Topic: Nintendo to launch redesigned Wii, removes Gamecube support

[idolminds]

Story

So if you want a Wii that can play GC games, you might want to think about buying it soon-ish. Then again there are so many of them out there finding a used system won't be much of a challenge.

[PyroMenace]

So they are launching a new Wii that has less features than what they have now? I guess if its cheaper for them to produce that to shelves, more power to them. At least, thats my guess on this.

[idolminds]

Yeah I guess its supposed to go with a price drop. $99 Wii could look pretty good for Christmas season.

[Cobra951]

I read that this morning.  Damn them.  The most use by far I've gotten out of my Wii is as an RGB progressive-display GC.

[iPPi]

While I think it sucks that they're removing backwards compatibility, I personally have not used the Wii to play any GC games.  I always meant to but in the end I never did.  The reason is because the Gamecube Controller's cable is too short and I cannot sit a proper distance away from my TV using a wired Gamecube controller.  I also did not feel like spending money to get a Wavebird (and lose rumble support) or to get some third party cable extension. 

[K-man]

I would say that most of the people who would use the backwards compatibility function already own a Wii.  And stripping features is by no means a new thing.  If you recall, the later shipments of the Gamecube removed the progressive scan out from the back of the unit.

As far as the cable situation, yes.  The GC's were notoriously short.  Thankfully I was able to accumulate plenty of Wavebirds so it's never been an issue.  What I'm curious about is whether the controller ports will remain at the top (side) of the unit, since a number of Wii games actually have Gamecube controller support.

[K-man]

[Update] Nintendo of America has told Shacknews it does not currently have any plans to bring the revised Wii model to market in North America:

[Cobra951]

The story that I initially read only mentioned Europe, but I assumed that everyone would be getting those nerfed units eventually.  (If cost cutting is the goal, multiple designs in production don't make sense.)  I hope that NOA comment is more than just a short-term attempt to defuse tensions.

[idolminds]

Thats interesting. Why is Europe getting these cut down systems? Sony announced a PSP with the wifi removed, also apparently only for Europe.

[K-man]

Europe clearly has a strong distaste for features.

[gpw11]

What I find surprising is that they'd need to. Wii came out in, what, 2007?  At the time, I believe I read that Nintendo was selling the units at a profit on the hardware itself.  If true, I'd think that four years down the road, the costs of a redesign would easily outweigh any potential benefits....especially since they have a new console announced and the vast majority of the Wii consoles that they will sell already have been sold.

[Cobra951]

Eh, capitalism.  The infinite-growth fallacy.  The goal is to increase profit, not maintain it.  I can see removing all those GC controller ports alone as a significant cut in cost (over many units).