Wii Mini is Real, and a Canadian Exclusive (For Now)

UPDATE: This article originally noted the Canadian launch as November 30, which is the European launch. My bad! Carry on.

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It makes sense for Nintendo to extend the life of the Wii, even if its successor is now available in some territories. Who knew Nintendo would debut the Wii Mini, priced nicely at $99, in...Canada?

Yeah, I’m just as confused. But hey!

Wii Mini can't connect to the Internet, and doesn’t support GameCube games, but it does represent a new, super cheap way to pick up a Nintendo console if the Wii U, which starts at $300, is too expensive. A MotionPlus remote and nunchuck, A/V connector, power adaptor, and sensor bar are also in the box.

Nintendo has not yet commented on the availability of Wii Mini outside of Canada, though I’d suspect it’s likely.

Wii Mini launches in Canada on December 7, and there are more details on Nintendo's site.

the smallest wii

a shameful wii

Nintendo still seems to think (hope?) that the internet is just going to go away sometime soon.

Way to add to the market confusion, guys.

Shame about the components but I really like the look of it.

This seems weird to me. Surely it's easy enough to find a used Wii and a controller for $100 at this point, right?

Careful, we don't want any nation bashing going on. Very insensitive. I, for one, really love our ice-skate-wearing, maple-syrup guzzling brethren to the north.

@patrickklepek I think you meant to say Wii Mini where you said Wii U in the fourth paragraph.

Nintendo has not yet commented on the availability of Wii U outside of Canada, though I’d suspect it’s likely.

I am sure you mean Wii mini..

Anyway, I might actually buy this thing. I don't have a Wii yet and I wouldn't mind playing some Wii Sports with the kids, and I'd like to play the Galaxies games.

Doesn't seem like it comes with any games does it?

If anything this will take sales away from the WiiU...

Considering that the wii shop was garbage and most good games for the wii don't require internet connection I guess this is a good cheep way to play games like Mario galaxy and Silent Hill Shattered Memories. Hell, I don't know.

So this is for the person who:

• Didnt already have a wii but wanted one
• Has no interest in virtual console games
• Isn't buying a wii u

What the hell is nintendo thinking?

Wii, WiiU, Wii mini. Can't wait to see the confused parents looking to by a Nintendo system for their kids.

minwii

wiini

help me out here

How small is Nintendo's wee Wii?

As I said in the thread on this in the forums before this news post went up, it's dumb for Nintendo. People already think the Wii U is just a magical controller for the Wii that makes their games look pretty. This will just confuse them even more. Plus, the first Wii is still dirt cheap. For $50 more you can get a Wii that comes with a mario game, WiFi and plays the older games. Why not spend the extra $50?

the Pii Wii

@korkesh said:

@patrickklepek "just one week after Wii U arrives there on November 30" Are you talking about Canada in that last sentence? We've had it since launch day in US. It comes out in the UK on the 30th fyi.

Giant Bomb thinks Canada is in France and a part of Europe. Don't expect them to realize that when they get a release date that says North American launch that it includes Canada.

@GenghisJohn: I think it is for the same people that the super slim PS2 was for when the PS3 came out (the one that had the option of a clip-on screen).

For people who like to play games but don't have a load of money or travel a lot (mostly to hotel rooms).

I think the main problem with it isn't the audience it is to aim for but the timing that it is coming out. It would make so much more sense if it came out early next year or earlier this year - having it so close to the WiiU is crazy.

Okay this looks different, it must be the new Nintendo. Phew, I almost bought that tablet accesory by mistake.

@patrickklepek

just one week after Wii U arrives there on November 30.

Not true, the Wii U had launch in Canada the same day as in US.

I envision Nintendo PR & Marketing Department to be a hundred japanese dudes in a very small area shouting and screaming until someone pushes a button somewhere and work is done that way.

So many grandmas will buy this for so many disappointed Canadian children.

@GenghisJohn said:

So this is for the person who:

• Didnt already have a wii but wanted one
• Has no interest in virtual console games
• Isn't buying a wii u

What the hell is nintendo thinking?

Money, Profit by grandmothers who buy their grand kids the wrong consoles.

@korkesh said:

@patrickklepek "just one week after Wii U arrives there on November 30" Are you talking about Canada in that last sentence? We've had it since launch day in US (Nov 18th). It comes out in the UK on the 30th fyi.

Haha, in Patrick's last mention of Canada, he said that we were "across the ocean." ....He thinks we're England.

Now when Grandma goes Christmas shopping, she'll see that new Wii thing everybody is talking about for only $99 and think she's getting little Timmy an awesome gift she can actually afford.

In lieu of not being able to, and kind of not wanting to buy a WiiU I've been going back to play all of the early Wii stuff. Totally satiated my Nintendo lust for the time being. I wholeheartedly support just playing your old Nintendo shit if you already have it because it seems to have about the same affect.

Nintendo has not yet commented on the availability of Wii U outside of Canada, though I’d suspect it’s likely.

Don't hold your breath, jerks. Come find me in Vancouver, sitting on my throne of Wii U's.

how is it black and also small?

@PinkCrayon32 said:

If anything this will take sales away from the WiiU...

People who'll buy this are mostly people who have been put off by the Wii's price over the years. Do you really think those people would buy a Wii U?

@crusader8463 said:

@korkesh said:

@patrickklepek "just one week after Wii U arrives there on November 30" Are you talking about Canada in that last sentence? We've had it since launch day in US. It comes out in the UK on the 30th fyi.

Giant Bomb thinks Canada is in France and a part of Europe. Don't expect them to realize that when they get a release date that says North American launch that it includes Canada.

North America, you mean like alaska?

@GenghisJohn said:

So this is for the person who:

• Didnt already have a wii but wanted one
• Has no interest in virtual console games
• Isn't buying a wii u

What the hell is nintendo thinking?

I don't know, that seems like a pretty decent subset. Just before Christmas, at a nice impulse buy price (giving your kid a Wii U for Christmas is probably too much for a lot of people), it might actually sell. I bet it doesn't cost Nintendo much to produce either. And people that don't have one yet are probably not interested in VC games. The no internet restriction seems weirder to me, this would make a pretty decent netflix box for cheap.

Did you see that the Wii sold 300k units in the US on Black Friday, clearly the thing still has legs. We'll see, but I think the Wii mini will do pretty well.

The confusion argument with the Wii U is a pretty good one though, but that problem started with naming it the Wii U.

The only thing i see this being a good idea for is a collector item and never taking it out of the box. That's it.

Again, is anyone proof reading anything around here?

@McGhee: And I love our gun toting, flag waving, bible thumping second cousin's to the south!

@jozzy said:

Nintendo has not yet commented on the availability of Wii U outside of Canada, though I’d suspect it’s likely.

I am sure you mean Wii mini..

Anyway, I might actually buy this thing. I don't have a Wii yet and I wouldn't mind playing some Wii Sports with the kids, and I'd like to play the Galaxies games.

Doesn't seem like it comes with any games does it?

You know, my knee-jerk reaction was also to laugh at the proposal, but there are a couple Wii games I'd like to play, and I wouldn't need the internet to play them.

As if they didn't need more product confusion. I literally had to explain to three people today (within the span of an hour) that the WiiU was not a controller add on for the Wii.

Well, congratulations Canada?

Sick get Canada, sick get

Again, is anyone proof reading anything around here?

So how do you patch games? Seems strange, at least include an ethernet port. Maybe Nintendo thinks Canadians are a bunch of backwater, nomads that do not have internet? haha

@evanbower said:

Nintendo has not yet commented on the availability of Wii U outside of Canada, though I’d suspect it’s likely.

Don't hold your breath, jerks. Come find me in Vancouver, sitting on my throne of Wii U's.

like the iron throne but melted plastic/silicon?

hope you wore a mask when forging it.

No internet? Even the PS2 slim has internet.

@Orbitz89 said:

@McGhee: And I love our gun toting, flag waving, bible thumping second cousin's to the south!

Really? I can't stand it here. ha

Personally i'm interested because it looks so good, i've never and will never play a wii game online or use any of the online features, i don't need virtual console games, and i have a gamecube already to play my gamecube games. So basically this is for anyone like me who wants to just play wii games. I'm hoping they'll either release it here in the US or i can get one shipped to me for not a lot more

@OllyOxenFree said:

@DoctorWelch said:

Again, is anyone proof reading anything around here?

No.

Your avatar fits perfectly with this comment, and it made me laugh.

It's rare that I don't lust over a new hardware iteration, this is one of those rare cases.