Topic: Rumor: Wii Mini Console

[King Bowser Koopa]

Could Nintendo's revolutionary console be getting another redesign?

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rumor/32595

Nintendo may be releasing another Wii redesign in the near future.
The information was part of an internal release schedule from a major retailer that at this time we are unable to disclose.

After combing through the details we've gleaned the following information:

Introducing the Wii Mini! Coming Dec 7 2012!
WII MINI CONSOLE
Compact Nintendo Wii Console
Comes with Sensor Bar, Nunchuk and Wii Remote Plus with Jacket.

If true, this will mark the second redesign of the Wii console. The first was last year and made the console slightly smaller, removing the GameCube controller ports.
How much smaller the already-petite console can get is indeed a mystery.
This bring to mind similar swan-song reiterations of past Nintendo systems, such as the NES and SNES 101 redesigns and the Game Boy Micro.

As soon as any new information is revealed, you can be sure we'll be here to cover it. Stay tuned.

[joshnickerson]

Sounds cool to me, though I'd think nearly everyone on the planet already owns a Wii at this point.

[Shaymin]

And they'll add a 3D screen to go with the one on the console itself, and I hear 3D capabilities may be part of it.

[AV]

i find it hard to believe this rumor. It would confuse the public and how much smaller can it get?

[lolmonade]

I'm confused....why would they still be putting focus on the Wii console with the Wii U out?  And I would have thought by now the largest sects of the population interested in the system would have already gotten one at this point. 

[TJ Spyke]

i find it hard to believe this rumor. It would confuse the public and how much smaller can it get?

They released the NES 2 after the SNES was out, and the SNES 2 after the N64 was out. I think they could find some way to shrink it even more. They could advertise it as a more portable Wii, like Sony with the PSOne.

[Kytim89]

If this rumor is truee then I could see the Wii being re-designed into small like the PS2 slim. Instead of having a disc slot then this smaller Wii would have a disc tray similar to that on the PS2 slim. The back of the console would still have the normal Wii ports, but the Gamecube ports would be gone, of course, and the overall unit would produce less heat. What I would like is for Nintendo to put about 2GBs of flash memory into this new Wii.

[TruenoGT]

Perhaps they get rid of the DVD drive altogether and make it a download only device. I can't see them investing enough in the Wii infrastructure alone to make that happen, but if it was part of the making Wii compatibility more compelling on the Wii U (and for example, offering the Wii back catalog on the Wii U eShop), perhaps this could trickle down into a Wii only download service as well.

[Adrock]

I'm confused....why would they still be putting focus on the Wii console with the Wii U out?  And I would have thought by now the largest sects of the population interested in the system would have already gotten one at this point. 

A redesign wouldn't put the focus on the Wii. It would just allow them to manufacture them cheaper. There are still hold outs, such as PS3/360 owners who didn't want to spend more than $100 just to play Mario and Zelda.

Perhaps they get rid of the DVD drive altogether and make it a download only device.

Nintendo would have to revamp the Wii's entire online shop to accommodate downloads of retail games because a WiiWare/Virtual Console machine, while intriguing, is severely limiting. It's not a Wii anymore if it can't play retail games in any capacity. I don't see that as a priority for them. If a Wii Lite is coming, I would imagine it would just cut the dimensions down to the bare minimum though it would be interesting if Nintendo somehow managed to reintroduce GameCube backwards compatibility in a smaller packaged Wii.

[Kytim89]

I'm confused....why would they still be putting focus on the Wii console with the Wii U out?  And I would have thought by now the largest sects of the population interested in the system would have already gotten one at this point. 

A redesign wouldn't put the focus on the Wii. It would just allow them to manufacture them cheaper. There are still hold outs, such as PS3/360 owners who didn't want to spend more than $100 just to play Mario and Zelda.

Perhaps they get rid of the DVD drive altogether and make it a download only device.

Nintendo would have to revamp the Wii's entire online shop to accommodate downloads of retail games because a WiiWare/Virtual Console machine, while intriguing, is severely limiting. It's not a Wii anymore if it can't play retail games in any capacity. I don't see that as a priority for them. If a Wii Lite is coming, I would imagine it would just cut the dimensions down to the bare minimum though it would be interesting if Nintendo somehow managed to reintroduce GameCube backwards compatibility in a smaller packaged Wii.

Like I said, if this rumor is true then I bet that the Wii slimmer will be about the same size as the PS2 slim and it might retail for $99.99.

[TJ Spyke]

The Wii is already about the same size as the PS2 slim. The PS2 slim is 9.1 inches long, Wii is 8 inches. PS2 and Wii are both 6 inches wide. PS2 is 1.1 inches thick, Wii is 1 inch thick. So the Wii is actually already smaller than the PS2 slim.

[UncleBob]

Virtually no retailer will stock a download-only system at this point.

See: PSP Go.

Wii would have a harder time, as stores have a LOT of Wii Shovelware that they're going to want to get rid of in the coming year.

[EasyCure]

Great point, I've always wanted Wii Sports clones for $1!!!! no

[ThePerm]

hmmm, a redesign. No disk drive, no gamecube compatability, an ethernet port, download only, hulu plus, youtube, amazon, netflix, expanded media player, make it usb hard drive compatable, make it have a built in 250 GB hdd. Throw it in the Roku section. Call it a Wii Micro. Sell it for $69.99

[Kytim89]

The Wii is already about the same size as the PS2 slim. The PS2 slim is 9.1 inches long, Wii is 8 inches. PS2 and Wii are both 6 inches wide. PS2 is 1.1 inches thick, Wii is 1 inch thick. So the Wii is actually already smaller than the PS2 slim.

I shot myself in the foot with that one. What I meant was for Nintendo to take out the standard Wii disc drive and replace it with a disc tray. Then reconfigure the motherboard of the Wii with cheaper and  a more energy efficient chipset and the smaller Wii is finished.

[Mop it up]

I don't think they could make the Wii any smaller unless they replace the disc drive with a disc tray, which I would be all for. I'll probably get another Wii as a backup once they start being marked down on clearance, so I hope this is true.

[tendoboy1984]

What second redesign? All they did last time was remove some internal components while the actual console stayed the same. That is not a redesign.

Are you going to say the various Xbox 360 Arcade and Elite motherboard revisions (Falcon, Zephyr, Xenon, etc.) were console redesigns too?

[UncleBob]

Nintendo changed the hardware number for the unit - that makes it a redesign.

[Adrock]

The Wii is already about the same size as the PS2 slim. The PS2 slim is 9.1 inches long, Wii is 8 inches. PS2 and Wii are both 6 inches wide. PS2 is 1.1 inches thick, Wii is 1 inch thick. So the Wii is actually already smaller than the PS2 slim.

The Wii is taller than the slimline PS2. Laying flat, the Wii is 1.73 inches tall vs. the slimline PS2's 1 inch height.

I don't think they could make the Wii any smaller unless they replace the disc drive with a disc tray, which I would be all for. I'll probably get another Wii as a backup once they start being marked down on clearance, so I hope this is true.

There's quite a bit Nintendo can do to make the Wii smaller, even with a slot drive. At this point, Nintendo could have the chipsets redesigned to be even smaller and require less power so the heatsink could be removed. If you look at the slimline PS2, some of its bulk can be attributed to the controller ports and memory card slots. Additionally, the newer slimline models don't have a power brick as that whole dealie has been incorporated into the console itself so depending on how that's handled could affect the size. Unless Nintendo insists on putting Gamecube controller ports and memory card slots back into a new Wii model, they can get it down to something a little larger than an Apple Superdrive.

I would totally pick up a redesigned Wii at some point considering I have a near-launch Wii and I'm not terribly fond of the Wii U's Wii Mode. It would be nice to have a backup.

[Mop it up]

There's quite a bit Nintendo can do to make the Wii smaller, even with a slot drive.

Shhh, don't give then ideas, I want a disc tray!

[ShyGuy]

Nintendo changed the hardware number for the unit - that makes it a redesign.

You still have to collect it, right?

[TJ Spyke]

Nintendo changed the hardware number for the unit - that makes it a redesign.

Under that logic though, the original PlayStation had at least 33 revisions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PlayStation_(console)#Consumer_models

But Sony is a lot more loose with that than Nintendo, Nintendo doesn't change the model number for every minor internal change.

[Kytim89]

I would have no problem owning a Wii that is the same dimensions, or smaller, than the PS2 slim. It is light weight and easy to carry. It also produces less heat and requires less energy, so that is a good thing.

[TJ Spyke]

The Wii is already smaller than the PS2 slim, minus being 0.6 inches taller. The Wii also consumes less electricity than the PS2 slim, and is easy to carry around (minus stuff like the Sensor Bar).

[NWR_insanolord]

If they really want to make it more portable they should put a handle on it.