Nintendo UK Joins Japan By Calling Time On Wii, Wii Mini Expected To Fill The Void

NOA probably wants to sell out their remaining stock through christmas before they call it quits too.

And I don't see why anyone would buy a Wii Mini, I mean look at that thing...

"Wii U, which is Nintendo's latest home console, is backwards compatible with nearly all existing Wii games"

Makes me wonder what game(s) are not compatible with the wii U.

That will mean more sales boost to Wii U.
But I hope Nintendo re-releases some old Wii Channels onto Wii U.

@Gridatttack

Lost Winds is the only one I know of (it can't be transferred between a Wii and Wii U).

Sounds to me like they are gearing up for shutting down ALL remaining Wii online services...

I was wondering why Lost Winds isn't on WiiWare on Wii U.

It's not just that it needs to go to make room for the Wii U with it's backwards compatability, or that the amount of games that are made for it are dwindling to non existence. It's a much simpler fact:

At 100 million consoles sold, anyone who hasn't got a Wii yet doesn't want one.

Who didn't see this coming.

I'd drop the Wii Mini too and if Nintendo is going to go for a "Mini" version of the Wii I certainly wouldn't go with that one.

An actual Wii "Mini" something along the lines of Sony's recently revealed PS Vita TV micro console would be a much better option.

I assume they have decent profit margins on the Wii Mini, despite it's low price. There's no point making more Wiis if they can't make a profit on them, as they will make less profit on game sales

@MadAdam81 They had profits on Wii since the first day really. I can only assume that almost seven years later, the console technology cost must be peanuts for Nintendo to make. Wii was a evolution of the GameCube architecture, so it probably was peanuts back then.

@cookiex It has a good price and has lots of games available. In the end, that's what matters, more than looks orr if it is HD or not

The Wii Mini really has no need to exist...no internet capability, no USB, no SD, and obviously no GCN compatibility. I don't know why they wouldn't kill off the Wii entirely and allow the Wii U to "fill the void" in all markets. Anyone who wants a Wii has one by now...and anyone who doesn't shouldn't mind shelling out the extra cash for a Wii U.

Nobody should buy the Wii Mini. If Nintendo dropped the Gamepad from some Wii U console packages, it would be an easy choice for those looking for a console that can also play Wii games, as well those looking to upgrade from Wii.

Currently, with the extra price caused by the Gamepad, the Wii replacement/upgrade price is just too steep for many.

@Atariboy "Everything that isn't critical to the primary function of the system has been eliminated to cut cost in order to lower the price of the system to attract any remaining customers that haven't been attracted in the past at higher price points."

If anything, that's the approach they should take with the Wii U: a new "basic model" without the gamepad to reduce the cost and attract the same budget-conscious customers. Hell, maybe even go nuts and remove the disc drive if they really wanted to reduce the cost and encourage digital sales.

We know consumers and even retailers are confused about the difference between the Wii and Wii U, so the obvious solution would be to kill off the Wii entirely. Not introduce yet another model.

Component video is catastrophically critical and is lacking from the Wii Mini. It should be illegal to manufacture and sell the Wii Mini. The fact that it isn't illegal just goes to show you how messed up the world is.

@Gridatttack Games that require use of the gamecube ports, like DDR games.

@Luke8400 @Mahe - Consumers are confused about the difference between a Wii and Wii U but dropping the Gamepad, leaving only a Wii U which looks just like a Wii, is going to help differentiate the 2 how exactly?
And dropping the Gamepad doesnt save that much money, as you'll need to replace the $100 Gamepad with a $60 Wiimote-nunchuck combo. Do you really think people who arent buying a Wii U for $300 will buy it without the Gamepad for $250? Cheaper is better, but nobody wanted the gimped Basic for $300, gimping it even more won't help.

@LunaticPandora Well, I thought they used the USB port, but I never had any of those games, so dunno.

guess i will start hunting down a red wii, and a wii mini etc etc during the boxing day sales and or holidays before it to add to my collection before they disapear from shelfs forever

Because the Wii Mini is stuck on composite it is useless to me. Nintendo really stripped it down. 480p component was bad enough and now those who use a mini are stuck on 480i. Because the WiiU is 100% backwards compatible and works with HDMI cables I really don't care that the wii is being discontinued. As long as the WiiU retains its backwards compatibility the Wii will live on. The only reason why GameCube compatibility was lost is because the cube ports are missing, and Nintendo doesn't want to bother emulating the controller.

@Luke8400
Thats not necessarily true. Right now the Wii is around half the price of the Wii U, $150 or so is a lot of "extra cash" to shell out to make up the difference. If $300 is still too much then they either need to drop the price farther, add more value another way, or have a more budget oriented console available.

Getting rid of the gamepad won't clear up any confusion, it'll just convince those confused about the difference that they were right, if not just confuse them even more. If the Wii U is already just another Wii, then what would a Wii U without the gamepad be?

Theres 2 problems with the wii mini, 1 i dont think ive seen it anywhere on the highstreet and 2 its 80 quid. Id have expected nintendo to try and get it down to a 50quid price point To rope in those last few buys. I think we'll slowly see the mini dissapear too

I think/hope they are discontinuing the wii so the can focus on things for the wii u. For example the gc vc thats been in everyones dreams since the wii u launch! With wii officially dead, they could market gamecube games as ONLY available via wii u e shop.

@Mahe The whole point of the wii u is the functionality of the gamepad,why do people not get that?! It would be like selling a wii without a wiimote,just a classic pad. It would not work! The problem with the gamepad is it looks far too big and confusing for the unitiated,but I can tell you to those who have used it that they are instantly converted. Its super comfy too and its lighter than a 3ds. What nintendo need to do is not drop the gamepad,but do what they should have been doing from day one. Advertise the heck out of the thing!

dump the wii mini.. go all in on the wii u

The Wii Mini seems to be designed to prevent modding with homebrew. So no SD card or USB interfaces.

There is no point continuing Wii production when it can run copied software from an SD card or a USB drive.

The Wii Mini is a long term program by Nintendo to reclaim the entry level console market.

The problem is twofold for Nintendo. The Wii is a reliable console so these original models will remain in circulation for some time on the second hand market. The other problem for Nintendo is the second hand Wii consoles can be bought for less than the price of a new game.

Its unbelievable what can be done with homebrew these days. It threatens the viability of console hardware for all manufacturers.

"the best-selling domestic hardware of the current generation is no more" What does that mean? If "domestic" refers to the UK, then the 360 actually outsold it (as it is also about to do in the US).

@kenzo I believe that you are correct in that regard. The Wii's main problem was the fact that it was so open to hacking attempts. I personally believe that one of the reasons that developers abandoned the platform was for this very reason, why would you want to pour resources into a platform that can be circumvented allowing for games to be downloaded for free.

While I wouldnt buy a Wii Mini myself - and thats only because I already have a normal Wii - I can fully understand the logic behind it. Especially outside of the major gaming hubs of the US, EU, UK and Japan there are still parents buying PS2's for their kids due to affordability.

Selling the Wii Mini makes more sense then keeping a Wii with broken online support. At least with the Mini you are getting exactly what is advertised.

Throw in an expanded Nintendo Selects program (at least in the US) that stays in stock, and the Wii Mini could be a cheap competitor with the OUYA style consoles. The advantage is the games and controllers are usable by the Wii U once you upgrade.