At the weekend you might have read rumours here and there about a Wii Mini console being released by Nintendo. Now it appears that the rumours were correct and such a device has been produced and stockpiled by the big N. Retailer Best Buy Canada seems to have prematurely leaked a box shot of the new mini Wii console.
The Wii Mini image appeared in a side panel on the Canadian Best Buy homepage “Introducing the Wii Mini!” it trumpeted, “Coming December 7th 2012, pre-order now.” Unfortunately for we techy types the link led only to the site’s page for Nintendo hardware where there were no further details of the Wii Mini to be found. However in tech terms it’s a Wii, but smaller, that is probably all most people need to know.
How big is Mini?
Looking at the box shot we can get a good idea of the Wii Mini’s size because thankfully there is a picture of the Wii Remote Plus next to the console. Using my measuring tool in Photoshop and a little bit of basic maths I have come to the following measurements for the size of the Wii Mini as pictured on the front of the box; width = 15cm, height = 18cm. The picture doesn’t give a lot away regarding the third dimension.
The original Wii was already the smallest of the big three consoles popular under people’s TVs. Also the Wii is the biggest selling current generation console. Nintendo, its strategists and designers must have come to the conclusion that a littler Wii would be an attractive purchase this Christmas and thereafter. Will it be cheaper than the stock of Wiis currently available, or will there be a cute tax? The other questions I have concern the ports on the new device; have some ports/interfaces been chopped from this smaller console? Also there’s a possibility mentioned in the earlier rumours that the Wii Mini will feature an HDMI connection with upscaling, which would be more convenient for many people with LCD TVs. We will find out the full details pretty soon given the leaked release date.
UPDATE: Nintendo now has the Wii Mini details displayed upon its official website! It's $99 and "available exclusively in Canada during the holiday season".