Wii Mini priced at $99.99, launching exclusively in Canada

I’m confused – why would they release it in Canada only?

Why is this only in Canada and why is it still $100? You can find a normal Wii new for around $130 I do believe.

@1 exclusive to Canada for the holiday season. I’m guessing it’ll be out elsewhere in the new year.

Well the colors do look Canadian. It looks like a top loading disc drive that looks like a CD Player.

Going below 100$ is obviously the last thing to do in a console gen. It will help generate some sales. Cutting out wi-fi for cheaper console, just like sony did with psp E-1000.

“compatible with around 1,400 existing Wii titles – presumably counting downloadable games.”

But if they cut out Wi-Fi functionality, how would you even download those?

@6 Wired internet connection?

Does the device have any Internet at all? I honestly don’t know.

CD Player or a PC old DVD Drive thing.

#7

No internet connectivity at all apparently.

@7
No it doesn’t …

Down at the bottom of this page
http://www.nintendo.com/wiimini/what-is-wii-mini/

“The Wii mini console does not connect to the Internet and does not support online features in games.”

Oh wow. That’s kinda insta-fail.

“Oh wow. That’s kinda insta-fail.”

@10:

That’s *entirely* insta-fail for all but young children and the mentally challenged. I can see doing away with Gamecube compatibility for the sake of cost this late in the gen, but not connecting to the net kills it. And as was said higher above, the real system can be had for not much more. First the disappointment with the overly expensive PS3 “mini”, and now this. Japan must be reeling from unfavorable exchange rates. It’s the only way I can makes sense out of this.

Apparently, confusion about the different Wii’s will not be limited to the customers this holiday season.

I e-mailed the Canadian store that leaked the Wii Mini yesterday to inquire about the price–clearly specifying “the new Wii Mini” in the question–& this is the response I got back:
—
Hello …;

Thank you for contacting Best Buy Canada with your inquiry. You can find the product information about Nintendo Wii U by following this link; http://www.bestbuy.ca/en-CA/product/nintendo-wii-nintendo-wii-u-32gb-deluxe-black-wiiu...

Alternatively, you may contact one of our knowledgeable retail sales associates at your local store. Products vary from store to store and in our web store. A store listing can be found by following this link…

You may also find the information your require by visiting the manufacturers web site at: http://www.nintendo.com/wiiu If you have any further questions or concerns, please contact us again by emailing…or by calling… Thank you for contacting Best Buy Canada, we appreciate your business.

Sincerely,
…
CSR, Best Buy Canada
—

Apart from parents who want to keep their kids off the internet, I really don’t see the point of this Mini model. $100 with no game, no internet & no gamecube compatibility or $150 for a Wii with all the features & NSMBWii–a game which costs anywhere from $50-65 new, by itself. So, unless you’re buying all your games used (& thus not giving Nintendo any more money) you’re really not saving anything, you may, in fact be paying a little MORE, and losing out on features.

Giant Bomb’s article on this mentions that it’s out in EUROPE on the 30th! ([quote]: UPDATE: This article originally noted the Canadian launch as November 30, which is the European launch. My bad! Carry on.)

Further: “Wii Mini can’t connect to the Internet, and doesn’t support GameCube games”

What good is it, if it can’t connect to the internet, and, how would firmware updates work for it? :/

@14
November the 30th is the *WiiU* Euro launch. So not just customers and retailers but journalist are in on the confusion too

It looks like a Famicom, which is always a bonus.

@16 It doesn’t come with a robot though, so no bitey!

@17

Robotic
Operating
Buddy

So fucking cool!