Zelda, Super Smash Bros and figurines: Nintendo pushes Wii U

Who would win in a fight between Mario and your slightly scary Wii trainer? While that question may have remained unanswered, that's all about to change. As expected, Nintendo announced figurines for its Wii U console, which will allow you to bring new characters into Super Smash Bros in its Wii U debut and pit them against each other.

Amiibo, as its known, will be available later this year. The figurines can be placed into the game by touching them off the Wii U’s Gamepad, and they appear with all the characteristics you would expect from them.

The new figures will also work with the 3DS handheld console, Nintendo said.

Players can train their amiibo character and customise their special moves, which means no two characters will ever be the same. The data is stored inside the figurines, which means it can be transported to another console easily.

Super Smash Bros isn’t the only game getting amiibo capabilities; Nintendo said it will also make the figures compatible with Mario Kart 8, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Mario Party 10 and Yoshi’s Woolly World, with more to come.

The new figurine line will launch with around 10 figures, which will then be added to over the coming months.

Nintendo revealed its plans in the Nintendo Digital event, which was broadcast online. The company has ditched the traditional press conference in favour of the streaming video event.

Also shown at the event was a new instalment in the Zelda franchise, which is scheduled for release in 2015, and Mario Party 10.

Nintendo is facing an uphill battle with its Wii U console, which has not performed as well as expected in the competitive games market. However, there are hopes that the recent launch of Mario Kart 8 and the upcoming Super Smash Bros title, which is set for later this year, will help generate interest in the console.