Shovel Knight's amiibo can be read while still in the package

When you buy a collectable figure, you've got a couple of options. You can take it out of the packaging, and enjoy playing with it, or leave it in the box, to remain in mint condition for all of its days. Unfortunately, if you're into collecting amiibo, you don't have much of a choice if you actually want to use them for their intended purpose. Thankfully there is at least one that you can use, while still leaving it sealed in its packaging.

The Shovel Knight amiibo is pretty unique, among its brethren. According to the video below, you can actually set it on your 3DS and have it register, while still in the packaging. It doesn't always work on the first try, so you may need to do it more than once.

The video's creator only had a 3DS to test it on, however, others have confirmed that it will work on the Wii U's gamepad as well. This is certainly great news for those that wish to collect amiibo, without having to double-up on purchases, to keep on safe in plastic.

So why can this one do what no other amiibo can? Because it wasn't actually produced by Nintendo. The company that made it chose not to include the metal strip that blocks the NFC chip from being read by your device.

VIA: Polygon