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Near Field Communication and all contactless technology

Japan-based video game company Nintendo will begin accepting contactless payments via its Wii U game consoles in Japan later this year, and the company will also release a new line of NFC-enabled toy figures for the console.

Identive Group’s losses narrowed in the second quarter, and the company recorded strong growth in sales of NFC tags, including tags for interactive toys for video games.

U.S.-based Identive Group reported growing NFC and smart card reader business, but fell back into the red during for the first quarter, a loss it largely blamed on U.S. federal government budget cuts.

Identive Group, a secure ID, NFC tag and reader maker, turned a profit in the fourth quarter–albeit a small one–its first time in the black for several consecutive quarters, helped by what CEO Ayman S. Ashour described as “a record quarter for NFC.”

Tag supplier Identive Group shipped nearly 15 million NFC tags during the fourth quarter of 2012, which CEO Ayman Ashour described as a quarterly record for the company.

The Walt Disney Co. is tapping contactless and NFC technology to offer a more interactive experience for its theme park and video gaming customers.

Nintendo has released its much-anticipated Wii U gaming console with NFC technology, enabling the game maker to incorporate physical objects into game play, in addition to possible support in the future for contactless payment for digital content.

With its recent launch of a second-generation of tag products, NXP Semiconductors hopes to tap into what it sees as increasing demand by advertisers for data analytics on prospective customers.