, let's talk about what they actually are. Amiibo, short for "Amieibo" in Japanese, are small figures with NFC sensors built-in. This means that they can be scanned using a device like an Android phone or tablet, which allows them to interact with games and other applications in new and exciting ways. The name "NFC" stands for Near Field Communication, a technology that enables devices to communicate with each other over short distances.

One of the most interesting things about amiibo is how they're used in different games. For example, in Super Smash Brothers, scanning an amiibo into the game will allow you to play as that character and even save your data on the figurine itself. This feature has been a game-changer for fans of the series, who can now easily switch between characters without having to manually select them from the game's menu.

On the other hand, some games use amiibo in more unique ways. Take Yoshi's Woolly World, for example, which allows you to scan certain amiibo into the game and then have your character mimic the design of that amiibo. This feature is both fun and functional, allowing players to experiment with different looks and styles without having to download any new content.

Of course, not all games are as innovative in their use of amiibo. Some, like Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival, require a specific amiibo figure to play the game at all. This can be a bit frustrating for fans who may not have collected every possible amiibo, but it's also kind of exciting to think about how different players might experience the game.

One game that finally took advantage of the full potential of amiibo was The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Scanning an amiibo into the game gives you access to bonus items and rewards, which can make a big difference in your playthrough. And with multiple amiibos available for the game, including the Guardian, Link Archer, and others, players are able to unlock different characters and abilities that add new depth to the game.

As I continue to collect and trade amiibo, I have to say that it's become clear just how much they've taken over my life. Spending $100 on breath of the wild amiibo alone in a single weekend is not something I'm particularly proud of, but it's also a testament to the addictive nature of these little figures.

So what does the future hold for amiibo? One thing that's definitely exciting is the potential for more games to take advantage of this technology. Nintendo has already shown us how they can be used in games like Animal Crossing and The Legend of Zelda, but I have no doubt that other developers will follow suit in the coming years.

For now, I'm just happy to keep collecting and enjoying my amiibo figures. Whether it's for their use in games or simply as a fun collectible, there's something special about these little figurines that's captured the hearts of fans around the world. And who knows? Maybe one day I'll have enough amiibo to cover every inch of my office wall...

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enall right so the other day I got a question in my inbox from a viewer named Curtis and Curtis basically said hi David I'm a little confused with the whole amiibo thing I've noticed he have quite an impressive collection but how do they work well that's what today's video is all about you know it's kind of funny at first I didn't care about amiibo at all I was like what is this I don't I don't need another collection of my life I mean it's going to be just time consuming and money consuming for that matter because I have spent literally hundreds of dollars on amiibo but am I ashamed no because amiibo have quickly turned into an addiction of mine I love amibo I simply am obsessed with them and as of today I have about 100 amiibo not counting duplicates but counting duplicates I easily have what maybe 110 120 and well actually this Kirby just happens to be a duplicate of mine hence why is on the shelf and not part of my main collection look at this this is getting a little out of hand okay so I've made this very clear in past videos but allow me to reassure you guys around this office will be covered in amiibo eventually I want to put shelving alongside the top of all four walls now granted I don't have enough meibo as of today to span the entire perimeter of my office but maybe someday I will but getting to Curtis's more specific question what are amiibo and how do they work well first of all they're little tiny figures with NFC sensors built in and in case you didn't know NFC stands for nearfield communication it's basically a local way of scanning device a to device B which is actually especially useful on devices such as Android devices that support NFC you can use it for payments um such as Apple pay on your iPhone however speaking in a more simple sense amiibo used NFC for an additional fund Factor if you will a great example of this is Super Smash Brothers that's actually the first big game to supports amiibo you scan the amiibo boom you see him on Super Smash Brothers and I believe you can save your data on the amiibo itself now honestly I never used it for that because like I said I'm a proud amiibo addict I'm obsessed with simply collecting them but there are some games that use amiibo in a more unique manner for instance Yoshi's woolly world not only is this cut as hell look at this who in their right mind can resist this a plush amiibo you got to love it so anyway Yoshi's woolly world you would actually scan certain amiibo into the game and then that Yoshi would kind of mimic the overall design of that amibo for instance you could scan in Dr Mario or Mario himself like you know the default Mario and boom your Yoshi would instantly look more like a different character rather than just Yoshi himself but then there are games that actually require amiibo such as um Animal Crossing amiibo Festival you quite literally need an amiibo figure to play that game you scan it onto the the game pad like so and you play the game like a board game not the most interesting game to be honest but hey it was a unique and interesting use of the amiibo and then there's devices like the 3DS which do support amiibo by default like the new 3DS does but this one does not this is the 3DS XL Yoshi Edition again not a new 3DS however they do sell an external scanner that allows you to scan in your amiibo for games that are compatible for instance Yoshi's woolly World introduced a brand new pooie amiibo but fast for warning to today with the release of the Nintendo switch and Legend of Zelda breath of the wild I am happy to say that I have finally played a game that has introduced some true value with amiibo all right so this right here the guardian amiibo not only is a big as hell but scanning that into the game actually gives you some bonus items weapons or whatever and actually to make things even more interesting this varies per breath of the wild amiibo so it's not only with this Guardian amiibo there's also the link Archer amiibo link Rider amiibo and a couple others that are skipping my mind right now well actually including Zelda herself and the um bobblin yeah I'm still not sure how I say that but the point is skting nose amiibo on your switch or the Pro Controller does just that it gives you bonus goodies in breath of the wild so it's really nice to see that Nintendo is taking amiibo seriously still and well come on it's a money maker for them because addicts like myself just spent over $100 this past weekend on breath of the wild amiibo alone all right I'm getting ready to eat lunch buffalo chicken strips you got to love that chicken anyway Curtis I hope that answers your question that's why I love amiibo they're fun to collect they're fun to use in games now granted they're not that useful in most games but with games like breath of the wild actually taking advantage of amiibo I'm excited to see what else comes in the future especially with a true Animal Crossing game on the switch eventually come on it's going to happen at some point right right Nintendo hopefully guys think about it that could be a lot of fun scanning characters and maybe at some point scanning certain like bonus items into Animal Crossing on the switch such as Virtual Console games or like hidden secrets that you can only get through amiibo so I'm going to wrap this video up by saying this my name is David Franco and I am an amiibo addict thanks for watching and I'll see you in tomorrow's video peaceall right so the other day I got a question in my inbox from a viewer named Curtis and Curtis basically said hi David I'm a little confused with the whole amiibo thing I've noticed he have quite an impressive collection but how do they work well that's what today's video is all about you know it's kind of funny at first I didn't care about amiibo at all I was like what is this I don't I don't need another collection of my life I mean it's going to be just time consuming and money consuming for that matter because I have spent literally hundreds of dollars on amiibo but am I ashamed no because amiibo have quickly turned into an addiction of mine I love amibo I simply am obsessed with them and as of today I have about 100 amiibo not counting duplicates but counting duplicates I easily have what maybe 110 120 and well actually this Kirby just happens to be a duplicate of mine hence why is on the shelf and not part of my main collection look at this this is getting a little out of hand okay so I've made this very clear in past videos but allow me to reassure you guys around this office will be covered in amiibo eventually I want to put shelving alongside the top of all four walls now granted I don't have enough meibo as of today to span the entire perimeter of my office but maybe someday I will but getting to Curtis's more specific question what are amiibo and how do they work well first of all they're little tiny figures with NFC sensors built in and in case you didn't know NFC stands for nearfield communication it's basically a local way of scanning device a to device B which is actually especially useful on devices such as Android devices that support NFC you can use it for payments um such as Apple pay on your iPhone however speaking in a more simple sense amiibo used NFC for an additional fund Factor if you will a great example of this is Super Smash Brothers that's actually the first big game to supports amiibo you scan the amiibo boom you see him on Super Smash Brothers and I believe you can save your data on the amiibo itself now honestly I never used it for that because like I said I'm a proud amiibo addict I'm obsessed with simply collecting them but there are some games that use amiibo in a more unique manner for instance Yoshi's woolly world not only is this cut as hell look at this who in their right mind can resist this a plush amiibo you got to love it so anyway Yoshi's woolly world you would actually scan certain amiibo into the game and then that Yoshi would kind of mimic the overall design of that amibo for instance you could scan in Dr Mario or Mario himself like you know the default Mario and boom your Yoshi would instantly look more like a different character rather than just Yoshi himself but then there are games that actually require amiibo such as um Animal Crossing amiibo Festival you quite literally need an amiibo figure to play that game you scan it onto the the game pad like so and you play the game like a board game not the most interesting game to be honest but hey it was a unique and interesting use of the amiibo and then there's devices like the 3DS which do support amiibo by default like the new 3DS does but this one does not this is the 3DS XL Yoshi Edition again not a new 3DS however they do sell an external scanner that allows you to scan in your amiibo for games that are compatible for instance Yoshi's woolly World introduced a brand new pooie amiibo but fast for warning to today with the release of the Nintendo switch and Legend of Zelda breath of the wild I am happy to say that I have finally played a game that has introduced some true value with amiibo all right so this right here the guardian amiibo not only is a big as hell but scanning that into the game actually gives you some bonus items weapons or whatever and actually to make things even more interesting this varies per breath of the wild amiibo so it's not only with this Guardian amiibo there's also the link Archer amiibo link Rider amiibo and a couple others that are skipping my mind right now well actually including Zelda herself and the um bobblin yeah I'm still not sure how I say that but the point is skting nose amiibo on your switch or the Pro Controller does just that it gives you bonus goodies in breath of the wild so it's really nice to see that Nintendo is taking amiibo seriously still and well come on it's a money maker for them because addicts like myself just spent over $100 this past weekend on breath of the wild amiibo alone all right I'm getting ready to eat lunch buffalo chicken strips you got to love that chicken anyway Curtis I hope that answers your question that's why I love amiibo they're fun to collect they're fun to use in games now granted they're not that useful in most games but with games like breath of the wild actually taking advantage of amiibo I'm excited to see what else comes in the future especially with a true Animal Crossing game on the switch eventually come on it's going to happen at some point right right Nintendo hopefully guys think about it that could be a lot of fun scanning characters and maybe at some point scanning certain like bonus items into Animal Crossing on the switch such as Virtual Console games or like hidden secrets that you can only get through amiibo so I'm going to wrap this video up by saying this my name is David Franco and I am an amiibo addict thanks for watching and I'll see you in tomorrow's video peace\n"