For this months N-Europe Roundtable we thought it would be nice to get the good feel for what people think of Wii Mini as Nintendo of Europe prepare to release it here next week.

The stripped down revision of the Wii console was initialy launched exclusive to Canada but will now be making its way to Europe on March 22nd.

While Sony seemed to have some success with their own "PSone" revision of the original PlayStation which launched several months after the launch of the PlayStation 2, Nintendo are taking an even bolder move and releasing the Wii Mini just 3 months after the launch of the Wii U. A console which would seem to be struggling at the moment.

Could Nintendo be doing themselves a disservice by potentially confusing the market with two different "new Wii" devices?

What do you think of the device in general?

Is it worth the 90euro/£80 price tag considering its missing features? (lack of Wifi, no Gamecube compatability, only displays via Scart and not component cables etc.)

If there is anything you would like to add please feel free to do so in the comments and/or on the N-Europe Forums!

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the individual person expressing them and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of N-Europe.com as a whole.)

- Dean Jones, N-Europe Writer and Forum Mod -

The PSOne was released shortly after the PS2 for £79 - similar to the Wii Mini. While this also lacked networking (which was a very minor point back then, unlike the Wii Mini), it was actually smaller than the original console, and by a significant amount. The PSOne was small enough to be used in car journeys, made possible by the official LCD Screen. The PSone console itself also looked better and of a higher quality build than the original console. There was also the Game Boy Micro, a very small and snazzy device (which was £69 at launch).

Back to the Wii Mini - the size is barely different or the original Wii and is much more restricting. Not only does it lack the ability to play GameCube games and use GameCube controllers in games like Super Smash Bros. Brawl (although it's worth pointing out that the current Wii models also lack this), but the removal of all network functions is a massive blow.

The removal of WiFi from a cheap console is understandable, but this should have been remedied by the Wii LAN Adapter (the Wii Mini does have a USB port). However, due to the removal of the Network Settings page, this adapter will do nothing.

Which means no WiiWare and no Virtual Console. Unless Nintendo is planning on shutting down the Wii Shopping Channel soon, this seems like a very strange omission. Not to mention the lack of online gaming for the games that support it.

And then there is the display options - did you know that some new TVs don't have composite or SCART sockets? That's how old the technology is.

- Nando, N-Europe Writer -

I'd only consider getting it dirt cheap so that I could have a Red Nunchuk to go with my Red Wii Remote.. and happily sell the rest of it on...

- Debug Mode, N-Europe Forum Member -

Although it's not new for Nintendo to release a revision of previous generation hardware, with the Gameboy Micro being released just under a year after the DS launch, I think it's a possibly ill-advised choice. People mainly knew the score with the DS, it dropped the 'Gameboy' slogan and had an extra screen, though I think I have heard instances of confusion.

The Wii Mini might have been a good idea if they waited a little longer and the Wii U was looking to be on track to meet Nintendo's projections, which it's looking to miss by a large margin unless Monster Hunter in the west pulls nothing short of a miracle.

All of us here on the forum have battled over what on earth is causing all of this confusion all of a sudden. Some people have harshly called out casuals as being less-educated in gaming, which I think is unfair considering we all buy stuff we don't know too much about. Others blame marketing, some people blame the name/similar form factor etc

The one thing which sticks out in my mind now after thinking about it on and off is that the Wii's nature of being very peripheral based may have been an unforeseen weakness. Nintendo and third parties have pushed a wide variety of peripherals, some of which were exclusive to one game and some of which could have been made for a game but worked with others. So when you had the likes of uPad for the Wii and end up seeing this Wii U pad, I can see why people have come to the conclusion that this new pad with a screen on it is a Wii accessory.

So now, with Nintendo now knowing that the pad is being confused as an add-on for the old console, the European wigs who are dealing with the worst market in regards to Wii U reception, think its a good idea to take on this revision of older hardware rather than using the distribution costs to push some more advertising or even better, invest more in localisation to ensure games for the Wii U get released here ASAP? I think it's a very bad idea.

What do I think of the device in general? It's nice and small and I initially kind of liked the look until I watched an unboxing video of it, to find it's a pretty ugly little piece of kit. If I ever got one just to have around in another room of the house (one of the only uses I can think of for it aside from a collectable), I'd try and give the thing a paint job.

Is it worth the price? Needs a much lower price point to compete with the incredibly cheap pre-owned Wii stock. Summer 2011, I finally got a Wii again for the sake of Xenoblade and Gamestation had a deal on. Limited Edition Xenoblade Set + Pre-owned Wii for £80. It's been nearly 2 years from then, the Wii was technically £30 in that deal, so god knows what prices they're available at now. Game retailers also push their pre-owned console stock pretty hard as well.

So saying that, who's going to stock it? Online retailers only?

- Iun Hockley, N-Europe Writer -

Realistically speaking, I cannot see a good reason to own this. I do not remember the last time I actively sought out my Wii to play a game, and as there is no new software that piques my interest. The new design is very cute, of course, but beyond the collector's factor, there's no reason for me to own this.

However, there may well be a number of households that missed out on the experience for whatever reason, and this may prove of interest to them. It's affordable and the Wii still has that "Wow" factor of built-in motion control that other consoles on the market lack. Titles such as Wii Sports, Wii Play and Wii Music are a charming introduction to gaming for younger players and they would be a demographic uninterested in online play -or at least, not permitted to participate.

Perhaps this will sell a million, perhaps it will sell a few hundred and bomb. It's difficult to say. What I am certain of, however, is that I have no reason to buy.

- Jonnas, N-Europe Forum Member -

I say, cool. Make it cheaper, tailor it better for casual customers. The previous option still exists, after all.

Regarding the marketing confusion with the Wii U... I agree that the Wii U should've been marketed better, and that the Wii Mini is only loosely related to the problem. That's all I'll say about it.

- Fierce_LiNk, N-Europe Forum Moderator -

A disappointing move from Nintendo for a number of reasons. The first reason is that the console doesn't fit its intended purpose. It's not a miniature Wii, it's roughly about the same size as the original. The second is that it has come at a time when they are trying to phase out the Wii and bring in the new era with the WiiU. Nintendo haven't made the best start with the WiiU and should be concentrating all of their efforts on that.

If they were going to release the Wii mini, it should have been done much sooner. They have perhaps missed the boat with this one. Personally, I find that there are very few reasons to actually own one. What are its actual advantages? It's not smaller than the original yet it is heavily stripped down in terms of features.

Many customers could do themselves a favour and either find the original or "remodelled" Wii for a good price or a bundle, or they could just take the plunge and purchase a WiiU.

- Lostmario, N-Europe Forum Moderator -

Its a strange one, I don't see what they'll gain from releasing it. 2 years ago, yeah but not now. You can pick up a pre-owned Wii for £30-40 now.

Is it worth £80, no. Will it sell, yes, as I'd imagine there will be quite a few collectors who will pick this up as I doubt they'll be shipping that many.

- João Lopes, N-Europe Writer -

It's a cash grab, plain and simple, Nintendo is just trying to make some more money out of Wii while they still can and they're doing it in the cheapest way possible.
It may be that they're trying to differentiate the Wii from the Wii U by creating this new Wii design, which is the closest they can get to retroactively changing what the Wii looks like without building a time machine. You'd think it would be easier to just release the Wii U with a more stand out design. Chances are this might bring even more confusion to the table, something Nintendo should desperately stay away from.

Honestly, I like the design and the collector in me says that I'll probably pick one up in the future if I find it really cheap, but the fact that it's actually not that smaller than the original and more limited in its features makes the whole product a bit of a joke.

At the end of the day I don't really care, it's not a big deal or investment from Nintendo and as long as they're not discontinuing the previous version in favour of Wii Mini, I don't see a reason why anyone should be bothered. Just like the Game Boy Micro (which is awesome), it's little more than an experiment and a way to make money out of a dead product. It doesn't make it any more appealing though.

- Rummy, N-Europe Forum Moderator -

It's really rather easy to buy a preowned wii, not to mention new ones at close enough to that price. £90 on ShopTo in fact. Wii Mini is a waste at the moment, they need to focus on the Wii U imo. Don't know what they think they're doing.

- Grazza, N-Europe Forum Moderator -

The Wii Mini is one of the more surprising console revisions I've seen. It's not unusual for them to lack the features of their predecessors, but this probably goes further than before in that regard. Nor can I recall seeing a final version of a console arrive so late in the day. I can't see the Wii Mini being particularly successful but, as ever, it's Nintendo's risk to take.

- Derek Wheatly, N-Europe Writer -

This is just what Nintendo doesn't need. At a time where publishers are demanding Nintendo to lower the price of the Wii U so they feel more comfortable bringing their games to the table it seems foolish of the Big N to waste time and money on something which we frankly do not need.

- Josh Philipps, N-Europe Writer -

I love the overall look of Wii Mini, it looks cute and retro at the same time, almost what I'd imagine the Wii would have looked like if they released it in the SNES era.

That's its only redeeming feature though. The lack of GameCube support and crucially, Wi-Fi, has meant that this final Wii revision is a sorry one indeed. If the price was right, this could actually manage to sell quite well, but with the estimated prices as they are (hovering around £90 to £100 on various websites), I don't see why anyone would go for this when they could get an original Wii second hand for cheaper, with all of the original features intact.

Will I get one though? I'm actually very tempted. As silly as it sounds after venting my hatred for the new innards, there's no denying it looks like one nice console and with its release so late, and its likeliness to fail, I have a feeling this will be worth something in the years to come. The Game Boy Micro of the Wii, perhaps.