Nintendo on Monday announced the US launch of its $99 Wii Mini which is presently available only in Canada and Europe. The new low-cost Wii Mini bundle will consist of the redesigned red system, a copy of Mario Kart Wii, and a matching red Wii Remote Plus controller and Nunchuck. The system is expected to hit store shelves on November 17.
The Wii Mini is a comparatively smaller and redesigned version of the 2006-era Wii. Super Mario Galaxy along with other selected Wii games will be available for $19.99 to go with the new red console. Wii Sports Resort, New Super Mario Bros and Super Mario Galaxy 2 will sell for $29.99.Though the gaming console will play over 1,300 games, the system lacks in WiFi and GameCube support features.
The original Wii, which was launched in 2006, has successfully sold over 100 million units to date with Mario Kart Wii being the most popular non-bundled game with over 34 million copies sold since its 2008 launch.
Wii’s availability in the United States has been kept unchanged and unaffected even after the gaming console’s supply was discontinued in Japan and Europe.
Wii’s successor, Wii U, since its November 2012 launch, is struggling to garner strong sales and a worthwhile market share in the gaming market. The console sold around 3.91 million units till date – a figure much below Nintendo’s expectations. The system’s below average response continues to have a negative impact on the company’s earnings.
Nintendo is still hopeful of things working in its favor with the release of marquee first-party titles, including November 22 Super Mario 3D World launch, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze December launch, as well as Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bro. 2014 launch.
Executive vice president of sales and marketing Nintendo America, Scott Moffitt, in a statement said “Wii mini offers the same fun experience as Wii, which has been enjoyed by millions of people around the world.”
“And it comes packaged with Mario Kart Wii, a multiplayer Mario racing game that is one of the best-selling Wii games. At such a great price, it is an extraordinary value for shoppers this holiday season,” he added.
