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

$99 console isn't a bad idea, no matter how you look at it. $99 is something parents can say "For less than $100 I can get my kid a video game console. I'm a good parent!"

Yes, you can get a $99 Xbox 360 some places but that comes with an Xbox Live contract. A $99 Wii, no strings attached, will appeal to a lot of consumers. It's a magic price point.

@Krakn3Dfx said:

Wii

Wii U

Wii mini

Just horrible.

Agreed.

Sony wins. Someone could not know shit about video games and figure out...."ok..so thats a playstation 2....and thats a playstation 3.... the one with the three must be the newest one."

even windows got their shit together with windows 7 then 8.

I'm not a marketing expert, but NOT confusing the customer should be priority number 1.

lol. Calling it super wii might have been a better idea at this point.

As a Canadian I am politely interested in this offer

All my friends who would be in the position of "I don't care much about games, I won't spend more than 100 on a console and I won't connect online" already bought used 360s at that price like two years ago. It plays all the sports and MMA games they like and they're happy. I don't see who this is for.

@TheSouthernDandy said:

@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.

I totally agree with what you say. I agree that the Wii underused the online capabilities but I think it is dumb that they would take that stuff out of the Wii mini. Either way, I am not a fan of this Wii Mini stuff and I probably won't buy it or go near it. It is only good for people who are looking for a quick christmas present or someone who has never played the Wii and wants to get into it. I don't fit into any of those categories so I will sit this one out. None of the features of this Wii Mini entice me at all...

Yeah well I guess you could use it for a cheap Netflix box....wait

a smaller wii? but where will i keep the extra dust?

huh? Actually cousin's kids cam by, between ages of 3-10, didn't want to use my wii because of the download SNES games I had on it, and would rather use their own. There has always been an audience for a lacking internet Wii, just think it's too late.

Nintendo needed to do this about 2 years ago, when they started seeing a downward trend in their console sales.

Awesome, a Wii without many of the features that makes it worthwhile in the first place, like Netflix, Virtual Console, WiiWare, Gamecube game compatibility, and support for Gamecube controllers on traditional control Wii games. What a piece of crap.

Also, I can point you to a ton of Wiis under 100 bucks languishing in pawn shops and Gamestops around the country, and they aren't stripped of features like this. Yeah, no warranty of course (unless you buy one from Gamestop from extra), but you might get lucky and score one with virtual console and wiiware games stored on it, still (I assume Gamestop wipes them clean, though).

(Preowned Wiis are 80 bucks at Gamestop: http://www.gamestop.com/wii/consoles/nintendo-wii/64004)

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

No Internet....useless to me.

You know, even if I have no real use for a Wii that can't access the shop channel, I still kind of understand the theory behind it. It's the only-in-Canada part that I don't get... and I'm Canadian.

Not going to lie, I like the look of it. Still not going to get one though.

I have a feeling a lot of kids are gonna return their presents these holidays, thinking they got the Wiiu...

It plays Wii games and it's the first console to break the $99 price point. It would be nice if Nintendo threw in a game like Wii Sports or Twilight Princess.

Its red and black .. I love red and black , I have a red and black dualshock , a red and black watch ,a red and black phone cover .I wish this wasn't a wii tho cuz i really don't need a wii,

I'll totally get this if it comes to the states in a color not red/black. Why do I need a Wii with internet, anyway? Aren't all the Wii downloadable games terrible?

Thinking about all the awesome games I had to pass up on after giving my Wii away in '07 makes me feel like I need this. Though, for a couple hundred more, there's a new Wii U which plays Wii games anyway.

Wii Canadians are smarter than this..

I never had a wii, and $100 is about what I would pay in order to play some of the wii games I'm interested in.

Way to add to the market confusion, guys.

Not connecting to the internet is a deal breaker in my opinion :(

My Wii saw much more success as my Virtual Console box then as a platform in it's own right. I can't imagine not having access to the digital store, with a Classic Controller Pro it's the best way to play awesome old games (Nintendo 64 era or earlier).

If first party Wii games go down to $20-30 then I think this mini system could do well. Metroid Prime 3, Mario Galaxy 1 & 2, Kirby's Epic Yarn, Super Paper Mario; things like that.

I'll pick one up for a collectors item :)

@ep_driver said:

@Bananashirt

Way to add to the market confusion, guys.

I think comments should have been closed after yours, because it's all that needs to be said. Spot on.

See, I personally think the much lower price, the distinctive colour palette and the incredibly small frame was probably part of Nintendo's effort to reduce market confusion while continuing to sell Wii consoles. Especially the red. Wii U has almost exclusively used blue and white, or blue and black. Red is a directly clashing colour. And ain't no-one gonna think the Wii U gamepod is an accessory for that thing.

I could be wrong, but I'm confident this should distill any leftover confusion. The packaging, the pricing, just the way the new machine looks. It is evidently not a Wii U, not by a long shot, while the vanilla Wii looks fairly similar as far as the gloss and featureset goes. That's just my perspective; I may be being overly optimistic, since Nintendo is currently the only company doing stuff in the console market I can actually bring myself to care about. Even if it's not any good, they're the only ones at least trying to do something fresh in the console space that is overtly gaming-related. Microsoft seems content with turning the 360 into a media hub, and Sony... Sony are Sony.

So, what, the top flips open on a hinge for the disc? Looks like a square-shaped Discman.

Seems fine for what it is, I guess. I haven't turned on my Wii for years but if I did now, I can assure you it wouldn't be for anything I'd need an Internet connection for. I dunno. Maybe it's a decent idea?

Hmm...I like the color.....I like the price....I've never had a Wii....NO MORE HEROES 2....

If it comes to the states ill buy it nintendo

@Deusx said:

@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?

There are millions of people in that position. $300 is a lot of money, $99 is not. Nintendo is making a good move by releasing this. Most people don't play virtual console games on their big plasma TV anyways, that's why SNES/NES/N64 emulation is so big. This is going to sell well, I don't see anything wrong with it.

Have to admit I'm one of those people. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Metroid: Other M, and Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword are a few games I've missed out on being an Xbox 360 owner. After following along with the Giant Bomb crew on Wii U launch day and getting an idea of what to expect going forward, I don't think the Wii U is for me. At least not yet.

If it hasn't already been said....Canadians have small Wii's with limited functionality.

This looks cool, but Nintendo can keep it. It's too gimped to be worth anything. Then, buy a game and it's back up to $150, which is where it's at now in many places plus with a couple of cool games.

Wii Mini? How much smaller can they make it?! o_O

I just care about if it can be hacked and play burnt games, including GC... if it can, Nintendo's efforts have been in vain. I see no reason why it won't be able to do this.

Not gunna lie but I really like the look of it. Looks sleek and sexy.

But it is still the wii, and with more features stripped out, and canadian only. Looks like a collection piece in a few years.

Little known fact:

In the concept meeting for this, Reggie dressed up as Dr. Evil and said...

"I shall call it - Mini Wii. If you want it, it will cost you 1 MILLION, no, 1 BILLION Dollars! Mwahahahaha!"

@Finkmeister said:

@Deusx said:

@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?

There are millions of people in that position. $300 is a lot of money, $99 is not. Nintendo is making a good move by releasing this. Most people don't play virtual console games on their big plasma TV anyways, that's why SNES/NES/N64 emulation is so big. This is going to sell well, I don't see anything wrong with it.

Have to admit I'm one of those people. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Metroid: Other M, and Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword are a few games I've missed out on being an Xbox 360 owner. After following along with the Giant Bomb crew on Wii U launch day and getting an idea of what to expect going forward, I don't think the Wii U is for me. At least not yet.

Don't say it like it's a bad thing. I want to play those games too and a WiiU is too expensive right now. It's either buy one of these or wait until I get enough money for the Wii U. Both are good options.

What a great day for Canada, and therefore, the world.

This appears to be some sort of wee Wii...I'm done now.

Finally,I hit the Jackpot.No...seriously,why does this exist?To each his own.

Who exactly is going to buy this? What market is it aiming for? Why does it exist?

Why is it when we finally get something, it's this. What we need is that sweet new google internet. But google hates Canada.

Nintendo must have no concept of what brand confusion is. They must actually be out of their minds over there.

I do find it hilarious though that they deem the entire country of Canada insignificant enough to deem it as a test market for the rest of the world. That in itself is crazy.

I really don't see the need for this to exist

For $30 more, I could get a regular Wii that still has backwards compatibility and Virtual Console with Wii Sports packed in.

There is no reason for this is exist... like at least the internet still being in, would of been cool to at least run Netflix, but can't even do that?

And it's gonna sale, and it's gonna keep happening, I am shocked at how much Nintendo can coast by.

Wow, what a terrible waste of hardware. Unless the plan is to release the "Nintendo Wireless Adapter for Wii mini". Which will cost more than the console. SUCCESS! :D

This would be a killer little machine with internet connectivity. A Netflix machine with the ability to play a ton of Wii games and Virtual Console classics. A Nintendo Roku if you will. Without that, it's pretty gimped.

Still, as someone only with an Xbox 360, and no plans to get any of the next gen consoles at launch, I'd have a use for this and a tight collection of AAA Wii exclusives. The two could tide me over until the next gen stuff comes down in price a bit.

Nintendo releasing a smaller redesign of one of their consoles close to the launch of a new console? What could possibly go wrong?

don't get that. Get a Gamecube instead

I wish it either wasn't as dumb or didn't look as cool.

You can get a proper Wii at Walmart right now for $89.

I love how everyone seems to be a market analyst and knows better then Nintendo on how to run a business. They've been in business for over a hundred years, I think they know a thing or two about business. This thing isn't for tech savvy people like us. It's for young kids, it's for casual gamers, it's for poor people. I got my first gaming system, a NES, when I was like 4 or 5, which would of been 1991. The Genesis was already out, but did I care? Hell no! I had a lot of fun with it. That's where this thing fits in, and at that price point, fits in nicely.

I worked at a GameStop in a really ghetto area a couple years ago, where most people lived below the poverty line, and probably 80% collected welfare or some kind of federal aid. When they would go Christmas shopping, you think they were buying 300 dollar playstation bundles? When they could have a brand new Wii for 100 bucks and had an absolute shit ton of dirt cheap titles they could get? Hell no. This thing will probably fly off the shelves, and Nintendo knows it, that's why their doing it.

They have people who made decisions like, "Hey, instead of chasing the competition, let's do something different" a few years back with the Wii. How'd that work out for them? Pretty damn well. So I think it's hilarious that you people who most likely have 0 business sense or experience sit on your high horses and criticize Nintendo for this move. Go invent your own damn console, become a global power, and then come talk shit.