Nintendo Wii Mini release date and price announced

The Nintendo Wii Mini has been officially confirmed this afternoon, with a release date and price appearing online courtesy of Canadian retailer Best Buy. The smaller, more compact version of the Wii has a radical red and black colour scheme new lay-flat orientation and ultra-low CAD$99 price.

The red square casing and rough matt black finish are a major departure for the Wii, which was previously all-white. The Wii Mini appears to have a top-loading disc tray, with both power and eject buttons located on the top of the machine – this should represent a major saving for Nintendo compared to the Wii, which had a slot-loading mechanism. From the pictures we’ve seen so far, we have to say the console looks more than a little reminiscent of Sega’s now defunct Dreamcast.

As well as the console itself, customers will get a red Wii Remote Plus and nunchuk, along with a Sensor Bar, Power Adapter and Standard Composite Cable. An HDTV component cable is not included in the box.

Also absent is Wi-Fi support, along with backwards compatibility with GameCube games – the Wii Mini might be the cheapest Wii yet, but it’s also lacking many of the features found in the original.

“There are games in the Wii library for every type of player,” said Ron Bertram, Nintendo of Canada’s vice president and general manager. “Wii Mini is a great gift for the holidays that brings everyone in the family together to play. Wii Mini has a mini price, but it’s all about big fun.”

Because Best Buy revealed the console earlier than planned, Nintendo was forced to confirm its existence. However, the manufacturer has only gone so far as to label it a Canadian exclusive. Available on the 7th of December for $99.99, it has not yet been confirmed for other regions.