$99 Wii Mini confirmed for U.S.

Nintendo today announced that the Wii Mini, currently in available in Canada and Europe, will be released in the United States this month. The $99 bundle includes the redesigned red system, a copy of Mario Kart Wii, and a matching red Wii Remote Plus controller and Nunchuck.

The Wii Mini is a smaller, redesigned version of the Wii. It lacks WiFi and GameCube support, but plays the Wii's library of over 1,300 games.

The original Wii, launched in 2006, has sold over 100 million units to date. Mario Kart Wii is the most popular non-bundled game, selling more than 34 million copies since launch in 2008.

The Wii has since been discontinued in Europe and Japan, though availability in the United States remains unchanged and unaffected indefinitely.

Successor the Wii U has struggled at retail so far, selling 3.91 million units--below Nintendo's expectations--since launch in November 2012. The system continues to have a negative impact on Nintendo's earnings.

Nintendo is hoping to turn things around with the release of marquee first-party titles, including Super Mario 3D World on November 22, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze in December, as well as Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. in 2014.