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Games Entertainment

Nintendo Drops GameCube Price to $150 343

Posted by timothy from the third-shoe-drops dept.
DarkZero writes: "According to Planet Gamecube, Nintendo, as was expected, has dropped the price of the GameCube to $150. As the consoles currently stand, the GameCube is $50 cheaper than both the X-Box and the PS2, letting it retain half of its price edge on its competitors. Neither Sony nor Microsoft has commented on it yet, but Microsoft might decide to lower the price of the X-Box a little bit more in retaliation. Yay, competitive pricing!"
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Nintendo Drops GameCube Price to $150 More

Nintendo Drops GameCube Price to $150

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  • Wow Competition! (Score:5, Funny)

    by tbaggy ( 151760 ) on Monday May 20, 2002 @09:06AM (#3549678)
    MS might just be totally confused! "You mean we have to lower our prices to sell stuff?"
  • Man, as Tycho of Penny Arcade [penny-arcade.com] put it, "It's on. This is that Clash of the Titans s**t."

  • A Fine Example (Score:5, Insightful)

    by TheNecromancer ( 179644 ) on Monday May 20, 2002 @09:10AM (#3549715)
    This is how capitalism should work! Competitive pricing is great for all involved: the consumer gets the best possible deal for the product, while the manufacturer is rewarded with high sales for their product. It also encourages companies to create products that satisfy the consumer's needs(aka - what the buyer wants).

    Way to go!

  • What about games? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Iber ( 566442 ) on Monday May 20, 2002 @09:10AM (#3549719)
    All this "console war" is great, but still can't afford 60+ for a game that's going to last me less than a week.
    • This has been a test of the Underutilized Character System. If this had been an actual emergency, you would have seen a big rectagle in place of the Euro sign.

  • Huh? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by InnereNacht ( 529021 ) <paulp@lappensecurity.com> on Monday May 20, 2002 @09:12AM (#3549728)
    "Microsoft might decide to lower the price of the X-Box a little bit more in retaliation. Yay, competitive pricing!"

    I have to admit that I highly doubt it... I'm sure microsoft set their current price-drop in line with expecting Nintendo to drop theirs to their current mark.

    As far as I know, Gamecube can't play DVD's either, correct? That's an awesome value-added feature. I was on the verge of buying a DVD player myself as well, but ended up just picking up a playstation 2 and killing 2 birds with one stone.

    X-Box plays DVD's as well, right? I think the $50 difference is reasonable.

    • Re:Huh? (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Betaman ( 561110 )
      Of course to play DVDs on the xbox you need to buy extra hardware ($30 or so) which makes it a $80 difference.

      I would personaly buy a stand alone DVD player rather than a console for DVD playing. The players offer easier hookup, and don't require the purchase of a remote control, and they very cheap. I have a PS2 and would really dislike using it for my main DVD player. Just my 2cents.
      • I decided about 2 years ago to purchase a new receiver and DVD player, even though I was holding on to the hope that was PS2, to play DVD's.

        Now I'm kinda glad I bought the stand-alone DVD player. Why?

        The PS2's fans are LOUD. OK, they're not bone-jarringly loud, and I'm sure I could learn to ignore them, but there's nothing like having a full dolby digital + subwoofer set-up in your basement, and being able to hear a pin drop... With the PS2 as a DVD player (my roomie's used it before as such), there's just too much noise....

    • Re:Huh? (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Xenex ( 97062 )
      You then have to pay for a remote control to use the Xbox to play DVDs, because Microsoft crippled the hardware not to play DVDs unless you own the remote.

      Used it to avoid DVD licensing costs, because a company like them couldn't afford to pay it. How quaint.
    • You can't play DVDs on the Xbox without buying a seperate DVD remote. At least you can't buy it without likely invalidating your warranty or violating the DMCA or some such thing. I'm not an Xbox follower and haven't been following any of the mod sites, so there may be a homebrewed method of getting the DVD functionality to work.

  • Microsoft should give XBox for free (Score:3, Funny)

    by fabiolrs ( 536338 ) on Monday May 20, 2002 @09:14AM (#3549750) Homepage
    They are already losing lots of money selling xbox the price it is today, why dont MS give theyre xbox away for free? :))
    • They could... You'd get a free console, but you'd have to shell out on the games or licenses to use games (or whatever hare-brained scheme they think of)

      Or maybe they could like integrate one game into it which looks visually pleasing, but gets boring within three minutes of play. Out of sheer frustration, people will buy games.

      I hope such a thing will not happen. It's a good thing those consoles are a bit too expensive to just give away.

  • BestBuy & CircuitCity PS2 Prices (Score:3, Interesting)

    by egriebel ( 177065 ) <edgriebel AT gmail DOT com> on Monday May 20, 2002 @09:16AM (#3549763) Journal
    I guess nobody told them big-boxers (nor their customers) that the price has been cut. They were both selling PS2 systems for $299 without any included games in Rochester, NY, USA.
    • I've always thought that Circuit City would charge above-retail if it could get away with it. I really don't understand why anyone supports that chain; it sucks.

      That being said, did you actually visit the stores, or just look at the Sunday ads? Those ads are printed weeks in advance...

  • News Update (Score:4, Funny)

    by Lumpy ( 12016 ) on Monday May 20, 2002 @09:16AM (#3549768) Homepage
    API newswire May 20, 2002 10:02 AM
    Richard Head reporting from redmond WA...

    Microsoft Announces Xbox Bundle to Compete with Console pricewars.

    Microsoft this morning in a retalitaory move against Nintendo and Sony's attempts to undermine the sales of the Xbox has announced that they will not be lowering the price of the Xbox but will in fact be bundling it with several high quality applications.
    Steve Ballmer in a private interview said, "The public has been clamoring for a killer app for the Xbox and we have decided to give it to them. As of today we will be selling Xboxes with free copies of Microsoft BOB for their PC and a special ported version of BOB for the Xbox. we are confident that this will crust the competition."

    Sony and Nintendo represenatives were unavailable for comment.

    • Re:News Update (Score:3, Funny)

      by MagPulse ( 316 )
      AP News: May 20, 2002 5:31pm

      Sony and Nintendo officials have freed themselves of a thin egg coating and several inches of bread crumbs by "eating their way out", said one witness.

      "We were having lunch when suddenly I was blinded by flying particles. I didn't know what they were, but it smelled like stale bread and some sort of Italian seasoning..." said a hysterical Sony developer.

      After being treated and released, most of those affected said they would not press charges. "We know Microsoft did it, but we will fight a clean war, in the marketplace" declared Nintendo President Hiroshi Yamauchi.

  • Last time MS dropped their prices... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by WEFUNK ( 471506 ) on Monday May 20, 2002 @09:19AM (#3549788) Homepage
    ...to match their competitor they nearly drove Netscape out of business.

    Just a thought...

    As much as competitive pricing is a good thing, I hope there's some margin left at the end of the day or this market will turn into a winner take all for whoever's got the motivation and money to stick it out.

    • Re:Last time MS dropped their prices... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by ArhcAngel ( 247594 ) on Monday May 20, 2002 @09:39AM (#3549963)
      But unlike the IE-NS analogy where giving a binary application away for free doesn't increase per copy cost. The XBox is a tangible product that costs $$ to produce. Once IE reached a certain code base the cost drops Significantly to sustain. Giving away code is as easy as the copy command. Giving away an XBox is not. Even Microsoft with their Billions cannot afford the kind of drain giving away hardware would entail. Unless of course they start charging for IE.
      • But unlike the IE-NS analogy where giving a binary application away for free doesn't increase per copy cost. The XBox is a tangible product that costs $$ to produce. Once IE reached a certain code base the cost drops Significantly to sustain. Giving away code is as easy as the copy command. Giving away an XBox is not. Even Microsoft with their Billions cannot afford the kind of drain giving away hardware would entail. Unless of course they start charging for IE.
        MS is no longer interested in selling the XBox. They're interested in selling the monthly online service that will soon be available for it, and they continue to be interested in selling software.

        They also continue to be interested in establishing a foothold in your living room so that they can blend your television (your eyes) into the .NET communication infrastructure.

        The money to be earned from games will be dwarfed by the money to be gained by establishing a monopolistic control over real-time communications, which would seem to be Microsoft's current goal.

    • Re:Last time MS dropped their prices... (Score:4, Insightful)

      by Anne_Nonymous ( 313852 ) on Monday May 20, 2002 @10:05AM (#3550186) Homepage Journal
      Sony has revenues of about $20 billion. In its best year Netscape had revenues of about half a billion dollars. Additionally, Sony has been an expert manufacturer for years and knows how to control costs, while Microsoft is a long term player in the software business, and hasn't ever had variable costs before. Sure, sure, Microsoft doesn't fight fair, but in this arena they don't have much of an advantage and will not bankrupt Sony. Duh.
    • And, they could:

      Give away IE without paying more shipping/distribution costs. (Here, it will cost them $275 just to make the damn thing, and another chunk to ship it to all the stores.)

      Threaten OEM's with reprisals if they didn't leave IE in and take Netscape out. (Here, if they go to Software Etc and threaten to them to take out the PS2's, they'll be laughed at.)

      Install IE in every Windows machine by default. (Here, I don't see me getting an Xbox bundled with every TV purchase.)

      I'm still comfortable with my decision to get rid of my Xbox until they produce more than one game (Halo) that I actually want to play. And by then, I'll get the Xbox for $99 and the games for $20.

  • Yet More (Score:3, Insightful)

    by nervlord1 ( 529523 ) on Monday May 20, 2002 @09:21AM (#3549807) Homepage
    Yet More proof (asif we needed anymore) that competition _WORKS_

    Imagine, just imagine, if the OS market was like this. i CRINGE to think about how good our operating systems would be (think VR, 3d Interfaces that are common, everything you'd want from an OS)

    sigh. I wish it really was the OS market.
    • And then slashdotters will start complaining why the newest OS doesn't run on their P75 or slower PC with all the bells and whistles. MS is putting in hardware 3d acceleration into Longhorn and we can all remember how /.ers liked that idea. But if someone else puts out a 3d OS it's OK.

    • Re:Yet More (Score:3, Informative)

      by sheldon ( 2322 )
      Well I remember when our OS market was like this. Each OS had it's own little niche, there was no incentive to try to outdo anybody else rather they worked to lock you in to their particular product. Companies like Sun would charge $200 for manuals to their system because they knew they could get away with it, and so forth.

      The OS market has had more innovation and more excitement in just the past 4-5 years than in the 20 years previous to that.

  • Like Gillette... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by sdo1 ( 213835 ) on Monday May 20, 2002 @09:25AM (#3549846) Journal
    Give away the razors and sell them the blades...

    -S

  • Old ways of thinking (Score:2, Insightful)

    by ssummer ( 533461 )
    I think it is finally time that the notion that you can only own one console (and in accordance, that console thus becomes the BEST console ever in existence) can finally die. At these prices, it is not implausible to own the top three consoles on the market for around the same price it would take most peopleto make a decent game rig out of their PC.

    On a different note, with the whole PS2/Linux thing, is their any possibility of seeing emulators (2600, NES, SNES, Genesis) comig out for it?

    • I agree. I have three consoles I would consider "current gen": Dreamcast (which I bought when it hit $50 w/ $10 games, and just stocked up like mad), GameCube, and Xbox. All for different reasons and different games. I may yet get a PS2, again, for other reasons (there: depth of software and a few exclusives I'd like to play like FF and MGS).

      I think the market can support multiple consoles, as long as "long lived" titles can get to better price points quickly. $50 is okay for a game (same as what I pay for PC games, on average), but I've ended up buying -- and enjoying -- games that were cheap. A $25 or 30 risk is much lower than a $50 risk (hence my discovery that Super Monkey Ball was such a riot to play!).

  • Wow, and this is stifiling innovation? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Neck_of_the_Woods ( 305788 ) on Monday May 20, 2002 @09:29AM (#3549866) Journal
    Someone should bring this up in all the little court cases Microsoft is having right now. Pricing, innovation, quick to market, online services...when was the last time you saw microsoft work this hard to get market share? Seems to me, the layman, that this competition thing makes them work a bit harder, get product out a bit faster, and make something worlth having. Then again, it might just be a cheaper piece of shit with one good game. At least with other products on the market I can pay 1/3 less for that pos.

    • Pricing, innovation, quick to market, online services...when was the last time you saw microsoft work this hard to get market share?

      Yeah, until they dominate this market as well, then the innovation that we care about will stop and other innovation, like controlling living room entertainment and pricing, will begin.

    • *COMPETITION* works. Which is why Microsoft needs to be dealt with in the OS market because right now the consumer has no *CHOICES*.

      He or she cannot decide between more than TWO desktop OSes right now; Mac OS X and Windows (XP, 2000, etc), and then there's the fact that a Mac will cost about $1500 to the PC's $900...

      So if you like pricing, innovation, quick to market, etc... you too should support *some* kind of action to restore competition in all the markets Microsoft has a monopoly over.
  • Ever since the launch in Britain, the Game Cube has been priced at 129 UKP, which is about 188 USD.

    Given the historical trend of consoles costing more here in Britain than in the US, I think this is more of a price re-alignment than a cut.

    Less widely reported, but of interest to people looking for a cheap gaming experience, Sony dropped the UK price of the PSOne to 49 UKP, did something similar happen in the US?

  • Like a poker game with no limit (Score:5, Funny)

    by NFNNMIDATA ( 449069 ) on Monday May 20, 2002 @09:36AM (#3549937) Journal
    Sony (holding royal flush): I raise you $1.
    Nintendo (holding 4 aces): I'll see your $1 and raise you $2:
    MS (holding jack-squat): I'll see your $2 and raise you A MILLION BILLION DOLLARS.
    Sony: Fold.
    Nintendo: Fold.
    MS: Mwahahahahahaha.

    • You poker sense is wrong (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward
      If one player has a royal flush, the other player cannot have 4 aces.

      So although a royal flush is considered the "highest" hand, 4 aces is effectively just as high since they can't exist at the same time.
      • If one player has a royal flush, the other player cannot have 4 aces.

        Incorrect. The most popular form of professional poker these days is Texas Hold'Em (the form also played on Yahoo! Games). Since you have to make a hand from both your own private cards and the cards on the table, you could both be using an ace that's on the table.
  • The price drop by Nintendo on the GameCube was expected. Do you think Nintendo was going to keep the price at US$199 when PlayStation 2 and XBox now sport the same price?

    Besides, Nintendo's greatest strength is its own internal software development group. There are a big number of potentially great games coming out for GameCube from Nintendo coming out later this year that will really drive GameCube sales.
    • I agree that Nintendo's own internal software group tends to do a really great job... but I can't believe they don't have a "mario" game out for the system (Like Mario64, etc). I used to love playing SMB on the NES as a kid (As well as Zelda and Metroid).

      I would have figured they'd have one of these 3 out already.... Kinda makes me want to hold off even more, until it hits the 100$ mark :)

  • MS needs a new EULA... (Score:4, Funny)

    by smackdotcom ( 136408 ) on Monday May 20, 2002 @09:43AM (#3550006)
    Gates and co. simply need to devise a new End-User License Agreement with the following provisions:


    By opening the packaging that contains this X-Box, the user agrees that he or she will not purchase a competing console, play games on a friend's competing console, or even look for more than five seconds at a competing console when walking through a store. Furthermore, by plugging in the Microsoft X-Box, the user consents to any and all changes that the Microsoft X-Box may implement in the user's household, including the notification of Microsoft corporate headquarters in the event that a competing console is detected in the household, and the neurological reprogramming of any of the user's offspring to become better Microsoft customers.


    That ought to help good ol' MS take its rightful place in our homes and lives.

  • I think I'm gonna wait for the SGCA. It will probably have A DVD/CD/MP3/OGG/WMA/etc. player plus built in PS2/XBox firmware emulation so you can play all of your titles. The graphics will be handled by Matrox's new G1000 series GPU and the unit will also double as a maid/butler when you're not searching for Rupes and fighting Gandolf.

  • Microsoft could bundle DVD kit instead (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Mr.Sharpy ( 472377 ) on Monday May 20, 2002 @09:48AM (#3550052)
    Instead of lowering the price on the XBOX, Microsoft could bundle in their dvd kit at the current $199 price for value added competition instead of direct price competition. It would be a smart move for Microsoft because 1) producing that kit is probably cheaper than lowering the price of the xbox $50, 2) it provides a great advertisement angle--"More raw power than Gamecube and a FREE DVD Player!", and 3) people are suckers for 'free' stuff and value added items.

    Because the price gap between the Xbox and Gamecube is now just $50 dollars, I think consumers on the fence will be looking beyond just the price and more towards the things the consoles can do. And with the DVD kit, the Xbox wins the features competition, not necessarily because people would actually use the DVD features; but just because people like a bargain.
    • It's easier to drop the price since there are so many on the shelf. There is probably some kind of revenue split deal with the X-boxes. WIth the accessories it's probably a different deal and would require renegotiation with a lot of stores.
    • Bah, then Sony will sue Microsoft for product bundling. :)
    • They need to bundle the DVD kit anyway, to compete on price/features with the PS/2, which already has that functionality built in at that price (though Sony does charge extra for a remote).

  • quoting Yoda: (Score:5, Funny)

    by blankmange ( 571591 ) on Monday May 20, 2002 @10:06AM (#3550190)
    "Begun it has, this console war."

    No, wait, maybe he was philosophising on something else...

  • Wow! (Score:2)

    by cluening ( 6626 )
    Is this how things in the technology world work when one of the players doesn't hold a monopoly and everybody plays fair? I wish it worked like that in the PC business...
  • The GC should be cheaper than the XBox. The GC has no DVD support, no HD, no Ethernet port, no high definition support (other than 480p) and no Dolby Digital support.

    The only thing it has is Nintendo's games, which still aren't shipping.
    • The GameCube will have an Ethernet card and modem soon. It also features progressive scanning at 480p, and has the new Dolby Pro-Logic II (which is 4 channels without the subwoofer or LRE). If you happen to have a decent enough surround receiver, it rocks!

      What more do you want? You still have to pay to use the DVD player on the XBox by buying a cartridge. (from what I've heard) Even then, the quality and playability of games on the GameCube slay the XBox. Hands down.

      Save the extra money you'd pay for an XBox, and buy a nice new Philips DVD player. They are down to like $100 now anyways - plus you can play VCDs and get a decent remote. The XBox would make a nice DVD player, if you wanted one the size of a microwave on your entertainment center.

      Pat

  • next, microsoft will announce (Score:4, Funny)

    by PsiPsiStar ( 95676 ) on Monday May 20, 2002 @10:46AM (#3550528)
    special liscensing where you can get it's system for half price... but with this plan you have to pay it for all the game systems in your house, whether or not you own them.
  • Doesn't this seem somewhat like an MS tactic - lowering prices beloew cost for the sole purpose of driving a competetor out of the market? Do we know if Sony or Sega are making much money from the consoles?

    I don't suppose these are monopolistic practices since neither Sony nor Sega controls the gaming industry by themselves. Together they are evidently quite a force. BTW, I'm not commenting on the legality of such moves as IANAL. Although I do find it interesting when:

    • when these practices are used vs. MS
    • How seriously these companies are taking MS-entry into the gaming market
    • Are you people all on crack?

      Have you payed attention for the past 15+ years. Game consoles drop in price after a certain amount of time, in fact, most electronics do, in fact, most products do, amazing huh? But now since Microsoft is involved it's a big conspiracy? The console makers were just waiting for someone to make the jump first and then they all follow, c'mon enough already....

      • Oh please... You really think that the most recent console price war would have happened without the entry of MS into the field? Seriously believe that?

        Previous to this, the console makers were wary of lowering their prices in such a fashion. They were somewhat like the airlines in that they wouldn't often engage in serious price wars.

        Are you people all on crack?

        I worked with a guy who once said "Just because nobody agrees with me doesn't mean I'm going to give in". What a PITA. Maybe other people have a point. Maybe not, but it's probably worth considering - 'ya think?

  • I still love my gamecube (Score:4, Informative)

    by Sludge ( 1234 ) <slashdot@NosPaM.tossed.org> on Monday May 20, 2002 @11:21AM (#3550819) Homepage
    I bought my gamecube for one main reason-- party games. well, countless hours of playing Super Smash Brothers, Super Monkey Ball, Gauntlet: Dark Legacy, Sega Soccer Slam and "that cross-platform Bond game" have gone by, and I'm ready for the next round.

    Most people's opinions of consoles after a purchase depend almost completely on what games they bought. Most people with a gamecube purchased Star Wars: Rogue Leader and maybe Waverace or something to that effect, perhaps with no extra controllers.

    To me, buying a good game library is like designing a game (but with far fewer decisions): you need to have a cohesive strategy, or else you risk having a boring console. For me, it was multiplayer gaming. Satisfied, I am.

    If anyone thinks that Nintendo's laid it's cards out on the table, I think they're gonna be surprised. The future shows a lot of interesting things: Mario Party 4, a new Mario Kart, a new Zelda game, a new Starfox game in the vein of Zelda64, something from Squaresoft in the way of Final Fantasy, Super Mario Sunshine, Bomberman (this month), more Resident Evil games from Capcom, Mario Golf/Tennis and of course, Metroid Prime, which is being developed by a friend of mine who is nothing more than completely convinced that it's going to be the game of the year.

  • excuse me, but didn't those companies first sold their console at .. what, 600$? As a non-customer, I repeat to myself that they probably wanted to screw me up - because they wanted to make me pay for something that today has a value of 1/3 or less.

    So they were screwing me 3 times.

    No way I'm gonna trust them. If someone screws you once, it can do it again.

    Oh well, probably this is easier to me since I don't like consoles. But still, does anyone else with a brain noticed that?
  • At $150, I might actually buy one for the kids (aged 6 and 3). I'm thinking Santa might put one under the tree; any suggestions as to which console, taking into account the age of the kid and the fact that we have more computers in our household than people already?

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