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Nintendo Declares GCN Most Popular Console Ever
PhReaKyDMoNKeY writes "According to IGNCube, Nintendo has declared GCN the fastest selling console ever. Additionally, Nintendo claims that Luigi's Mansion is the most popular launch title in history as well. I couldn't seem to find the actual press release, but here's a related news story from Nintendo's site. I don't know how valid the claim is, since it's in their best interest to exaggerate, clearly, but it seems like the console demand in general is pretty high. " Now mind you every store in town seems to have plenty of Gamecubes in stock, but if you want an X-Box, you have to kill for it. Fortunately most people in a video game store are like 12, so I can destroy them with my mind bullets.
X-Box games, controllers, systems and accessories on the other hand are in every single store in midtown.
A friend that was visiting about two weeks ago bought one for her kids...she has lots of them, so getting 3 games and an accessory was no problem along with the console, but this bumps the total price to $500.
Still, its interesting that they're available this year at all. Remember PS2 last year? Impossible to find!
I'd have to say the most popular console ever in the US would probably be the Sony Playstation or original NES. At the PSOne's peak there was one in every four households in the US. (The exact number escapes me.) And of course in the '80s, nobody played "video games". They played Nintendo. The NES was probably the most popular of all time because at the time of its release it A: had no real competition and B: EVERYBODY had one. Comparatively speaking, 3/4 million isn't a lot.
It seems to be all over the place. At least, the package for 500 dollars with three games and and an extra controller seems to be. The stripped down version is sold out in alot of places.
What really pisses me off about the XBox: You can't play DVDs without that remote. You can't just use your controller. And that remote is another 40-50 dollars. Also, you can't save games without your memory card (also another 40-50 dollars). Meanwhile... doesn't the god damn thing have a hard drive built in? To be able to get the god damn console you'll have to buy a package, and the package doesn't even contain all the good stuff. It'd cost around 600 to get my ideal set up?
No thanks.
Maybe I'll just wait to attack the 12 year olds too. The difference: I'll wait till after they buy the XBox and walk out of the store with it to attack them.
Me smarts.
Nintendo knows they have a popular console on their hand and to meet demand, they needed product on the store shelves to buy. Microsoft also knows this, but they wanted to try and increase demand by limiting supply. This could hurt them because the purchaser might decide to buy Gamecube instead of Xbox, only because they can get their hands on it. Plus they can get 2 more games if they get NGC instead of Xbox or they can save $100. And me being my broke college self, I'd spring for the NGC anyways. Just my 2 cents...
Amigori
"The quality of life is determined by its activites."--Aristotle
here is some info about the GameCube that you might find interesting.
--- sig moved for great justice.
I bought one myself too. I could NOT pass up a decent console for the cost of a typical x-box or gamecube game(50 bucks). Games under 10 bucks? Count me in!
I'm happy with mine. I wonder if Sega will get some sort of incentive to produce or at least translate more DC games from its surge of sales.
At the conclusion of the interview (which involved searching my house to which I aqueisced) the agents told me that probably nothing would come of it, but the decision on whether to prosecute or not was up to the attorney general's office.
I'm still not entirely sure how my comment can be construed as an actual threat, but I do understand why secret service agents are a bit high strung about now.
Regards,
Lee
Agreed.
It's not just a part of the game. Its a huge part. If X-Boxes are not readily available for the christmas season, I'd guess that there are a large number of families out there who will go for a 'reasonable alternative' in the GameCube.
In the long run, however, the battle will probably be won by the system that produces the most high quality games. For that reason, Microsoft bought the rights to 'Halo', and the president of Nintendo is planning on selling his 10 percent stake of the company and pumping the money into Games start-ups that support the nintendo system.
This wouldn't surprise me, but given the fact that it's readily available in some places and less so in others, my guess is that they didn't have the marketing data to ship the right amount of units to the right areas. Some places they overshipped, others they undershipped. All in all, I'd bet you're right that there's enough supply, but I think that the supply just isn't where it needs to be at present.
I think all their crafty marketing tricks are involved in over-advertising the thing, to the degree where there are X-Box banners and fliers everywhere, but nary a gamecube one to be found. They just spent so much money that they saturated the ad space. That's what creates the illusion that they're so hot, walking in to the store and seeing big green X's everywhere will overwhelm most people.
"I may not have morals, but I have standards."
"The only way they may be selling more Gamecubes than Sony sold Playstation 2s is by having more available"
That's a brilliant deduction. Did you do that in software?
Or not. Microsoft never releases sales figures. They just say "greatest" or "best ever" or other fuzzy statements. Check the article on the Reg a couple of weeks ago about Gates' keynote speech and associated press releases that played fast and lose with the XP sales figures. Microsoft won't admit the thing isn't selling until they quietly stop making the things.
www.lucernesys.comHorizon: Calendar-based personal finance
Someone was making fun of GameCube's initial line up? I went to the store yesterday and there were nearly as many different GC games on the shelf as X-Box games. Then I looked more closely. There were about twice as many GOOD GC games on the shelf than there were X-Box games. Just goes to show quality over quantity.
I've got a computer. A damn nice computer at that. If I REALLY want to play X-Box games, I think I'll just save my money and wait till the emulator comes out in a month. I mean, come on...runs off of windows, uses basic computer components...it can't take them too long. The only game I've seen that I want to play on X-Box that isn't out on another system is DOA3, and I still have more fun playing Soul Caliber than I do DOA3.
So, while you guys finish debating which to play, I think that I'll keep playing Tony Hawk 3, XtremeG-3, and Super Monkey Ball while I get ready for Super Smash Bro's and Pikimin next week...
OK, now let's at least be reasonable, and try to get our facts straight. Coming off as fanatics is not politic in today's climate, and fanatics are usually the ones who make up facts and get all upset about them without anybody bothering to check them against reality.
/. everytime a new competitor springs up in the software market. Why would we want Sony / Nintendo to just draw a line at age 12 and agree to let Sony have those above and Nintendo have those below? Why isn't it a good thing that Microsoft is climbing in over the corpse of the Dreamcast?
Wednesday night I paid $29.99 for my DVD remote kit at Target. I have been saving games since launch day on the hard drive without a memory card.
Now, start looking at your criticisms and think: Can I save PS2 games without a memory card? Will any amount of money allow my GC to play DVDs? This sort of rabid mentality adds to the ammunition of those who think the open source movement is populated only by irrational zealots.
Regarding bundling:
I bought my XBOX on the morning of the launch at a Wal-Mart with just the console, an extra controller, and one game, exchanging my TRU pre-order bundle deposit for another game, though they would have been happy to just refund my $. TRU was ecstatic that I cancelled and one clerk was dialing the next guy on the list before the first clerk had finished ringing up my game, so it was possible to do an end run around the bundles, and I don't see anything about post-launch bundling at all...where are these people shopping?
On competition:
A cheer rings out on