Nintendo's first smartphone app is a social awesome

Nintendo has asked gamers to help rescue a princess, race gokarts and even play tennis with a motion-sensing controller.

Now, the maker of Mario is asking fans to do something new: share their weekend plans with friends.

Nintendo's first smartphone app -- Miitomo -- launched Thursday in Japan, and will soon debut in other markets. It's distinctly social, and at first glance, may seem like a bizarre turn for a company known for games.
The app asks questions of users, such as their favorite TV show, or what they hope to be doing in 10 years. They're the sort of general queries that Nintendo says rarely come up in normal conversation.
The answers are then shared with friends in messages delivered by Miis -- the cartoonish avatars featured in Wii Sports, one of Nintendo's biggest hits of the last decade.
Some argue the app is true to Nintendo's 120-year history.