Nintendo launches first app

Nintendo is launching "Miitomo", its first app made exclusively for smart devices.

Designed for both iOS and Android phones and tablets, the app is a social experience that uses Nintendo's Mii characters, which first debuted on the Wii console, to interact with friends.

Users will be able to pre-register for Miitomo from February 17 by signing up for the new Nintendo Account service using their existing email, social media accounts or current Nintendo Network IDs, with a special bonus offered to anyone who signs up before the app is released.

Miitomo will launch in North America in March. More information will be made available on http://www.nintendo.com in the coming weeks.