Nintendo games will be free, but you’ll pay in some way. Photo: Nintendo

All of the games Nintendo is currently planning for Android and iOS will be free-to-play titles, according to development partner DeNA. That means you won’t have to pay a penny to download them — but they will almost certainly be filled with in-app purchases.

Sorry, Mario. It’s not your turn yet.

At an investor briefing in Tokyo this evening, console maker and developer Nintendo unveiled the first of its proposed five smartphone games it will make with mobile giant DeNA between now and March 2017. And it’s not the most exciting news for long-time fans of the Wii U company’s library.

The title, called Miitomo will be a free-to-play title that lets your cartoonish “Mii” avatar talk to your friends — often without your knowledge.

The wait is almost over. Photo: Nintendo

Nintendo is set to unveil its first smartphone game tomorrow, October 29 — seven months after it announced that it would finally give in to the demands of Android and iOS gamers.

Nintendo will be hoping that its mobile game business is a success following weakening demand for its 3DS and Wii U consoles.

Not all Mario is good. Screenshot: Nintendo

One of the biggest reasons to choose Android over other platforms is the ability to play classic console games with the help of an emulator. But you should be careful when searching for your next one, because there’s new Android malware out there that disguises itself as retro Nintendo games.

The Dolphin emulator for Android is coming along nicely. Photo: Cult of Android

The wonderful Dolphin emulator that lets you (illegally) play classic Nintendo games for GameCube and Wii has long been available on Android, but not even today’s most expensive flagships are powerful enough to play them.

NVIDIA’s Shield TV is, however, and as you’ll see in the video below, titles like Phantasy Star Online, Luigi’s Mansion, and Animal Crossing are almost perfectly playable.