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

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.

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

Way to add to the market confusion, guys.

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.

Wii Canadians are smarter than this..

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.

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,

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.

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

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

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.

No Internet....useless to me.

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

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)

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

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.

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

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

@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...

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.

As a Canadian I am politely interested in this offer

@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.

$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.

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

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

@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 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.

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

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.

@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.

99$ is the right price for a game console.

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?

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.

@Deusx: Opinions, how do they work?

damn hosers and their fashionably small wiis.

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.

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.

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!

@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.

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

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

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

@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.

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.

@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.

@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.

@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.

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.

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

@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.