Nintendo to roll out Wii Mini, but only in Canada

July 31, 2016

By Cadie Thompson, CNBCGlobalPost Writer

A woman uses a wireless controller to play a boxing game on a Nintendo Wii during the Game On exhibition at the Science Museum on November 29, 2006 in London, England.
Scott Barbour

Nintendo is releasing a cheaper, pared-down model of its Wii console called the Wii Mini just in time for the holiday season, but there's a catch. The gaming console will only be available in Canada, for now.

The Wii Mini, which first surfaced Tuesday morning on Best Buy's Canadian website, will go on sale Dec. 7 in Canada for $99.99, but there is not set date for when it will be available for purchase in other countries, the company said on its website.

While the Wii Mini may be cheaper than other Wii consoles, it lacks the features of the Wii U device, which was released Nov. 18 in the U.S. at a starting price for $300.

Nintendo's new Wii Mini doesn't have Internet capabilities, and the company describes it as a "family-friendly" gaming-only device, which means the device can't be used for Internet services like accessing Netflix.

The new console is smaller than the original Wii system and comes in black with a red border. It's compatible with over 1,400 disc-based Wii games, but because there is no Internet connection on the device, it's likely that users will not be able to access downloadable Wii classic games.