With the release of the New Nintendo 3DS and 3DS XL across the world (with only the New XL model available in the US), amiibo finally make their way into a variety of 3DS games, though players with older models of Nintendo's 3DS family won't have to wait too much longer to join in on the fun.

During Nintendo's investor meeting, the company revealed that an external NFC reader/writer for the original 3DS and 3DS XL models will be coming this summer, though at this time it is only confirmed for a release in Japan. In a statement, Nintendo President and CEO Satoru Iwata detailed more on bringing NFC and amiibo support to the older 3DS models:

“Even though only Wii U has been compatible with Amiibo so far, we are making steady progress on compatibility with the Nintendo 3DS platform. New Nintendo 3DS is equipped with NFC as a standard feature. For existing Nintendo 3DS systems, we will release an external NFC reader/writer in summer this year.”

Currently, Super Smash Bros. for 3DS added NFC support with amiibo figurines in an update this month, with other upcoming titles like Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. also set to include support with the line of Nintendo-made figurines. The New Nintendo 3DS XL, released in February, includes NFC support as a standard built-in feature.

The external NFC reader for older 3DS systems will release in Japan this summer - stay tuned for more details on if/when the reader will become available in other territories as news develops.