With the release of Miitomo and especially Pokemon GO, Nintendo have firmly made their mark in the mobile market. And with the upcoming launch of Super Mario Run, which is being pushed by the combined might of Apple and Nintendo, it looks like Nintendo’s fortunes in the mobile game market are only set to get better.

Sony, of course, are unwilling to sit by idly and let Nintendo claim this new market all for themselves. That is why Sony are planning on launching five new mobile games for iOS and Android devices, before March 2018. At first, it seems Sony will focus on Japan ad the Asian markets, where mobile games have far more cachet than they do in the west.

“Japan is a market where Sony and other console makers are struggling to sell units. Sony had to react. People are consuming smartphone games like there is no tomorrow,” said Serkan Toto, CEO of Japanese gaming consultant and advisory group Kantan Games, in an interview with CNBC.

That said, Toto did confirm that Sony would have a harder time of it in the mobile market than Nintendo did, citing, primarily, the strength of Nintendo’s IP- which is something that Sony lacks.

“Sony doesn’t have the same power as the Nintendo IP. There is nothing that comes even close to Mario,” Toto said.

“If the first couple of games from that company just don’t work, I think the smartphone game business will see the same fate as the portable game business. Nobody talks about the [PS] Vita anymore.”

This is all too true. Nintendo are the only company in the world with brands as powerful as Mario, Pokemon, or Zelda– these are the brands that gave Nintendo a running headstart in the mobile market (and which have helped them dominate the handheld games market for 30 years). Sony are going to need to come up with a different way to counter Nintendo, because none of their brands, especially not the ones that are actually suited to mobile, come close to having that kind of recognition or power.

If you’re still playing Miitomo, Nintendo’s delightful social app for iOS and Android smart devices, then you are in for a treat next week- Nintendo will be adding items based on Splatoon, their smash hit third person shooter Wii U exclusive game from last year, to the game then.

The Splatoon themed items will include full Inkling costumes, as well as Splatoon-themed stages in the Miitomo Drop mini-game- these stages will let you earn other Splatoon clothing items. A Splatoon squid badge will also be available via the Miitomo shop in various colors.

This all seems to tie into Nintendo’s stated goal of it using its smartphone apps to familiarize the broader audiences with its properties, and graduate them to full fledged games on its hardware- Splatoon being a fresh Nintendo IP that seems to have done particularly well seems to be an extremely good fit for this strategy, too.

#Splatoon Retweet event begins! #Miitomo in-app gifts for 10k+ RTs! ⇒ https://t.co/lC6FU6HU5W #Miitomo_Splatoon_RT pic.twitter.com/sxFvJwgYJD

— Nintendo of Europe (@NintendoEurope) April 21, 2016

Nintendo have released an update for their freshly launched My Nintendo rewards program. While this update doesn’t change the lineup of games on offer for discounted (or free) prices yet, it does add some new rewards for players of Nintendo’s first smartphone app, Miitomo, that will be doubtless appreciated.

Assuming you have enough Platinum Points to spend (you get these from playing Miitomo, and eventually, just from interacting with the Nintendo ecosystem), you should be able to get for yourself a brand new bee suit, viking helmet, or an amazing new Super Famicom hoodie. Both of these only cost 200 Platinum Points, and if you’re a regular Miitomo player, it’s hard to think of something better to spend those points on.

Miitomo is Nintendo’s first smartphone app, a social game that is available now on iOS and Android smartphones. It is the first of five smartphone games planned to release by this time next year. My Nintendo is Nintendo’s broader umbrella for online services that is meant to segue into their online strategy with the upcoming Nintendo NX.

Stay tuned for more coverage and information.

Nintendo’s very first smartphone app ever is not like anything anyone was expecting- Miitomo seems to be a quirky, quintessentially Nintendo take on social networking and communication, a riff on their Tomodachi Life concept. As a result, not many were expecting it to actually do all that well- this is not the kind of game people wanted from Nintendo on their iPhones. Where were Mario and Zelda?

But as always, it seems as though Nintendo knew what they were doing- just a few hours after its launch, Miitomo had managed to top charts on iOS, and score over 500,000 downloads on Android. And earlier today, less than 24 hours since the app had originally launched, Nintendo announced that it had scored 3 million users worldwide, making the app a resounding vindication of Nintendo’s mobile strategy.

It’s not hard to understand why Miitomo has taken off the way it has- it’s like a bizarre, weirdly addictive mix of Snapchat and Miiverse, which makes it the perfect app for today’s social media age. Add to that the fact that it is extremely easy to use, and that it integrates with your social media accounts very well, and one can see why people have taken to Miitomo so well.

#Miitomo has reached 3 million users worldwide! Thanks for your support & enjoy the app with your friends! pic.twitter.com/ctP3H62u1S

— Nintendo UK (@NintendoUK) April 1, 2016

The new My Nintendo loyalty program is finally live- an amalgamation of services like PS+ and Xbox live Games with Gold with Nintendo’s Club Nintendo offerings, it offers players loads of discounts on games and Nintendo software, as well free Nintendo games, simply for engaging with the Nintendo ecosystem.

The My Nintendo program launched today (alongside Miitomo, Nintendo’s first smartphone app ever), and the first batch of rewards available on the service is now listed. It’s got a whole lot of cool stuff on offer that you can try and strive for:

North America

• My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess – 1000 Platinum Points
• Miitomo – Mario Suit – 250 Platinum Points
• Miitomo – 1 game ticket – 85 Platinum Points
• Miitomo – 5 game tickets – 420 Platinum Points
• Miitomo – 10 game tickets – 250 Platinum Points (1 time only)

• 15% discount on Zelda: Wind Waker HD – 750 Platinum Points
• 15% discount on Yoshi’s Woolly World – 750 Platinum Points
• 15% discount on Zelda: A Link Between Worlds – 600 Platinum Points
• 15% discount on Animal Crossing: New Leaf – 450 Platinum Points
• 15% discount on Super Mario 3D Land – 450 Platinum Points
• 30% discount on Splatoon – 140 Gold Points
• 30% discount on Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker – 100 Gold Points
• 30% discount on Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D – 100 Gold Points
• 30% discount on Ultimate NES Remix – 70 Gold Points
• 30% discount on Punch-Out!! – 50 Gold Points

• Super Mario 64 (Wii U) – 90 Gold Points
• New Super Mario Bros. U DLC: New Super Luigi U – 170 Gold Points
• Pikmin 3 Mission Mode DLC: Battle Enemies! Stages 7-10 – 20 Gold Points
• WarioWare: Touched! (3DS) – 1000 Platinum Points
• Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (3DS) – 35 Gold Points
• Donkey Kong Country Returns – 230 Gold Points
• Metroid Fusion (Wii U) – 60 Gold Points
• Super Punch-Out!! (Wii U) – 70 Gold Points
• My Nintendo Theme 1: Mario – 200 Platinum Points
• My Nintendo Theme 2: Donkey Kong – 200 Platinum Points

Europe

• My Nintendo Picross: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess – 1000 Platinum Points
• Miitomo – Mario Suit – 250 Platinum Points
• Miitomo – 1 game ticket – 85 Platinum Points
• Miitomo – 5 game tickets – 420 Platinum Points
• Miitomo – 10 game tickets – 250 Platinum Points (1 time only)

• 20% discount on Yoshi’s Woolly World – 600 Platinum Points
• 20% discount on Pullblox World – 150 Platinum Points
• 20% discount on Mario Kart 7 – 700 Platinum Points
• 20% discount on The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds – 300 Platinum Points
• 40% discount on Splatoon – 100 Gold Points
• 40% discount on The Wonderful 101 – 120 Gold Points
• 50% discount on Metroid: Other M – 60 Gold Points
• 40% discount on Super Mario 3D Land – 110 Gold Points
• 40% discount on Tomodachi Life – 100 Gold Points
• 50% discount on Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move – 30 Gold Points

• Super Mario 64 (Wii U) – 90 Gold Points
• New Super Mario Bros. U Add-On Content: New Super Luigi U – 90 Gold Points
• Pikmin 3 Add-On Content: Battle Enemies! Stages 7-10 – 20 Gold Points
• WarioWare: Touched! (3DS) – 1000 Platinum Points
• Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (3DS) – 35 Gold Points
• Metroid Fusion (Wii U) – 60 Gold Points
• Super Punch-Out!! (Wii U) – 70 Gold Points
• My Nintendo Theme 1: Mario – 200 Platinum Points
• My Nintendo Theme 2: Donkey Kong – 200 Platinum Points

That’s a healthy catalog of games to start out with. You get Gold Points for buying Nintendo products off of their eShop, while Platinum Points are awarded for simply engaging with the Nintendo ecosystem.

Which one of these games are you going to try and get first?

Nintendo’s social and communication app Miitomo, which is also the first in house software Nintendo has developed for hardware not developed or designed by them, has gone on to enlist over 1 million users just 24 hours after its launch- the amazing thing here being that the app has so far launched only in Japan. This means that Nintendo’s smartphone debut is off to a flying start.

Miitomo is like an amalgamation of the Mii channels on the Wii/Wii U/Nintendo 3DS, and the quirky Nintendo 3DS exclusive Tamodachi Life. It’s a communication and social app, built around Nintendo’s Mii characters, with in app purchases for cosmetic items. It will be launching on iOS and Android devices in the west later this month.

Miitomo is only the first Nintendo app for smartphones- the company has four more in the works by the end of March 2017, including more traditional games starring their popular characters. How Nintendo’s smartphone ventures go in the long run remains to be seen- but evidence dictates they are doing well so far.

Nintendo’s very first smartphone app is not anything that people were expecting when they were asking Nintendo to put software on phones. In fact, it’s barely a game at all- it seems more to be a smartphone translation of Nintendo’s popular Mii Plaza and StreetPass concepts on the 3DS to a smartphone environment.

Still, it’s going to be treated as a pretty big deal- it’s Nintendo’s first bit of software released for hardware other than their own, and it is also tied to the launch of their My Nintendo initiative. And so, if you were looking forward to its launch, you now have a concrete date to mark on your calendar- Miitomo is set to launch on March 17, for Android and iOS devices via Google Play and the App Store, in North America, the UK, Ireland, France and other European countries as well as Russia, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, with rollouts in other countries planned for the future.

Will it take off? Who can say? It will be interesting to see how Nintendo does in an environment they don’t and can’t completely control, however.