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Slimmer and cheaper Nintendo Wii coming by Christmas

By

On August 17, 2011, 10:53 AM

Despite having unveiled the Wii's successor at E3 earlier this year, Nintendo plans to give its motion-controlled console a shot in the arm ahead of the busy holiday season with a slimmed down version of its existing model. Dubbed the "Family Edition Bundle" the new Wii package will come equipped with the refreshed console in classic white, a Wii Remote Plus controller with the nunchuck accessory and copies of Wii Sports and Wii Party to get you started.

This Is My Next claims the bundle will also carry a reduced price but so far an exact MSRP hasn't been revealed. Currently, the Wii is selling for $150 with a copy of Mario Kart and the Wii Wheel peripheral.

It's worth noting that the price cut and slimmer profile will come at the expense of one feature, though: backwards compatibility with GameCube games and controllers won't be available as it is with the current version of the console.

The move comes as Sony announced it is cutting $50 off the base 160GB PlayStation 3 to $250, while the 320GB version is now $300 and comes with a copy of Infamous 2 (released in early June with a decent Metascore) and a 30-day PlayStation Plus membership. It also announced a new budget version of its PlayStation Portable for €99 in Europe.

The redesigned Wii, designed to sit horizontally rather than vertically, is expected to hit European markets before Christmas but Nintendo remains mum on other territories.

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User Comments: 12

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  1. Who uses the Wii anyway? Gosh.

  2. I won a Wii in a raffle. I only use the damn thing when I have a lot of friends over and they all say "Let's play Smash Bros". Honestly, I would own more games if they ever had a price drop. Mario Galaxy was 50 dollars for almost 4 years. They finally dropped the price. If a large amount of their library appeared for $30 or less, I think the Wii might be able to finally compete with the real consoles.

  3. It will be interesting to see what M$ will do with its Xbox; will they also cut the price ?

  4. Now I know what won't be on my christmas list...

  5. "I think the Wii might be able to finally compete with the real consoles."

    Oh it's too bad the Wii has sold 30 million more consoles than the 360 or PS3

  6. No gamecube controller ports? In my opinion, Super Smash Bros is by far the best Wii game there is, and I like it much better with the gamecube controller.

  7. I've tried Xbox and PS3 and found that the Wii is by far my favorite.

  8. Would this improve readability from the discs in any way? Just wondering...

  9. Guest said:

    "I think the Wii might be able to finally compete with the real consoles."

    Oh it's too bad the Wii has sold 30 million more consoles than the 360 or PS3

    Oh yes, because sales equate quality, correct?

  10. Having taken one apart I'm curious how much smaller they can really make them.

  11. Exactly *coughsegacough*

  12. Mindwraith says: " I've tried Xbox and PS3 and found that the Wii is by far my favorite."

    I understand why you would think that mindwraith. PS3 and X-Box are a little too mature for you.

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