The Wii Mini offers up bare-bones Nintendo experience
Hi, there.
I'm Scott Stein with CNET.
And this year is the Wii Mini, not the Wii U. If you're shopping this holiday season and you see a little box like this and it says, "It's a Me, Wii Mini", now you're gonna know what it entails because while it seems like a potentially great holiday buy, it's $100 and it comes with Mario Kart Wii, comes with a Wii remote plus, comes with a Nunchuk and the system.
Well, you add that up, the Mario
Kart, and the remote and the Nunchuk actually sell for nearly $90 now in a lot of sites I have looked at.
So, maybe that means that this is basically free or $10-- so that make sound like a great deal but consider this, the Wii Mini doesn't go online.
I'm gonna let that sink in for a moment.
It doesn't go online.
No, there's no Wi-Fi connectivity, no Ethernet here.
Maybe that's a parent's dream.
But I'll tell you two reasons that's a big problem.
One, you can't go online and play with friends.
Now, maybe the Wii wasn't a great
online experience but Mari Kart certainly is, in fact, it's the best online playable racing game that's out there and you can't do that with the Wii Mini.
The second thing, and this is a really disappointing one, is that there are lot of great online downloadable games on the Wii Shop.
There are virtual console games, all your cool NAS, Super NAS, almost all retro $5-games that you wanna play.
A lot of indie games.
Guess what?
You can't download and play them on this system.
What you can play are all the Wii
disc games.
Now there are really good selection of Wii disc games out there.
There are a lot that you may not even realize were there and you can get them for a song and used game shops and, you know, you get all the Mario games and the Zelda games and Wii Sports, sure.
But consider the fact that there are Wiis that are still out there that cost about as much as this and there are bundles that are just a few dollars more that include the online connectivity and still have games.
Plus, if you wanna think about the fact that you're-- there's a new Wii U
that's out there that has better graphics and can play Wii games and use this the Wii remotes so it's a backwards compatible system yes that cost a lot more and the Wii U is not really a perfect console yet but it's a tempting proposition to maybe take that money and put it towards one of those that has video services like Amazon and NetFlix because, again-- also you can't use NetFlix with this.
So that's the third thing.
You can't use any video streaming services.
That's a lot of stuff that you're not getting in the package, no a family
that might consider this the lack of online plus will then have added.
If you're Wii died in a fire and you've got a lot of games and you wanna find a way that get play all those games.
You don't wanna spend a lot and you don't have Mario Kart.
You want an extra controller, well then, okay.
But I consider that online is a huge downside and there's one other thing, this connects with a built-in RCA cable.
RCA, the technology I am not seeing in a long time and it produces video quality like this,
really, really fuzzy not the ideal way to play game.
So you have to buy one of those cables too, which takes away from the value proposition in the Wii Mini.
Now Nintendo did budget right with the Nintendo 2DS that thing packs all the features of the 3DS and costless.
The Wii Mini is the same size pretty much as the Wii and has fewer features.
That's not the way I go with the budget-gaming console.
I'm Scott Stein and that's a look at the disappointing Wii Mini.
Up Next
Here's what's new in PS5's first major system update
Up Next
Here's what's new in PS5's first major system update
Nintendo Switch Pro: Why 4K and a large OLED is a big deal
Nintendo Switch Pro: Why 4K and a large OLED is a big deal
We put the Xbox Series X through a heat test
We put the Xbox Series X through a heat test
PS5 review: Full breakdown of all the new features
PS5 review: Full breakdown of all the new features
Unboxing the Xbox Series S: See what's inside
Unboxing the Xbox Series S: See what's inside
Xbox Series X unboxing: What comes in the box
Xbox Series X unboxing: What comes in the box
Xbox Series X full preview: we look at everything
Xbox Series X full preview: we look at everything
PS5 Teardown reaction - Everything we learned
PS5 Teardown reaction - Everything we learned
Here's which new Xbox you should buy
Here's which new Xbox you should buy
Xbox Series S is official -- and $299
Xbox Series S is official -- and $299
Tech Shows
Latest News All latest news
Robosen's Megatron Transformer Is Too Much Fun for an Evil Robot
Robosen's Megatron Transformer Is Too Much Fun for an Evil Robot
Apple May Give FineWoven Accessories One More Season
Apple May Give FineWoven Accessories One More Season
US vs. TikTok: What Happens Next
US vs. TikTok: What Happens Next
Battle of the Humanoid Robots: MenteeBot Is Ready
Battle of the Humanoid Robots: MenteeBot Is Ready
What to Expect at Apple's May 7 iPad Event
What to Expect at Apple's May 7 iPad Event
Did a Week With the Apple Watch Make Me Use My iPhone Less?
Did a Week With the Apple Watch Make Me Use My iPhone Less?
Most Popular All most popular
First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
First Look at TSA's Self-Screening Tech (in VR!)
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Review: More AI at a Higher Cost
'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
'Circle to Search' Lets Users Google From Any Screen
Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
Asus Put Two 14-inch OLEDs in a Laptop, Unleashes First OLED ROG Gaming Laptop
Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
Samsung Galaxy Ring: First Impressions
Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
Best of Show: The Coolest Gadgets of CES 2024
Latest Products All latest products
Robosen's Megatron Transformer Is Too Much Fun for an Evil Robot
Robosen's Megatron Transformer Is Too Much Fun for an Evil Robot
Battle of the Humanoid Robots: MenteeBot Is Ready
Battle of the Humanoid Robots: MenteeBot Is Ready
2025 Audi Q6, SQ6 E-Tron: Audi's Newest EV Is Its Most Compelling
2025 Audi Q6, SQ6 E-Tron: Audi's Newest EV Is Its Most Compelling
Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter
Hands-On with Ford's Free Tesla Charging Adapter
Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar
Nuro R3 is an Adorable Self-Driving Snack Bar
First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
First Look: The $349 Nothing Phone 2A Aims to Brighten Your Day
Latest How To All how to videos
Tips and Tricks for the AirPods Pro 2
Tips and Tricks for the AirPods Pro 2
How to Watch the Solar Eclipse Safely From Your Phone
How to Watch the Solar Eclipse Safely From Your Phone
Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
Windows 11 Tips and Hidden Features
Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
Vision Pro App Walkthrough -- VisionOS 1.0.3
Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
Tips and Tricks for the Galaxy S24 Ultra
TikTok Is Now on the Apple Vision Pro