After worldwide success with their Nintendo Wii console, Nintendo have announced that they are bringing a cheaper smaller version, the Wii mini, to the UK.
According to Nintendo themselves, the family friendly company have sold approximately 100 million copies of their equally as family friendly console, the Nintendo Wii, across the world. With a widespread appeal for casual and hardcore gamers alike, three colours of console (red, white and black) to choose from and with more available software and hardware bundles than you can shake a Wii Remote at, it’s not at all surprising that the console has sold so well, but Nintendo are determined to sell even more by releasing the the ‘Wii Mini’.
Previously only available in Canada (or as an international import if you’re not fortunate enough to live there), the Wii mini is quite simply a smaller and cheaper version of the Nintendo Wii, leaving more space under your TV and even more money in your wallet should you decide to splash out on the console. Now, Nintendo have announced plans to bring the tiny piece of console hardware to the UK, where it will surely surpass the sales figure of 8 million Nintendo Wiis sold already in the region (that figure is up to December 2012) and will keep the Nintendo Wii as the UK’s best selling console (preventing the Xbox 360 from catching up).
The Wii mini (as pictured above) is available in red only and, in a decision that will likely off-put hardcore gamers from purchasing the console when it goes on sale in the UK on March 22nd, 2013 is that Nintendo have axed Gamecube and online title compatibility from the hardware, meaning that Wii mini gamers will only be able to play the just over 1200 disc-based titles that are sale. Also a missing feature in the Wii mini is an online feature capability, meaning that no online features will be available in any of the games available for it.
Despite the things that are missing from the Wii mini, it is, as I stated earlier, a much cheaper console and although Nintendo lets European retailers set their own prices for hardware, most are accepting pre-orders for around £79.99.
Source : Expert Reviews
Read Nintendo Direct 2.14.2013 Game Trailers Round Up and Nintendo Provides Hardware/Software Sales Infograph, also from walyou.
