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

Has anyone made a "Wee Wii" joke yet?

I'll just show myself out...

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

So Europe is actually getting this first? What? Words? Wii? Help?

News you can use... to confuse...

@PurpleSpandex said:

So here's the last vestiges of Nintendo, WiiU is the Dreamcast of Nintendo.

five bucks ninty's still going strong in the console business by 2017

@Parsnip said:

Good job Nintendo for adding even more confusion to the market. The average consumer doesn't know the difference between wii and wiiu, this isn't going to help.

if that's the case then the average consumer is a moron.

This console isn't for anyone in the Giant Bomb community. There are families out there that have trouble putting food on the table, and if this grants them the opportunity to have a video game system, I'm all for it. I really don't think this will create any more market confusion than already exists.

@ripelivejam said:

@Parsnip said:

Good job Nintendo for adding even more confusion to the market. The average consumer doesn't know the difference between wii and wiiu, this isn't going to help.

if that's the case then the average consumer is a moron.

Has much less to do with that and much more with how Nintendo's advertising and showing off of the console has been. Many, many people think it's just an add-on for the Wii.

@jozzy: But I feel like you'd be missing out on a lot that the system has to offer via its online component. Maybe it's just me, but whenever I mess around with my friend's Wii, it's the online store full of Nintendo classics that has me the most jealous. Plus, for $99 you could probably buy a used one with GameCube support and the online bits. I just don't see it being worth it for a handful of 'must-play' games. Especially if you consider that you could just play those on Wii U when/if you purchase it.

@sonicrift: That might be true, but your argument is weakened by the fact that a used Wii is floating for about 60-80 bucks, and it can play more games. For $100, a used Wii + some used games > value than a nerfed (and ugly!) wii mini.

@DrWhat said:

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

So Europe is actually getting this first? What? Words? Wii? Help?

News you can use... to confuse...

Your words, use them. "This article originally noted the Canadian [Wii U] launch as November 30th, which is the European launch." Also why put "FOR NOW" if you don't actually know. Seems a little odd. Anyways...Wiini. lol.

Looks like a toy in a way consoles haven't for quite while, so it's kind of charming. But no internet capability sounds like a crazy person decision.

People only ever talk about the allure of the VC whenever they mention the value of getting your wii online, little do they know that some of the consoles finest software, nay some of the most unique and awesome games of this gen on any platform are on Wiiware. Grrrrrrrr, that poor poor platform

@HatKing said:

@jozzy: But I feel like you'd be missing out on a lot that the system has to offer via its online component. Maybe it's just me, but whenever I mess around with my friend's Wii, it's the online store full of Nintendo classics that has me the most jealous. Plus, for $99 you could probably buy a used one with GameCube support and the online bits. I just don't see it being worth it for a handful of 'must-play' games. Especially if you consider that you could just play those on Wii U when/if you purchase it.

I don't know. We have a 3DS that has quite a few Nintendo classics and they seem horribly overpriced, I would never buy them. I would rather buy a used NES or SNES for next to nothing to get that nostalgia back. And I am actually one of those suckers that have been gaming for 25+ years and I think games are way better now then they were when I was young. I have no real need to destroy happy memories by trying to play my old loves again, in my opinion they don't hold up.

Seeing how my own 360 is handling himself, I am a little anxious about buying a used recent generation console. And I actually think this new one has a pretty cool (ugly retro) look , seems really small and is nicely priced, which would make it a nice living room gaming rig as an alternative to my 360 in the basement. If it had internet and a game or two included it would have been a no-brainer. As of now, I am intrigued, there is a pretty good chance I'll pick it up.

Maybe I am an isolated case, but I think the Wii mini will do pretty well this holiday. As said before, it makes you think that the Wii sold 300k in the US this black friday. As a new generation comes out, people like a good deal on an established generation with lots of cheap games already available.

@sonicrift said:

This console isn't for anyone in the Giant Bomb community. There are families out there that have trouble putting food on the table, and if this grants them the opportunity to have a video game system, I'm all for it. I really don't think this will create any more market confusion than already exists.

Agreed 100%. Why the fuck is everyone getting so up in arms over this shit, which is clearly not aimed at us?

I actually mentioned this to a guy I know this afternoon, because the motherfucker has a bunch of kids and is barely scrapping by. He's excited as SHIT that he can grab something like this for $99 and put it away for his kids (who are amazingly well behaved, smart, respectful kids who have absolutely NOTHING) for Christmas. I told him I'd drop him my now useless wiimotes and I'd grab some greatest hits at the Best Buy and his kids will have an amazing Christmas morning.

Again, everyone in the games community is a jaded piece of shit. Some of the stuff from journos I've seen on Twitter in regards to this is pretty god damn pathetic.

"Canadian" and "Exclusive" are two words I never thought I would see together. You mean we actually get exclusive shit now? We're moving up in the world...of course it's just a stripped down version of the OG Wii...but still, it's a start!

@Peanut: @Peanut said:

@sonicrift said:

This console isn't for anyone in the Giant Bomb community. There are families out there that have trouble putting food on the table, and if this grants them the opportunity to have a video game system, I'm all for it. I really don't think this will create any more market confusion than already exists.

Agreed 100%. Why the fuck is everyone getting so up in arms over this shit, which is clearly not aimed at us.

I actually mentioned this to a guy I know this afternoon, because the motherfucker has a bunch of kids and is barely scrapping by. He's excited as SHIT that he can grab something like this for $99 and put it away for his kids (who are amazingly well behaved, smart, respectful kids who have absolutely NOTHING) for Christmas. I told him I'd drop him my now useless wiimotes and I'd grab some greatest hits at the Best Buy and his kids will have an amazing Christmas morning.

Again, everyone in the games community is a jaded piece of shit. Some of the stuff from journos I've seen on Twitter in regards to this is pretty god damn pathetic.

I applaud you, good sir! No seriously, story made my day. You're one cool duder.

@Syndrom said:

@Peanut: @Peanut said:

@sonicrift said:

This console isn't for anyone in the Giant Bomb community. There are families out there that have trouble putting food on the table, and if this grants them the opportunity to have a video game system, I'm all for it. I really don't think this will create any more market confusion than already exists.

Agreed 100%. Why the fuck is everyone getting so up in arms over this shit, which is clearly not aimed at us.

I actually mentioned this to a guy I know this afternoon, because the motherfucker has a bunch of kids and is barely scrapping by. He's excited as SHIT that he can grab something like this for $99 and put it away for his kids (who are amazingly well behaved, smart, respectful kids who have absolutely NOTHING) for Christmas. I told him I'd drop him my now useless wiimotes and I'd grab some greatest hits at the Best Buy and his kids will have an amazing Christmas morning.

Again, everyone in the games community is a jaded piece of shit. Some of the stuff from journos I've seen on Twitter in regards to this is pretty god damn pathetic.

I applaud you, good sir! No seriously, story made my day. You're one cool duder.

Yup, that is a very interesting perspective. Thanks for that!

entitled

They could have called it the Wee Wii...

When (if) it launches in Argentina, I'd buy one for my 5 years-old daughter... She loves games and keeps bugging me when I'm playing with the Xbox or PS3.

@FuzzYLemoN said:

They could have called it the Wee Wii...

If only

That's one sexy re-design. I wouldn't get it though just to have it as a $99 paperweight/dust magnet, my current one does that just fine.

if this was $50, i'd pick one up just for the exclusives. probably will just go used later on down the line.

Sony removes UMD player and hinges everything on online. It makes sense, but but blows up for a multitude of reasons. One of them being bad timing. Nintendo, like Haddaway, goes back to the 90s.

@allgamelover said:

@steelerzfan101 said:

The idea is interesting but I don't think there is that much incentive to buying this. You lose internet and backwards compatibility. Those are two major things that I look for when I am buying a system. I don't see why they have to sacrifice internet for this new console...

Yes, true, but do you consider backwards compatibility now when Gamecube is long gone and there is in fact the Wii U? Also the internet requirement is only really useful for the eshop/vcon and online games. I would not get a Wii now in order to play Gamecube games, that would have been an issue at launch.

Yeah I probably should just rephrase what I meant to say. Internet is the main thing that I would want on a console. I can live with no backwards compatibility but it is a nice thing to have. A console with no internet in my mind is not really a must buy.

I didn't think I could care less about a Nintendo product than the Wii U right now....I guess I was wrong.

I consider myself to be a pretty in the know gamer and I went to a Target yesterday and couldn't tell the difference between a Wii U and an old Wii when just glancing at the box.

There was a White Wii U in the display case that was definitely a Wii U, and right next to it, two black Wii's that were stacked sideways so you can't see the front so I had the cashier take it to the front and ring it up. Only when the price came up did I realize it wasn't a U. . . I already own and have a black Wii U and I was picking it up on sight as a favor to a friend -_-;;

Maybe only a minor amount, but I think introducing a 4th box labeled Wii to the market may confuse old people like me even further.

@subyman said:

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

Name a single Wii game that has a patch.

@Angouri said:

@sonicrift: That might be true, but your argument is weakened by the fact that a used Wii is floating for about 60-80 bucks, and it can play more games. For $100, a used Wii + some used games > value than a nerfed (and ugly!) wii mini.

True. EBgames.ca has a used Wii at $80 and nunchuk at $15. That's a $5 savings, and your kid gets to open a bunch of preowned stuff on Christmas morning.

@iAmJohn said:

@subyman said:

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

Name a single Wii game that has a patch.

Skyward Sword is the only one I can think of. And that's not even a patch, it's just a fix you can download if you happen to hit a game-breaking bug.

Patching is not an issue and you probably didn't own a Wii if you think it is.

It can't connect to the net, thus making it not a netflix box and it can't play gamecube games. so why would you want it.

@MrMazz said:

It can't connect to the net, thus making it not a netflix box and it can't play gamecube games. so why would you want it.

I don't use my Wii for internet, or gamecube games. So it would suit my needs fine. But mine is a rare case.

the best thing about this is that it'll collect less dust than a standard wii

I am really going to enjoy hearing Jeff's reaction to this, I think.

This is going to confuse literally millions of mothers this Christmas.

@steelerzfan101 said:

@allgamelover said:

@steelerzfan101 said:

The idea is interesting but I don't think there is that much incentive to buying this. You lose internet and backwards compatibility. Those are two major things that I look for when I am buying a system. I don't see why they have to sacrifice internet for this new console...

Yes, true, but do you consider backwards compatibility now when Gamecube is long gone and there is in fact the Wii U? Also the internet requirement is only really useful for the eshop/vcon and online games. I would not get a Wii now in order to play Gamecube games, that would have been an issue at launch.

Yeah I probably should just rephrase what I meant to say. Internet is the main thing that I would want on a console. I can live with no backwards compatibility but it is a nice thing to have. A console with no internet in my mind is not really a must buy.

But the Wii barely used the internet at all. Almost none of the system's marquee titles had online, and the ones that did (Smash Bros. Brawl, for one) had their online deactivated a long time ago. So really, what would you be using it for? Playing the very few online games that still exist and probably don't have active communities anymore? Watching Netflix and Hulu Plus at a max resolution of 480p? Downloading overpriced Virtual Console games and bad Wiiware games that you probably wouldn't have checked out anyway? And besides, the regular Wii still has wifi hasn't gone anywhere and is only $30 more if you really care about that.

I really don't understand that mentality that not having online is some kind of dealbreaker when the Wii's online capabilities have been well-known to be as throwaway as the PS2's online capabilities since, like, 2007. Granted, as others have said, this isn't a product for us and lord knows I have a Wii U and a hacked Wii so I have no need for this, but it seems pretty myopic to me to hold not having internet against it when it's one of the features the Wii underutilized to the max in the first place.

I'm not too concerned about not being able to play Gamecube games since that feature has been gone for quite a while (new versions on the Wii don't even have the Gamecube controller ports), but no internet might be a deal breaker. I want virtual console games!

You gotta figure Nintendo is doing this this make money this holiday season. They're (probably) losing money on each Wii U made, no? Also, to those confused, this is a lot like the PS2 slim compared to the PS3. And remember how well that thing sold? It was outselling the PS3 some months. Though, was that good or bad for Sony in the long run? Hmmm. Though this is going to really suck when a kid asks for that new Wii this Christmas. As if parents weren't already confused with the U.

As the last man on earth who doesn't own a Wii I would totally buy one of these if Nintendo was more proactive in terms of discounting older software.

But there are some deals out there, so maybe I'll hunt around and consider it a bit more.

damn hosers and their fashionably small wiis.

@Deusx: Opinions, how do they work?

Canada has been used as a testing ground for a few big companies. For instance, McDonald's sold pizza all across Canada for quite a while. I was sorry to see it go.

I would have gotten this as a cheap cool virtual console box or to play Mario Tennis on the Gamecube. Is it that much more expensive to have that functionality in a small form factor. The wii was pretty small, and light to begin with like 6 years ago . How many WII standalone experiences are there that would make someone get this as opposed to a used WII?

99$ is the right price for a game console.

@iAmJohn said:

@steelerzfan101 said:

@allgamelover said:

@steelerzfan101 said:

The idea is interesting but I don't think there is that much incentive to buying this. You lose internet and backwards compatibility. Those are two major things that I look for when I am buying a system. I don't see why they have to sacrifice internet for this new console...

Yes, true, but do you consider backwards compatibility now when Gamecube is long gone and there is in fact the Wii U? Also the internet requirement is only really useful for the eshop/vcon and online games. I would not get a Wii now in order to play Gamecube games, that would have been an issue at launch.

Yeah I probably should just rephrase what I meant to say. Internet is the main thing that I would want on a console. I can live with no backwards compatibility but it is a nice thing to have. A console with no internet in my mind is not really a must buy.

But the Wii barely used the internet at all. Almost none of the system's marquee titles had online, and the ones that did (Smash Bros. Brawl, for one) had their online deactivated a long time ago. So really, what would you be using it for? Playing the very few online games that still exist and probably don't have active communities anymore? Watching Netflix and Hulu Plus at a max resolution of 480p? Downloading overpriced Virtual Console games and bad Wiiware games that you probably wouldn't have checked out anyway? And besides, the regular Wii still has wifi hasn't gone anywhere and is only $30 more if you really care about that.

I really don't understand that mentality that not having online is some kind of dealbreaker when the Wii's online capabilities have been well-known to be as throwaway as the PS2's online capabilities since, like, 2007. Granted, as others have said, this isn't a product for us and lord knows I have a Wii U and a hacked Wii so I have no need for this, but it seems pretty myopic to me to hold not having internet against it when it's one of the features the Wii underutilized to the max in the first place.

Sure it was under-utilized but in 2012 it's crazy to take that OUT of your box. Backwards compatibility being gone isn't a big deal but even my DSi can at the very least get online to download games. Regardless of the quality or pricing of Wiiware and Virtual Console games, that's added value to the package. Some of those games are totally worth picking up. $99 put this pretty much in impulse buy territory and yeah $30 isn't that much more when you really think about it, but even that much of a price drop made me seriously consider getting one. You're right that this probably isn't aimed at us but even still, completely removing any online functionality, even an ethernet port, while not a huge deal, is silly.

Everyone talks shit about the Wii, I got enough great games out of mine to justify the purchase. It also collects a lot less dust than my PS3.

Can't wait to play with my wee Wii. /penis jokes

The name 'Wii mini' just goes to show how little attention Nintendo pays to the U.S. consumer base. A million dick jokes revolving around the name 'Wii', and they turn the knife while pouring in the salt for a weird, unneeded revision.

Wii

Wii U

Wii mini

Just horrible.

@Rolyatkcinmai said:

This is going to confuse literally millions of mothers this Christmas.

Yep. What the fuck is Nintendo thinking, these days? People are having a hard time even understanding that the Wii U isn't just an add-on controller for the Wii; now you want to throw a whole new(old) console into the mix? During the holiday season? Right after you just launched your new product? Man, a lot of kids are going to wake up with a Wii Mini that their mom's thought were a really sweet deal compared to the $300 "Wii" that they saw everywhere else.

On the other hand, I'll buy it. Mostly because I have no idea where the hell my Wii is. The last time i played it was more than four years ago, when Boom Blox came out. I moved almost three years ago and never made a point of taking it out of whatever box I packed it in. Hell, for all I know, it's gone. Stolen or lost or . . . who knows what. I literally have not cared enough in the last three years to find out.

The dad in the picture looks like the "Cash Cab"guy.

Now all we need is a Wii Mini Remote or a Wii Mini Remote Plus. You know, for the mini people.