Wii Mini coming to UK and Ireland on 22 March

26 Feb 2013

The dinky red Wii Mini will no longer be exclusively available in Canada come next month, as Nintendo has announced that the console will be released in the UK and Ireland on 22 March.

The small, stylish console comes in matte black and red casing, along with a red Wii Remote Plus and red Nunchuck controller. It’s also compatible with any existing Wii accessories you may have, such as the Balance Board, Wii Wheel, Classic Controller or Wii Zapper.

The key difference, other than the size, is that the Wii Mini can’t connect to the internet, so online gaming or Netflix viewing won’t be possible on this version of the console. Users will, however, be able to play the back catalogue of disc-based Wii titles and, to coincide with the launch, a number of new titles will be added to the Nintendo Selects range.

Nintendo Selects features classic Wii games (if anything from the 2006 console can indeed be deemed ‘classic’) at a lower price point. The range features familiar titles from the Zelda and Mario franchises, as well as games popularised on the Wii, like Wii Sports. Coming to Nintendo Selects in time for 22 March will be Mario Party 8, Wii Sports Resort, Mario Power Tennis and Super Paper Mario.

Pricing of the console on these shores has not yet been announced, but we do know that it was priced at US$100 when it launched exclusively in Canada last December and a similar price can be expected on this side of the Atlantic.

Elaine Burke is the host of For Tech’s Sake, a co-production from Silicon Republic and The HeadStuff Podcast Network. She was previously the editor of Silicon Republic.

editorial@siliconrepublic.com