Best Buy's Canadian site "leaked" the Wii mini today, though pre-orders are set to begin later today so it can't be that major of a leak, just a few hours at most. At first glance this Wii redesign seems pretty attractive, with a smaller footprint, top-loading disc tray, and of course, a much more attractive price: $99.99.
But then you get into the internals, and things are a lot less attractive. No backwards compatibility isn't much of a surprise, given that last year's slight redesign removed that feature. But the Wii mini has no internet connectivity. So no connecting with friends online, no downloadable games, and no system updates. Nintendo already announced they were no longer producing new Wii games, and the cessation of any further updates to their online features seems to be yet another nail in the coffin.
But hey, there's that low, low price of $99.99. Is the games library good enough to make this a low-cost alternative this holiday season?
plug-in.bestbuy.ca/t5/Visit-the-Plug-in-Blog/Ninte...
www.gamespot.com/news/nintendo-on-wii-u-still-a-lo...
EDIT: The PR is out, and it looks like the Wii mini is a Canadian exclusive for now! But the press release says "for this holiday season" indicating a possible later release stateside.
www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/ONIEEqvK1pbPyTbW2...
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Who would want a Wii mini?
I dont really understand who they're targeting with this.
[1] www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/library/historical_data/pdf/...
- As of September 30th, there have been 97 million Wii's sold.[1] At this point, there can't be very many people left who are still deciding to buy one.
- It doesn't have internet connectivity so the people who would use their Wii as a Netflix device, like a lot of my family, are better off just buying a Roku.
- I don't see it lacking backwards compatibility with the Gamecube as a problem because the amount of people who would want that most likely already have a Wii.
- It doesn't have HD or any change , which is to be expected, but if you're going to get a new console you might as well invest in something that's future proof.
[1] www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/library/historical_data/pdf/...
It might be because they want to put all their development resources into the Wii U. One of the biggest complaints about the Wii was the lack of good games, so they probably want to make sure they get off to a good start with the new system instead of splitting their focus between the new system and a "dying" console.
Video games are amazingly stressful nowadays. I'm still kinda mad at Monolith Soft for not bringing the new Xeno-game to PS3 or X-box. Ah well. Thanks for your idea; it seems a reasonable assumption. I just feel like Nintendo has cool ideas but are always behind on the graphics for some reason.
I think I will buy one the first time they get discounted, but only for one reason. 20 years from now, I am going to want to play The Last Story again. Rest assured, my current Wii will be long dead by then and my Last Story disc will be scratched by the kids. So, I will store one of these and an unopened copy of The Last Story and save them for the day I get nostalgic. Aside from that, I don't see the point of owning one if it can't do Gamecube or Virtual Console.
I haven't read my tech blogs this morning so I am getting this from you.
I have no idea why this is exclusive to us, but I do not want it. (Well I in fact have the original wii and this is a downgrade)
Can we please kill top loading consoles? It always was a pain in the ass to stack my PS1 slim and PS2 slim with my other consoles. The lighted blue slot load of the original Wii is so beautiful. Why ruin this? haha :)
I have no idea why this is exclusive to us, but I do not want it. (Well I in fact have the original wii and this is a downgrade)
Can we please kill top loading consoles? It always was a pain in the ass to stack my PS1 slim and PS2 slim with my other consoles. The lighted blue slot load of the original Wii is so beautiful. Why ruin this? haha :)
Slot-loading mechanisms are more prone to breakage; I can speak from personal experience because that's what happened to my Wii. If you want a system that will last, top-loading is the way to go (and also, the original PS1 was top-loading... and btw, mine still works).
In this case they did it to save money on parts, because "long lasting" is really not something to be concerned about with a second-run system like this one.
In this case they did it to save money on parts, because "long lasting" is really not something to be concerned about with a second-run system like this one.
Yes, the drive on our Wii is showing its first signs of imminent failure, which sucks because we still play some Gamecube games on it. I am hoping that replacement parts are available for this or else I will end up having to buy both a Gamecube and a new Wii to replace it. :/
This announcement was a bit of a surprise but when you look at Nintendo's track record for re-designing their consoles it could have been predicted. The lack of online connectivity seems to gut the system as most of my friends ended up using the Wii as a nostalgia machine to relive games from their childhood via the virtual console store. Who knows it might just end up being a cool collector's item someday.
The Wii has been obsolete (in the US) since everyone and their mother got an HDTV a few years back. Before buying my PS3 in 2008 I considered a Wii, but am proud to say that the PS3 is one of my best purchases.
Nintendo is losing popularity with core gamers and the Wii U is not something I would play if someone gave it to me for free.
On second thought this would sell well in developing countries in South America, Africa and Asia that simply don't have the exposure to the games, HD graphics and certainly don't have the money to keep up with the current trends. The PS2 was still selling well past the PS3's release in many of the lower income/lower knowledge of tech places that I'm thinking of.
Nintendo is losing popularity with core gamers and the Wii U is not something I would play if someone gave it to me for free.
On second thought this would sell well in developing countries in South America, Africa and Asia that simply don't have the exposure to the games, HD graphics and certainly don't have the money to keep up with the current trends. The PS2 was still selling well past the PS3's release in many of the lower income/lower knowledge of tech places that I'm thinking of.
I pay attention to the gaming community. I know the trends and what's good and bad. You can not like my opinion all you want, but not wanting to hear my opinion makes you close minded.
No matter how much you disagree with someone, if they are well informed, their opinion has value. Don't worry though, I doubt you'll agree since I don't drink the same kool-aid as you.
No matter how much you disagree with someone, if they are well informed, their opinion has value. Don't worry though, I doubt you'll agree since I don't drink the same kool-aid as you.
Don't get wrapped up in the numbers, December is always going to be the biggest month of the year for these types of products because of the holidays. It's naive to think otherwise.
If your data is correct that sales didn't slow til next year it's because of Nintendo's ability to manage a slow price drop. Game/software sales are a better barometer of success for a company like this anyway. Lots of people bought PS3s to be used as blu ray players, for example.
Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo either lose or make very little margin on their console sales, but the business model is to enable the software sales aka games and peripherals. Apple doesn't make much money on their iPod sales but the thought is that you'll buy software from the Apple store. Again, your "fact findings" are misled.
If your data is correct that sales didn't slow til next year it's because of Nintendo's ability to manage a slow price drop. Game/software sales are a better barometer of success for a company like this anyway. Lots of people bought PS3s to be used as blu ray players, for example.
Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo either lose or make very little margin on their console sales, but the business model is to enable the software sales aka games and peripherals. Apple doesn't make much money on their iPod sales but the thought is that you'll buy software from the Apple store. Again, your "fact findings" are misled.
Not aiming for 'core' gamers is a mistake given the fact that the gaming community and AAA studios will not make games for your system if you do not cater to their audience. Catering to grandmas and five year olds is actually tougher than core gamers.
Nintendo did a fantastic job inspiring the casual market before Apple made everyone want the iOS experience. Grannies and kids playing Wii Sports was a big hit, yet many didn't buy other games and often people bought the system to have it collect dust in between entertaining kids and friends once in a while.
The difference is that it's very cheap to make an iOS game so there are countless people developing and porting games whereas Wii is more expensive and involves marketing to the casual audience, which is probably the biggest expense here.
Nintendo did a fantastic job inspiring the casual market before Apple made everyone want the iOS experience. Grannies and kids playing Wii Sports was a big hit, yet many didn't buy other games and often people bought the system to have it collect dust in between entertaining kids and friends once in a while.
The difference is that it's very cheap to make an iOS game so there are countless people developing and porting games whereas Wii is more expensive and involves marketing to the casual audience, which is probably the biggest expense here.
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