[voodoozen]

Wii redesign announced, coming holiday 2011:

http://imgur.com/iX3Xl.jpg%5B/IMG%5D

And the Wii U for reference sake:

http://imgur.com/Axvac.jpg%5B/IMG%5D

Specs:

Quote:
Originally Posted by Official Nintnedo Magazine /forum/post/0

• Horizontal Orientation (no base)
• No backwards compatibility (completely removes GCN ports)
• Wii Sports and Wii Party packed in
• One M+ controller included

My guess: they're going to finally get to that magical $99 price point with this one. Removing GCN and the accompanying ports should lower the cost of production slightly, but I'd bet the real move is more to harmonize their manufacturing for the upcoming Wii U production- they stop buying chips and ports that the Wii U won't have, and can just swap back and forth making U/Wii without a time consuming change over. This is probably the Ninty version of the PS2 slim, what you'll see on shelves for the rest of it's lifecycle.


Didn't get much smaller, so I'm hopeful that they maybe (MAYBE) put the power brick inside... I'd fall off my chair if they did that and added HDMI support, but man, would that be a clean little machine if they did.


Discuss!

 

[ThisOneKidMongo]

Well that was unexpected. I'm guessing removing backwards compatibility is more about Nintendo's usual MO of removing a feature not many people use to save themselves a few pennies (e.g., removing the digital out from later-era GameCubes). This also makes sense if GC games are eventually hitting the Wii U Virtual Console, which I assume they will.


As for pricing, I'm betting on more of a halfway point like $119. $99 seems a little too crazy considering there are two pack-in games. And if Nintendo thinks they can squeeze an extra $20 out of you, they will. And if you've been fence-sitting on getting a Wii this long, $119 would tempt you pretty much as well as $99 would.

 

[filecat13]

Maybe I wasn't 100% correct, but I'm looking a little smarter now.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showp...1&postcount=72


At least Nintendo is doing something. Starvation is imminent if these ploys (price reduction on 3DS and reduction/repackaging of Wii) don't work. The Wii U is too far off and not generating much buzz.

 

[moothemagiccow]

I heard $139 from a cheap ass gamer who heard it from a walmart employee. Reliable, I know.


At this point why not put out the Wii U? I don't care if it doesnt have any games. Usually the compact versions come out after the new system's released.

 

[Mr. Audio]

As far as I've read that this stripped console version is slated for Europe only. I never thought the Gamecube was that great of a console in the first place but why take away features at this point? I suppose Nintendo is trying to make up for the losses from the 3DS price cut.

 

[WizarDru]

People keep posting pictures of the Wii U as if the redesigned Wii was the one that looked similar to it, instead of the other way around.


The only differences are:

1) Text rotated 90 degrees

2) Gamecube ports removed

3) Silver colored base not being used (possibly removed)


I mean, if there's confusion to be expected, it would be from the Wii U's design being too similar to the Wii, not that the Wii 2nd Gen looks too much like the Wii U. But if you meant that they're standardizing to make it cheaper to produce the Wii U by tweaking the Wii's design? I guess I could see that, though they're different enough I suspect they'd need to significantly retool the production line, regardless. (square versus rounded, for example).


Personally, I don't expect that we've seen the Wii U's final design, anyhow.

 

[number1laing]

I think the fact that they pulled the Wii U from Gamescom means that they are rethinking it. I don't think it will be totally different (same basic concept) but they can't be happy with the reception it got at E3.

 

[WizarDru]

I think it's highly likely that they didn't bring it to Gamescom because they didn't want to reveal it so early in the first place. They probably only revealed it at E3 this year because some accurate rumors had already circulated about it and they didn't want to have a PSP Go situation on their hands.


It is kind of surprising that they didn't bring what they already had to Gamescom, but it wouldn't be the first time that I have no idea what Nintendo is thinking.

 

[voodoozen]

Obviously they're moving on to the new model but c'mon... $150? Still?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nintendo of America /forum/post/0


BLACK WII HOLIDAY BUNDLE WITH NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. WII AND EXCLUSIVE MUSIC CD ARRIVING OCT. 23


Oct. 11, 2011

As the holiday season draws near, Nintendo of America is giving consumers a new way to discover the nonstop fun and exceptional value of the Wii™ system. Starting Oct. 23, a new Wii console bundle will be available at U.S. retailers, including the New Super Mario Bros.™ Wii game, a special Super Mario Galaxy™ soundtrack CD, a black Wii Remote™ Plus controller and a black Nunchuk™ controller. The new bundle will be offered at a suggested retail price of $149.99.


Particularly for first-time console buyers and newcomers to the world of Nintendo, this new Wii bundle delivers a mix of inclusive entertainment at an attractive price. New Super Mario Bros. Wii is one of the most widely enjoyed games for the Wii system with more than 20 million units sold worldwide. Featuring iconic characters from the classic Super Mario Bros. series, the game lets up to four friends or family members play together in a fast-paced platforming adventure. The Super Mario Galaxy music CD, which includes a selection of memorable music from the acclaimed video game, is available only as part of the new Wii bundle and will not be sold separately. The newly configured black Wii console sits horizontally rather than vertically and is designed exclusively for Wii game play and entertainment experiences (Nintendo GameCube™ software and accessories are not supported).


The standard Wii bundle, which includes a Wii console (white or black), matching Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk controllers, Mario Kart™ Wii game and Wii Wheel™ accessory, will continue to be available at a suggested retail price of $149.99. Both Wii bundles offer tremendous value to consumers and families looking to expand their home entertainment options.

Dammit, Nintendo. The $150 price point? That train has sailed... Do you not have a Target store near Redmond?

I stand by what I said before, they're moving to this design because it's something they can easily produce on the same production lines as Wii U. That's fine, makes sense and save some cost. But I can't tell who exactly this is targeting... $99 = instant holiday success. Or even a Zelda bundle, different (new) colors... anything but same price and this:

http://imgur.com/NZI1E.gif%5B/IMG%5D

 

[Leo_Ames]

I'd be surprised if there was more than a component or two inside this thing that is even interchangeable with the WiiU. And I imagine they have dedicated production lines for each system model they produce rather than flip flopping between product lines and changing all the tooling everytime they switch. So any similarity with the WiiU (Which I don't see it being any closer to than the Wii already is) seems rather meaningless, I would think.


This is to lower their production cost for each unit they produce by simplifying it with such things as the DVD drive (No need to support the smaller GameCube disc format any longer, which equates to a cheaper drive) and eliminating unnecessary extras like the vertical stand included with every standard Wii and eliminating the GameCube controller and memory card ports.


I doubt the WiiU entered into the equation anymore than the Playstation Vita did when Sony did something similar with the PSP recently in Europe by eliminating things like WiFi from the unit. This is just done to cut cost as far as possible to increase profit margins and give flexibility in their pricing so they can lower these MSRP's eventually to capture any remaining sales that are out there.


I suspect we'll have a $100 Wii come Christmas 2012, in part, due to this redesign. But I suspect they think the Wii must have one last hurrah in it at $150 before being replaced next year. I wouldn't be surprised if it does well for a 5 year old game console that is increasing viewed as obsolete, thanks to system bundles with Mario Kart Wii (I'm sure these will be widely available for a while yet) and this new NSMB Wii bundle, and Skyward Sword on store shelfs.

 

[jhoff80]

This just reminds me, since the new one is black.... I really hope that the Wii U has a black version out of the gate. Honestly, the bright white plastic just doesn't make sense in a living room... and even Apple, who originated the shiny white plastic thing, realizes that with the Apple TV being black aluminum.

 

[vdoggie]

Nintendo better redesign the shape of the Wii U, because this i EXACTLY how it looked in the video at the last E3 and people were confused back then.. it just makes sooooo much sense to release this when Wii U is right around the corner and will look EXACTLY the same. I'm not sure who the heck is handling these decisions at Nintendo, but they aren't good ones. I'm eager to hear more about Wii U but this was not necessary, a cheaper Wii without the gamecube guts?? WHY?? The Wii is DEAD!!!!!!!!

 

[jwebb1970]

 http://www.warpzoned.com/?p=15089


One new thing up with the Wii - it along with 3DS will soon have a Hulu Plus channel available.

 

[Leo_Ames]



Quote:
Originally Posted by vdoggie /forum/post/21109218


Nintendo better redesign the shape of the Wii U, because this i EXACTLY how it looked in the video at the last E3 and people were confused back then.. it just makes sooooo much sense to release this when Wii U is right around the corner and will look EXACTLY the same. I'm not sure who the heck is handling these decisions at Nintendo, but they aren't good ones. I'm eager to hear more about Wii U but this was not necessary, a cheaper Wii without the gamecube guts?? WHY?? The Wii is DEAD!!!!!!!!

This redesign looks just like a standard Wii, except with a little bit of blue added to the disc drive slot (The system before it's topped over in the animated pic posted earlier is a standard Wii, which demonstrates just how little things have changed from a frontal view). They haven't tried to make it look liks a WiiU. It still very much looks like the console we've been playing for half a decade now.


It's just been stripped down to reduce production cost by removing WiFi (In Europe, at least; it's supposed to still have WiFi in North America), a cheaper disc drive that doesn't have to support smaller GCN disc, removal of the GCN controller and memory card ports, elimination of the vertical stand, etc. That's all and it's business as usual. Console manufacturers have been doing this late in the lifespan of a successful console for the past 30 years in order to give them room to eventually lower the MSRP (Although they appear decided that the Wii is still viable enough for one more Christmas at $150, but I'd place a lot of money on a $99 Wii being on the market come Christmas 2012).


If you actually look up some pics of the WiiU, it looks very different beyond a similar layout and color of plastic that lends a family resemblence, which is desirable I think to link it to a successful brand.