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With the Club Nintendo service finally shutting down this year, fans have been waiting expectantly for Nintendo's new account system. The company revealed the snappy title of Nintendo Account in October, and explained that the system will use cloud storage to exchange data between platforms. It was also revealed that accounts will be backed by a points system, which can be used to purchase both physical and digital goods.

The big news today is that registration for Nintendo Accounts has gone live in Japan. Those who register between now and February 1st will receive 100 Yen for every 1000 Yen they spend on the Wii U and 3DS eShops.

As expected, you can link your Nintendo Network ID as well as your social media accounts, such as Twitter, Facebook and Google+ - however, if you sign-up using one of these methods, you won't be able to purchase anything on the eShop - a Nintendo Network ID is required for that. Provided you have a Network ID, you'll also be able to browse and purchase software using your smartphone or computer via your Nintendo Account, which will then be automatically downloaded to your console.

There's no word on when the western registration will go live, but we'd imagine it will be soon.

[source neogaf.com, via nintendo.co.jp, eurogamer.net]