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Games Entertainment

Gamecube: Launch Delayed, Logo Added 295

Posted by timothy from the it's-just-two-weeks dept.
transient0 writes: "According to this article from Reuters, Nintendo Corp. has pushed back the U.S. launch of the Gamecube console by two weeks from November 5 to November 18. This means that the X-Box will be hitting U.S. shelves before the Gamecube does." Alec Muzzy adds: "Does anyone remember this article where Nintendo Executive Vice President, Peter Main, said '...Microsoft has announced November 8th as their launch date, but I don't think that's final. The GameCube will definitely launch on schedule though...' In a related story, the GameCube will now feature a logo from IBM."
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Gamecube: Launch Delayed, Logo Added More

Gamecube: Launch Delayed, Logo Added

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  • IBM slogan? (Score:4, Funny)

    by Satai ( 111172 ) on Thursday August 23, 2001 @01:55PM (#2209190)
    In a related story, the GameCube will now feature a logo from IBM.

    GameCube: The only console that's guaranteed to kick your ass at Chess.

  • The Okamaaaaaaaaaaaa Gamesphere.
  • From the rumors, I think there's a good chance Microsoft will not have every X-box available at their launch that they'd hoped, so although this allows the folks in Redmond to steal a little of Nintendo's thunder, I don't think it'll have that much effect.

    On top of that, the Gamecube audience (pre-teens and older) and the X-box audience (older teens, young adults) are different, so this is more of a disappointment for that audience than it is a real problem for the GC's success.
    • I am a young adult and I'm gonna buy a cube! Check out Zelda. Now that is some style!
    • this allows the folks in Redmond to steal a little of Nintendo's thunder
      Um, Nintendo of America is headquartered in Redmond, too...

    • Re:No problem. (Score:3, Insightful)

      by OmegaDan ( 101255 )
      Its not about the system, its about the titles :)

      Bring back metroid, mega man and zelda and I'll buy a gamecube :)

      the console itself is just the theature the story is told at ...
      • Its not about the system, its about the titles :)

        Bring back metroid, mega man and zelda and I'll buy a gamecube :)

        the console itself is just the theature the story is told at ...

        True... I guess we'll all have to buy both of them!

      • the console itself is just the theature the story is told at ...


        Yep, and I prefer the plush fully upholstered
        surroundings of a real PC to the spartan backroom
        home projector of a console. While consoles
        stick with their style of controller, they'll never
        be able to play games like Angband, or even
        Serious Sam. For that reason alone, I'm sticking
        with my PCs. Now if only Croteam would do a Linux
        port...

    • You mention folks from redmond stealing Nintendo thunder. IIRC, Nintendo's north america headquarters are also located in Redmond.
      • You mention folks from redmond stealing Nintendo thunder. IIRC, Nintendo's north america headquarters are also located in Redmond.

        Hehehehe... uh.. ah... oops. :)

        Yeah uhm...well...ahh... I mean those OTHER folks in Redmond... Not the ones with a really cool console coming out in November, but the ... wait a minute.

        *wild-eyed look*

        I CAN'T TELL THEM APART! All these corporations! They all look the same, look the same.... Can't... see... differences... Noooooo...

        *Rimbo burns Republican Party membership card, starts to read "Das Kapital"*

        Down with the bourgeois pigs! THE EVIL CORPORATISTS MUST FALL!!!

        *shakes head*

        Shit, sorry, I don't know what came over me there... *twitch, twitch*
    • pre-teens and older seems to me to totally overlap older teens and young adults, in fact a wider range...

      Consider that one of the launch titles for the Gamecube is an amazing Star Wars:Rogue Squadron game. I'm past my 20's but I'm pre-ordering a Gamecube just for that - very targeted at the exact people who might be buying an XBox.I think advertising will really define who will come up on top - it's a matter of Nintendo convincing as wide an audience as possible to buy thier system, and Microsoft convincing as many people as possible that the new system has something great to offer.

      Of course, it will also be interesting to see what Sony does at the same time - will they sit silent and let Nintendo and MS beat on each other? Will they come out with a series of ads touting impressive new games like GT3 and MGS2 to try and steal some thunder?

      And the final question - will anyone have spare money at the end of the year to buy new systems, or will they all fall flat?

      • And the final question - will anyone have spare money at the end of the year to buy new systems, or will they all fall flat?

        Hey, that's what the $300 tax rebate is for, remember? :)

  • X-Box maybe... (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Xerithane ( 13482 )
    But the GameCube will be better..
    Sweet, sweet Mario Kart.

    I think that the X-Box is going to be a disappointment to a lot of PC Gamers anyway. They're going to realize their new console is the same as the Dell high end gaming box. Granted, it's a lot cheaper and has the TV out why the duplication? I'd be willing to bet that within a year of the release Microsoft will release the "XBox Center" or some other snazzy marketing name yielding the ability to play Xbox games on your PC.

    • Halo. [bungie.org]
      • At the time the graphics in halo, when they were first shown, were absolutely stunning, cutting edge and amazing considering at the time I had a Voodoo 2.

        Now I get better graphics than Halo on my Radeon with games which are already out. Looking at these screen shots again, they look horribly jagged. I think bungie missed the boat on this one.

        -- iCEBaLM
      • No one is going to buy a console for a game that they have never heard of before. I have seen 3 games I sort of want for the xbox (oddworld, halo, dead or alive 3) and about 15 games that keep me up at night for the gamecube (metroid, wave race, luigi's mansion, zelda, pikmin, eternal darkness, sonic, monkey ball, rogue squadron, 1080, mario kart, mario sunshine, starfox, super smash brothers, fifa, virtua striker, bomberman, madden 2002) the list goes on and on. There will be 15 games close to launch, and many more to follow, with lots and lots of franchise games. How can anyone doubt the gamecube will dominate?
    • Given that Mario Kart 64 was pants, I don't know if extrapolating from that particular data point is a good idea. Super Mario Kart on the SNES, yes, awesome game.
      Within a year of release? OK you're on. My pound to your dollar.
    • I wouldn't doubt it if Microsoft released a "Windows GE". Geared towards gamers, played X-Box titles, was rock solid stable, didn't actually DO anything but play X-Box titles, but cost $199 (the same as an X-Box).

      Does this, or does this not sound exactly like something Microsoft would do (except for the rock solid stable part...)?
      • I don't think it can be done. The games will be build based on certain assumptions (harddrive, for one). I'm not sure what functionality they could take out of the Xbox hardware and still keep it compliant. If you look at what's actually costing you (and you consider that Microsoft is losing $150 (!) US on EVERY box), I really don't think they can manage a $199 box.
      • Sorry about that, I meant "ALMOST" as much as an X-Box, not "the same as".

        The X-Box is $100 bucks stiffer... but at least it's a tangible product.

        Microsoft's $200 OS price point is just plain fraud.

        To the two replies who said this DOESN'T sound like something Microsoft would do -- I think you missed the point. It's EXACTLY the sort of fraud Microsoft would attempt.

        It's probably not technical feasible, but if Microsoft can sell you an overpriced product with limited functionality, they will. I mean, they've been doing it for years.
    • It's not duplication to MS. It's an exit strategy from the DoJ's ongoing lawsuit.

      Make the X-Box a game console to get it into homes. People don't buy "internet appliances" and they don't buy WebTV. They do buy game consoles in droves, though. Consoles go beyond the reach of WebTV, TiVO, or PCs. Game consoles are almost ubiquitous.

      Microsoft got their TiVO knockoff in production to get the bugs ironed out of the program listing software and recording hardware.

      Microsoft Revamped MSN explorer to look good at lower res (640x480 or TV) res. They designed it full of NTSC safe colors and patterns.

      After the X-Box gets to a certain penetration point (3 million? 5 million?) I see MS simultaneously releasing the Ultimate TV HD recorder addition for it and the MSN Explorer software for it.

      BAM! In one fell swoop MS has gotten the biggest toehold ever in the "set top box" market. They control not only the content, but the most often used delivery mechanism for that content...your TV.

    • I'd be willing to bet that within a year of the release Microsoft will release the "XBox Center" or some other snazzy marketing name yielding the ability to play Xbox games on your PC.

      No, the "XBox Center", or whatever it will be called, will let you do all the non-game things you need a computer for on the XBox. A USB keyboard and mouse, MS Office, IE, MSN, et al. This will be Microsofts dive into the home PC market. It has a hard drive so you can install 3rd party software. It has fixed hardware specs so Microsoft can focus on stable/fast drivers.

      It's cheap. It plays games like the best of em. It doesn't need a monitor. It's a full blown PC.

      Goodbye Dell, Gateway...

      • The only problem with that is that many people aren't going to want a full fledge computer in their living room.


        Keyboard, mouse - wireless maybe, but a pain in the ass to actually use looking at a TV (There are reasons why desks exist).


        It's great for your average email user and everything, but with the cost of "Budget PC's" now it doesn't matter. No matter what happens Microsoft gets paid... they're good at that.

    • They're going to realize their new console is the same as the Dell high end gaming box.
      What, and that the GameCube is the "same" as a high-end Mac because it has a PowerPC chip? If someone is such a haaard-coooore PC gamer, why are they messing with consoles anyhow? Oh, yeah, stability and available game titles. Same as everyone else.

      BTW, I punted on a Dell system "recommended" for gaming. Excluding monitor and speakers, a Dimension 4100 comes to $1058. Personally, I have better uses for $759 than to give it to Dell.

      Oh, and since you haven't been following, the process of "porting" a game from XBox to Windows is not that far away from just recompiling plus a QA cycle. Moreover, what's the market motivation for MS? Not much, especially since MS then takes a large QA burden away from third-party developers and unto itself. Better to let the 3rd party devs do the easy port and pay for their own QA cycles.

  • Microsoft is shipping not one thing on time, but TWO! and GameCube slips endangering the most successful console enterprise ever.

    What's next MSDonald's?
  • I'm dissapointed to hear this. I remember when the big two in consoles were Nintendo and Sega. I wasn't sorry to see Sega and its Dreamcast go, as I think the PS1 & PS2 just blew them out of the water, but I am sad to see Nintendo possibly losing the Gamecube to the Xbox. Microsoft is the 800 lb gorilla in almost every market it hits it seems, and if they get the jump on the 'cube, things could go badly for Nintendo methinks.

    Here's hoping they make their street date and shipping numbers for march. I'l love to see Nintendo's 'cube sink the 'box.

    • I'l love to see Nintendo's 'cube sink the 'box.

      Why not let the game support decide which is the better box? Just more "If-it's-MS,-it's-gotta-be-bad" rhetoric on slashdot. It's called objectivity, people. Let the players decide what will be the better machine.

  • Whoa - IBM = cheapest? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Brento ( 26177 ) <brento.brentozar@com> on Thursday August 23, 2001 @01:58PM (#2209217) Homepage
    So let me get this straight: at launch time, the Sony one will still be $299, the Microsoft one will be $299, and the Nintendo one will be $199?!? That's got to be the first time in history that the box with the IBM logo had the lowest price.

    And on another note, I think this'll change that old slogan, "Nobody ever got fired for buying IBM." I think if I expensed one of these, I'd have a hard time passing it off as an IBM part.
  • What's next, game programming in COBOL?

  • They need the two weeks.... (Score:3, Funny)

    by MatrixManiac ( 448609 ) on Thursday August 23, 2001 @02:00PM (#2209228)
    To put the IBM labels on!!

    "We canna stick any faster Captain!"

  • IBM and Geeks (Score:2, Funny)

    by geekoid ( 135745 )
    Clearly IBM believes that todays geeks will be the decsion makers of tomorrow.

    A billion dollars in Linux research, now console gaming, what next,a /390 quake server?
  • This is the same Nintendo that announced that "Gamecube will definitely launch on schedule" [consolewire.com], and at the same time suggested Microsoft would slip the Xbox "Microsoft has announced Nov. 8 as its launch date, but I don't think that's final.". I guess this means that its launching 10 days after the Xbox unless Microsft have some further announcements.

    Those of us in Europe have to wait until next year anyway.......

  • Well, at least they're coming out before Christmas, but, considering the way PS2s sold out and Tickle Me Elmos flew off the shelves, its very likely that Toys 'R Us will run out of stock and desparate buyers will have to start buying for $50,000+ on eBay :P
  • Does anyone remember this article where Nintendo Executive Vice President, Peter Main, said '...Microsoft has announced November 8th as their launch date, but I don't think that's final. The GameCube will definitely launch on schedule though...'

    From whining like this its pretty obvious that many /.otters havent worked on large scale, combined HW/SW projects. Ive rarely seen anything that needed both a box, and the software to go in it, ship on time. Would you rather they hit the date with a piece of crap, or a great product a few weeks late?

    • Ive rarely seen anything that needed both a box, and the software to go in it, ship on time.

      Hmmmm...if they rarely ship on time, perhaps they should be firing the people who come up with these shipping dates. You'd think 20 years of experience might give 'em a little hint on how to schedule. At least let people know it's a "tentative" release date, rather than using the phrase definitely launch on schedule. Why not pad the schedule, and give gamers a pleasant surprise if they happen to get it done early?
  • There are some big name, system-selling games for the Gamecube, most notably the latest Mario and Zelda titles. Nintendo showed only a few games at this past E3, but they were winners. I'd consider buying a Gamecube just to play them.

    Microsoft, well, they don't have much that's exciting game-wise, even if they do have the "better" hardware. Their showing at E3 turned off many people to the Xbox. There are some long awaited vaporware products, like Halo, but they could easily turn out to be not worth the wait (as is happening so often these days with games in development for three or more years).
    • Anyone who thinks you won't be able to d/l an emulator of some sort to play XBox games on your PC, raise your hands.

      I thought so.

      In fact, other than a few very system-specific calls, the only reason you'd even *need* an emulator is to decode the disc protection. After all, XBox games are supposed to be almost completely DiretX 8 compat. Since the GeForce3 was based on the XBox chip, that means the only piece of hardware (outside of the controllers, duh) that is "Xbox-specific" is the sound chip.

      Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft themselves were planning on releasing an emulator a year or two after launch... (and charging $150 for it, of course)

      Outside of the ridiculous price for the XBox, this is probably the main reason I'm not going to pick one up. I figure it'll take maybe 3 or 4 months before I'm playing the games on my computer, anyway.
    • The x-box won't have better hardware. The ATI 8500 coming with the gamecube is more powerful, and the 400 Mhz 128 RISC chip with a new architecture is sure to be faster than a PIII 700.
      Add to that HDTV support (for lower res standards), four controller ports, and balzingly fast load times, and the xbox comes out the looser cooparitivly once again.
  • Obviously, Nintendo realized that it would be better if people could buy several games within the first week, as opposed to just 2. (Wave Race and Luigi.) So it got pushed back. Again.

    I'm not happy about it in the least, but since I think Luigi's Mansion looks far too simplistic for my taste, I suppose I can live with it. (Better than only being able to play "Wave Race" for 2 straight weeks...)

    I *so* want Rogue Squadran 2 and Eternal Darkness as soon as they come out...
  • I don't care if they pushed the release back to November 2002, I'm still waiting on the GameCube. Nintendo is and will always be the best video game console company. N64 was screwed by the 3rd party support dropoff, GameCube will blow everyone else out of the water.
  • They build up the hype surrounding the product. It woked for the Nintendo 64, didn't it?
  • Why are you guys willing to buy those boxes to run MAME??

    I still got my Atari 2000 to play with.
  • Nintendo miss a lauch date?? That could *never* happen. ;-)

    *L* Really nothing to worry about, as this is normal for Nintendo.. I guess we can just thank our lucky stars that it was only a few weeks instead of a few years, eh?

    (And for those who don't know, the Nintendo64 was in development for a little over 4 years...)
  • Now for the required questions:
    • Can you have a beowulf of those things?
    • When is Linux going to be running on the GameCube?
    Hmm, just imagine the next Big Blue will be a Borg Cluster, er, I mean GameCube cluster.

    okay my karma is too high, I need to mod myself down a bit

  • As long as Metroid is still going to be GameCube only, the delay shouldn't affect sales.

    Mmmmmm.... Metroid.....
  • I don't know.

    Somehow I like the idea of Microsoft being associated with K-Mart.

    Microsoft, the Trailer Park of Software.

    just a personal thing.

    This opinion is not necessarily based in reality. But it could be.

    - - -
    Radiofreenation.com
    is a news site based on Slash Code
    "If You have a Story, We have a Soap Box"
    - - -

  • Is this a big deal? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by cnkeller ( 181482 )
    The launch date was not the same date you could by this beast in a store. So in reality, it's only slipping by seven to ten days.

    On the other side of the coin, does this matter? How many people are of the opinion "I gots to get me a next generation game system now! I don't care which it is. Whoever is first to market gets my money."

    The reality of the situation is that if you were going to get an Xbox, you're still going to. If you were getting a Cube, you're still going to, just a week later. In this type of situation, first to market by a few days means very little.

    • I thought launch dates were the dates you could buy them in the store. I know it didn't happen with the Gameboy Advance in Best Buy, CompUSA, and Circuit City since they delayed till like the following Wednesday, but most other stores I thought were selling them like mad.

      And I think this does matter, but not as big of a deal as many people will make it out to be. Impulsive buyers do have some affect on sales though. GC will still be a hot seller, and will quite possibly sell out. It would be funny if GC outsells X-Box because they'll have more shipments ready to go, but its all up in the air.
    • "In this type of situation, first to market by a few days means very little."

      I don't know. You'd think after the PlayStation/N64 debacle Nintendo would be scared shitless to release even a day late. They were very overconfident that their system could overcome any previous launches, and Sony got a good head of steam in the process.

      If I was Nintendo, I'd be trying to get this thing out on time, early if possible (which, of course, would never happen).

    • If joe gamer has 299.00 burning his pocket and one system comes out before another and both are feature rich joe gamer will probably by one or the other and not both. So yes, it does affect the market. If xbox sells 4 million units the first month while the gamecube does 2 million then developers will hit the xbox because they have better percentages.

      Platform dependance is a thing of the past, most developers are agnostic now, WITH THE exception of gamecube developers.. so it could be just another repeat of n64.. with the exception of ibm vs sgi now.
      • Too bad that Joe gamer with $299.00 in his wallet CAN'T buy an Xbox, since it's too bundled to get close to, and costs anywhere between $400 and $1200.

        Even if he COULD get just an Xbox, that's exactly what he'd have with $299.00. Just an Xbox. No games. At least with the GC, you're looking at the console and 2 games for the same price.
  • This isn't a problem for Nintendo at all. Disregarding the rumors of a Xbox delay, most everyone has an idea of what console they want, and nobody will change their decision based on a two week delay. However, this could affect Christmas sales if parents want to get their kids a console, and want to get the one that comes out first (which wouldn't make too much sense anyway, because it would be two months till christmas at that point)
  • that in the next 18 months, M$ will see that it needs to do somthing to take out the competeing consoles, so it will beging to give away its x-box when you buy 3 or more M$ brand Games.

    this is an important market for M$ as they need to control the game consloe market inroder to undermine the OEMs as they will begin to ship Xboxs the will be capable of hooking up to a Highspeed access point, have bootable Rom that will access M$ servers to bring up win2020 that will be totaly web based and subscription based.
    this way they will control the web, tthe content, and peoples minds so that bill gates can take over the world!!!!

    It could happen.
  • "Our industry has learned the dangers of arriving at a launch party without enough gifts," said executive vice president of sales and marketing for the company, Peter Main. "By increasing our day one shipments to almost three-quarters of a million, we not only should come close to meeting total demand at launch, but also assure virtually uninterrupted restocking through the holiday season."

    See- the reason for the delay is simply to have more units at launch (700k as opposed to 500k)

  • The same story appeared earlier today on this Register article [theregister.co.uk], where it is mentioned that Nintendo plans on having 700,000 'Cubes ready for launch, instead of 500,000. In fact, Nintendo plays this up in this announcement [nintendo.com] on their web site, while skillfully avoiding mentioning the delay.

  • from the article linked:
    "Its PowerPC
    chips run devices ranging from
    television set-top boxes to mobile
    phones."

    which says nothing of the millions of Apple Macintosh computers the chips run as well (presuming this is the same PowerPC we're talking about.. it doesn't give model numbers).. does this mean all new Macs will have this "IBM Technology" logo on them, too? since they went to translucent plastic, the PowerPC logo has been absent

    nor does it mention anything about the fact that the chip is derived from the Power family of RISC chip designs, intended for use in IBM servers... or that the platform was co-developed by motorola for the desktop and embedded markets.

    i just thought i'd add my 2 cents (3 cents canadian) to the obviously lacking fluff on C|Net

    --hey! where's my sig?

  • Logo Added?? (Score:4, Funny)

    by WebMasterJoe ( 253077 ) <{moc.renotseoj} {ta} {eoj}> on Thursday August 23, 2001 @02:25PM (#2209393) Homepage Journal
    I was hoping they meant the cool little game with the turtle and the "go 25 / right 90" commands... drats.
  • Any word on the US release date for Matsushita/Panasonic's GameCube unit, or whether software will be able to use the extended area for FMV or possibly game data as well? One would imagine that if the extra data capacity (data capacity of the 8cm disc being used in the GC is ~1.5gb, whereas a single-layered 12cm DVD is ~4.5, double-layered ~8, and if one extrapolates density from 8cm and 12cm CD sizes, a 12cm GC data disc should be approximately 6gb...) was usable for software, this would make that version much the preferable system, even at a higher price... especially given that the sizes of some of the newer PSX RPGs are approaching 1.5gb.
  • Could we someday see a Mac with an IBM Technology logo on it? I've heard there's a possibility that Apple may use IBM chips at some point, and they already use some IBM drives. Wouldn't that be something to behold? It'd really confuse the folks who still use the term IBM Compatable.
    • Dude, they do use IBM chips. PowerPC chips were developed by the AIM (apple, IBM, motorotla), and based on IBM's POWER chip alliance. The 601 to g3 chips are made by both Motorola and IBM. The new G4 chip is made only by IBM due to disagreements between the three companys. The GameCube however uses a Gekko chip, that is based off (iirc) the g3 series PowerPC Chip (it might be another series of PPC, i dont rember).
      And, if you paied attention...the "PowerPC" name and logo are (tm) IBM. I dont know why apple took the logo off of their computers, but they have. I can only assume they'll go back on at a later date.

      P.S. Apple mostly uses Maxtor and Segate drives, due i beleive to lower prices. I have not seen a Mac with an IBM drive in it (that i didnt put there) in a long time.

  • This news all comes from the SpaceWorld conference, Nintendo's biggest games conference (only for Nintendo and 3rd party Nintendo developers) held in Japan this week/weekend.

    For coverage, check out:

    Gamespot's SpaceWorld Coverage [gamespot.com]

    IGN's GameCube site [ign.com]

    Most impressive to me is the footage of the new Mario [ign.com] and Zelda [ign.com] games. While lots of other developers worry about targetting the "cool" gamers, the "hardcore" gamers, Nintendo seems to be the one of the only ones focusing on the FUN in their games, and targetting the kid in all of us (as well as the real kids among us.) ;-) That's going to be the factor that wins them the #1 position in the upcomming console wars, in my opinion. This focus on pure fun is evident in their entire GameCube and Game Boy Advance lineup.

    paulb

  • IBM's Second Game Console (Score:4, Funny)

    by zulux ( 112259 ) on Thursday August 23, 2001 @03:30PM (#2209882) Homepage Journal
    IBM actually was the OEM for.....


    wait for it.....


    the Atari Jaguar! .



    The fisrt batches was made by IBM and the later ones by Comptronix.

    Atari Press Release:
    ATARI AND IBM ANNOUNCE STRATEGIC MANUFACTURING CONTRACT FOR MULTIMEDIA ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM

    SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- June 28, 1993 -- Atari Corp. announced today that it has contracted with the IBM Corp.'s Charlotte, N.C., facility to manufacture the Atari Jaguar, Atari's new 64-bit multimedia entertainment system.

    IBM's multi-year contract is valued at $500 million.

    The Atari Jaguar, to be made in the United States, is an interactive multimedia entertainment system which features over 16 million colors in 24-bit true color graphics and produces shaded 3-D polygons for manipulation in a "real world" in real time. A 32-bit expansion port will allow for future connection into cable and telephone networks, a digital signal processing port for modem usage and connection to digital audio peripherals. The Jaguar will also feature a double-speed compact disc peripheral.

    "This system is clearly the wave of the future," said Sam Tramiel, president of Atari. "Because the Jaguar will feature such an array of visual and audio special effects, we wanted to work with a premier company that we are confident can manufacture the quality product we have developed."

    The Charlotte-based IBM plant, which for 15 years has manufactured and developed products only for other IBM businesses, just recently began working with outside companies to meet their production needs. The Atari Jaguar project represents one of IBM's first entries into manufacturing for the mass consumer electronics market.

    "This is a wonderful opportunity to work with Atari and their new system," said Herbert L. Watkins, director of Application Solutions manufacturing at IBM Charlotte. "Everyone expects IBM to manufacture complex information technology products, and with this, we'll show that we can competitively build a sophisticated consumer product."

    In addition to assembling the Jaguar, IBM will be responsible for the component sourcing, quality testing, packaging and distribution. The Jaguar, announced on June 3, is based on an Atari-designed proprietary 64-bit RISC processor that features four times the technology currently seen in the marketplace today. The sound system is based on Atari's proprietary, high-speed, Digital Signal Processor dedicated to audio which can produce CD-quality sound. The Atari Jaguar will be available on a limited basis in the fall, focusing on the New York market. A national roll-out is expected next year, and the Jaguar will retail for approximately $200.

    NOTE: Atari Corp. manufactures and markets personal computers and video games for the home, office and educational marketplaces throughout the world. Atari headquarters are located at 1196 Borregas Ave., Sunnyvale, CA 94089.

    The IBM Corp.'s Charlotte facility manufactures and develops for IBM and other companies a wide variety of products, such as banking systems, automotive diagnostic systems and electronic circuit boards. The site includes 2.3 million square feet of work space on a 1,200-acre site. Its address is 1001 W.T. Harris Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28257. Telephone: 704-594-1000

  • Inside the GameCube (Score:2, Informative)

    by K4GPB ( 413101 )
    Nintendo's GameCube [howstuffworks.com]:
    Photos show how gamers will eventually have the choice of a 56K modem or a broadband modem and
    2 slots for 4-Mb Digicard flash memory [howstuffworks.com] cards or a 64-MB SD-Digicard adapter. The biggest change that Nintendo has made between the Nintendo 64 and the GameCube is that the GameCube will be the first Nintendo console not to use game cartridges. The GameCube will use small proprietary discs.
  • the logo they're plastering on these things [ibm.com] is awful. Paul Rand [commarts.com] would puke.

    sure it's the right blue (maybe - web colors suck for ID standards) and there are the stripes, but gradients and dropshadows? on a logo?

    okay, so i don't play the part of design nazi very well, but i did have the logo usage standards drilled into my head when i worked at Big Blue, and it sucks to see them ogilvy-and-mathered [ogilvy.com]. yarf.

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