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Wii Mini (bundled with Mario Kart Wii) comes to US this month
If you live in the US and have been wondering what to get for the holiday season, or if you’ve always been curious to see why the Wii was the best-selling video game console of the seventh generation, then your chance has finally arrived.
Nintendo has announced that the Wii Mini, previously only available in Canada and the UK, will be arriving in the United States this month. The Wii Mini is a more compact and affordable version of the Wii that is perfect for families or friends who want a more economic experience. The console features an awesome black-and-red color scheme, and is set for a retail price of $99.99.
Unlike the Wii, the Wii Mini has no Internet capabilities (which means no online play, no Virtual Console, and no WiiWare), but it can play every disc-based game in the extensive Wii library. To get new players started, the Wii Mini comes bundled with Mario Kart Wii, so families and friends can take advantage of the game’s great local multiplayer instantly.
Posted in News, Wii
Tagged Mario Kart Wii
Wii drops to $150; budget Nintendo Selects lineup revealed
As expected, Nintendo officially dropped the price of the Wii to $149.99 today. With the new price comes a new bundle. The $149.99 package will include the console (available in black or white), a matching Wii Remote Plus/Nunchuk, a copy of Mario Kart Wii and a Wii Wheel. The bundle will go on sale in two weeks, on May 15th.
With Wii Sports pulled out of the Wii system box for the first time since the console’s launch, the groundbreaking game will lead the new Nintendo Selects line. Retailing for $19.99, the first wave of Nintendo Selects will also include Animal Crossing: City Folk, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Mario Super Sluggers.
“From the day it launched, Wii has let players of all ages and experience levels have fun with one another,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. “The new suggested retail pricing for both the hardware and select games will help create more of these magical moments for even greater numbers of people.”
In other words, the Wii still prints money.
Posted in News, Wii
Tagged Animal Crossing: City Folk, Mario Kart Wii, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Wii Sports
Guitar Hero III tops biggest moneymakers list
Guitar Hero may be dead (for now at least), but the franchise has certainly left its mark on the gaming world. In a report released by The NPD Group yesterday, Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock was crowned the king of all video games… in terms of total sales dollars that is. The music game has brought $830.9 million into Activision’s coffers, no doubt thanks to the expensive guitar bundle you see above.
Activision can also lay claim to the number two game on the list, Call of Duty: Black Ops (even though gamers have bought more copies of CODBLOPS than any other game ever). All told, the publisher snapped up half of the spots in the top ten.
But when it comes to printing money, the only other name that comes to mind is Nintendo. The consolemaker has four games in the top ten: both versions of Wii Fit, Wii Play and Mario Kart Wii. The only non-Activision/Nintendo title in the top ten was MTV Games’ Rock Band.
Interestingly, no game on the list was released before 2007, but CNBC pointed out that the list may not be entirely accurate as Super Mario Bros. 3 sold 18 million copies back in 1990 (before The NPD Group started tracking game sales). Originally retailing for $50, the game’s $900 million dollar tally would surpass every other game on the list.
Hit the jump for the full top ten. (more…)