Nintendo Gifts Canada With Wii Mini for Holiday Season
It’s only been a couple of weeks since Nintendo launched the Wii U, but the company is set to release another gaming console this holiday season — at least, in Canada, anyway.
The new Nintendo Wii Mini will be available exclusively in Canada, starting Dec. 7. Priced at $100, it is aimed at first-time buyers who want to “jump in and experience” Wii games.
Unlike the original Wii, the Mini doesn’t have Internet capabilities and is not compatible with GameCube games. But the company says it can play more than 1,400 disc-based games, such as New Super Mario Bros. and Wii Fit Plus, and is compatible with most Wii accessories.
The system ships with a Wii Remote Plus and a nunchuck controller, and comes in a matte-black-and-red design.
It’s curious that the company chose to launch the system only in Canada. Nintendo said it had no additional information about bringing the device to other regions in the future.
While a cheaper, smaller system is great in theory, the original Wii costs just $30 more ($20 at some retailers, including Best Buy) and includes Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort, so you’re getting more bang for your buck there.
So far, Nintendo has had a strong start to its holiday season. Just yesterday, Nintendo of America said that it sold 400,000 Wii units during the console’s first week on sale in the U.S. Meanwhile, heavy discounts drove sales on older systems, amounting to a total of 1.2 million devices sold over the last week.
Still, it remains to be seen whether Nintendo can continue this momentum beyond the holiday season.