Wii Mini Announced

Despite launching a brand new console in North America just over a week ago, Nintendo has revealed that the Wii will also be receiving a new SKU that shrinks down the already tiny console. The Wii Mini, as it's been appropriately titled by the Big N, will provide gamers on a budget a way to access a wide array of popular system-exclusive games. In exchange for a smaller unit, however, consumers will be missing out on some noteworthy features that the previous models prominently utilized.

Nintendo confirmed the Wii Mini in a press release today, after the revamped console was spotted within Best Buy Canada's stock list early this morning. The system will be exclusive to Canada during the Holiday season, and it'll retail for a suggested price of $99.99. The miniature version of Ninty's popular home console is matte black with a red trim, and it'll include a red Wii Motion Plus controller and a red Nunchuk, so it's far from a major ripoff for Wii-less individuals.

While all that sounds reasonable, there are a number of drawbacks about the Wii Mini that gamers need to made aware of. For starters, the console can not connect to the Internet, and therefore won't allow for online play in games like Super Smash Bros. Brawl or Mario Kart Wii. It also means that consumers won't be able to log on to the eShop and download WiiWare or Virtual Console titles. Another issue that some may have with the Canadian console is that it does not support the use of GameCube software.

Maybe Nintendo believes there are still a number of potential buyers for the Wii in the Great White North. Regardless of its logic, the Wii U has performed quite well for the company, shipping over 400,000 units in its first week at retail, and that product will likely remain a larger dot on consumers' Holiday radar.

It's also worth noting that Nintendo currently doesn't have any more Wii titles in development (as the company shifts focus onto their new home console), so gamers won't have too much to look forward to in the coming months for their shiny new Wii Mini. That said, there are over 1,300 games compatible with the device, so nobody who picks one up will be hurting over a lack of quality software.

Fellow Canadians interested in grabbing a Wii Mini can look forward to doing so when the system drops onto store shelves this December 7th.

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