I take a look back at one of the most pointless consoles of all time: the Wii Mini. Main Channel: @ScottTheWoz Twitter: / scottthewoz Facebook: / scottthewoz Instagram: / scottthewoz
I live in Canada and we were at best buy buying a dishwasher or something, and my mom saw the wii mini and convinced my dad to buy it for my sister and I. We had a lot of fun experiences with that wii mini! We still have it and I occasionally go back to it to play the first console games I experienced.
@@coffeetexas what does that have to do with the comment? i’m 14 and the first game console/handheld i got was the 3ds. in 2014. doesn’t mean i’m a fetus who was born yesterday lol
I honestly like this redesign, but I agree with Scott’s point in his redesign video about how this should’ve really doubled down on the internet stuff and sold it as a Netflix box
But then again in hindsight, by 2014, Nintendo shut down the Wi-Fi connection service for Wii and DS and over the years the Wii has slowly been losing more online features
they cut off the internet because it is the easiest way to hack the console. there is no hack yet for the wii mini, so it seems to have worked for them.
@@TheFreakRocker There's a working exploit that used the Bluetooth in Wiimotes. Obviously can't do much since there's no storage for homebrew, but it's technically hackable
The settings screens were made in HTML, so the Opera engine is used to display those. Also, a pretty silly thing is that the code for online is still in the OS, but they just removed the settings screens. So if you have a USB Ethernet adapter, you can manually edit the internet settings file to tell it to use it, and online just works.
In an age where video games are being evermore closely tied to digital-only and the internet, a basic console like this is, in a weird way, comforting.
"Hey, what game should we throw in with the internet lacking Wii Mini?" "Something with really popular online play of course! Let's go with Mario Kart Wii!"
@@real_abender DS lite would actually fit in a pocket vs the original DS. DSi had internet. 2DS was way cheaper and could run 3DS games. This one has a different hinge for $50 more.
This may or may not be along Scott's style of humor idk but I think this was a missed opportunity to title the video as Scott's Stash: Scott's Mini Wii.
Somehow, somewhere in the universe, there is someone who was devastated when they learned that you couldn't purchase Donkey Kong Jr. math on this console
@@lit-eral5953 Ladies and gentleman, we found em! (Don't worry, I was devastated Minecraft only ran on new 3ds [Despite the fact I had a phone that played the same game])
Scott failed to mention that the Wii Menu on this thing also includes the Wii Menu Electronic Manual also available on the Wii U's Wii Mode, I'm very disappointed in him today
"There's a consumer out there, there are gamers who have not bought a Wii yet, and there are gamers who have a Wii and want a second one for the cottage, or the chalet, or whatever, who actually don't need the online functionality. So we basically stripped all the online functionality out, and the end result is cost savings for the person buying Wii Mini at $99." That's why the Wii Mini was a Canada exclusive.
Nothing to do with your comment, but yesterday I was listening to a lot of the SM3DW soundtrack and I saw a bunch of your comments made years ago, so I just thought it was kinda cool to see you here making a comment 11 hours ago. I know you probably don't care, it was just a cool coincidence
I don't get why they removed the ability to use USB to Ethernet though. With homebrew you can restore it so why'd they do that? If anything they lost money because they cut off the eshop
I have a vivid memory of seeing 2 kids playing NSMBWii on a wii mini at like a christmas festival, under a tent in the middle of a field in the middle of nowhere, just in the grass I just felt that yknow? it seemed like a great console
Something worth mentioning that Scott kinda glossed over is that by the time this released outside of Canada, we were already aware that Nintendo was ending wi-fi support for the Wii in just a few months. Considering that, it makes a lot of sense that they just didn't include it in this model, since those buying would then have that access basically revoked shortly thereafter
I really wanted a Wii Mini back in 2013 for some reason. The original Wii was dirt cheap at this point, but my stupid kid brain said "nah fam, I want the shitty one." Funny thing is that, even by this point, it was cheaper to buy a used 1st model Wii than it was to buy a Wii Mini, so I had no excuses
The form factor and the disk loader. I prefer how this looks to the regular wii a hilarious amount. And I have already opened my wii to fix the disk drive twice. I have never seen a wii mini irl but I feel like if I did that would be the end of all of my love for my regular wii because I am going to be real I barely use online on the thing and I heard hacking it for online is actually easier then most people think it is and is definitely possible.
We must be living on different planets. On my planet, Nintendo is still the company whose name is synonymous with video gaming in general, and the only game company still in the hardware business who goes back as far as the 1980s in the industry!
@@TruthSword7 Yes, but that doesn't change the fact that they are CONSTANTLY missing opportunities. They just throw stuff at the wall to see what sticks, but they often go so fast they miss how nicely things could fit together
@@TruthSword7 Thats true, but Nintendo had a decent chunk of missed opportunities/failures. One major issue was going cartridge for games on the N64 instead of disc, it gave Sony a huge advantage with the disc based games and more developers coming over, Nintendo basically created thir own competition.
@@randoml97 alright, but y'all are always saying this with HINDSIGHT. It's easy to say this and that was a missed opportunity when you know how it will turn out.
I know. It’s crazy. There are probably hundreds of copies of thousands of games that have hardly been touched let alone opened. I’ve been buying some unopened copies of 3DS games I never had the chance to play as a kid. Idk, I don’t want to buy them used lol. I’ve also been buying DS games that I loved when I was younger as well as great ones I never owned.
My grandma got sold this at a gamestop in like 2014 after our wii's disc drive stopped working. She asked if it was exactly the same as the original wii just smaller since they were selling them both at the same price, and the dude said yes. I was so sad when we got home and it didnt have internet. We ended up keeping the other wii just for netflix.
Reminds me of the PSP Street. A PSP model which I believe was only available in Europe which couldn't connect to the internet. Conversely, there was also the PSP Go, which could ONLY play digital games. Some uhh, interesting decisions there.
Yeah I got the PSP Street. Despite the stripped out features, it actually has the best screen out of all of them, by far. Super vibrant, no ghosting. I got it for that reason alone.
I have the PSP 3000. The PSP 1000 has some design flaws and less durable than the 2000 and 3000 but is the easiest to mod. The PSP 3000 which came out is 2007 is the best PSP in my opinion.
When I was a kid we never connected our Wii to the internet, and even a couple of years ago I still knew people running an original Wii for their kids. So I can at least see the market they were trying to capture with the Wii Mini. And like parents don't want their kids on the internet anyway so no real loss. Even with graphics as aged as they are, it's still an absolute killer kids/family console, especially compared to modern consoles (this gen and last-gen) which seem to be almost entirely focused on core gamers (even the Switch isn't really aimed at young kids, especially with the prices).
I always found it funny that one of the biggest changes the wii mini made was removing WiFi, so they thought it'd be smart to bundle it with one of the best online multiplayer games the wii had...
the even funnier thing is how easy it is to get this console to work with internet connection because everything is basicly still there except from just the wifi-module itself. not that hard to get a wifi module and a sd-card reader in there and have it working as everything software side is still there, just disabled.
Also if something breaks in the system menu (including settings) an opera error message saying that the *html file here* wasn't found appears instead of loading the menu.
That's what the N64 should've looked like if it had discs support. So imagine a Wii mini plus the 4 controller ports and that would've been super cool.
Part of me wants to believe Scott is the only person who’d own a wii mini just for collecting purposes, cause I don’t think anyone would make a conscious choice to own a highly inferior wii .
I've considered buying one for years because top loaders are always the best but... that potato output tho. Might still grab one just to have it sit there...
My favorite thing about this Wii Mini bundle are the two Nintendo WFC logos they didn't bother removing from Mario Kart's box art AND the small image of the Mario Kart box art on the face of the Wii Mini box.
Can confirm that the Wii was used at my home as the Netflix/TH-cam machine before my parents got a proper Smart TV. When I left my house, I had to leave my Wii behind because my family already used it so much, lol.
I can confirm that Canada is often used as a testing ground for products and services. Taking banking as an example, my parents recall having ATMs and tap on debit cards a solid decade before America got it. (The teller in San Francisco apparently didn't believe it, and also asked "how long the boat ride" was, implying that we're an island and also don't have airplanes). We also have e-Transfer, which is like Cashapp or whatever, but free and automatically included with every major banking service, and I would say America will probably be getting it in the coming years.
I once witnessed the rare event of a couple buying a Wii Mini in 2014 or early 2015 while I was in an electronics store looking at Wii U games. I remember them saying something like "Uh, it doesn't have internet? Well at least it has Mario Kart" or something like that.
Not all Wii Minis came with MKW, especially in Canada. I got one as a Christmas gift in 2012, and it had no games included. I only used my Wii Mini for playing Wii Sports (purchased separately) for 3 years.
Turning it into a Netflix box would have required more than just leaving the WiFi card in. The Wii mini also drop support for the component video cables which means it would've been capped at 480i. If they had wanted to make a multimedia box, they would've probably wanted to add HDMI & maybe make it be able to play DVDs & CDs.
As a kid who grew up watching tons of Netflix on the Wii, I whole heartedly agree with Scott's sentiment about removing internet connection during the rise of streaming.
@@hideofreakingkojima5457 Almost all methods of modding the original Wii require two things: an exploit and a homebrew application on an SD card. Some of the first modding methods made use of exploits discovered in games like Twilight Princess and Brawl. These exploits made it possible to run the homebrew application from the SD card and successfully mod the Wii. Newer methods of modding are much more simplified and make use of exploits found in the Wii Message Board or even the Internet Channel, removing the need for certain games or even an SD card. Since the Wii Mini doesn’t have an SD card or internet access, the methods used to mod the original Wii cannot be applied to the Wii Mini, making it much more difficult, even thought to be impossible for several years. It was eventually discovered that it‘s possible to mod the Wii Mini using its Bluetooth connectivity and a USB flash drive. It’s a very involved and technical process with multiple steps, though; you need to do a bit of tinkering with Linux and your computer needs to be close to the console for the whole time. Nintendo may work hard, but console modders work harder!
Worth noting, Nintendo's consoles (Wii, WiiU, Switch) work with any ethernet adapter. You don't need Nintendo's. I wish they'd advertise that more, because the only way you'd know is by searching up ethernet support on the Nintendo website and seeing that the FAQ mentions any regular one will work. But yes, the Wii Mini simply doesn't allow it. Even worse, while you can Homebrew it to enable ethernet access, it requires replacing the operating system with a regular Wii's because the Wii Mini's assumes there is no internet ever. And you can't use the normal exploits to homebrew it because of the lack of internet and also an SD card slot, so you have to use a USB - bluetooth combo exploit. Replacing the OS incorrectly will brick the mini. Even worse, because there's no SD card slot, and only one USB port, you can't expand your Homebrew storage (not to mention Wii shop channel storage at all) while also using the ethernet (perhaps a USB hub would work, haven't seen it). Overall Nintendo stripped out everything that hackers used to easily homebrew the Wii, and made it as inconvienent as possible. Which is a shame because in my opinion the Wii's homebrew community is one of it's best qualities. The Wii, to this day, has the strongest homebrew community of any device, period.
Not any USB adapter, it has to be supported and compatible idk what the requirements are but I have two adapters and one works and the other does not on my switch.
The thing about the price is on top of the fact that Wiis were everywhere and you could easily get a second hand Wii for the same if not less than the price of a Wii mini new.
I love how on his main channel, every video just take so long to make and bc of that every thing there is just pristine & flawless, but here, we can just see the real Scott :))
It’s honestly a worse deal to have any wii without wii sports Also shoutouts to showing mario and luigi using the wii wheel on the box but not including a wii wheel
This also came out two years after the Wii stopped receiving big releases. If there were some big AAA game that released along side it, the Wii Mini would have been a cheap way for any holdouts to enter the Wii ecosystem to experience said game. I also think it should have had an HDMI port and supported 720p output even if the games were still rendered 480p. Composite was still being included on most new TVs at the time, but not many new devices were supporting composite output except for cheap plug & play games. They also should have kept the Wi-Fi and allowed streaming apps like you said. Nintendo could have experimented with this devices a little and maybe found more success. Instead, they played it safe and games us a way to play Wii games in 480i for under $100.
I'm losing the will... 6 minutes in and I'm still looking at a box with a little waving hand in the corner with a voice over that has said the same thing in different ways about 6 times. Still watching for some reason though....
I live in Canada and I remember seeing these in Toys R Us from the release window, up until like a couple years ago. Until your console redesign episode came out, I had no idea it was originally a Canadian exclusive. That being said, as someone who loved their Wii, I was always confused by and indifferent to it’s existence. Is this a really redundant comment? Yeah. But, so was the Wii Mini.
The Wii mini is my favorite looking version of the Wii. I love the black and red and the top load disc tray design. If anybody ever finds a way to get component video output back into the Wii mini I would totally install that mod and ditch my launch Wii. Edit: after a quick google search it looks like people have already done it. I will have to do it as well
I listen to quite a few Nintendo guys talk about Nintendo, but this Nintendo guy? Oh, I could listen to this guy talk about Nintendo for another 20 minuets and 45 seconds
It’s interesting to hear Scott talking about something in a more serious manner. This is my first time seeing a video from this channel and it’s a nice change of pace.
Another bad thing abiut it is it only has composite out, no component cables, and it won't work with those HDMI converter dongles either. It can be modded to add all the missing features including WiFi and SD card, but it's a lot of work.
A few months ago my childhood Wii stopped reading discs for whatever reason and I was really sad about it, so my mom said she’d get a replacement and... she came home with this. I appreciate her for trying but it just made me even more sad lmao
it’s like your grandma dies and your mom just brings in a random old lady. you try to seem grateful but in reality you’re wondering who the fuck the old lady is
The Wii mini instead of a standard one ruined Christmas for me one year. Also, they test launch Canada because it is an identical market to the US with one-tenth the demand.
Surprised you didn't talk about how component cables don't work on this thing. Also, since you brought up Skyward Sword, I wonder the system comes with that update installed.
Scott, you were put on my next up for the TH-cam autoplay and I immediately recognized you because of how your jokes are, I love it! You're amazing and always make me laugh, keep on being amazing Scott.
Heres another thing about the Wii Mini, it came out near the Wii U. I know we love to hate on the U, but it plays Wii games as well as all the extra stuff, so why bother with the mini. Like the GBA Micro to the DS
This wii was considered to be unhackable for the longest time. Since there's no SD card slot and only 1 usb port. But thankfully someone was able to crack the code and successfuly mod one of these, allowing you to lay GameCube and WiiWare titles via WAD installation and Nintendont.
Tbh I would have loved to have these back in the day, the colours are great and the wii remote looks so good with jacket, plus I barely ever used internet at all on my regular wii. Here in australia idk if they were sold much but it would have been cool to have one
Glad I have one even though I've never even plugged it in. I can definitely see this thing becoming a collectors item in the future since practically nobody knew it existed.
I'm guessing the reason why Opera is on the back of the box because of the settings menu. The settings are actually html, and it uses Opera Browser to show them.
This was actually my first Nintendo console, my parents could afford the 100$ price point and I’m eternally grateful for the memories it gave me
Didn't it come with a copy of Mario kart Wii as well?
@WhatUpItsMe Definitely LEGO Star wars. Me and my siblings played that to death back in the day and had a blast with the cheat codes
@@cyclops8238 yeah! It was super fun
@@wrenren2112 duddeee lego star wars is such a fun game!
@@thatoneasiankid8734 right! It like still holds up to this day
I live in Canada and we were at best buy buying a dishwasher or something, and my mom saw the wii mini and convinced my dad to buy it for my sister and I. We had a lot of fun experiences with that wii mini! We still have it and I occasionally go back to it to play the first console games I experienced.
It has a lot of potential in my opinion. I just think some of the stuff not being included is kinda meh.
you must be like 13
@@coffeetexas I mean yeah, I'm young, but it was the first time that I ever played a video game so I wanted to tell that story
@@G-manMendoza i don’t have an issue with that i was just guessing my first game console was wii in 2008 so i’m not much older
@@coffeetexas what does that have to do with the comment? i’m 14 and the first game console/handheld i got was the 3ds. in 2014. doesn’t mean i’m a fetus who was born yesterday lol
I honestly like this redesign, but I agree with Scott’s point in his redesign video about how this should’ve really doubled down on the internet stuff and sold it as a Netflix box
But then again in hindsight, by 2014, Nintendo shut down the Wi-Fi connection service for Wii and DS and over the years the Wii has slowly been losing more online features
@Donn nice isabelle pfp :D
they cut off the internet because it is the easiest way to hack the console. there is no hack yet for the wii mini, so it seems to have worked for them.
That and keeping the component out. Don't know why it's composite only. Hopefully modders add component out, cause I do like the top loading design
@@TheFreakRocker There's a working exploit that used the Bluetooth in Wiimotes. Obviously can't do much since there's no storage for homebrew, but it's technically hackable
The settings screens were made in HTML, so the Opera engine is used to display those.
Also, a pretty silly thing is that the code for online is still in the OS, but they just removed the settings screens. So if you have a USB Ethernet adapter, you can manually edit the internet settings file to tell it to use it, and online just works.
Huh. Neat.
So, you can get wifi working on this?
@@xxsusmasterxx5491 wired internet, not wifi.
Wait, couldn’t you just flash a normal wii 4.3U firmware on the thing and get internet?
Me: So you removed internet access, but you didn't?
In an age where video games are being evermore closely tied to digital-only and the internet, a basic console like this is, in a weird way, comforting.
I agree completely
Man the future of gaming Is bleak.
@@Klonoahedgehog mabye not bleak but extremely limited
Based
Not to mention the ever rising prices of older games
"Hey, what game should we throw in with the internet lacking Wii Mini?"
"Something with really popular online play of course! Let's go with Mario Kart Wii!"
Well 2013 was pretty close to 2014, when online was deactivated for all Wiis.
@@bluerobin7051 Well it can be hacked for online in 2021 so the wii mini is fine if you are not hacking your wii for online
@@spamtongspamton3422 uhm, how would you hack the wii mini? It has no sd card slot.
@@CathrineMacNiel You can hack the wii using USB. I think. Have a look
@@CathrineMacNiel also if you think I mean you can hack the wii mini for online I ment you can hack the wii for online capabilities to return
I can't wait for the Scott video in ten years talking about the OLED Switch, just being like "who needed or wanted this, what is the point?"
I don't get why after so many revisions of past consoles like the DS Lite/DSi and the New 3DS, the OLED is the one that's deemed "worthless."
@@real_abender Because hating the new current Nintendo product is something fans love to do.
@@real_abender Well, that's how people acted about the 2DS and DSiXL.
People love to complain.
@@zlandauer nintendrone lol
@@real_abender DS lite would actually fit in a pocket vs the original DS. DSi had internet. 2DS was way cheaper and could run 3DS games.
This one has a different hinge for $50 more.
I’ve always wanted a Wii Mini focused Scott’s Stash video titled “The Wii Mini.”
I’m so glad Scott did it first.
Dreams do come true...
This comment gives off the same vibes as Scott’s tweets for episodes
thanks that’s what i was going for
This may or may not be along Scott's style of humor idk but I think this was a missed opportunity to title the video as Scott's Stash: Scott's Mini Wii.
Somehow, somewhere in the universe, there is someone who was devastated when they learned that you couldn't purchase Donkey Kong Jr. math on this
console
Annndddd that person was me
@@lit-eral5953 legend
@@lit-eral5953 Ladies and gentleman, we found em!
(Don't worry, I was devastated Minecraft only ran on new 3ds [Despite the fact I had a phone that played the same game])
Scott failed to mention that the Wii Menu on this thing also includes the Wii Menu Electronic Manual also available on the Wii U's Wii Mode, I'm very disappointed in him today
Put this on your grave cause you must be the only person on the planet that knows this fact
Lmaooo
"There's a consumer out there, there are gamers who have not bought a Wii yet, and there are gamers who have a Wii and want a second one for the cottage, or the chalet, or whatever, who actually don't need the online functionality. So we basically stripped all the online functionality out, and the end result is cost savings for the person buying Wii Mini at $99."
That's why the Wii Mini was a Canada exclusive.
Nothing to do with your comment, but yesterday I was listening to a lot of the SM3DW soundtrack and I saw a bunch of your comments made years ago, so I just thought it was kinda cool to see you here making a comment 11 hours ago. I know you probably don't care, it was just a cool coincidence
would it still update to fix games like patches
@@alexk7880 Pretty sure that required Online access and with the wii mini stripping online functionality, no, it likely wouldn't have.
I don't get why they removed the ability to use USB to Ethernet though. With homebrew you can restore it so why'd they do that? If anything they lost money because they cut off the eshop
What is the source o this quote?
I feel like the Wii Mini would look really slick on a shelf next to a Virtual Boy. They’re both red and black and angular so they match up perfectly.
Oh look, it's my failure shelf!
Scott already has that shelf.
And are both equally worthless!
And they're both shit
And thay both failed too!
I have a vivid memory of seeing 2 kids playing NSMBWii on a wii mini at like a christmas festival, under a tent in the middle of a field in the middle of nowhere, just in the grass
I just felt that yknow? it seemed like a great console
as wholesome and cute as this is, did they have like a plug in the grass or something, how'd they get it to work lol
@@juice3287 generators and extension cords or something, there were like stands to sell stuff (they were behind one) and lots of lights
so idk
Something worth mentioning that Scott kinda glossed over is that by the time this released outside of Canada, we were already aware that Nintendo was ending wi-fi support for the Wii in just a few months. Considering that, it makes a lot of sense that they just didn't include it in this model, since those buying would then have that access basically revoked shortly thereafter
That’s a very good point, I was kind of thinking that when he mentioned the mario kart thing.
That was multiplayer. Not the Wii Shop Channel.
They really missed the opportunity to call this the Wee Wii.
COMEDY
Oui.
I’ve always called it the Wiini
So funny, I laughed 😐
Say Wii 2 times
I really wanted a Wii Mini back in 2013 for some reason. The original Wii was dirt cheap at this point, but my stupid kid brain said "nah fam, I want the shitty one." Funny thing is that, even by this point, it was cheaper to buy a used 1st model Wii than it was to buy a Wii Mini, so I had no excuses
"nah fam, I want the shitty one" was exactly me when I "upgraded" from my almost perfectly working 3DS to a 2DS as a kid lol
@@MeloCrow at least the 2ds had internet access
This is what I did too haha, but I don't mind since I would have never used online anyways back then.
my brain also works this way. In 2017 march, at age 13, I bought a n3ds xl instead of the switch for apparently no reason.
The form factor and the disk loader. I prefer how this looks to the regular wii a hilarious amount. And I have already opened my wii to fix the disk drive twice. I have never seen a wii mini irl but I feel like if I did that would be the end of all of my love for my regular wii because I am going to be real I barely use online on the thing and I heard hacking it for online is actually easier then most people think it is and is definitely possible.
Though Nintendo is doing fine financially, I feel “missed opportunity” best describes Nintendo as a whole
We must be living on different planets. On my planet, Nintendo is still the company whose name is synonymous with video gaming in general, and the only game company still in the hardware business who goes back as far as the 1980s in the industry!
@@TruthSword7 Yes, but that doesn't change the fact that they are CONSTANTLY missing opportunities. They just throw stuff at the wall to see what sticks, but they often go so fast they miss how nicely things could fit together
@@TruthSword7 Thats true, but Nintendo had a decent chunk of missed opportunities/failures. One major issue was going cartridge for games on the N64 instead of disc, it gave Sony a huge advantage with the disc based games and more developers coming over, Nintendo basically created thir own competition.
@@randoml97 alright, but y'all are always saying this with HINDSIGHT. It's easy to say this and that was a missed opportunity when you know how it will turn out.
Yeah all I can say is: the Nintendo playstation...
It’s amazing to me to think that there are still copies of Mario kart wii out there that haven’t even been played
I know. It’s crazy. There are probably hundreds of copies of thousands of games that have hardly been touched let alone opened.
I’ve been buying some unopened copies of 3DS games I never had the chance to play as a kid. Idk, I don’t want to buy them used lol.
I’ve also been buying DS games that I loved when I was younger as well as great ones I never owned.
@@sarcasticmcspastic nintendo still has online support in other countries?
@@johnelway76you have to mod your wii to get online in all countries. Makes it even more amazing that so many people still play it
My grandma got sold this at a gamestop in like 2014 after our wii's disc drive stopped working. She asked if it was exactly the same as the original wii just smaller since they were selling them both at the same price, and the dude said yes. I was so sad when we got home and it didnt have internet. We ended up keeping the other wii just for netflix.
Reminds me of the PSP Street. A PSP model which I believe was only available in Europe which couldn't connect to the internet. Conversely, there was also the PSP Go, which could ONLY play digital games. Some uhh, interesting decisions there.
Yeah I got the PSP Street. Despite the stripped out features, it actually has the best screen out of all of them, by far. Super vibrant, no ghosting.
I got it for that reason alone.
I have the PSP 3000. The PSP 1000 has some design flaws and less durable than the 2000 and 3000 but is the easiest to mod. The PSP 3000 which came out is 2007 is the best PSP in my opinion.
Now now fellas, we all know the best PSP was the Sony Xperia Play gaming smartphone.
When I was a kid we never connected our Wii to the internet, and even a couple of years ago I still knew people running an original Wii for their kids. So I can at least see the market they were trying to capture with the Wii Mini. And like parents don't want their kids on the internet anyway so no real loss. Even with graphics as aged as they are, it's still an absolute killer kids/family console, especially compared to modern consoles (this gen and last-gen) which seem to be almost entirely focused on core gamers (even the Switch isn't really aimed at young kids, especially with the prices).
i think the switch being more expensive is just because everything is more expensive
I always found it funny that one of the biggest changes the wii mini made was removing WiFi, so they thought it'd be smart to bundle it with one of the best online multiplayer games the wii had...
the even funnier thing is how easy it is to get this console to work with internet connection because everything is basicly still there except from just the wifi-module itself. not that hard to get a wifi module and a sd-card reader in there and have it working as everything software side is still there, just disabled.
My middle school had this. We played brawl at lunch all the time
Lucky, my school had stairs to brawl on, no wii ☹️
H O W
DID THEY ALOWED A WII MINI
IN A S C H O O L
Opera was probably kept for HTML rendering (much like IE and Edge are still requried in Windows without some severe modification)
Also if something breaks in the system menu (including settings) an opera error message saying that the *html file here* wasn't found appears instead of loading the menu.
That's what the N64 should've looked like if it had discs support. So imagine a Wii mini plus the 4 controller ports and that would've been super cool.
sounds like a dreamcast
Part of me wants to believe Scott is the only person who’d own a wii mini just for collecting purposes, cause I don’t think anyone would make a conscious choice to own a highly inferior wii .
Hahaha same I wouldn't....haha...ha.
I definitely don't own a Wii mini...
I wouldn't have minded but in my country it's easier and cheaper to get a regular wii 🤣
I've considered buying one for years because top loaders are always the best but... that potato output tho.
Might still grab one just to have it sit there...
um… definetly do “not” have one just because it was cheap
My favorite thing about this Wii Mini bundle are the two Nintendo WFC logos they didn't bother removing from Mario Kart's box art AND the small image of the Mario Kart box art on the face of the Wii Mini box.
I mean I don’t think they’d even bother making a wii mini mkwii that removes both the online option and the mk channel option from the main menu
There’s no reason to remove the WFC logos from Mario karts box art because the game itself wasn’t nerfed only the console was…
I really love these unscripted videos where Scott just talks about neat stuff that doesn't warrant a proper Scott the Woz video.
There is no topic that doesn't warrant a Scott the Woz video.
I'm expecting his video on Sodium Chloride any day now.
@@SporkSlayer He's still got that L Button video he promised.
Imagine actually redesigning the Wii Menu to be red and black to match the Wii Mini exclusively.
Devil Survivor colours? Aw HELL yes!!
@@ArshadZahid_nohandleideas this is all I could've ever asked for
@@resolvanlemmy 🫱🏽🫲🏽
Can confirm that the Wii was used at my home as the Netflix/TH-cam machine before my parents got a proper Smart TV. When I left my house, I had to leave my Wii behind because my family already used it so much, lol.
I can confirm that Canada is often used as a testing ground for products and services. Taking banking as an example, my parents recall having ATMs and tap on debit cards a solid decade before America got it. (The teller in San Francisco apparently didn't believe it, and also asked "how long the boat ride" was, implying that we're an island and also don't have airplanes). We also have e-Transfer, which is like Cashapp or whatever, but free and automatically included with every major banking service, and I would say America will probably be getting it in the coming years.
i love the wii mini. it’s red, and small… you know… like ants
"mom can we get a PS4 Slim"
"Honey, we have a PS4 Slim at home."
The PS4 Slim at home:
I once witnessed the rare event of a couple buying a Wii Mini in 2014 or early 2015 while I was in an electronics store looking at Wii U games. I remember them saying something like "Uh, it doesn't have internet? Well at least it has Mario Kart" or something like that.
How oddly wholesome!
Scott overlooked the main reason the Wii mini was soft launched in Canada: it's red.
At one point i played a Wii Mini for about a year or two. It's just fun. Kinda like what it would be if the Wii came out in the late 90s.
This is the simplest post-2010 console I’ve ever seen. I love it.
Not all Wii Minis came with MKW, especially in Canada. I got one as a Christmas gift in 2012, and it had no games included. I only used my Wii Mini for playing Wii Sports (purchased separately) for 3 years.
As a Canadian, I find the assumption that we all have cottages and summer homes hilarious.
as another canadian, i also found that funny
@@anoobis1163 as another Canadian, I found that funny as well.
@@chasemorr4110 as another Canadian, I found that funny as well.
As a fifth Canadian, I find this running gag extremely tiresome.
@Frumpysnorfls as the 7th Canadian and highest ranking Canadian I too, found this quite humorous
Turning it into a Netflix box would have required more than just leaving the WiFi card in. The Wii mini also drop support for the component video cables which means it would've been capped at 480i. If they had wanted to make a multimedia box, they would've probably wanted to add HDMI & maybe make it be able to play DVDs & CDs.
As a kid who grew up watching tons of Netflix on the Wii, I whole heartedly agree with Scott's sentiment about removing internet connection during the rise of streaming.
The Wii Mini is really cool! It's quest to be modded really took so long... like years...
How different is modding the wii mini and the original?
@@hideofreakingkojima5457 Once you get it set up, it's the same thing. But the process is a lot more complicated.
@@hideofreakingkojima5457 Almost all methods of modding the original Wii require two things: an exploit and a homebrew application on an SD card. Some of the first modding methods made use of exploits discovered in games like Twilight Princess and Brawl. These exploits made it possible to run the homebrew application from the SD card and successfully mod the Wii. Newer methods of modding are much more simplified and make use of exploits found in the Wii Message Board or even the Internet Channel, removing the need for certain games or even an SD card.
Since the Wii Mini doesn’t have an SD card or internet access, the methods used to mod the original Wii cannot be applied to the Wii Mini, making it much more difficult, even thought to be impossible for several years. It was eventually discovered that it‘s possible to mod the Wii Mini using its Bluetooth connectivity and a USB flash drive. It’s a very involved and technical process with multiple steps, though; you need to do a bit of tinkering with Linux and your computer needs to be close to the console for the whole time.
Nintendo may work hard, but console modders work harder!
Worth noting, Nintendo's consoles (Wii, WiiU, Switch) work with any ethernet adapter. You don't need Nintendo's.
I wish they'd advertise that more, because the only way you'd know is by searching up ethernet support on the Nintendo website and seeing that the FAQ mentions any regular one will work.
But yes, the Wii Mini simply doesn't allow it. Even worse, while you can Homebrew it to enable ethernet access, it requires replacing the operating system with a regular Wii's because the Wii Mini's assumes there is no internet ever. And you can't use the normal exploits to homebrew it because of the lack of internet and also an SD card slot, so you have to use a USB - bluetooth combo exploit. Replacing the OS incorrectly will brick the mini.
Even worse, because there's no SD card slot, and only one USB port, you can't expand your Homebrew storage (not to mention Wii shop channel storage at all) while also using the ethernet (perhaps a USB hub would work, haven't seen it).
Overall Nintendo stripped out everything that hackers used to easily homebrew the Wii, and made it as inconvienent as possible. Which is a shame because in my opinion the Wii's homebrew community is one of it's best qualities. The Wii, to this day, has the strongest homebrew community of any device, period.
Not any USB adapter, it has to be supported and compatible idk what the requirements are but I have two adapters and one works and the other does not on my switch.
Alternate title: The Wii but it's a paperweight
I think what's the funniest thing about the will mini was the Wii was already a very small console. So the idea of a mini was funny.
The thing about the price is on top of the fact that Wiis were everywhere and you could easily get a second hand Wii for the same if not less than the price of a Wii mini new.
I happen to have 2 gold nunchucks. I'll gift you one if I ever meet you as a thanks for all the content.
I bought this console in 2015 for my 10th birthday, and I still got it to this day. So many great memories...
It’s similar to the switch lite
Missing an integral function but at 2/3 the price
At least the switch lite can go on the internet
This man owns Sonic Jam and a Wii Mini. Let that sit for a minute.
I love how on his main channel, every video just take so long to make and bc of that every thing there is just pristine & flawless, but here, we can just see the real Scott :))
It’s honestly a worse deal to have any wii without wii sports
Also shoutouts to showing mario and luigi using the wii wheel on the box but not including a wii wheel
As a Canadian, I love the Wii Mini.
As a Wii mini, I love the Hortons and Canadaians.
Ehhhhhh...
@@PigDan I should probably apologize for my love of the Wii Mini. Gotta stay true to my homeland
"No backwards compatibility, no online functionality, no SD card slot...
But hey, it's red. Like Mario. Hundred Dollars, please."
- Joey Pockett
miss that dude
This also came out two years after the Wii stopped receiving big releases. If there were some big AAA game that released along side it, the Wii Mini would have been a cheap way for any holdouts to enter the Wii ecosystem to experience said game.
I also think it should have had an HDMI port and supported 720p output even if the games were still rendered 480p. Composite was still being included on most new TVs at the time, but not many new devices were supporting composite output except for cheap plug & play games.
They also should have kept the Wi-Fi and allowed streaming apps like you said.
Nintendo could have experimented with this devices a little and maybe found more success. Instead, they played it safe and games us a way to play Wii games in 480i for under $100.
Listening to Scott ramble on about one thing without editing is pure bliss.
I'm losing the will... 6 minutes in and I'm still looking at a box with a little waving hand in the corner with a voice over that has said the same thing in different ways about 6 times. Still watching for some reason though....
I live in Canada and I remember seeing these in Toys R Us from the release window, up until like a couple years ago. Until your console redesign episode came out, I had no idea it was originally a Canadian exclusive. That being said, as someone who loved their Wii, I was always confused by and indifferent to it’s existence. Is this a really redundant comment? Yeah. But, so was the Wii Mini.
That being said, I do agree that design is pretty compact and cute, and the price is a pretty good deal.
The Wii mini is my favorite looking version of the Wii. I love the black and red and the top load disc tray design. If anybody ever finds a way to get component video output back into the Wii mini I would totally install that mod and ditch my launch Wii.
Edit: after a quick google search it looks like people have already done it. I will have to do it as well
my uncle used to own one of these he introduced me to video games and i cant thank him enough for that , i have so many memories of it
I love how he said cottage in the woods while I'm sitting in my house thats in a summer village
As a Canadian citizen we do have a lot of cabins I remember around Christmas time give a go to a family cabin for Christmas
I listen to quite a few Nintendo guys talk about Nintendo, but this Nintendo guy? Oh, I could listen to this guy talk about Nintendo for another 20 minuets and 45 seconds
I wonder how many of these were registered to Club Nintendo as it was shutting down
It’s interesting to hear Scott talking about something in a more serious manner. This is my first time seeing a video from this channel and it’s a nice change of pace.
Oh, I remember the Wii mini! It came out before the switch and it had the wierd touch tablet controller!!!
Ha ha
did anyone count how many time scott said 'you know'
I like these videos, hearing Scott talk calm/unscripted about a console kinda gives me a relaxing effect. Reminds me of a spawnwave video.
Another bad thing abiut it is it only has composite out, no component cables, and it won't work with those HDMI converter dongles either. It can be modded to add all the missing features including WiFi and SD card, but it's a lot of work.
Scott gets turned on my consoles, and he ain't afraid to tell the world
A few months ago my childhood Wii stopped reading discs for whatever reason and I was really sad about it, so my mom said she’d get a replacement and... she came home with this. I appreciate her for trying but it just made me even more sad lmao
it’s like your grandma dies and your mom just brings in a random old lady. you try to seem grateful but in reality you’re wondering who the fuck the old lady is
I just subbed to this channel because Scott’s main channel videos are perfect and I just want more lol. I love listening to him while I work.
The Wii mini instead of a standard one ruined Christmas for me one year. Also, they test launch Canada because it is an identical market to the US with one-tenth the demand.
Surprised you didn't talk about how component cables don't work on this thing.
Also, since you brought up Skyward Sword, I wonder the system comes with that update installed.
I LOVE how the Wii Mini looks. Wish it had the full Wii functionality
i didn't expect to wait 11 and a half minutes for him to unbox it, then to top it off he just cuts the unboxing out
Scott, you were put on my next up for the TH-cam autoplay and I immediately recognized you because of how your jokes are, I love it! You're amazing and always make me laugh, keep on being amazing Scott.
Ah yes, the Wii Mini. Reminds me of my college days.
Cant wait for all the “Scott can take about ___ For __ minutes and i wont be bored” comments that spam the comment section
This reminds me so much of old Classic Game Room vids and I love that
Love these longer form vids
This is the 2nd time Scott mentioned his apartment security deposit. Is he okay?
He definitely did something to ensure that he would not be getting back said deposit
He did punch a hole in the wall in the game room video.
@@PurpleFoxy87 In the Memory Cards video, Eric tries to throw the possessed Wii out the window, but misses and dents Scott's drywall instead.
It just dawned on me that the Wii mini had the same color scheme as the Virtual Boy! XD
Heres another thing about the Wii Mini, it came out near the Wii U. I know we love to hate on the U, but it plays Wii games as well as all the extra stuff, so why bother with the mini.
Like the GBA Micro to the DS
Opera browser wasn't just the Wii Internet Channel. The entire Wii Menu was rendered in the browser. That's why Opera is always there.
This is like a more toned down, casual main channel video. Very good.
The uhh count in this video is insane
I did not know this was Scott's second channel. It took me a minute before I realized where I knew this voice.
This wii was considered to be unhackable for the longest time. Since there's no SD card slot and only 1 usb port. But thankfully someone was able to crack the code and successfuly mod one of these, allowing you to lay GameCube and WiiWare titles via WAD installation and Nintendont.
Was it? I seem to remember having one mod chipped fairly early when it was popular but it was a long time ago
Tbh I would have loved to have these back in the day, the colours are great and the wii remote looks so good with jacket, plus I barely ever used internet at all on my regular wii. Here in australia idk if they were sold much but it would have been cool to have one
Scott you don’t use the Wii remote jackets?! I didn’t know you were so rebellious
Glad I have one even though I've never even plugged it in. I can definitely see this thing becoming a collectors item in the future since practically nobody knew it existed.
Grew up with this Wii. It was an absolute blast.
This guy seems fun at parties
16:20 wtf... Am I the only one that didnt know the new wii remotes had a little thing on the wrist strap for the sync button??
Thanks for saying what that thing did on the strap. I would've never guessed that was for the sync button.
I'm guessing the reason why Opera is on the back of the box because of the settings menu. The settings are actually html, and it uses Opera Browser to show them.
I like to listen to these videos as a "one-manned-podcast"
$99 for a Wii and Mario Kart is a solid deal. It's too bad they took the backwards compatibility away from it, or it would be really great
My teacher had this while I was in middle school, every Friday we got gym off and could play mario kart or smash brothers, I miss those times
I never had one of these myself but we had one at my elementary school, I remember playing it on the smart board, it was pretty fun