Nintendo unveils slimmed down Wii with no GameCube support

Nintendo has announced today the launch of a new slimmed down Wii console, part of the "Family Edition" bundle, which removes GameCube support.

The console will come bundled with a Wii Remote Plus + Nunchuk, Wii Party and Wii Sports.

So far the console, which is 30 percent smaller than the original Wii, has only been announced for the UK, with a release date of "before Christmas."

The Wii (Slim) will sit horizontally and saves space by removing GameCube memory card and controller slots.

There will likely be more bundles announced in the coming month, added Nintendo.

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 17 Aug 2011 14:08

nintenut

So, they just sliced the library of good Wii-compatible games down to a third.

Smart, Nintendo, real smart.

17.8.2011 15:43 #1

Azuran

Originally posted by nintenut: So, they just sliced the library of good Wii-compatible games down to a third.

Smart, Nintendo, real smart. I'm thinking you're giving the Gamecube too much credit lol. Joking aside I know many people with a Wii and none of them use it to play Gamecube games. Not that my little survey holds any scientific clout, but I have a feeling Nintendo believes anyone who wants a Wii to play those games already has one. And I am inclined to agree with them.

17.8.2011 16:21 #2

Ryoohki

I think its more a matter of wanting to be able to still play the games you have without hooking up yet another console. My nephew replays his gamecube games to death and back on his wii.

17.8.2011 18:18 #3

KillerBug

Realistically, how many people have a large collection of gamecube games, but not Nintendo Wii? I can't imagine there are very many.

Let's just hope it does not run a temperatures hot enough to boil water (like the last slim-down they did).

17.8.2011 22:59 #4

NHS2008

This better be priced at $99..

18.8.2011 05:01 #5

klassic

....because the Wii was so obscenely large in the first place.

I wanna devise a virus and bring dire straights to your environments. Crush your corporations with a mild touch, trash the whole computer systems and revert you to papyrus - Deltron 3030

18.8.2011 09:07 #6

jam_k

But what about smash bros? I can't imagine playing it without a cube controller...

and brawl wasn't the only Wii game that supported a cube controller...

Oh well.. hopefully I won't head over to someones how for a Brawl and Kart night only to find they have the slim wii and I am stuck holding my cube controller in my hand dumbfounded...

18.8.2011 09:52 #7

Interestx

I hate to see this, reduced functionality ought to be something they (all) are increasingly moving away from, not to.

18.8.2011 13:10 #8

TrinUK

Waste of time and money. They should be spending the extra money on their next console making sure some meaty games are ready for release. Or they should have plundered that money into 3DS titles now that Sony have finally got the next PSP right. Interesting times ahead.

Trin - Making Digital Waves

19.8.2011 08:03 #9

xaznboitx

Originally posted by TrinUK: Waste of time and money. They should be spending the extra money on their next console making sure some meaty games are ready for release. Or they should have plundered that money into 3DS titles now that Sony have finally got the next PSP right. Interesting times ahead.
psp vita not even out til 2012 holiday so nintendo has nothing to worry about.

20.8.2011 23:27 #10

TrinUK

Originally posted by xaznboitx: Originally posted by TrinUK: Waste of time and money. They should be spending the extra money on their next console making sure some meaty games are ready for release. Or they should have plundered that money into 3DS titles now that Sony have finally got the next PSP right. Interesting times ahead.
psp vita not even out til 2012 holiday so nintendo has nothing to worry about.
Yes the release is a few months away but the software line up already looks far more promising than the 3DS which is why I think they should heavily invest and get up to speed now.

Current 3DS titles look almost identical in quality to current DS games (jagged and blocky) apart from street fighter which looks great. I think the hardware and graphics chip are very capable of better things but games are being rushed out. I hope things improve for the 3DS but I somehow think Nintendo may be in trouble this time due to the recent price drop as an indication and the recommended age tag of the device.

Trin - Making Digital Waves

22.8.2011 04:46 #11

Elliander

Originally posted by Azuran: Originally posted by nintenut: So, they just sliced the library of good Wii-compatible games down to a third.

Smart, Nintendo, real smart. I'm thinking you're giving the Gamecube too much credit lol. Joking aside I know many people with a Wii and none of them use it to play Gamecube games. Not that my little survey holds any scientific clout, but I have a feeling Nintendo believes anyone who wants a Wii to play those games already has one. And I am inclined to agree with them. Well, unless your little survey includes a diverse demographic it would have absolutely no scientific clout. I personally don't know anyone with a Wii who doesn't use it with Gamecube cabes and I also know people who plan to buy a Wii with backward compatibility in mind.

15.10.2011 20:42 #12

Elliander

I personally dislike this marketing choice. Even if these slimmed down consoles would result in a reduced cost for these slimmed down models given that last hardware needs to be produced, an obvious downside is that whenever the Wii U comes out we will be less likely to see a Wii with Gamecube support on the bargain shelf the way the Gamecube was. Nintendo will probably have Gamecube and Wii support with the Wii-U so it might also be part of a larger effort to ensure that the Wii-U sells better by including Gamecube support that the Wii would no longer have. That's probably one reason they are doing it, but I am sure there are others.

Another less than obvious reason is that Gamecube support is absolutely necessary for running Nintendo 64 games on a Soft Modded Wii. Anyone with a little effort can make their Wii run every Nintendo 64 game ever made off an SD Card and a Wii (with only a minor slow down), but that won't be possible at all with a slimmed down Wii. Then there is the fact that the modding community is in the process of developing a method of running Gamecube games off a USB hard drive (which is currently impossible because the Wii disabled the USB drive when gamecube games are functioning) the same way that it is possible to run just about every Wii game ever made on a USB Hard drive.

If the hardware is completely redesigned it might even be impossible to soft mod the slimmed down Wii for other uses (like Super Nintendo, Game Boy Advanced, Sega Genesis, PSX, etc,) without extra attention from the modding community people who buy a slimmed down Wii will probably be unable to Mod their Wii at all, and if attention does come from the Modding community it might very well slow down efforts to improve speed and performance of existing mods.

Obviously this move serves best to make piracy more difficult (if not impossible), but not everyone who mods are doing so for reasons of Piracy. I only run off my SD card every Playstation 1 game I legally paid for so I don't have to keep my PSX hooked up. Same thing for many other systems. I also run all my Wii games from a USB drive because they are faster and it keeps the discs from getting worn out. I would do the same for my many Gamecube games once a Gamecube USB loader comes out. All of this is completely legal, but Nintendo doesn't like it anyway. I would reason that the slimmed down Wii could even be part of an experiment in design in preparation for the Wii-U to see if they can combat Pirates and backup Gamers.

15.10.2011 21:02 #13

Jules4 (unverified)

This is being done to:

A) increase the sales of the Classic Controller because it isnt needed if you have a Gamecube controller

B) Wii-U Virtual Console will probably have Gamecube games available for download

17.1.2012 19:22 #14

MiiMiiMii (unverified)

Originally posted by nintenut: So, they just sliced the library of good Wii-compatible games down to a third.

Smart, Nintendo, real smart. I know right? Some of the greatest games to ever be made by Nintendo were on the Wii. The Wii is still outselling the PS3 and the 360 by a longrun, so slashing the price of the Wii just seems like overkill.

Oh well, hopefully the WiiU will have Gamecube games as downloadable content.

19.1.2012 01:15 #15

MiiMiiMii (unverified)

I meant *Gamecube*, not Wii. Typo.

19.1.2012 01:17 #16

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