Amiibo are back but Nintendo has the chance to make them more playable than ever

We have official confirmation that the Nintendo Switch 2 will carry on the amiibo figure line thanks to last week’s Nintendo Direct presentation. While that quickly settled my fears that Ninty was phasing out charming toys, I can’t help but wish they made one change that would truly make them my favorite peripheral with this new console generation - including an NFC card with every figure.

Adding a collectible card with every new amiibo would fix my biggest issue with the Nintendo Switch accessory, making it easier to unlock in-game content without messing up, and even accidentally breaking, my collection. I’m over 100 figures deep, but having to remove an amiibo from their well-thought-out displays each time I want to use one is tedious. If each figure came with the same data on a collectible NFC card, it would be far more convenient and accelerate my current desire to collect them all.

In the 11 years since amiibo figures have roamed our gaming room shelves, actually using the toys has been frustrating - at least as an adult. Each time I want to dive back into Tears of the Kingdom, I have to scoop up every Zelda amiibo figure from their precisely placed displays and perch them on my coffee table. This makes the time it took to get them looking how I wanted feel like a waste and puts them up there as one of the most annoying Switch accessories to use.

There is an argument to be made that these are “toys to life” and so are meant to be played with. Yet, it’s not like they haven’t been designed with adult collectors in mind, with the amount of official display stands available to buy for them. I own the official Splatoon 2 display, an official amiibo lava stand, and two of the official checkpoint stands, all of which were designed with the intention of fans organizing their amiibos to be looked at and admired. But what’s the point of them if you have to disturb those setups every single time you want to use them?

Removing my amiibos from off their shelves also fills me with dread. Any time they aren’t on their designated shelf, they’re exposed to the elements. I’m also constantly living in fear of the day my cat decides to make one his new favorite toy, now that they’re at a furry arms’ distance. That’s especially true where the rarer amiibo figures are concerned (I’m looking at you, squishy Metroid figure), as they aren’t easily replaceable.

Having a collectible NFC card included with every figure going forward would be the perfect solution to my woes. Upcoming Tulin, Yunobo, Riju, and Sidon figures, launching on June 5, could remain part of my Zelda display, while I reach for their matching cards instead. Then, when I’ve exceeded that annoying daily amiibo use limit, I can store the cards in a binder, or even a portable deck box should I want to take them on the go.

Nintendo could also provide NFC cards for previous amiibo figures, and make them available to buy separately or even in booster packs just like the Animal Crossing cards. I’m sure a range of collectible Nintendo cards based on the amiibo figures would go down a treat, especially as it’d be a means for many Switch owners to grab in-game content unlocked by amiibos no longer in stock by retailers and the official Nintendo website. (Which is more than you think.)

And if third-party brands can do it, Nintendo could. In the over a decade of time we’ve had amiibos, random sellers on sites like eBay and AliExpress have been making bootleg cards. Instead of being replicas of the real thing, these feature the data stored by the official figures, so you can easily use them in-game without having to tote around a ton of little plastic guys. Of course, they also existed as alternatives to buying the figures altogether, but I know countless friends who bought them for amiibos they already owned.

Now before you get out your pitchforks, I didn’t forget that a new set of 22 amiibo cards was actually revealed during the announcement of Street Fighter 6 Year 1-2 Fighters Edition. These cards were briefly shown off alongside the three new Luke, Jamie, and Kimberly figures, and look far jazzier than any we’ve seen before. But they’re their own separate collectible, and you still need to sit Luke, Jamie, or Kimberly on the Joy-Con 2 controller NFC reader to save and load your favorite character's outfit, control style, and button settings.

I’m glad that the cards exist at all, and that Nintendo hasn’t forgotten about them, especially as someone who owns three ring-binders full of Animal Crossing amiibo cards left over from the Nintendo 3DS era and is always up for collecting more. However, their existence only makes the situation more frustrating, as Ninty clearly still has the manufacturing ability, but hasn’t chosen to include them with future amiibo figures or sold them separately.

If they did, it would not only solve my amiibo woes, but would also make the new price for the latest amiibo figures less of a blow. Fortunately, the new Zelda options are retailing for $19.99, but the Street Fighter 6 figures have been listed as $29.99 in some places. Sure, they’re a lot bigger, as shown in the Street Fighter 6 Treehouse Live segment, but that’s still almost double the price of figures like Ryu, which retailed for $15.99 at launch. Varying prices for amiibos isn’t new, and I’ve had to fork out a variety of prices for my collection even through the official Nintendo site, but I’d be a lot happier to do so if I got a little bit of NFC-compatible cardboard too.

For now, I’ve had to find alternative ways to easily use my collection. Outside of just having to deal with constantly messing up my pretty displays, I’ve grabbed unofficial dongles to save multiple amiibos at a time to one device. I’ve eyed up those fake cards more than once too, of course. But random sellers online tend to stick stolen fan art on them, which I never want to chuck my hard-earned cash at. I’d much rather hold out for Nintendo to release the real-deal. It might never come to be, but I didn’t expect us to have new amiibos for this new Nintendo console generation, so anything is possible.

If you're looking forward to using your amiibo with the new handheld, check out our Nintendo Switch 2 pre-order guide so you can grab your own as soon as possible. If you're sticking with the original, grabbing one of the best Nintendo Switch SD cards or the best Nintendo Switch headsets will help you get the most out of your beloved aging handheld.