Nintendo has announced that they're launching a redesigned Wii in time for Xmas. The new design is said to better accommodate the console laying horizontally, but to me, it looks exactly the same.
But that's just on the surface. The console is missing some features allowing the Wii to be backwards compatible; there are no Gamecube controller ports, and it doesn't play Gamecube games.
Nintendo is likely doing this to bolster profit margins on the Wii during the holiday season, to make up for the profit they'll be losing by selling the 3DS for the new lower price.
I guess Iwata really didn't want to take that pay cut after all..
The new Wii will be labeled as the Wii "Family Edition" and will come with Wii Sports and Wii Party.
This a smart move by Nintendo. I can't imagine that many people are really all that interested in playing Gamecube titles. Especially not the mainstream families that this is targeted at.
