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Businesses GameCube (Games)

Sales Data Indicates GameCube Underperforming 169

Posted by Zonk from the not-much-call-for-mario-anymore? dept.
MikeT writes "FileFront is reporting that Nintendo's GameCube underperformed in 2004 and this holiday season by almost half! While Nintendo's spokespeople remain mum, the reporter from FileFront claims that Nintendo's beloved console's numbers are dwindling, quoting industry professionals and reputed sales figures. Clip: "The early word hardly looks promising. Market information group NPD Funworld put GameCube console sales at 350,000 for November 2004, far behind Xbox's 708,000 and PS2's 694,000."" We ran a related story recently discussing the possibility of UK retailers dumping the system.
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Sales Data Indicates GameCube Underperforming More

Sales Data Indicates GameCube Underperforming

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  • PS2 had GTA: SA and XBox had Halo2 during that time period. GameCube had Metroid Prime 2, but wasn't nearly a big of draw to buy a machine. GameCube numbers should pick up probably with Resident Evil 4, new Zelda and Pokemon games.

    • Bullshit (Score:1, Interesting)

      by tacubo ( 144822 )
      There's always the talk of that next big game that will help sell cubes. These games never have a meaningful impact on sales. Face it the cube is dead. Hopefully nintendo can turn it around with revolution, but as for this generation they'll end up number 3.
      • They might end up at number 3 in worldwide sales but their position within the Japanese market and Microsoft's poor showing in the Japanese market cannot be ignored in forecasting future success.

        And, as a Gamecube owner, these types of stories aren't really of concern to me. Nintendo pulls a profit. As long as that remains the case, there will be quality Nintendo hardware and games released.

      • I've been a life-long Nintendo fan but after reading this [gamerah.com] interview with Hiroshi Yamauchi I'm of the belief that the company is doomed. Yamauchi has totally lost touch, the fact that he doesn't see the PSP as a credible competitor to the DS is worrying, his comments about "fat Americans" is very offensive and his comments about giving Satoru Iwata tips on what to do in every situation just shows that he's still the man with the power at Nintendo even though he denies it.
    • Wasn't there a time when we didn't need sequels do sell consoles?

      The GameCube has been rotten to hell about Sequel-itis. Nintendo likes to flog their franchises.

      • Wasn't there a time when we didn't need sequels do sell consoles? The GameCube has been rotten to hell about Sequel-itis. Nintendo likes to flog their franchises.

        Look at any sales list for any console at the moment and you'll find that the whole market is rampant with this 'sequel-itis' of yours. Sequels to great games sell even though they do little to innovate. While we're on the subject of innovation, the most innovative thing that has happened to the games industry in the past year IMHO is the N

    • Nintendo's number one problem is their repeating failure to lure third party developers to their systems. Nintendo tries to rely on their own first party games to drive system sales, and it just doesn't work like that anymore. Everytime a Burnout 3, GTA, or whatever new game comes out for just PS2 and Xbox with no Gamecube version, Nintendo slips a little more.

      The article I posted [slashdot.org] last week makes some good points too. Nintendo needs new franchises.

      I too, very much hope Nintendo fares better with the Revol
      • RE4 isn't 1rst party, it's made by capcom, and nintendo have plenty of good games from other japanese 3rd parties like namco etc. The gamecube is lacking in american 3rd party support though, just as the xbox lacks in japanese 3rd party support, and the ps2 because of it's market dominance has it all. The xbox2 will at most beat nintendo's next gen in america/europe only, and will not beat the ps3, I predict marketshare status quo next gen unless nintendo does something unexpectedly amazing, or sony/MS do s

  • Hardly Surprising (Score:4, Interesting)

    by RogueyWon ( 735973 ) on Friday January 07, 2005 @10:35AM (#11287577) Journal
    Where were the Gamecube's must-have titles this Christmas? Metroid Prime 2 was pretty much the only even vaguely significant name. The PS2 had San Andreas and it's usual hordes of 3rd-party games, the X-Box had Halo 2 and KOTOR 2. The Gamecube had a sequel to a game whose first incarnation, despite critical praise, had received distinctly divided opinion from customers. With fewer and fewer third party and cross-platform titles, epic waits between increasingly formulaic first-party titles (cf. Mario Sunshine and Mario Kart Double Dash) and still no online services worth mentioning, you have to wonder whether Nintendo actually want to stay competative in the "desktop" console market.

    Yes, Nintendo is still profitable for the moment, but I'm starting to doubt whether they really have the drive they'll need to stay that way, in a world of ever-increasing development costs and customer expectations.

    Oh well, I guess I'm about to lose yet more karma to the usual slashdot Nintendo-fanboy horde. Let them go on modding down the truth until the day the facts finally hit home.
    • I've got to agree with the folks saying that there just aren't compelling reasons to buy the GCN, I have one and it's been slim pickings for games that ineterst me, my other consoles and PC have way more pull this year. This Christmas (and the months leading up to it)I bought software for my Xbox, PS2, PC, GBA and bought three DS's for me and the family (as soon as I got the first one the wife and kid wanted one)but my Gamecube remained sadly neglected. Multi platform titles I normally pick up the Xbox vers

  • Surprise? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Locky ( 608008 ) on Friday January 07, 2005 @10:38AM (#11287598) Homepage
    I don't think this is really a big surprise, For quite some time Nintendo has been the Apple of the games industry; high quality products that typically only sell to a niche fanbase.

    Both Apple and Nintendo have wildly sucessful portable units, both typically release their products in a variety of colors, both remain profitable, both won't be going away any time soon.
    • Actually we could continue this comparison a bit further:

      - Both use PowerPC processors in their flagship machines.
      - Both have released a small footprint machine shaped as a cube (the G4 Cube and the GameCube).
      - Both are being constantly qualified as "dying" by idiot analysts at least once every 6 months.
  • I believe that the gamecube sales has suffered from the fact that no modchips has been available. Now that the http://www.ps2nfo.com/viper.html [ps2nfo.com] has arrived, the sales will increase significantly.
    • You've been able to play games of any region on the Gamecube for a long, long time now, using a software-only hack. If it weren't for this, I suspect Nintendo Europe's sales would still be "0", given how the region gets treated by them. Pirating GC games is never really going to take off, due to the difficulties involved with the media.
      • There's nothing difficult with burning a DVD-R. If the top of the gamecube is removed and the Viper-chip fitted and loaded with a Cobra-BIOS, ordinary DVD-R-dics can be used. Burn whatever you want to play, boot the gamecube with a ordinary GC-game, swap to the burned copy and play.
        • Can a modded GC fit and play mini-dvd's without removing the case?
        • Is it easy to rip a GC game though?

          I had a dreamcast, and it was easy enough to load games, but youhad to deal with foreign piracy sites to get them. The ripping prosses was over a serial cable and took 24 hours.

    • What percentage of people mod their consoles? Is it even 1%? Seriously, I doubt a mod chip is going to change sales.
      • The xbox recieved alot of free marketting in the media and internet because of the modding scene, it was also what made me decide to get it rather than a ps2, which I regret now.
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • Blame retailers. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Cutriss ( 262920 ) on Friday January 07, 2005 @10:49AM (#11287705) Homepage
    In addition to the already stated points about how there wasn't really anything to buy for the GameCube this Christmas aside from Metroid Prime 2 (which had a very hard time against the overwhelming hype over GTA:SA and Halo 2), you can really blame the retailers. They've long since relegated the GameCube to 3rd place, and they'll only market it as an afterthought.

    Next time you see an ad on TV for Walmart's electronics section, note what logos you see in the background. It's always the Xbox and the PS2. Walk into an EB or a GameStop, and the GameCube section is always in the back (not really a smart move from a merchandising perspective). Up until recently, the GameCube was always neck-and-neck with the Xbox, but just like how the media loves to see a hero fall, the game retailer executives love to see a new player take an old one down. They were happy to see Sega fall, and they helped.

    What's interesting is that the GameCube's underwhelming performance is contributing more to the "Nintendo is doomed!" naysayers, and yet the hot holiday item this year was the Nintendo DS...
    • The EBs in my area (well, the two I have been to) have the Gamecube in the front of the store, actually. The Gamestop has it in a nicer, more spacious area, right next to the large GBA section. So no, I don't think that's the problem.

      The Gamecube just doesn't get a lot of exclusive games, and most multiplatform releases are usually worse than the other versions available. (Framerate issues seem to be a perennial complaint in GC reviews for multiplatform games, but sound and control issues are also plentifu

  • I almost don't feel normal everyday... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by BTWR ( 540147 ) <americangibor3@yah o o . c om> on Friday January 07, 2005 @10:50AM (#11287715) Homepage Journal
    I almost don't feel normal everyday...

    Unless I see a /. article talking about one of the following:

    the imminent demise of Nintendo

    the imminent demise of the home PC

    Michael's interesting-enough news stories ruined by adding one line of unnecessary commentary at the end which basically insults anyone who thinks otherwise.

  • OMG! (Score:1, Redundant)

    by SetupWeasel ( 54062 )
    Gamecube didn't have as good of a holiday season as the PS2 and the XBOX. OMG OMG OMG, Nintendo is teh D3@D!

    2003 was the christmas you couldn't find a GameCube on shelves. The GC is still the worldwide #2, and lets face it, the XBOX will not have another Halo 2 to sell systems anytime soon.

    Plus Nintendo is not just a profitable console maker, it is the MOST profitable.
  • I haven't played my cube in awhile. Since November 23. The day WoW came out...

  • If the Gamecube would at least have added DVD capability like the PS2 and XBox, it would have been more on-par with them in terms of capability.

    With the exception of their Gameboy line, Nintendo's products are always half-assed, missing a key "something" that would add a decent piece of functionality.

    Ever since the NES/SNES they've relied more on their name to sell games, rather than their innovation. A key example of this is how most of their games squeeze the last bit of life from their franchises, in

    • "Ever since the NES/SNES they've relied more on their name to sell games, rather than their innovation."

      The N64 controller wasn't innovative? Funny - it seems like the N64 controller is the reason that Sony redesigned their controller. Oh - the rumble pack? Yeah - that was copied by Sony too. Interesting. And, as poor as it turned out, the Virtual Boy was an innovative approach.

      Sorry Beny but it seems like you aren't up to speed on your console history. Better luck next time.

      Oh - why did you mention the s

      • Ahhhh the virtual boy. An answer to a question that nobody asked. As for the N64 controller. Did they ever release one that had all of the available(Rumble, that thing that Majora's mask required) built-in like the Dual shock? Sony didn't "redesign" their controller so much as they added features to it.

        • "Ahhhh the virtual boy. An answer to a question that nobody asked."

          Original poster claimed Nintendo had not innovated since the NES era. Virtual Boy proves otherwise. I noted that the results were poor so your statement in that regard adds nothing.

          "Sony didn't "redesign" their controller so much as they added features to it."

          Actually - they did redesign [reference.com] it. Redesign means: To make a revision in the appearance or function of. You may wonder what revision means now, right? Well - revision means [same sour

        • I seem to recall that the PSX didn't have analog for several years. Their controller also didn't have rumble features until after their dual analog was even released. The N64, however, always had analog, and had a rumble pack very early in the console's life. I know that when I purchased my PSX, the standard dpad controllers were all that was available (back when Symphony of the Night and FF7 were release), and PSM was running artlicles about the "Dual Analog" controller that wouldn't be released in the

      • I don't think that force feedback was a new idea anyway. But whereas Sony integrated it into their controller, Nintendo required you to buy the Rumble Pack seperately.

        Oh, don't forget the batteries. I don't know if it came with batteries, but I do know that you had to buy new ones yourself when those died

        I don't recognize a simple "new product" as innovation

        • I don't think that force feedback was a new idea anyway.

          Prior art? Sorry - I'm not going to accept what you "think" as a proof that I am incorrect.

          "But whereas Sony integrated it into their controller, Nintendo required you to buy the Rumble Pack seperately."

          Sony had the benefit of being second to market with their rumble feature.

          "I don't recognize a simple "new product" as innovation"

          Read my post again you dumb fuck - I cited more than one innovation that has come from Nintendo since the NES era. You

          • Read my post again you dumb f**k - I cited more than one innovation that has come from Nintendo since the NES era. Your arguments are flawed and pathetic.

            And you need to calm down. Geeze, by the temperament of your replies, one would think that I were promoting hate-propaganda. I mean really, how about we keep this in perspective? We're simply discussing huge, multi-national corporations who don't care about your support for their products unless it takes the shape of money.

            I know that Microsoft had fo

            • "And you need to calm down."
              No, I don't. And you telling me what I "need" to do, isn't going to get you any results.

              "I know that Microsoft had force feedback peripherals for PC's well before N64."
              Model? Release date? How old are you? You don't appear to know anything about proper citation.

              Nintendo has done plenty of innovation since the NES era - long story, short. Do you want to refute that with something concrete?

    • Good point on the DVD. The DVD capability also made the Xbox and PS2 have a little more value in that they could be used to play movies.
      • You can get a GameCube and region-free DVD player for less than the $150 it takes to pick up an XBOX or PS2.

        Not to mention that the $40 DVD player will out-perform both the XBOX and PS2, hands-down, as DVD players.
        • Are these region-free DVD's common? Let me know. I spent some time looking in stores, and gave up. If they have to be mail ordered from some obscure place, add the $10 shipping to the cost.
          • Yes. In fact, quite a few of the region locked players you buy in the U.S. can be made region free with a code. This site [dvdhelp.us] may have some information but the easiest way is to just google with the model name of the DVD player you are interested in.
          • You can find codes for unlocking a great many models of DVD out there.

            Just using my portable Polaroid DVD-0700 as an example: 2 minutes of googling later, and I know the code to unlock the region menu is "1379" It works similarly with a lot of DVD players. Just pick one out and google it before you actually buy it.

            (Granted, the example I used actually costs more than a PS2, but it's infinitely more useful than the $40 DVD player mentioned. It's portable and has "video in" functionality, so I can use it fo
    • Look at it this way. Nintendo went with the mini proprietary DVDs instead. Compare the amount of pirated PS2 and XBox games with GameCube games. Instead of losing the millions that MS and Sony lost to pirated games, Nintendo actually went the smarter route.
    • "If the Gamecube would at least have added DVD capability like the PS2 and XBox, it would have been more on-par with them in terms of capability."

      I can buy a $30 DVD player. I seriously doubt DVDs on the GameCube would have really been all that interesting from a sales #'s point of view.

      "Ever since the NES/SNES they've relied more on their name to sell games, rather than their innovation. A key example of this is how most of their games squeeze the last bit of life from their franchises, instead of try

      • I don't think your reasoning is all that sound. Nintendo's making a killing in the portable market. If Nintendo was really all that frustrating to be around, seems like it would have been a hell of a lot easier to crack their monopoly. No luck on that front, yet.

        I'll reserve comment on that until we see real numbers on the PSP in terms on sales. I'm not sure console dominace translates directly into handheld dominance

        I personally feel that the PSP will be seriously hampered in terms of battery life sin

      • I can buy a $30 DVD player. I seriously doubt DVDs on the GameCube would have really been all that interesting from a sales #'s point of view.

        When the Gamecube was released, this was obviously not true. DVD players still cost upwards of $100-$150.

    • I'm sure plenty of people will respond with "I don't want a swiss army knife, I want a game machine."

      What they don't understand is that CD audio/DVD functionality/Online capability is "More". Joe Sixpack likes "More". Mr. 6P goes to Best Buy to buy a console. He doesn't know much about any of them, except he wants to play videogames. He looks at the Gamecube. Plays games. He looks at the Xbox. It plays games too. And you can store your music on it. And you can play DVDs (with optional remote, natc
    • Nintendo is probably the only company that successfully makes games under existing franchises that do not diminish the games that came before.

      Even when the sequel does not enhance the franchise signifigantly, it never diminishes it.

      END COMMUNICATION
  • Having already bought my Gamecube during release week, and seeing how it still runs just fine, thanks (connected to the set of Donkey Konga bongos I got for Christmas), I haven't bought another in years.

    Unlike certain other machines. Lousy Nintendo! How do they expect to carry on selling them at this rate? The least they could do is offer me another colour to collect, like they do with the SP every few months.
  • I'm not surprised.
    When you buy a gamecube, you get a great little gaming system for a very affordable price from a long time player in the games market.
    The problem with that is, when you buy a PS2 or Xbox, you also get a DVD player, and have the option of modifying the xbox to become so much more.
    Can a gamecube:
    - play movies over the network
    - play your (legal) mp3 collection on your home stereo
    - use it as a file server
    - play MAME
    - surf the web
    - IRC
    - and of course, play DVD's

    For me there is no contest for f
    • They are called "gaming consoles" for a reason. To play games period. If I want an all-in-one center I will use my PC, not some watered down PC like the XBox.
      • There is no better way to get video/audio/etc to your living room than with a piece of hardware you already have there. I know you can find those stereo component cases, but then that is just another box to administer and at a much higher cost than an Xbox.

        The convenience and ease of use for anyone in the house (not just a power user) to turn on the xbox and select some music or a movie is difficult to rival on a PC. And the day my wife let's me put a PC in the living room is still a long way away. She'
    • Can your Xbox do all of that out of the box? I mean, without BIOS/software modifications that would, say, preclude you from using XBox Live?

    • Can a gamecube:

      • play movies over the network
      • play your (legal) mp3 collection on your home stereo
      • use it as a file server
      • play MAME
      • surf the web
      • IRC
      • and of course, play DVD's

      I can't seem to find an answer to this question: Can a modded Xbox do all of that, and still play Xbox games? If so, what mod chip will let me do that?

      I also want to upgrade the HD if possible (I'm aware of the "locking" requirement but I have several drives that should probably work.

  • *sigh* (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Dragoon412 ( 648209 ) on Friday January 07, 2005 @11:28AM (#11288138)
    Karma be damned...

    I don't know what the deal is, but Nintendo needs to get their fucking act together with the GCN.

    Look back at the SNES days: a huge number of games spanning every genre. Awesome first and third party support. Far, far fewer instances of Nintendo's franchise whoring. The SNES has, in my opinion, the best game lineup any console's ever had. Even today, I find myself spending more time with SNES9x than I do my GCN.

    What the hell has Nintendo done? Is there a cultural difference at the company? Do developers have the perception that everything on the GCN needs to be aimed at the 10-and-under crowd?

    Nintendo's got the hardware - the Gamecube is so sleek and well-made that it makes the PS2 and Xbox sseem downright amateurish in comparison. Their stance on online support is asinine. Yes, having a bunch of friends over to play is more fun than online multiplayer, but for many of us that don't have gamer friends, live far away from our gamer friends, or aren't 8 years old, having our friends over after school to play Pokemon, at the very least online multiplayer would let us play)!

    The fact that the GCN's sales are poor shouldn't suprise anyone. In this generation of the consoles wars, Nintendo strutted out with the most awesome equipment there was, and then promptly impaled themselves on their own sword.

    I think it's too late for the GCN. Let's hope Nintendo stops catering to the Pokemon demographic with the Revolution, and goes back to their old SNES days.
    • What has Nintendo done to their classic franchises?!

      So far, they've got one Zelda game and one Mario game, and both are not really considered proper successors to their respective franchises!

      I wanted so badly to have some good ol' classic Mario brought to the new console generation, but they blew it.

      Oh well. I really hope Nintendo gets their shit together.

  • I really don't think that Nintendo has much of a chance to create a next-gen console that will compete with the PS3 or XboX2.

    It's time for Nintendo to follow Sega and release cross platform games and get out of the hardware business.

    Zelda, Metroid, Mario, etc. will have a good home on the PC, XboX & PS2. Nintondo needs to focus on what it's good at.....Games.
    • The problem with that is that Nintendo makes pretty damn decent hardware. Their decision to neglect online gaming so far seems a bit odd, because the gamecube can take an online adapter. The gamecube is a small, solid piece of equipment, and I don't understand what more you can really ask for from a game console. Oh, and the company has always made money on each system that they've sold. Sounds good to me.

      So why can't Nintendo compete in the next round?
  • Nintendo had so many games on the N64 that would have been cash cows and a sure fire way to get their user base up. But they either were very late getting the GC versions out, or they more or less weren't very good. What a waste. I had many friends drooling for Perfect Dark, but got a PS2 many moons ago and forgot about all about Nintendo.

  • However in Japan... (Score:5, Informative)

    by Demon-Xanth ( 100910 ) on Friday January 07, 2005 @11:45AM (#11288344)
    Year to date console sales as of 12/26:
    Nintendo DS 1,286,074
    GameBoy Advance SP 2,530,961
    PlayStation 2 2,691,666
    GameCube 696,839
    PlayStation Portable 352,295
    GameBoy Advance 198,025
    Xbox 37,083
    PSone 14,029
    Swan Crystal 7,464 ...looks like the GC isn't doing that bad. The Xbox on the otherhand...

  • WHO. GIVES. A FUCK. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ArmpitMan ( 741950 ) on Friday January 07, 2005 @12:06PM (#11288622) Homepage
    Why should anyone care about goddamned sales data? For anything?

    No one looks at sales numbers and says, "I think this bestselling console will be my favourite." No one goes, "Well, you know, I would've bought a Gamecube, but they're losing in the marketplace, you know? It's got all these games I lust after, but, it's just not the #1 console." You have already made your decision about which console(s) to like, based on factors which are actually important.

    Just enjoy your fucking games, however you play them. Shut up about numbers. They don't fucking matter.

    • No, but companies go, "I think this bestselling console will be the one we develop for", and that leads to more games being released for that one, and the others getting left out.

      Same goes for any platform that software runs on, really - Linux, Windows, Java, .Net, x86, Itanium, etc. We could debate the techinical merits of each all day, but the market tends to develop for the one with the biggest marketshare.

      I do love Nintendo, but I will be selling my Gamecube to a friend - all the games I want are on G
    • Except for the fact that as a whole, americans do exactly that. They think "hey, dave john and phil all have playstations, I should get a playstation too" and "if xbox is number one, it should be the best, right?".

      If that weren't so, then you wouldn't see the #1 in every market advertising that fact: "America's favourite game show", "Australia's best selling car" etc etc.
      • Oh, I'm not saying popularity isn't a factor. I'm saying, the only armchair analysts who look at the actual sales numbers for the Gamecube in the US over Christmas are the ones who have already made up their minds and are looking to pick a fight.

        Fanboy Billy loves his Gamecube, sees these numbers, and thinks they're a personal attack on him. He starts feeling the need to defend his taste in games by arguing about sales numbers. "Oh, Nintendo is plenty profitable!", they'll cry. "These are just the US

    • Perception is everything, have a look at what happened to the Dreamcast and you'll see a lot of parallels in the Gamecube.
  • ... this Christmas. I tried to hold out as long as I could. However, all my other friends had XBoxes with Halo 2 and Live. It's hard to compete against that. I was the only the one with a GameCube and one of few to have a PS2. I believe the Gamecube is a really good system but the problems lies with the fact that, as many have mentioned before me, the other systems have more features, more variety in games and more high-profile titles such as GTA:San Andreas and Halo 2 (which caught me). Sure, Metroid

  • Jump the gun? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by RyoShin ( 610051 ) <tukaro@[ ]il.com ['gma' in gap]> on Friday January 07, 2005 @12:28PM (#11288893) Homepage Journal
    I love Nintendo. From the SNES to the N64 to the Gamecube, not to mention the Gameboy series, I've never really found a need to look toward other consoles for my enjoyment (well, except dancing.* Damn you, DDR!)

    For all that, I have many reasons to scoff at them. Someone commented once, long ago, that it looked like they had very different companies running the Gamecube and the Game boy divisions.

    Here we have the Game Boy. People wanted it slimmer. Alrighty, here's a Game Boy Pocket. People want color. Game Boy Colors are now for sale! And when they came out with the Game Boy Advance, everyone was drooling and patting them on the back and giving them 'at a boys'... except for one thing: "I can't play in the dark!"

    Boom, Game Boy Advance SP. It seems that the Game Boy side listens, and listens well.

    The Gamecube side doesn't seem to hear much. Someone earlier in this thread posted the numbers in Japan, where the XBox doesn't hold a candle to the Gamecube. Hell, the Dreamcast was selling better. It seems that they are doing all they can to appeal to the Japanese consumers with inventive, quirky games (Monkey Ball (yes, third party,) Donkey Konga,) while ignoring the fact that Japan and America are two very different markets.

    Don't get me wrong; I love Mario. I can't wait for the next Zelda (you're going to see a huge sales jump when that comes out.) I just picked up Pokemon Colosseum. But when you look at American gamers as a whole, they are into the more 'mature' games- Grand Theft Auto, Halo, etc. Nintendo, while not a kiddie console by any means, still has most of it's appeal to the younger generation.

    Where's another Eternal Darkness? I recently picked that up, and have played through it once. If that had been a 3rd generation game, I don't think anything could have trumped it. The controls, the story, the entire thing is awesome. It only lacked in the graphics department (flat textures, bumpy character models.) If it had come out later, nothing would have rivaled it.

    One of my other things about Nintendo is that they should be leading any kind of gaming revolution (pun intended.) They have their big fat cash cow, the Game Boy, so they should be able to pump some money into new ideas, and be able to take the financial hit if it happens. But they're being a bit too careful.

    Of course, I still hold the opinion that the Gamecube is a throw-away product. It was meant to try and make up for the tragedies of the N64, while still being careful. Even if they don't sell the most, they are still making a large wad of cash, because they aren't shorting themselves on the console price. I think they're using the GCN to test the waters, see where edges are, and the info they gather now will be used to make the Revolution trump everything when it comes out.

    *Yes, I know there's that new dance game for the Gamecube, but the song list looks like a Billboard Top 40. It looks for shit. I want my quirky Japanese songs, dammit!

  • Not really hard hitting journalism here (Score:3, Insightful)

    by inkless1 ( 1269 ) on Friday January 07, 2005 @12:40PM (#11289049) Homepage
    More like rumor and inneundo. Re-hash some analyst's emails. There's no info here about profitability, for one thing. Sure, Nintendo's numbers might not be as large as Microsoft's - but they aren't losing a bundle per unit either.

    People have been saying the sky is falling for Nintendo for like, a decade. In return, Nintendo hasn't gotten tired of laughing all the way to the bank.
  • It seems to me that the people who are interested in the GC for the most part already have a game cube. The thing is, nintendo used to be the sort of defacto standard for a gaming system. If someone wanted to have a console, and didn't know much about console gaming, then they got a nintendo system. Now days it seems like it's the opposite.
    The majority of the people I know are not hard-core gamers, but they generally still have 1 system. Most often it's either an X-Box or a PS2.
    It seems to me that ni

  • Nintendo didn't push the cube this xmas on purpose (Score:4, Insightful)

    by clu76 ( 620823 ) on Friday January 07, 2005 @03:26PM (#11290738) Homepage
    I think Nintendo didn't push the cube this xmas on purpose. I think what they really wanted to do is push the DS. If they can effectively cut off the PSP from making inroads into the portable market, then Nintendo will have secured their profits for many years to come. Ofcourse, this is only one man's theory.

  • Hole in the Story (Of course!) (Score:3, Interesting)

    by dancingmad ( 128588 ) on Friday January 07, 2005 @09:24PM (#11293845)
    Am I the only one who thinks that possibly, just about everyone who wants a GCN has one? I bought mine at launch, a PS2 6 months after that, and my younger brother got around to buying an Xbox now (heavily discounted).

    His plans for the machine? A couple of used games and every emulator he can get his grubby mitts on. Basically, MS is not going to see a dime from him, other than for the (again, discounted) machine. Contrast to his buying habits of usually getting GC titles at launch and mine of getting (T-RPGs and Katamari Damashii) PS2 games.

    My household ending up buying three GC titles this Christmas season - Paper Mario, Metroid Prime 2, and Naruto 3 (imported). We're looking at importing Donkey Konga 1+2 and buying Pikmin 2. That's, of course, not to mention numerous GBA games. My point being, I would like to see software sales for both machines as well as hardware and worldwide sales. I believe I saw sales in the 300s recently for the Xbox in Japan.

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